Adoption of communication technologies in Canada

Canada: Adoption of communication technologies was 10.97 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
10.97 million
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
16th
of 212 countries
All-time high
21.13 million
in 2001
All-time low
4.99 million
in 1961
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Adoption of communication technologies in Canada, 1960–2024

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M196019922024

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, adoption of communication technologies in Canada stood at 10.97 million.

That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 33.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adoption of communication technologies in Canada peaked at 21.13 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 4.99 million, in 1961.

That places Canada 16th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 5.13 million 4.99 million 5.27 million 10
1970s 7.72 million 6.51 million 9.60 million 10
1980s 12.04 million 9.98 million 14.65 million 10
1990s 17.52 million 15.30 million 20.38 million 10
2000s 19.54 million 18.15 million 21.13 million 10
2010s 16.04 million 13.60 million 18.39 million 10
2020s 11.84 million 10.97 million 13.34 million 5

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 13 Italy 20.30 million compare
  2. 14 Spain 18.23 million compare
  3. 15 Egypt 13.25 million compare
  4. 17 Turkey 9.03 million compare
  5. 18 Malaysia 8.22 million compare
  6. 19 Algeria 6.93 million compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More reference data data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is adoption of communication technologies in Canada?
Adoption of communication technologies in Canada was 10.97 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 Canada?
The highest recorded value was 21.13 million in 2001.
What is the lowest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 4.99 million in 1961.
How does Canada rank for adoption of communication technologies?
Canada ranks 16th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
Is adoption of communication technologies rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada 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

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About this data

Indicator
Adoption of communication technologies
Source
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
212 places, 11,803 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed