Check out our insightful article to find out how many phone calls are made a day, which countries make the most phone calls each day, and some historical factoids relating to the legacy of the humble phone call.
This article will give you information on how many phone calls are made every day, by country, and in a general global sense.
You can find out which gender makes the most phone calls, male or female.
The article will also inform you about when the first phone call was made, who made it, and who made the first phone call on a mobile phone.
SellCell Key Findings:
Across the world, we make 13.5 billion phone calls every day, using mobile phones 1.
The average person makes or receives around eight phone calls every day, meaning that the US deals with around 3.1 billion phone calls across the 386.11 million cell phone users 1.
The first phone call to take place was in 1876, and we made the first mobile phone call in 1973. We now make 4.9 trillion phone calls per year, globally.
The most popular reason people make a phone call in the US is simply “just to say hello” to the person they are calling, which 26% of US adults do several times each day.
NOTE: SellCell has calculated the number of phone calls made per day by taking the number of mobile phone subscribers in a specific country (or globally) and multiplying it by the average number of phone calls per person per day, which currently stands at eight phone calls. Some people may have more than one subscription, which is why the number of active subscriptions may exceed the population of a country, in some cases.
How Many Phone Calls Are Made a Day, Globally?
We make billions of phone calls every day. Here are the figures for how many phone calls we make across the entire world.
How many phone calls are made a year?
4,927,500,000,000
4.9 trillion
How many phone calls are made a month?
405,000,000,000
405 billion
How many phone calls are made a day?
13,500,000,000
13.5 billion
How many phone calls are made an hour?
562,500,000
562.5 million
How many phone calls are made a minute?
9,375,000
9.4 million
How many phone calls are made a second?
156,250
156 thousand
Above data calculated based on average number of phone calls made per day
Across the world, we make a huge 13.5 billion phone calls every day, which is the equivalent of 4.9 trillion phone calls every year 1.
Every second, we make 156 thousand phone calls across the entire the globe.
This means we send more text messages each day than we make phone calls. According to SellCell’s text message study, we send 25 billion text messages every day.
How Many Phone Calls Are Made a Day in the USA?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN THE UNITED STATES (2005-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
2005
1495
2006
1798
2007
2119
2008
2203
2009
2275
2010
2241
2011
2296
2012
2300
2014
2455
2016
2751
2018
2389
2019
3100
2020
2900
2021
2400
2022
2500
2023
2400
2024
2400
In 2005, US mobile phone users made 1.4 trillion minutes worth of mobile phone calls. This number rose to 3.1 trillion minutes worth of calls in 2019, but the figure shows a decline between 2019 and 2021, when the USA made 2.4 trillion minutes worth of phone calls.
Since 2021 the number of phone calls in the United States has levelled off. In 2024 the figure was 2.4 trillion minutes, which was the same as the previous year. 282930
There are currently 386.11 million mobile phone subscriptions in the USA 3, which (based on the eight call per day average) means the USA makes 3.1 billion calls every day on mobile phones.
How Many Phone Calls Are Made a Day in the UK?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (2007-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
2007
105.0
2008
119.0
2009
128.0
2010
131.0
2011
131.0
2012
132.1
2013
133.7
2014
137.3
2015
143.0
2016
151.7
2017
153.7
2018
160.7
2019
161.1
2020
189.7
2021
187.0
2022
172.3
2023
160.8
2024
157.7
According to data, UK mobile phone owners made 105 billion minutes of phone calls in 2007. This number has steadily increased year-on-year, reaching 189.7 billion minutes in 2020. Since then, the numbers have been in decline with only 157.7 billion minutes of calls in 2024 which is a drop of 30.2 billion in 4 years. 31
The UK has 84.34 million mobile phone subscriptions 5, so using the average of eight calls per subscription per day, the UK makes 674.72 million mobile phone calls every day.
How Many Phone Calls Are Made a Day in China?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN CHINA (2009-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
2009
1707.0
2010
2112.9
2011
2455.6
2012
2760.3
2013
2898.8
2014
2927.0
2015
2850.0
2016
2810.0
2017
2690.0
2018
2540.0
2019
2400.0
2020
2240.0
2021
2270.0
2022
2300.0
*2023
2167.0
*2024
2106.0
*Figures for 2023-2024 are estimated values
In 2009, mobile phone subscribers in China made 1.7 trillion minutes of phone calls. The number peaked in 2014, when the country made 2.9 trillion minutes of phone calls. This dropped back to 2.2 trillion in 2020, before a slight increase means China made 2.3 trillion minutes of calls in 2022.
