Myanmar: Fixed telephone subscriptions

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Myanmar's fixed telephone subscriptions fell 4.9% on 2023 (from 587,710 to 558,671).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +5.9% and a typical year strayed about 9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 53.4% in 1965 and the biggest yearly fall was 18.8% in 2007. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 4,903 a year. A straight line explains 38% 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

In 2024, Myanmar had the 70th 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 Myanmar in the 2024 ranking

• Slovenia — 67th of 146: 607,443
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 68th of 146: 583,045
• New Zealand — 69th of 146: 564,000
• Bulgaria — 71st of 146: 551,943
• Qatar — 72nd of 146: 524,643
• Mongolia — 73rd of 146: 519,169

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 63 values

Fixed telephone subscriptions in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 9,693 (2022)
• Australia — 5.95 million (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 128,276 (2024)
• Cambodia — 29,080 (2024)
• China — 166.51 million (2024)
• Fiji — 77,765 (2024)
• French Polynesia — 65,969 (2023)
• Guam — 71,308 (2022)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 3.31 million (2024)
• Indonesia — 4.65 million (2024)
• Japan — 59.33 million (2023)

More infrastructure data for Myanmar

• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 1.03 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 43,257 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 9.93 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 3.54 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 62.31 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 114.33 (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 9.35% (2024)
• Scientific and technical journal articles — 233.94 (2023)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 45.45% (2020)

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 Myanmar's fixed telephone subscriptions?

558,671 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 4,768% from 11,476 in 1960 (6.26% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 587,710 in 2023 and the lowest 11,476 in 1960.

How does Myanmar rank?

70th highest of 146 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Myanmar's fixed telephone subscriptions fell 4.9% on 2023 (from 587,710 to 558,671). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +5.9% and a typical year strayed about 9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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