Fixed telephone subscriptions in Australia
Australia: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 5.95 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Fixed telephone subscriptions in Australia, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
In 2024, fixed telephone subscriptions in Australia stood at 5.95 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.0% on the previous year and down 35.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in Australia peaked at 10.71 million in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1.56 million, in 1960.
Australia ranks 24th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Fixed telephone subscriptions in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.56 million | — |
| 1961 | 1.56 million | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.56 million | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.56 million | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.56 million | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.01 million | +28.7% |
| 1966 | 2.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.70 million | +34.5% |
| 1971 | 2.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3.54 million | +30.9% |
| 1976 | 3.70 million | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 3.91 million | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 4.17 million | +6.6% |
| 1979 | 4.45 million | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 4.74 million | +6.6% |
| 1981 | 5.07 million | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 5.36 million | +5.7% |
| 1983 | 5.59 million | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 5.85 million | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 6.19 million | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 6.50 million | +5.1% |
| 1987 | 6.82 million | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 7.09 million | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 7.42 million | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 7.79 million | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 8.05 million | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 8.26 million | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 8.54 million | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 8.85 million | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 8.90 million | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 9.17 million | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 9.35 million | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 9.54 million | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 9.76 million | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 10.05 million | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 10.06 million | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 10.40 million | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 10.46 million | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 10.37 million | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 10.12 million | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 9.94 million | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 9.76 million | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 9.37 million | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 10.71 million | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 10.62 million | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 10.57 million | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 10.47 million | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 10.35 million | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 9.19 million | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 8.50 million | -7.5% |
| 2016 | 8.48 million | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 8.46 million | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 8.20 million | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 6.20 million | -24.4% |
| 2020 | 5.46 million | -12.0% |
| 2021 | 6.72 million | +23.1% |
| 2022 | 6.41 million | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 6.47 million | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 5.95 million | -8.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 5.95 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 445,236, 13.4× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Australia's 5.95 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 81,260, 73.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fixed telephone subscriptions in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +34.5% | 2.01 million | 2.70 million |
| 1975 | +30.9% | 2.70 million | 3.54 million |
| 1965 | +28.7% | 1.56 million | 2.01 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.79 million | 1.56 million | 2.01 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.33 million | 2.70 million | 4.45 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.06 million | 4.74 million | 7.42 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.82 million | 7.79 million | 9.76 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.12 million | 9.37 million | 10.71 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.10 million | 6.20 million | 10.62 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.20 million | 5.46 million | 6.72 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More infrastructure data for Australia
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 30.07 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 112.58 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 22.28 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.2189 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -8.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 5.95 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.11 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 30.07 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fixed telephone subscriptions in Australia?
- Fixed telephone subscriptions in Australia was 5.95 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.71 million in 2009.
- What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 million in 1960.
- How does Australia rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
- Australia ranks 24th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Fixed telephone subscriptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Fixed telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.