Libya: Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Libya's fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) fell 5.22 on 2021 (from 22.09 to 16.86).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2021), the average change was +0.59 and a typical year strayed about 1.45 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.45 in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.22 in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.77 a year. A straight line explains 36% of the movement over 9 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2022, Libya had the 16th highest value of the 44 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 Libya in the 2022 ranking

• Tuvalu — 13th of 44: 21.15
• American Samoa — 14th of 44: 20.05
• St. Lucia — 15th of 44: 17.14
• New Caledonia — 17th of 44: 16.22
• Lebanon — 18th of 44: 16.09
• Guyana — 19th of 44: 15.04

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 weighted average.

All 54 values

Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 0.44 (2023)
• Algeria — 14.81 (2024)
• Bahrain — 15.93 (2024)
• Djibouti — 2.49 (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 11.37 (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 30.83 (2024)
• Iraq — 11.46 (2024)
• Israel — 27.66 (2023)
• Jordan — 4.21 (2024)
• Kuwait — 11.83 (2023)

More infrastructure data for Libya

• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 11,246 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 60.05 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 1.09 million (2023)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 1.22 million (2022)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 13.94 million (2022)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 192.97 (2022)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 6.34% (2021)
• Scientific and technical journal articles — 443.08 (2023)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 81.95% (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Libya's fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people)?

16.86 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 2,756% from 0.59 in 1960 (5.56% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 23.39 in 2017 and the lowest 0.58 in 1961.

How does Libya rank?

16th highest of 44 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) unusual for Libya?

In 2022, Libya's fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) fell 5.22 on 2021 (from 22.09 to 16.86). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2021), the average change was +0.59 and a typical year strayed about 1.45 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.0 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.P2, 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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