What is fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan?

Fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan was 59.33 million in 2023, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Japan?

The highest recorded value was 66.79 million in 2009.

What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Japan?

The lowest recorded value was 3.63 million in 1960.

How does Japan rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?

Japan ranks 3rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023.

Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in Japan?

Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Japan data come from?

The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Fixed telephone subscriptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan

Name: Fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan
Creator: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Japan: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 59.33 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

59.33 million

Change on year

down 1.9%

World rank

3rd

of 213 countries

All-time high

66.79 million

in 2009

All-time low

3.63 million

in 1960

Years of data

1960–2023

Fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan, 1960–2023

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Analysis

In 2023, fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan stood at 59.33 million.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan peaked at 66.79 million in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.63 million, in 1960.

That places Japan 3rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	5.52 million	3.63 million	7.40 million	10
1970s	26.05 million	16.40 million	38.61 million	10
1980s	45.18 million	39.93 million	52.45 million	10
1990s	60.45 million	54.53 million	65.73 million	10
2000s	58.44 million	48.43 million	66.79 million	10
2010s	64.01 million	62.74 million	65.62 million	10
2020s	60.81 million	59.33 million	61.98 million	4

Countries ranked near Japan

1 China 166.51 million compare
2 United States 81.55 million compare
4 India 39.24 million compare
5 Germany 38.40 million compare
6 France 37.28 million compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for Japan

Fixed telephone subscriptions 47.7 per 100 people (2023)
Mobile cellular subscriptions 178.43 per 100 people (2023)
Mobile cellular subscriptions 221.92 million (2023)
Air transport, passengers carried 120.31 million (2023)
Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide 975,616 (2023)
Air transport, freight 8,474 million ton-km (2023)
Renewable internal freshwater resources, total 430 billion cubic meters (2022)
Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita 3,437 cubic meters (2022)
Individuals using the Internet 85.5% (2024)
Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic 17.0% (2022)

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan?: Fixed telephone subscriptions in Japan was 59.33 million in 2023, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Japan?: The highest recorded value was 66.79 million in 2009.
What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Japan?: The lowest recorded value was 3.63 million in 1960.
How does Japan rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?: Japan ranks 3rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in Japan?: Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?: The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Fixed telephone subscriptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Fixed telephone subscriptions
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 260 places, 14,482 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

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.