Fewer fixed phones as mobiles rise
Comparing Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) with Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP across 203 countries, 2022–2024.
- Rank correlation
- -0.75
- Holding size constant
- -0.66
- Countries compared
- 203
- Period
- 2022–2024
What might link these
The negative correlation between fixed telephone subscriptions and mobile cellular subscriptions per unit of GDP might be due to a shift in consumer preference towards mobile technology. A careful reader should consider that urbanization could be a confounder, as it often accompanies increased mobile adoption and decreased fixed-line usage. This relationship could indicate a broader trend in telecommunications.
Why this is not proof of anything
This is a correlation across countries, not an experiment. It cannot show that either indicator causes the other, and both may simply follow a third thing. This correlation could mislead by implying a direct causal relationship between the two indicators, when in fact it may be driven by underlying factors such as technological advancements or changes in consumer behavior.
The second figure above repeats the measurement with national population and income held constant. It is the more conservative number: a relationship that largely disappears there was mostly telling you that larger, richer countries have more of most things.
How this was measured
Both indicators were ranked across every country reporting each, and the two rankings compared — ranks rather than raw values, because a handful of very large countries can otherwise manufacture a relationship on their own. The calculation is arithmetic over figures already published on this site; the commentary above is drafted from the two indicator names and the resulting coefficients.