Fixed telephone subscriptions in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 23.77 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Fixed telephone subscriptions in United Kingdom, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 23.77 million for fixed telephone subscriptions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.5% on the previous year and down 28.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in United Kingdom peaked at 35.23 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.04 million, in 1960.
United Kingdom ranks 9th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Fixed telephone subscriptions in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.04 million | — |
| 1961 | 5.04 million | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 5.04 million | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5.04 million | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 5.04 million | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 6.53 million | +29.7% |
| 1966 | 6.53 million | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 6.53 million | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 6.53 million | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 6.53 million | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 9.21 million | +41.0% |
| 1971 | 9.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 9.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 9.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 9.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 13.23 million | +43.6% |
| 1976 | 13.96 million | +5.5% |
| 1977 | 15.07 million | +8.0% |
| 1978 | 16.36 million | +8.5% |
| 1979 | 17.33 million | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 18.16 million | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 18.80 million | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 19.24 million | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 19.87 million | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 20.55 million | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 21.18 million | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 21.73 million | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 22.66 million | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 23.74 million | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 24.80 million | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 25.37 million | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 25.91 million | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 26.51 million | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 27.34 million | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 28.36 million | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 29.41 million | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 30.68 million | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 31.88 million | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 32.83 million | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 34.02 million | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 35.23 million | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 34.58 million | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 34.74 million | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 34.55 million | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 34.58 million | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 34.07 million | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 33.85 million | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 33.46 million | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 34.19 million | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 33.51 million | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 33.41 million | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 33.25 million | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 33.20 million | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 33.38 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 33.24 million | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 33.21 million | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 32.63 million | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 31.77 million | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 31.51 million | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 32.75 million | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 32.73 million | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 31.89 million | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 30.05 million | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 26.88 million | -10.6% |
| 2024 | 23.77 million | -11.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 23.77 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 445,236, 53.4× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 23.77 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 716,034, 33.2× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fixed telephone subscriptions in United Kingdom 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 | +43.6% | 9.21 million | 13.23 million |
| 1970 | +41.0% | 6.53 million | 9.21 million |
| 1965 | +29.7% | 5.04 million | 6.53 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.79 million | 5.04 million | 6.53 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.20 million | 9.21 million | 17.33 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.07 million | 18.16 million | 24.80 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.23 million | 25.37 million | 34.02 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.27 million | 33.46 million | 35.23 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.84 million | 31.51 million | 33.41 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.06 million | 23.77 million | 32.73 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More infrastructure data for United Kingdom
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 84.10 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 121.64 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 34.38 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.3431 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -11.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 23.77 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.21 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 84.10 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fixed telephone subscriptions in United Kingdom?
- Fixed telephone subscriptions in United Kingdom was 23.77 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 35.23 million in 2000.
- What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.04 million in 1960.
- How does United Kingdom rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.