It’s difficult to come by the data for 2023 and 2024, so we have estimated numbers based on a linear trend. This would suggest that just like other countries the numbers are in decline. In 2024 we estimate that 2.1 trillion minutes of phone calls were made in China.
Using the average of eight calls per day per mobile phone subscription, China makes on average 14.6 billion calls every single day, as it has 1.8 billion active phone subscriptions. 7
How Many Phone Calls Are Made a Day in Germany?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN GERMANY (1999-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
1999
32.20
2000
48.79
2001
58.69
2002
63.11
2003
68.42
2004
74.78
2005
86.12
2006
109.87
2007
131.19
2008
157.51
2009
169.84
2010
184.39
2011
193.51
2012
196.09
2013
197.62
2014
199.98
2015
204.09
2016
207.97
2017
209.26
2018
212.67
2019
230.98
2020
286.20
2021
302.39
2022
297.77
2023
287.17
2024
277.66
Back in 1999, German mobile phone owners made 32.2 billion minutes of phone calls. By 2006, this volume of calls had more than tripled to 109.9 billion minutes, and by 2020, the figure had risen to 286.2 billion minutes of calls.
The number of phone calls reached a peak in 2021 with 302.39 billion phone calls in Germany. Since then we’ve seen a steady decline. In 2024 the number is down to 277.66 billion. 3233
Using the factor of eight average calls per person per day, and based on the 105.4 million active phone subscribers in Germany 9, a total of 843.2 million calls are made on average, every day in Germany.
How Many Phone Calls Are Made a Day in Spain?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN SPAIN (2007-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
2007
67.78
2008
71.11
2009
70.56
2010
71.42
2011
72.48
2012
70.17
2013
71.13
2014
79.73
2015
83.36
2016
91.35
2017
93.35
2018
97.60
2019
100.85
2020
122.21
2021
120.17
2022
112.40
2023
114.50
2024
112.40
According to the data shown above, Spain made 67.8 billion minutes of calls in 2007. This figure reached its highest in 2020, when there were 122.2 billion minutes of calls, before it dropped slightly to 120.2 billion minutes in 2021.
We see a more significant drop to 112.40 billion minutes in 2022. The figures more or less level out in 2023 and 2024. In 2024 there were 112.40 billion minutes of calls in Spain. 3435
Using the average of eight calls per day per subscription, with 61.19 million mobile phone subscriptions 11, Spain makes on average 489.52 million calls every day.
How Many Phone Calls Are Made a Day in France?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN FRANCE (2009-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
2009
101.1
2010
102.9
2011
109.9
2012
119.8
2013
137.3
2014
147.1
2015
153.2
2016
162.5
2017
164.7
2018
169.4
2019
177.0
2020
216.6
2021
211.2
2022
201.9
2023
197.6
2024
200.0
In 2009, France made a total of 101.1 billion minutes of mobile phone calls. This has risen year on year; in 2014 standing at 147.1 billion minutes, and then in 2018 had reached 169.4 billion minutes of calls.
In France there was a big jump from 177.0 billion minutes in 2019 to 216.6 billion minutes in 2020 which is almost certainly associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. 36
As with other countries, after 2020 we see a notable decline in numbers. In 2024 200.0 billion minutes of calls were made in France. 37
France had 77.53 million mobile phone subscriptions in 2023 44, so going from this figure and the average of eight calls per day per subscription, France will probably make over 620.24 million calls per day.
How Many Phone Calls Are Made a Day in Italy?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN ITALY (2013-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
2013
156.4
2014
165.7
2015
167.7
2016
172.0
2017
175.8
2018
174.6
2019
182.3
2020
214.1
2021
207.0
*2022
150.0
*2023
130.0
*2024
130.0
*Figures for 2022-2024 are estimated values
As the data above illustrates, in 2013, Italy made a total of 156.4 billion minutes of calls. By 2017, the number of calls had reached 175.8 billion. The figure peaked at 214.1 billion minutes in 2020, before dropping back down to 207.0 billion in 2021.
