How Many Smartphones Are In The World? (2024)
Mobile Phone Statistics: Discover the Number of Phones & Phone Users in The World and the Smartphone Penetration Rates by Country
In 2024, the number of smartphone users in the world today is 4.88 Billion, which translates to 60.42% of the world’s population owning a smartphone. In terms of the number of phones (where users can have one or more phones), the number of active subscriptions for smartphones is 7.21 billion. When including feature phones, this number reaches 8.31 Billion.
Check out the full breakdown and the sources BankMyCell used below.
- 2024: How many people have smartphones and feature phones
- 2024: How many mobile connections are there
- 2014-2029: Growth of smartphone users globally
- 2024: Smartphone penetration by country
- 2014-2029: Growth of smartphone penetration
- 2024: The number of smartphone users in the US
- 2024: US smartphone brand popularity
Number of Mobile Phone & Smartphone Users
We begin by exploring the weekly updated figures on the number of phones, which is divided into smartphones, then smart and feature phones. This separation allows us to get an idea of the total number of all cell phone users in the world, and also the adoption of smartphones only.
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Learn about our editorial process
Learn about our editorial process
Number Of Smartphone Users Worldwide (Billions)
| Year | Number of smartphones (in billions) | Number of smartphone users (in billions) |
|---|---|---|
| 2029 | 8.06 | 6.38 |
| 2028 | 7.95 | 6.22 |
| 2027 | 7.77 | 6.01 |
| 2026 | 7.58 | 5.65 |
| 2025 | 7.43 | 5.28 |
| 2024 | 7.21 | 4.88 |
| 2023 | 6.97 | 4.25 |
| 2022 | 6.62 | 3.62 |
| 2021 | 6.34 | 3.10 |
| 2020 | 5.92 | 2.67 |
| 2019 | 5.59 | 2.27 |
| 2018 | 5.05 | 1.94 |
| 2017 | 4.45 | 1.66 |
| 2016 | 3.70 | 1.43 |
| 2015 | 3.00 | 1.22 |
| 2014 | 2.33 | 1.01 |
*Forecast figures by Ericsson
Smartphone Users
How Many People Have Smartphones In The World?
In 2024, the current number of smartphone users worldwide is 4.88 billion, meaning 60.42% of the world’s population owns a smartphone. Some users have more than one smartphone, which totals around 7.21 billion active smartphones in the world currently.
Smartphone Subscriptions
How Many Smartphones Are There in the World?
According to Ericsson, the number of smartphones in the world today in 2024 is 7.21 billion. This figure is a considerable 28.98% increase from five years ago when it was estimated that there were 5.59 billion smartphones globally. 60.42% of the world’s population owns a smartphone.
All Phone Subscriptions
How Many Phones Are In The World? (Smart & Old Feature Phones)
In 2024, including both smart and feature phones, the current number of mobile phones is 8.31 billion. Feature phones are basic cellular phones without apps and complex OS systems, which are more prominent in developing countries.
Also, see our reports on the number of iPhone users and number of Samsung users.
Number of Mobile Connections
The machines have officially taken over with almost 4.084 billion additional mobile connections than there are people – To put this in perspective, since the cell phones inception in 1973, mobile device connections have surpassed the number of people in the world, making it the fastest-growing human-made technology phenomenon ever.
How Many Mobile Connections Are There Worldwide?
According to GSMA real-time intelligence data, there are now over 12.172 Billion mobile connections worldwide, which surpasses the current world population of 8.088 Billion implied by UN digital analyst estimates. This data means there are 4.084 billion more mobile connections than people worldwide.
It’s important to state that not every person in the world has a mobile device. We’re talking mobile connections that come from people with multiple devices, and a fraction with dual SIM’s or other integrated devices like cars.
2014 - 2029
Growth Rate of Smartphone Users Worldwide
| Year | Number of smartphone users (in billions) | YOY Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2029 | 6.38 | 2.5% |
| 2028 | 6.22 | 3.5% |
| 2027 | 6.01 | 6.3% |
| 2026 | 5.65 | 7.2% |
| 2025 | 5.28 | 8.0% |
| 2024 | 4.88 | 14.9% |
| 2023 | 4.25 | 17.4% |
| 2022 | 3.62 | 16.8% |
| 2021 | 3.10 | 16.1% |
| 2020 | 2.67 | 17.7% |
| 2019 | 2.27 | 16.7% |
| 2018 | 1.94 | 17.2% |
| 2017 | 1.66 | 16.3% |
| 2016 | 1.43 | 17.2% |
| 2015 | 1.22 | 20.7% |
| 2014 | 1.01 | - |
Source: 3. Statista
2014-2029: Number of Smartphone Users Worldwide
Global smartphone users increased by 115% in 2019-2024
The number of smartphone users has boomed even just in the past five years. From 2019-2024, there has been a 114.97% increase in the number of people with a smart cellphone to a total of 4.88 billion users this year. Mobile phone ownership is growing at an extremely rapid rate with around 60% of the global population owning a smartphone currently, from 34% in 2019.
