Colombia: Fixed telephone subscriptions

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Colombia's fixed telephone subscriptions fell 13.2% on 2023 (from 7.28 million to 6.32 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3% and a typical year strayed about 6.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 51.7% in 1970 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.2% in 2024. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Colombia had the 21st highest value of the 146 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Colombia in the 2024 ranking

• Saudi Arabia — 17th of 146: 6.71 million
• Argentina — 18th of 146: 6.42 million
• Uzbekistan — 19th of 146: 6.32 million
• Australia — 21st of 146: 5.95 million
• Portugal — 22nd of 146: 5.53 million
• Iraq — 23rd of 146: 5.28 million

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 65 values

Fixed telephone subscriptions in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 27,320 (2022)
• Argentina — 6.42 million (2024)
• Aruba — 34,549 (2022)
• Bahamas, The — 93,084 (2024)
• Barbados — 121,314 (2022)
• Belize — 17,806 (2022)
• Bolivia — 368,926 (2024)
• Brazil — 22.55 million (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 24,443 (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 35,773 (2022)
• Chile — 1.74 million (2024)

More infrastructure data for Colombia

• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 11.94 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 373,147 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 1,936 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 42.4 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 92.07 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 174.09 (2024)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 1,661 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents — 270 (2024)
• Industrial design applications, nonresident, by count — 424 (2024)
• Industrial design applications, resident, by count

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Colombia's fixed telephone subscriptions?

6.32 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 2,197% from 274,937 in 1960 (5.02% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 7.93 million in 2008 and the lowest 274,937 in 1960.

How does Colombia rank?

21st highest of 146 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in fixed telephone subscriptions unusual for Colombia?

In 2024, Colombia's fixed telephone subscriptions fell 13.2% on 2023 (from 7.28 million to 6.32 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3% and a typical year strayed about 6.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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