Landline phone subscriptions in Australia
Australia: Landline phone subscriptions 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
Landline phone subscriptions in Australia, 1960–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 5.95 million for landline phone subscriptions in 2024.
That represents a change of down 8.0% on the previous year and down 35.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, landline phone subscriptions in Australia peaked at 10.71 million in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1.56 million, in 1960.
That places Australia 24th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Landline phone subscriptions 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 Landline phone subscriptions 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 landline phone subscriptions in Australia?
- Landline phone subscriptions 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 landline phone subscriptions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.71 million in 2009.
- What is the lowest landline phone subscriptions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 million in 1960.
- How does Australia rank for landline phone subscriptions?
- Australia ranks 24th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is landline phone subscriptions 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 Landline phone subscriptions. 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).