What is fixed telephone subscriptions in South Korea?

Fixed telephone subscriptions in South Korea was 21.29 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 30.33 million in 2013.

What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 220,635 in 1965.

How does South Korea rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?

South Korea ranks 11th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.

Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is down 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this South Korea 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 South Korea

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

South Korea: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 21.29 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)

21.29 million

Change on year

down 3.9%

World rank

11th

of 213 countries

All-time high

30.33 million

in 2013

All-time low

220,635

in 1965

Years of data

1965–2024

Fixed telephone subscriptions in South Korea, 1965–2024

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for fixed telephone subscriptions in South Korea is 21.29 million, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 27.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in South Korea peaked at 30.33 million in 2013 and was at its lowest, 220,635, in 1965.

That places South Korea 11th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	220,635	220,635	220,635	5
1970s	1.04 million	481,207	2.29 million	10
1980s	6.52 million	2.70 million	11.79 million	10
1990s	18.21 million	13.28 million	25.62 million	10
2000s	24.67 million	22.43 million	26.89 million	10
2010s	28.23 million	24.73 million	30.33 million	10
2020s	22.67 million	21.29 million	23.86 million	5

Countries ranked near South Korea

8 Iran 28.23 million compare
9 United Kingdom 23.77 million compare
10 Brazil 22.55 million compare
12 Russia 20.82 million compare
13 Italy 20.30 million compare
14 Spain 18.23 million compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for South Korea

Fixed telephone subscriptions 41.17 per 100 people (2024)
Mobile cellular subscriptions 172.52 per 100 people (2024)
Mobile cellular subscriptions 89.22 million (2024)
Air transport, passengers carried 76.27 million (2023)
Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide 459,735 (2023)
Air transport, freight 12,294 million ton-km (2023)
Renewable internal freshwater resources, total 64.85 billion cubic meters (2022)
Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita 1,255 cubic meters (2022)
Individuals using the Internet 97.9% (2024)
Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic 24.6% (2022)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is fixed telephone subscriptions in South Korea?: Fixed telephone subscriptions in South Korea was 21.29 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 30.33 million in 2013.
What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 220,635 in 1965.
How does South Korea rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?: South Korea ranks 11th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is down 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea 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 — 60 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.