Adoption of communication technologies in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Adoption of communication technologies was 23.77 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
23.77 million
Change on year
down 11.5%
World rank
9th
of 212 countries
All-time high
35.23 million
in 2000
All-time low
5.04 million
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Adoption of communication technologies in United Kingdom, 1960–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 23.77 million for adoption of communication technologies in 2024.
That represents a change of down 11.5% on the previous year and down 28.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adoption of communication technologies 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 212 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Adoption of communication technologies 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 734,202, 32.4× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Adoption of communication technologies 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 reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adoption of communication technologies in United Kingdom?
- Adoption of communication technologies in United Kingdom was 23.77 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 35.23 million in 2000.
- What is the lowest adoption of communication technologies recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.04 million in 1960.
- How does United Kingdom rank for adoption of communication technologies?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adoption of communication technologies 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 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).