Caribbean small states: Fixed telephone subscriptions

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Caribbean small states' fixed telephone subscriptions rose 1% on 2020 (from 567,343 to 573,277).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +2.6% and a typical year strayed about 8.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 60.6% in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 28% in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is downward, about 20,211 a year. A straight line explains 58% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Fixed telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.

Limitations: Operators have traditionally been the main source of telecommunications data, so information on subscriptions has been widely available for most countries. This gives a general idea of access, but a more precise measure is the penetration rate - the share of households with access to telecommunications. During the past few years more information on information and communication technology use has become available from household and business surveys. Also important are data on actual use of telecommunications services. Ideally, statistics on telecommunications (and other information and communications technologies) should be compiled for all three measures: subscriptions, access, and use.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 48 values

Fixed telephone subscriptions in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 181,963 (2023)
• Algeria — 6.93 million (2024)
• Bahrain — 256,054 (2024)
• Djibouti — 28,673 (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 13.25 million (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 28.23 million (2024)
• Iraq — 5.28 million (2024)
• Israel — 2.56 million (2023)
• Jordan — 485,928 (2024)
• Kuwait — 572,621 (2023)
• Lebanon — 924,461 (2022)

More infrastructure data for Caribbean small states

• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 3.41 million (2021)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 109.13 (2021)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 18.32 (2021)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 137,316 (2021)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 2.46 million (2021)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 91.48 (2023)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$215.92 million (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 3.01% (2025)
• Scientific and technical journal articles

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Caribbean small states's fixed telephone subscriptions?

573,277 in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 922.21% from 56,082 in 1970 (4.66% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 701,163 in 2013 and the lowest 56,082 in 1970.

Is the latest change in fixed telephone subscriptions unusual for Caribbean small states?

In 2021, Caribbean small states' fixed telephone subscriptions rose 1% on 2020 (from 567,343 to 573,277). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +2.6% and a typical year strayed about 8.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IT.MLT.MAIN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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