Fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand

New Zealand: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 564,000 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
564,000
Change on year
down 14.9%
World rank
82nd
of 214 countries
All-time high
1.88 million
in 2010
All-time low
537,035
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand, 1960–2024

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M196019922024

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

Analysis

In 2024, fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand stood at 564,000.

The figure is down 14.9% on the previous year and down 69.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand peaked at 1.88 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 537,035, in 1960.

That places New Zealand 82nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.

Fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand, 1960 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1960 537,035
1961 537,035 +0.0%
1962 537,035 +0.0%
1963 537,035 +0.0%
1964 537,035 +0.0%
1965 715,000 +33.1%
1966 715,000 +0.0%
1967 715,000 +0.0%
1968 715,000 +0.0%
1969 715,000 +0.0%
1970 841,000 +17.6%
1971 841,000 +0.0%
1972 841,000 +0.0%
1973 841,000 +0.0%
1974 841,000 +0.0%
1975 987,000 +17.4%
1976 1.05 million +6.9%
1977 1.07 million +1.5%
1978 1.09 million +2.0%
1979 1.10 million +1.0%
1980 1.14 million +3.1%
1981 1.17 million +3.2%
1982 1.20 million +2.1%
1983 1.23 million +2.3%
1984 1.26 million +2.8%
1985 1.30 million +2.8%
1986 1.33 million +2.5%
1987 1.37 million +3.2%
1988 1.41 million +2.6%
1989 1.44 million +2.7%
1990 1.47 million +1.7%
1991 1.49 million +1.6%
1992 1.53 million +2.7%
1993 1.59 million +3.8%
1994 1.66 million +4.1%
1995 1.72 million +3.7%
1996 1.73 million +0.4%
1997 1.78 million +2.9%
1998 1.81 million +1.8%
1999 1.83 million +1.3%
2000 1.83 million -0.1%
2001 1.82 million -0.4%
2002 1.76 million -3.2%
2003 1.80 million +1.9%
2004 1.80 million +0.1%
2005 1.73 million -4.0%
2006 1.76 million +1.9%
2007 1.75 million -0.8%
2008 1.75 million +0.2%
2009 1.87 million +6.9%
2010 1.88 million +0.5%
2011 1.88 million +0.0%
2012 1.88 million +0.0%
2013 1.85 million -1.6%
2014 1.85 million +0.0%
2015 1.85 million +0.0%
2016 1.76 million -4.9%
2017 1.79 million +1.7%
2018 1.07 million -40.1%
2019 967,000 -9.9%
2020 844,000 -12.7%
2021 908,000 +7.6%
2022 758,000 -16.5%
2023 663,000 -12.5%
2024 564,000 -14.9%

New Zealand compared with similar countries

  • New Zealand's 564,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 445,236, 1.3× the median. (82 countries reporting)
  • New Zealand's 564,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 81,260, 6.9× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand 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.

YearChange FromTo
2018 -40.1% 1.79 million 1.07 million
1965 +33.1% 537,035 715,000

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 626,018 537,035 715,000 10
1970s 951,259 841,000 1.10 million 10
1980s 1.28 million 1.14 million 1.44 million 10
1990s 1.66 million 1.47 million 1.83 million 10
2000s 1.79 million 1.73 million 1.87 million 10
2010s 1.68 million 967,000 1.88 million 10
2020s 747,400 564,000 908,000 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 79 Slovenia 607,443 compare
  2. 80 Bosnia and Herzegovina 583,045 compare
  3. 81 Kuwait 572,621 compare
  4. 83 Myanmar 558,671 compare
  5. 84 Bulgaria 551,943 compare
  6. 85 Qatar 524,643 compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More infrastructure data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand?
Fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand was 564,000 in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 1.88 million in 2010.
What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 537,035 in 1960.
How does New Zealand rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
New Zealand ranks 82nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 69.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand 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.

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Fixed telephone subscriptions in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/fixed-telephone-subscriptions/new-zealand/

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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
261 places, 14,489 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.