Fixed telephone subscriptions in North America
North America: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 89.00 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
89.00 million
Change on year
down 4.3%
Rank
19th
of 47 groups
All-time high
213.41 million
in 2000
All-time low
54.27 million
in 1961
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Fixed telephone subscriptions in North America, 1960–2025
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
North America recorded 89.00 million for fixed telephone subscriptions in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.3% on the previous year and down 36.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in North America peaked at 213.41 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 54.27 million, in 1961.
That places North America 19th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Fixed telephone subscriptions in North America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 54.27 million | — |
| 1961 | 54.27 million | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 54.27 million | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 54.27 million | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 54.27 million | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 63.57 million | +17.1% |
| 1966 | 63.57 million | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 63.57 million | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 63.57 million | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 63.57 million | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 75.57 million | +18.9% |
| 1971 | 75.57 million | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 75.57 million | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 75.57 million | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 75.57 million | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 88.81 million | +17.5% |
| 1976 | 91.43 million | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 94.37 million | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 97.72 million | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 100.88 million | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 104.28 million | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 115.88 million | +11.1% |
| 1982 | 117.88 million | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 121.11 million | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 124.41 million | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 128.50 million | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 131.27 million | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 136.27 million | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 141.10 million | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 146.19 million | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 151.45 million | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 155.27 million | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 159.63 million | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 164.87 million | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 170.74 million | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 177.27 million | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 184.47 million | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 192.58 million | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 199.20 million | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 209.94 million | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 213.41 million | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 212.75 million | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 209.93 million | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 203.60 million | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 198.31 million | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 193.36 million | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 185.75 million | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 176.76 million | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 181.07 million | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 171.64 million | -5.2% |
| 2010 | 168.10 million | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 161.59 million | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 156.39 million | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 150.23 million | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 144.93 million | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 140.50 million | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 136.50 million | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 130.80 million | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 124.20 million | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 120.10 million | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 115.00 million | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 109.00 million | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 102.00 million | -6.4% |
| 2023 | 96.00 million | -5.9% |
| 2024 | 93.00 million | -3.1% |
| 2025 | 89.00 million | -4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 58.92 million | 54.27 million | 63.57 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 85.11 million | 75.57 million | 100.88 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 126.69 million | 104.28 million | 146.19 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 176.54 million | 151.45 million | 209.94 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 194.66 million | 171.64 million | 213.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 143.33 million | 120.10 million | 168.10 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 100.67 million | 89.00 million | 115.00 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
More infrastructure data for North America
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 434.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 112 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 23 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.2321 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -4.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 89.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.13 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 434.00 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fixed telephone subscriptions in North America?
- Fixed telephone subscriptions in North America was 89.00 million in 2025, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 213.41 million in 2000.
- What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.27 million in 1961.
- How does North America rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
- North America ranks 19th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America 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 — 66 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.