====== Licence Statistics ======

Some countries do not issue **individual** amateur radio licences, instead the hobby is licence-exempt (known as a Class licence in Australia and New Zealand). To be able to operate individuals must first achieve an amateur radio qualification, they can then apply either to the regulatory authority or the national society to get a callsign.  For example in Sweden, which became licence-exempt in 2004, amateur callsigns are issued by the National Society the SSA.

When looking at statistics bear in mind that in some countries the published total of licences or authorisations is cumulative e.g. up until October 2025 the UK figure included every licence ever issued since October 2006. 


====== Worldwide ======

OARC Amateur Statistics Pages 
  * [[https://wiki.oarc.uk/uk-licence-exam-statistics|United Kingdom Licence and Exam Statistics]]

  * [[german-licence-statistics|Germany Licence and Exam Statistics from 2000]]

  * [[ei-licence-statistics|Éire Licence and Exam Statistics]]

  * [[https://data.anfr.fr/node/31|France Latest Licence and Exam Statistics from ANFR]]
 
  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20260915132450/https://www.passion-radio.org/blog/statistiques-radioamateurs-dmr-ccs7/76799|France historic statistics 1997-2018]] 

Historic statistics up until mid-2010's compiled by AH0A:

  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240110232043/http://ah0a.org/FCC/Licenses.html|USA 1997-2019]]

  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240110231841/https://www.ah0a.org/MPT/JA-Stations.html|Japan 1959-2014]] 

  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240110230126/http://ah0a.org/UK/index.html|UK 1993-2016]]

  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240110230126/http://ah0a.org/DL/index.html|Germany 2004-2008]]

  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240110230126/http://ah0a.org/EA/index.html|Spain 1982-2012]]

  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240110230034/http://ah0a.org/Australia/index.html|Australia 1997-2010]]

From 1998-2000 the IARU published an annual table showing the number of amateurs in each country and how many members each national society had:
  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120107104433/http://www.iaru.org/statsum00.html|IARU country totals for 2000]]

On 10 April 2021 the ARRL posted about the gross inaccuracy of the frequently quoted figure of 3 million amateurs worldwide.  1.5 million might be nearer the mark.

===== Articles =====

  * [[https://www.arrl.org/news/data-on-number-of-radio-amateurs-worldwide-needs-updating|2021 ARRL post on inaccurate global total]] 

  * [[https://webpubs.arrl.org/pubs_archive/139128|August 2011 QST article 'How Many Hams?']]

  * [[https://webpubs.arrl.org/pubs_archive/91137|February 1995 QST article 'How Many Hams?']]

  * [[https://www.qsl.net/4x4xm/Demographics/How-Many-Radio-Amateurs.pdf|2026 How Many Radio Amateurs by Doron 4X4XM]]