Smartphones have become a crucial part of modern lifestyles across the world. Most of us cannot even imagine leaving our house without our smartphone and today over 86% of the population owns a smartphone.

Advanced technology has brought the world closer with its instant communication, online services, productivity, entertainment, navigation, and more. With each year passing there has been a significant growth in the figures of smartphone users.

In Fact, according to industry experts, the smartphone user number is likely to reach 7.1 billion by the end of 2024. In this article, we are going to take a look at the top statistics related to Smartphones and address how many people own smartphones. (2024-2029). 

Top Smartphone Ownership Statistics

• As of 2024, the number of smartphone users is predicted to reach 7.1 billion. 
• Currently, there are 6.84 billion smartphones globally. 
• Around 91% of college graduates own a smartphone. 
• 50% of US citizens spend about 5 to 6 hours on their smartphones per day as of 2024. 
• About 94.40% of Millennials in the United States own a Smartphone. 
• Over the last five years, the smartphone user population has increased by 5% year-over-year. 
• 55% of smartphone users come from Asia itself. 
• 98% of Gen Z own a smartphone today. 
• 2020 is considered as the peak year for smartphone ownership. 
• The country with the highest number of smartphone users today is China. 
• 70% of the digital media time in the United States is made from smartphones.
• Android is the leading operating system globally. 
• College graduates have the highest potential to own a smartphone.
• The country with the highest smartphone usage per capita is Germany. 

How Many Smartphone Users Are There? 

As of 2023, the number of smartphone users worldwide reached 6.8 billion. Between 2016 to 2023 there was a rise in the annual rate by 9.5% in the global smartphone user base. In Fact, it is predicted by various industry experts that in 2024, the number of smartphone users will reach 7.1 billion. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the number of smartphone users between 2016 to 2027: 

Distribution of Smartphone Ownership 

China is the leading country with the highest number of smartphone users 974.69 million, followed by India ranking second on the list with 659 million. Regardless of China and India having the highest number of smartphone users in the list, the United States has the largest proportion of its population accessing smartphones with 81.6% of smartphone penetration. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the top 10 countries with the highest number of smartphone users worldwide along with their population and penetration. 

Number of Smartphone users in the United States 

The United States is one of the most developed countries in the world. In the US, almost 19 in 20 people own a cell phone. So, let’s take a look at the number of smartphone users in the United States based on various factors such as Age group, Gender, Residence, and more. 

Number of smartphone users based on Gender in the US

In the US, males have a higher edge when it comes to owning a smartphone. According to Pew Research data, 80% of males own a smartphone in the US, compared to females 75%. 

Number of smartphone users based on Age Group 

There is no surprise that people between the ages of 18 to 29 are the leading age group with the highest number of smartphone users at 94%. Followed by the age group of 30 to 49 that have 89% of smartphone users which is also quite expected considering the advanced technology appointed in the workforce. Below we have mentioned a table displaying the number of smartphone users based on Age groups: 

Reside in Urban Areas 

A large proportion of the United States citizens who own a smartphone reside in the urban area by 83% which isn’t quite surprising. The second highest smartphone is suburban residents 78% and lastly, 65% of the smartphone users reside in rural districts.

Number of Smartphone users by Ethnicity

Based on ethnicity there is a very tiny difference among smartphone users. Like, three-quarters of the smartphone users are White by 77%, Hispanic also by 77%, and black by 75%. 

Overall in the US, 98% of black citizens own a cell phone regardless of its type or form in comparison to 94% of the white population and 97% of the Hispanic population. 

Education level of smartphone ownership 

Another factor that plays a significant role among smartphone users is the education level of the user. For example, the cell phone ownership of college graduates is 97%, with 91% belonging to smartphone ownership. Similarly, an individual who has less than a high school degree education has a cell phone ownership of 90% with only 57% belonging to smartphones and 33% belonging to non-smartphone ownership. 

Below we have mentioned a table displaying smartphone ownership based on education level: 

The total amount of time people spend on their Smartphones in the US

Almost half of the US population 132.13 million users spend about 5 to 6 hours of their time using their smartphones. While only 5% of US smartphone users spend less than an hour accessing their smartphone. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the number of hours users spend on smartphones in the United States. 

In general. Smartphones make up about 70% of digital media consumption. This includes a variety of activities where United States citizens spend their time such as Games, Social Media, Entertainment, and more.  

Distribution of Smartphone users based on Generation 

According to the reports by eMarketers, Millennials are the leading generation with the highest number of smartphone users 94.40%. Followed by Gen X at 88.80% and Gen Z at 72.80. Apparently, Gen Alpha consists of the lowest number of smartphone users by 17% which isn’t quite surprising considering the majority of individuals are still in school. 

Distribution of Smartphone Market Share 

When talking about smartphones, there is a wide range of brands that provide smartphones with a variety of features and capabilities. In 2012, Samsung was ranked as the leading brand with the highest market share by 30.3%. Followed by Apple with 18.7% and Huawei with 4%. By 2020, there were five brands that were leading the smartphone market share: Samsung (20.6%), Apple (15.9%), Huawei (14.6%), Xiaomi (11.4%), and Vivo (8.6%). Below we have mentioned a breakdown of the Smartphone market share between 2012 to 2022. 