After 2021, figures are difficult to come by. What we do know is that the figure was “less than 200 billion minutes” in 2022. We know from other countries that the numbers are likely to be in decline. Therefore we conservatively estimated that in 2024 the number will be around 130 billion minutes. 38
Using the average of eight calls per mobile phone subscription, and based on the 78.46 million mobile phone subscribers 15, we can estimate that Italy makes an average of 627.68 million calls each day.
How Many Phone Calls Does Turkey Make, Each Day?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN TURKEY (2009-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
2009
108.2
2010
125.8
2011
147.1
2012
169.8
2013
185.9
2014
205.2
2015
222.6
2016
240.7
2017
256.7
2018
267.6
2019
273.8
2020
296.9
2021
313.2
2022
314.7
*2023
317.0
2024
318.0
*Figure for 2023 is an estimated value
In 2009, we can see that Turkey made 108.2 billion minutes of phone calls. This figure has grown each year, without a drop in usage below that of the previous year. By 2015, Turkey had made 222.6 billion minutes—over double that of 2009—and then in 2021 call volume hit 313.2 billion total minutes.
Since 2021 the number has levelled out. We are not seeing a clear decline in numbers like other countries though. In 2024 there were 318.0 billion minutes of calls in Turkey. 3940414243
According to data, Turkey has 92.23 million phone subscribers 17, so with each of them making eight calls a day, that means Turkey makes a total of 737.84 million calls daily.
How Many Phone Calls Does Mexico Make, Each Day?
TOTAL VOICE CALL MINUTES IN MEXICO (2014-2024)
Mobile voice call minutes in billions
2014
144.79
2015
142.43
2016
221.97
2017
274.56
2018
294.8
*2019
309.5
*2020
322.9
*2021
332.6
*2022
342.6
*2023
349.5
*2024
365.5
*Figures for 2019-2024 are estimated values
Data from 2014-15 shows that Mexico’s total number of call minutes dropped from 144.79 to 142.43 billion. This increased to 294.8 billion minutes in 2018.
The numbers for 2019-2024 are not publicly available. Based on historical trends we would project diminishing growth over time. In 2024 we would estimate a number in the region of 356.5 billion minutes of calls.
In terms of how many calls are made a day, with the factor of eight calls on average per mobile phone subscriber, and with a total of 144.74 million subscribers 19, we can estimate that Mexico makes approximately 1.2 billion phone calls a day.
MOBILE PHONE USE BY FREQUENCY OF CALLING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Male
Female
Several times a day
49%
46%
Every day
21%
24%
Several times a week
16%
17%
At least once a week
6%
6%
At least once a month
4%
3%
Less than once a month
2%
2%
Never
1%
1%
As the chart above illustrates, it is men who make calls the most frequently, with 49% of men making calls several times a day, compared to 46% of women making calls with the same frequency.
For those who say they make a call every day, the tables turn, with 24% of women saying they do this, versus 21% of men who make one call every day.
Women also just about clinch it in terms of their call frequency, with 17% of females saying they make calls several times a week, against 16% of males who say the same thing.
1% of males and 1% of females say they never make a call, and 2% of both say they make a call less than once a month.
What Is the Average Duration of a Phone Call?
AVERAGE MOBILE CALL LENGTH IN THE UNITED STATES (1987-2012)
Call length in minutes
1987
2.33
1990
2.20
1995
2.15
2000
2.56
2001
2.74
2002
2.73
2003
3.07
2004
3.05
2005
3.00
2006
3.03
2008
2.27
2009
1.81
2010
1.79
2011
1.78
2012
1.80
The average length of a mobile phone call, in the USA, in 1987, was 2.33 minutes. By 2003, this duration rose to 3.07 minutes. This dropped to below 1987 levels in 2009, when call duration was 1.81 minutes, and this remained consistently around this duration until 2012. 21
In the UK, pre-COVID data shows that the average call duration was around 3.66 minutes in February 2020 22, which rose to almost 5.50 minutes during lockdown.
