Telephone mainlines in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Telephone mainlines was 13.97 per 1,000 people in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
13.97 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 4.7%
Rank
3rd
of 6 groups
All-time high
15.35 per 1,000 people
in 2009
All-time low
5.08 per 1,000 people
in 1960
Years of data
39
1960–2011
Telephone mainlines in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1960–2011
Source: International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2011, telephone mainlines in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 13.97 per 1,000 people.
That represents a change of down 4.7% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, telephone mainlines in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 15.35 per 1,000 people in 2009 and was at its lowest, 5.08 per 1,000 people, in 1960.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Telephone mainlines in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.08 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1970 | 6.29 per 1,000 people | +23.8% |
| 1975 | 7.13 per 1,000 people | +13.4% |
| 1976 | 7.04 per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 7.37 per 1,000 people | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 8 per 1,000 people | +8.5% |
| 1979 | 8.35 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 8.66 per 1,000 people | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 7.11 per 1,000 people | -17.9% |
| 1982 | 7.42 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 7.74 per 1,000 people | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 7.87 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 8.14 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 8.62 per 1,000 people | +5.8% |
| 1987 | 8.85 per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 9.18 per 1,000 people | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 9.57 per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 10.02 per 1,000 people | +4.7% |
| 1991 | 10.21 per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 10.12 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 10.32 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 10.64 per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 11.13 per 1,000 people | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 11.67 per 1,000 people | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 12.41 per 1,000 people | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 13.35 per 1,000 people | +7.6% |
| 1999 | 14.28 per 1,000 people | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 13.94 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 14.17 per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 14.53 per 1,000 people | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 15.01 per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 15.3 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 14.78 per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 15.34 per 1,000 people | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 15.19 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 14.71 per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 15.35 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 14.65 per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 13.97 per 1,000 people | -4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.08 per 1,000 people | 5.08 per 1,000 people | 5.08 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1970s | 7.37 per 1,000 people | 6.29 per 1,000 people | 8.35 per 1,000 people | 6 |
| 1980s | 8.32 per 1,000 people | 7.11 per 1,000 people | 9.57 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.41 per 1,000 people | 10.02 per 1,000 people | 14.28 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.83 per 1,000 people | 13.94 per 1,000 people | 15.35 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.31 per 1,000 people | 13.97 per 1,000 people | 14.65 per 1,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More science & technology data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 48,007 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per square kilometre 0.002 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index -0.8802 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate -0.2023 % change on previous year (2023)
- Mobile phone subscribers 539.26 per 1,000 people (2011)
- Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers 553.23 per 1,000 people (2011)
- Revenue from mobile communication 14.65 billion current US$ (2011)
- Mobile cellular postpaid connection charge 2.12 current US$ (2009)
Frequently asked questions
- What is telephone mainlines in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Telephone mainlines in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 13.97 per 1,000 people in 2011, according to International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates.
- What is the highest telephone mainlines recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 15.35 per 1,000 people in 2009.
- What is the lowest telephone mainlines recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.08 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for telephone mainlines?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 3rd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is telephone mainlines rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates, published as part of Telephone mainlines (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Please cite the International Telecommunication Union for third-party use of these data. Telephone mainlines are fixed telephone lines connecting a subscriber to the telephone exchange equipment.