Landlines once defined modern communication, but their role is gradually disappearing. Worldwide data shows mobile subscriptions now vastly outnumber fixed-line connections, while in the United States the share of households with a landline has plunged over the past two decades.
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the first telephone call, a historic moment on March 10, 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell successfully transmitted the famous words, “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.” Since then, telephony has undergone several technological revolutions, reshaping how people connect and communicate. The beginning of the 21st century, in particular, has brought sweeping change, with the decline of landlines and the rapid rise of mobile phones.
For most of the 20th century, landline telephones formed the backbone of global communications. However, the turn of the millennium marked the beginning of the decline phase for this technology. According to the International Telecommunication Union (via World Bank), in 1990, there were 9.8 landline subscriptions per 100 people worldwide, a figure that nearly doubled to 19.2 by 2006. Yet this dominance did not last. While landline subscriptions peaked in the early 2000s, mobile subscriptions began to rise rapidly. From fewer than 10 subscriptions per 100 people before 2000, mobile penetration reached 50 per 100 people by 2007 and 100 per 100 people by 2017.
Today, the numbers tell a clear story. In 2025, there are 111.5 mobile subscriptions per 100 people worldwide, compared with just 9.9 landline subscriptions (a figure that has fallen back to roughly 1990 levels). Mobile phones have not only replaced landlines but have also connected far more people than fixed-line networks ever did. While significant disparities remain in terms of network technology and coverage, mobile phones have leapfrogged traditional landline infrastructure in many regions, particularly in developing countries, providing billions of people with access to the internet, financial services and important information.
Source: Statista / ITU / World Bank
Mobile Phones Connect Far More People Than Landlines Ever Did
By Tristan Gaudiaut - Data Journalist, StatistaToday marks the 150th anniversary of the first telephone call, a historic moment on March 10, 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell successfully transmitted the famous words, “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.” Since then, telephony has undergone several technological revolutions, reshaping how people connect and communicate. The beginning of the 21st century, in particular, has brought sweeping change, with the decline of landlines and the rapid rise of mobile phones.
For most of the 20th century, landline telephones formed the backbone of global communications. However, the turn of the millennium marked the beginning of the decline phase for this technology. According to the International Telecommunication Union (via World Bank), in 1990, there were 9.8 landline subscriptions per 100 people worldwide, a figure that nearly doubled to 19.2 by 2006. Yet this dominance did not last. While landline subscriptions peaked in the early 2000s, mobile subscriptions began to rise rapidly. From fewer than 10 subscriptions per 100 people before 2000, mobile penetration reached 50 per 100 people by 2007 and 100 per 100 people by 2017.
Today, the numbers tell a clear story. In 2025, there are 111.5 mobile subscriptions per 100 people worldwide, compared with just 9.9 landline subscriptions (a figure that has fallen back to roughly 1990 levels). Mobile phones have not only replaced landlines but have also connected far more people than fixed-line networks ever did. While significant disparities remain in terms of network technology and coverage, mobile phones have leapfrogged traditional landline infrastructure in many regions, particularly in developing countries, providing billions of people with access to the internet, financial services and important information.
Source: Statista / ITU / World Bank
Landline Phones Are a Dying Breed
Felix Richter - Data Journalist, StatistaAs smartphones have become a constant companion for most people in the United States, landline phones are rapidly losing their relevance. In 2004, more than 90 percent of U.S. adults lived in households that had an operational landline phone - now it’s little more than 20 percent. That’s according to data provided by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, which has been tracking phone ownership in the U.S. as a by-product of its biannual National Health Interview Survey since 2004.
If the trend continues, and there’s little reason to believe it won’t, landline phones could soon become an endangered species, much like the VCR and other technological relics before it.
Source: Statista / CDC National Health Interview Survey
Reviewed by Ayaz Khan.
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Reviewed by Ayaz Khan.
Read next:
• Behind the feed: New research explores how social media algorithms shape our digital lives
• Social Media’s Annual Great Purge: Facebook and X Remove More Fake Accounts Than Their Active Users, TikTok Deletes Half Its Fake Accounts