Leading Operating systems in Smartphones 

Today, iOS and Android are the two leading operating systems with the highest smartphone market share. Android tops the list of highest operating system market share with 70.16% followed by iOS with 29.14%. Below we have mentioned a table displaying the market share of the operating system: 

Wrapping Up 

More than 86% of the population across the world already owns a smartphone and in the coming years, the number of smartphone users is expected to grow to higher. The features and capabilities offered through a smartphone using advanced technology are growing the demand for smartphones among people. Today, you can access entertainment, games, social media, bank information, maps, emails, and more by simply using your smartphone. Due to this most industry specialists believe that smartphone user numbers will keep on rising. 

Mobile Devices are one of the most preferred device types utilized by users across the world to access the internet. Today, internet users can access different types of websites, apps, and other activities using their mobile devices from any part of the world. Users can play games, perform online shopping, transfer money, stream videos, etc using their smartphones by accessing the internet.

In Fact, 60.67% of the website traffic in 2024 is generated through mobile devices. In this article, we are going to take a look at the internet traffic from mobile devices stats (2024), Internet traffic statistics by category, Device Type, and more. 

Percentage of Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices

• As of 2024, 60.67% of website traffic comes from Mobile Devices. 
• By 2025, there will be over 1 billion 5G connections globally. 
• 92.3% of internet users consider accessing the internet through their smartphones compared to other devices.
• The Internet traffic from Mobile Devices generated in the US is 10.04 exabytes a month. 
• There are over 5.3 billion mobile internet users globally. 
• As of 2024, 45.59% of the internet traffic comes from mobile devices in North America. 
• In the United States, 85.38% of internet users access the internet through mobile devices.
• Mobile traffic witnessed a growth of 75% from 2015 to 2024.

General Mobile Internet Traffic Statistics

As of 2024, over 60.67% of the internet traffic comes from mobile devices. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the growth of mobile internet traffic between 2011 to 2023: 

Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices in the US 

As of 2023, 47.79% of the internet traffic came from mobile devices in the United States. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the total internet traffic that came from mobile devices in the United States:

Distribution of Mobile Users in the US that access the Internet via Mobile Devices 

As of 2024, 86.26% of mobile users in the United States access the internet using their mobile devices. There has been a constant growth in the number of mobile users accessing the internet using mobile devices in the US and this number is expected to keep growing in the future as well. By 2027, the number of mobile users utilizing mobile devices to access the internet is expected to reach 88.24%. 

Mobile Internet Traffic of Total Web Traffic by Region

As of January 2024, mobile devices excluding tablets account for 60% of the web traffic globally. Based on Region, Africa has the highest number of mobile internet traffic of total web traffic by 73.57% followed by Asia as the second highest mobile internet traffic by 69.43%. Below we have mentioned a detailed table showcasing the percentage of mobile internet traffic by Region: 

Source: Statista

The Highest proportion of mobile internet traffic comes from Sudan 

Globally Sudan has an internet traffic proportion of 83.92% followed by Nigeria – at 81.43% and 

South Africa – 72.59% as the highest mobile internet traffic nation worldwide. While Russia has the lowest proportion with 30.2% of mobile internet traffic since the majority of users prefer to access the internet through their desktop. The second country with the lowest proportion of mobile internet traffic is Portugal with 34.12%, followed by Canada as the third country with the lowest proportion 37.71%. 

92.3% of internet users access the internet via mobile phones of some kind 

Internet users can access the internet using various kinds of devices such as laptops, tablets, etc. But regardless of so many options available, mobile phones are still the number one choice of device by users for accessing the internet. Apparently, 9 in 10 users (92.3%) prefer using a mobile phone of some kind over other devices to access the internet. Meanwhile, 65.6% use a desktop or traditional laptop. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the kind of devices accessed by users to access the internet: 

Apart from this, there has been a rise in cellular data traffic consumed by the users. As of 2023, the monthly cellular data consumed by users is 133.86 EB. There has been a constant growth in the number of cellular data between the years 2017 to 2023. Back in 2017, the monthly cellular data accessed by users was only 9.68 EB. Below we have mentioned a detailed table showcasing the growth in cellular data demand among users over the years: 

Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices based on Device Type

There is a wide range of device types available in the market such as iOS, Android, Samsung, etc that are accessed by users worldwide. However, out of all the available devices Android is currently the most dominating device type all around the world with 69.74%. Followed by iOS as the second most-used device type among internet users with 29.58%. Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the demand for different types of devices types in the market: 

Internet Traffic Statistics By Category

Today, users are accessing the internet for different types of activities such as entertainment, financial management, work requirements, shopping, e-commerce, and more. Especially with growing technology the use cases are expected to keep on rising. Based on the latest survey, the most common usage of mobile devices among users is “Gaming” by 68%. Followed by listening to music as the second most common use of mobile phones by 67% and social media by 63%. Here is a table showcasing the top activity data of mobile devices: 

Wrapping Up 

Based on the above-mentioned statistics it’s clear that users prefer mobile devices the most when it comes to accessing the internet for various activities online. As of 2024, 60.67% of website traffic comes from Mobile Devices alone. In Fact, 92.3% of internet users consider accessing the internet via their smartphones compared to desktops or other devices. In addition, there is also a constant rise in monthly cellular data consumption by users which is expected to keep on growing in coming years.