Fixed telephone subscriptions in World

World: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 815.00 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
815.00 million
Change on year
down 2.2%
Rank
1st
of 48 groups
All-time high
1.26 billion
in 2006
All-time low
116.34 million
in 1966
Years of data
54
1966–2025

Fixed telephone subscriptions in World, 1966–2025

0250.0M500.0M750.0M1.0B1.2B196619952025

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

Analysis

In 2025, fixed telephone subscriptions in World stood at 815.00 million.

That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 22.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in World peaked at 1.26 billion in 2006 and was at its lowest, 116.34 million, in 1966.

World ranks 1st of 48 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 116.34 million 116.34 million 116.34 million 4
1970s 215.03 million 158.44 million 294.23 million 9
1980s 397.20 million 310.83 million 489.42 million 10
1990s 683.78 million 517.58 million 904.52 million 10
2000s 1.25 billion 1.24 billion 1.26 billion 5
2010s 1.08 billion 925.40 million 1.23 billion 10
2020s 861.83 million 815.00 million 903.00 million 6

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 China 166.51 million compare
  2. 2 United States 81.55 million compare
  3. 3 Japan 59.33 million compare
  4. 4 India 39.24 million compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is fixed telephone subscriptions in World?
Fixed telephone subscriptions in World was 815.00 million in 2025, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 1.26 billion in 2006.
What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 116.34 million in 1966.
How does World rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
World ranks 1st out of 48 groups with data for 2025.
Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this World 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 — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

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.