A survey conducted on over 1500 adults in the United States found that 52% of Americans spend less than 15 minutes talking to their friends and family using their smartphone in a typical day. 45
17% of Americans spend less than 1 minute on these calls daily. 35% spend 1-15 minutes talking to their friends and family.
Just 7% of Americans spend more than an hour talking to their friends and family each day.
For work related calls, more than half (51%) of Americans spend less than 1 hour per day on work related calls. In fact 22% spend less than than 1 minute on these calls on a typical day! 45
Just 6% of Americans spend between 16-30 minutes per day on work related calls, and 3% spend between 31-45 minutes on these calls.
AVERAGE NUMBER OF PHONES CALL BY AGE IN THE UNITED STATES
Average number of calls per day
18-29
10
30-49
8
50-64
5
65+
3
It should come as no surprise that the age group responsible for making phone calls most frequently is 18-29; they make an average of ten calls per day.
Those aged between 30-49 are a little less chatty, and make on average eight phone calls each day, which is three calls on average more than those aged 50-64, who make five calls a day.
Those aged 65 and over make three calls on average, every day.
Why Do People Make Phone Calls: What Is the Reason for a US Mobile Phone Owner to Make a Call?
Report where you are or check on where someone else is
21%
24%
19%
17%
19%
0%
Coordinate where you are physically meeting someone
11%
15%
25%
30%
18%
0%
Have a long conversation to discuss important personal matters
9%
10%
24%
29%
28%
0%
The most popular reason for US adults to make a call, with 26% of people saying they do this several times a day, is just to say hello and have a chat with the recipient. 22% of people say they make a call for this reason once per day, and 24% say they do it a few times a week.
23% of people make several calls a day because they need to do things that are work-related, while 32% of people never have to make a phone call relating to work duties.
In terms of reporting their whereabouts, or checking someone else’s whereabouts, 21% of people make several calls a day, while 24% of people carry out this duty once per day.
Only 11% of people will make several calls a day to coordinate where they are going to physically meet someone (presumably because a text or WhatsApp message is easier for the recipient to refer to).
9% of people use the phone in order to have long conversations to discuss important personal matters; the majority of people don’t do this very often, as only 10% of people do it once per day. 28% of people claim they never have long phone conversations.
What Are People’s Attitudes Towards Cell Phones in the US?
ATTITUDES TOWARDS CELL PHONES IN THE UNITED STATES
Agree
Disagree
Both / Neither
Don’t Know
I feel safer because I can always use my cell phone to get help
91%
8%
1%
0%
I like that my cell phone makes it easy to arrange plans with other people
88%
10%
1%
0%
I think its rude when someone interupts a conversation or meeting to check their cell phone
86%
12%
1%
0%
I get irritated when a call or text on my cell phone interupts me
42%
53%
4%
1%
When I am bored, I use my cell phone to entertain myself
39%
60%
0%
0%
Most people like the fact that their phone provides an extra level of security, with 91% of people saying that they feel safer because they can always use their cell phone to get help.
88% of people also agree that having a cell phone means they can arrange plans with other people much more easily.
86% of US citizens think it is rude when someone interrupts a conversation or meeting to check their cell phone.
53% of people don’t care if a call or text interrupts them, but it irritates 42% of people when this happens.
39% of US individuals turn to their phone when they are bored, as a form of entertainment, but 60% don’t see the entertainment value of their phone.
When Was the First Phone Call Made?
The first ever phone call (made on a landline phone as it significantly predates mobile phones) took place on the 7th March 1876. 26
Alexander Graham Bell made the call; we credit him with patenting the first telephone, although there is conjecture as to whether the idea was actually his… 27
The first mobile phone call took place on April 3rd, 1973 28, and Marty Cooper placed the call.
With the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook, Google, iPhone, and myriad other voice and video call services on offer at all times, it might seem that the traditional “phone call” doesn’t have much fight left in it. However, looking at the data above, it seems that we are still making a heck of a lot of phone calls every day.
So, it is unlikely that picking up the phone for a quick chat will fall out of favor just yet, but as we are given more and more options, the good old phone call could soon find it is replaced by something we would consider a little more modern; after all, when Alexander Graham Bell patented the first telephone, it is doubtful he was thinking that one day we’d be able to see the person we are conversing with, too!
