Landline phone subscriptions in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Landline phone subscriptions was 23.77 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Landline phone subscriptions 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 landline phone subscriptions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.5% on the previous year and down 28.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, landline phone subscriptions in United Kingdom peaked at 35.23 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.04 million, in 1960.
That places United Kingdom 9th 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.
Landline phone subscriptions 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 Landline phone subscriptions 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 landline phone subscriptions in United Kingdom?
- Landline phone subscriptions 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 landline phone subscriptions recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 35.23 million in 2000.
- What is the lowest landline phone subscriptions recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.04 million in 1960.
- How does United Kingdom rank for landline phone subscriptions?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is landline phone subscriptions 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 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).