Tanzania: Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Tanzania's fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) rose 0.000523 on 2023 (from 0.11 to 0.11).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.00621 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 0.11 in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.1 in 2008. 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 downward, about 0.02 a year. A straight line explains 81% 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, Tanzania had the 137th 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 Tanzania in the 2024 ranking

• Cambodia — 133rd of 146: 0.16
• Bangladesh — 134th of 146: 0.16
• Timor-Leste — 135th of 146: 0.12
• Kenya — 137th of 146: 0.1
• Mozambique — 138th of 146: 0.08
• Rwanda — 139th of 146: 0.06

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 65 values

Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.21 (2024)
• Benin — 0.00933 (2024)
• Botswana — 3.3 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 0.35 (2024)
• Burundi — 0.1 (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 11.68 (2024)
• Cameroon — 0.23 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 0.04 (2022)
• Chad — 0 (2024)
• Comoros — 1.04 (2023)

More infrastructure data for Tanzania

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 78,299 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 81,604 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 20.04 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 1.91 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 86.77 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 126.56 (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 15.57% (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$68.71 million (2024)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 1% (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 41.07% from 0.08 in 1960 (0.54% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.51 in 2000 and the lowest 0.08 in 1961.

How does Tanzania rank?

137th highest of 146 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Tanzania's fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) rose 0.000523 on 2023 (from 0.11 to 0.11). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.00621 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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