Fixed telephone subscriptions in Belgium
Belgium: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 2.49 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Fixed telephone subscriptions in Belgium, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
In 2024, fixed telephone subscriptions in Belgium stood at 2.49 million.
The figure is down 10.1% on the previous year and down 45.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in Belgium peaked at 5.13 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 779,262, in 1960.
That places Belgium 43rd out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Fixed telephone subscriptions in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 779,262 | — |
| 1961 | 779,262 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 779,262 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 779,262 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 779,262 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.05 million | +34.7% |
| 1966 | 1.05 million | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.05 million | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.05 million | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.05 million | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.34 million | +28.0% |
| 1971 | 1.34 million | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.34 million | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.34 million | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.34 million | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.85 million | +37.7% |
| 1976 | 1.94 million | +4.9% |
| 1977 | 2.05 million | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 2.18 million | +6.2% |
| 1979 | 2.32 million | +6.4% |
| 1980 | 2.44 million | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 2.59 million | +5.9% |
| 1982 | 2.72 million | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 2.82 million | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 2.92 million | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 3.03 million | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 3.23 million | +6.4% |
| 1987 | 3.37 million | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 3.53 million | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 3.71 million | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 3.91 million | +5.4% |
| 1991 | 4.10 million | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 4.26 million | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 4.40 million | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 4.54 million | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 4.68 million | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 4.62 million | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 4.77 million | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 4.86 million | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 5.01 million | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 5.04 million | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 5.13 million | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 4.93 million | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 4.88 million | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 4.80 million | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 4.79 million | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 4.73 million | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 4.85 million | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 4.73 million | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 4.64 million | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 4.64 million | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 4.63 million | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 4.63 million | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4.59 million | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 4.53 million | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 4.49 million | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 4.37 million | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 4.28 million | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 4.11 million | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 3.93 million | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 3.64 million | -7.5% |
| 2021 | 3.31 million | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 2.97 million | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 2.77 million | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 2.49 million | -10.1% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 2.49 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 445,236, 5.6× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 2.49 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 716,034, 3.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fixed telephone subscriptions in Belgium 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | +37.7% | 1.34 million | 1.85 million |
| 1965 | +34.7% | 779,262 | 1.05 million |
| 1970 | +28.0% | 1.05 million | 1.34 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 914,616 | 779,262 | 1.05 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.71 million | 1.34 million | 2.32 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.04 million | 2.44 million | 3.71 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.52 million | 3.91 million | 5.01 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.85 million | 4.64 million | 5.13 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.42 million | 3.93 million | 4.64 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.03 million | 2.49 million | 3.64 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More infrastructure data for Belgium
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 12.20 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 103.91 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 21.18 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.2097 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -10.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 2.49 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.03 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 12.20 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fixed telephone subscriptions in Belgium?
- Fixed telephone subscriptions in Belgium was 2.49 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 5.13 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 779,262 in 1960.
- How does Belgium rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
- Belgium ranks 43rd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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.