Adoption of communication technologies in United States

United States: Adoption of communication technologies was 81.55 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
81.55 million
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
2nd
of 212 countries
All-time high
192.51 million
in 2000
All-time low
49.27 million
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Adoption of communication technologies in United States, 1960–2024

50.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M196019922024

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

Analysis

United States recorded 81.55 million for adoption of communication technologies in 2024.

That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and down 36.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adoption of communication technologies in United States peaked at 192.51 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 49.27 million, in 1960.

That places United States 2nd 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 53.78 million 49.27 million 58.29 million 10
1970s 77.36 million 69.04 million 91.27 million 10
1980s 114.62 million 94.28 million 131.50 million 10
1990s 158.97 million 136.11 million 189.50 million 10
2000s 175.06 million 152.87 million 192.51 million 10
2010s 127.25 million 106.43 million 149.65 million 10
2020s 91.27 million 81.55 million 101.80 million 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 1 China 166.51 million compare
  2. 3 Japan 59.33 million compare
  3. 4 India 39.24 million compare
  4. 5 Germany 38.40 million compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is adoption of communication technologies in United States?
Adoption of communication technologies in United States was 81.55 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 States?
The highest recorded value was 192.51 million in 2000.
What is the lowest adoption of communication technologies recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 49.27 million in 1960.
How does United States rank for adoption of communication technologies?
United States ranks 2nd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
Is adoption of communication technologies rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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.

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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