Fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Fixed telephone subscriptions was 71.00 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
71.00 million
Change on year
up 4.4%
Rank
22nd
of 45 groups
All-time high
71.00 million
in 2025
All-time low
500,746
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2025

Fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1960–2025

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M196019922025

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Analysis

In 2025, fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) stood at 71.00 million. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.

The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 36.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 71.00 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 500,746, in 1960.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 22nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), year by year

Annual values for Fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1960 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1960 500,746
1961 500,746 +0.0%
1962 500,746 +0.0%
1963 500,746 +0.0%
1964 500,746 +0.0%
1966 687,236 +37.2%
1967 687,236 +0.0%
1968 687,236 +0.0%
1969 687,236 +0.0%
1970 999,259 +45.4%
1971 1.01 million +0.8%
1972 1.01 million +0.0%
1973 1.01 million +0.0%
1974 1.01 million +0.0%
1975 1.46 million +45.2%
1976 1.64 million +12.1%
1977 1.77 million +8.0%
1978 1.88 million +6.2%
1979 2.00 million +6.4%
1980 2.08 million +3.5%
1981 2.88 million +39.0%
1982 3.45 million +19.7%
1983 3.79 million +9.7%
1984 4.14 million +9.2%
1985 4.79 million +15.9%
1986 5.36 million +11.9%
1987 5.87 million +9.5%
1988 6.36 million +8.2%
1989 6.88 million +8.3%
1990 7.52 million +9.2%
1991 8.20 million +9.0%
1992 9.32 million +13.7%
1993 10.52 million +12.8%
1994 11.91 million +13.2%
1995 13.51 million +13.4%
1996 15.16 million +12.2%
1997 16.87 million +11.3%
1998 18.91 million +12.1%
1999 21.23 million +12.3%
2000 23.62 million +11.2%
2001 26.59 million +12.6%
2002 30.76 million +15.7%
2003 34.91 million +13.5%
2004 37.37 million +7.1%
2005 42.95 million +14.9%
2006 46.48 million +8.2%
2007 49.88 million +7.3%
2008 51.83 million +3.9%
2009 52.39 million +1.1%
2010 52.80 million +0.8%
2011 53.82 million +1.9%
2012 54.35 million +1.0%
2013 53.12 million -2.3%
2014 51.25 million -3.5%
2015 52.20 million +1.9%
2016 53.70 million +2.9%
2017 55.00 million +2.4%
2018 55.60 million +1.1%
2019 55.70 million +0.2%
2020 60.00 million +7.7%
2021 61.00 million +1.7%
2022 62.00 million +1.6%
2023 65.00 million +4.8%
2024 68.00 million +4.6%
2025 71.00 million +4.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 583,630 500,746 687,236 9
1970s 1.38 million 999,259 2.00 million 10
1980s 4.56 million 2.08 million 6.88 million 10
1990s 13.32 million 7.52 million 21.23 million 10
2000s 39.68 million 23.62 million 52.39 million 10
2010s 53.75 million 51.25 million 55.70 million 10
2020s 64.50 million 60.00 million 71.00 million 6

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

  1. 19 Algeria 6.93 million compare
  2. 20 Saudi Arabia 6.71 million compare
  3. 21 Argentina 6.42 million compare
  4. 22 Uzbekistan 6.32 million compare
  5. 23 Colombia 6.32 million compare
  6. 24 Australia 5.95 million compare
  7. 25 Portugal 5.53 million compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →

Frequently asked questions

What is fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
Fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) was 71.00 million in 2025, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
The highest recorded value was 71.00 million in 2025.
What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
The lowest recorded value was 500,746 in 1960.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
Over the last ten years it is up 36.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD). Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/fixed-telephone-subscriptions/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-ida-and-ibrd/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/fixed-telephone-subscriptions/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-ida-and-ibrd/">Fixed telephone subscriptions in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Fixed telephone subscriptions
Source
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
260 places, 14,482 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.