Landline phone subscriptions in China

China: Landline phone subscriptions was 166.51 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
166.51 million
Change on year
down 7.2%
World rank
1st
of 212 countries
All-time high
367.79 million
in 2006
All-time low
1.69 million
in 1975
Years of data
50
1975–2024

Landline phone subscriptions in China, 1975–2024

0100.0M200.0M300.0M400.0M197519992024

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

Analysis

China recorded 166.51 million for landline phone subscriptions in 2024.

That represents a change of down 7.2% on the previous year and down 33.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, landline phone subscriptions in China peaked at 367.79 million in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.69 million, in 1975.

China ranks 1st of 212 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.85 million 1.69 million 2.03 million 5
1980s 3.29 million 2.14 million 5.68 million 10
1990s 43.35 million 6.85 million 108.72 million 10
2000s 285.19 million 144.83 million 367.79 million 10
2010s 238.86 million 191.03 million 294.38 million 10
2020s 177.59 million 166.51 million 181.91 million 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 2 United States 81.55 million compare
  2. 3 Japan 59.33 million compare
  3. 4 India 39.24 million compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is landline phone subscriptions in China?
Landline phone subscriptions in China was 166.51 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 China?
The highest recorded value was 367.79 million in 2006.
What is the lowest landline phone subscriptions recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 1.69 million in 1975.
How does China rank for landline phone subscriptions?
China ranks 1st out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
Is landline phone subscriptions rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China 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 — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Landline phone subscriptions
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