Adoption of communication technologies in Australia
Australia: Adoption of communication technologies was 5.95 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5.95 million
Change on year
down 8.0%
World rank
24th
of 212 countries
All-time high
10.71 million
in 2009
All-time low
1.56 million
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Adoption of communication technologies in Australia, 1960–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, adoption of communication technologies in Australia stood at 5.95 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.0% on the previous year and down 35.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adoption of communication technologies in Australia peaked at 10.71 million in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1.56 million, in 1960.
Australia ranks 24th of 212 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Adoption of communication technologies in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.56 million | — |
| 1961 | 1.56 million | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.56 million | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.56 million | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.56 million | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.01 million | +28.7% |
| 1966 | 2.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.70 million | +34.5% |
| 1971 | 2.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3.54 million | +30.9% |
| 1976 | 3.70 million | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 3.91 million | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 4.17 million | +6.6% |
| 1979 | 4.45 million | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 4.74 million | +6.6% |
| 1981 | 5.07 million | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 5.36 million | +5.7% |
| 1983 | 5.59 million | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 5.85 million | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 6.19 million | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 6.50 million | +5.1% |
| 1987 | 6.82 million | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 7.09 million | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 7.42 million | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 7.79 million | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 8.05 million | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 8.26 million | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 8.54 million | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 8.85 million | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 8.90 million | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 9.17 million | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 9.35 million | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 9.54 million | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 9.76 million | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 10.05 million | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 10.06 million | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 10.40 million | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 10.46 million | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 10.37 million | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 10.12 million | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 9.94 million | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 9.76 million | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 9.37 million | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 10.71 million | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 10.62 million | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 10.57 million | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 10.47 million | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 10.35 million | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 9.19 million | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 8.50 million | -7.5% |
| 2016 | 8.48 million | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 8.46 million | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 8.20 million | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 6.20 million | -24.4% |
| 2020 | 5.46 million | -12.0% |
| 2021 | 6.72 million | +23.1% |
| 2022 | 6.41 million | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 6.47 million | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 5.95 million | -8.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 5.95 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 445,236, 13.4× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Australia's 5.95 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 81,260, 73.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Adoption of communication technologies in Australia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +34.5% | 2.01 million | 2.70 million |
| 1975 | +30.9% | 2.70 million | 3.54 million |
| 1965 | +28.7% | 1.56 million | 2.01 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.79 million | 1.56 million | 2.01 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.33 million | 2.70 million | 4.45 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.06 million | 4.74 million | 7.42 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.82 million | 7.79 million | 9.76 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.12 million | 9.37 million | 10.71 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.10 million | 6.20 million | 10.62 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.20 million | 5.46 million | 6.72 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adoption of communication technologies in Australia?
- Adoption of communication technologies in Australia was 5.95 million in 2024, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.71 million in 2009.
- What is the lowest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 million in 1960.
- How does Australia rank for adoption of communication technologies?
- Australia ranks 24th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adoption of communication technologies rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Adoption of communication technologies. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).