By 2029, smartphone owners will increase to 6.38 billion
The data sources estimate that we’ll see the number of smartphone users increase from 4.88 billion in 2024 to 6.38 billion in 2029. This is an increase of 30.73% more users in five years. Statista predicts substantial growth for all cellular-enabled phones, tablets or IoT devices on a global scale.
By 2025, 72% of all internet users will solely use smartphones to access the web
Somewhat of a bold prediction, but the World Advertising Research Center believes that due to the growth of smartphone adoption, 72.6% of all internet users will be accessing web pages via a smartphone. To put this in perspective, 57.14% (2 billion people) of the global smartphone user base exclusively access the internet today through their smartphone. If you look at the phone penetration by country data in the next section of this report, you’ll see that there are still many countries with vast populations and low smartphone adoption. Source: 6. WARC
Smartphone Users and Market Penetration
Smartphone Penetration by Country Statistics
The adoption of smart cell phones isn’t the same in every country or region around the globe. Below we show the latest smartphone penetration data, showing the top countries with the highest smartphone penetration percentages and highest number of total smartphone users.
- Highest market penetration: The United Kingdom has the highest smartphone penetration, with 82.20% of its population owning a smartphone, totaling 54.70 million smartphone users in the country.
- Highest number of smartphone users: China is leading with the most physical smartphone users at 782.8 million, but with only 55.30% market penetration. China is currently the most populous country in the world with a total of 1.415 billion people.
Top 20 Countries by Smartphone Penetration
| RANK | COUNTRY/MARKET | TOTAL POPULATION | SMARTPHONE PENETRATION | SMARTPHONE USERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | 66.6M | 82.20% | 54.7M |
| 2 | Netherlands | 17.1M | 79.30% | 13.5M |
| 3 | Germany | 82.3M | 78.80% | 64.8M |
| 4 | Sweden | 10.0M | 78.80% | 7.9M |
| 5 | United States | 326.8M | 77.00% | 251.7M |
| 6 | Belgium | 11.5M | 76.60% | 8.8M |
| 7 | France | 65.2M | 76.00% | 49.6M |
| 8 | Spain | 46.4M | 72.50% | 33.6M |
| 9 | Canada | 37.0M | 72.10% | 26.6M |
| 10 | Australia | 24.8M | 68.60% | 17.0M |
| 11 | South Korea | 51.2M | 67.60% | 34.6M |
| 12 | Kazakhstan | 18.4M | 64.90% | 11.9M |
| 13 | Poland | 38.1M | 64.00% | 24.4M |
| 14 | Russian Federation | 144.0M | 63.80% | 91.9M |
| 15 | Taiwan | 23.7M | 60.00% | 14.2M |
| 16 | Italy | 59.3M | 58.00% | 34.4M |
| 17 | Malaysia | 32.0M | 57.50% | 18.4M |
| 18 | China | 1,415.0M | 55.30% | 782.8M |
| 19 | Japan | 127.2M | 55.30% | 70.3M |
| 20 | Romania | 19.6M | 53.80% | 10.5M |
The top 10 countries with the highest smartphone penetration are all developed countries
Top 20 Countries by Smartphone Users
| RANK | COUNTRY/MARKET | TOTAL POPULATION | SMARTPHONE PENETRATION | SMARTPHONE USERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 1,415.0M | 55.3% | 782.8M |
| 2 | India | 1,354.1M | 27.7% | 374.9M |
| 3 | United States | 326.8M | 77.0% | 251.7M |
| 4 | Russian Federation | 144.0M | 63.8% | 91.9M |
| 5 | Brazil | 210.9M | 41.3% | 87.2M |
| 6 | Indonesia | 266.8M | 27.4% | 73.2M |
| 7 | Japan | 127.2M | 55.3% | 70.3M |
| 8 | Germany | 82.3M | 78.8% | 64.8M |
| 9 | Mexico | 130.8M | 45.6% | 59.6M |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 66.6M | 82.2% | 54.7M |
| 11 | France | 65.2M | 76.0% | 49.6M |
| 12 | Philippines | 106.5M | 44.9% | 47.9M |
| 13 | Vietnam | 96.5M | 37.7% | 36.4M |
| 14 | South Korea | 51.2M | 67.6% | 34.6M |
| 15 | Italy | 59.3M | 58.0% | 34.4M |
| 16 | Spain | 46.4M | 72.5% | 33.6M |
| 17 | Turkey | 81.9M | 37.9% | 31.1M |
| 18 | Thailand | 69.2M | 43.7% | 30.2M |
| 19 | Iran | 82.0M | 35.1% | 28.7M |
| 20 | Egypt | 99.4M | 28.0% | 27.9M |
Countries like China, India, the US, Brazil, and Russia have the most cell phone subscribers.
Source: 8. Newzoo
Together, these top five countries have almost 1.6 billion active mobile users, which is huge for the economy. The mobile industry relies heavily on tariff services through cell phone subscriptions for mobile operators to make money. China, a country with 851 million smartphone users, has over 850 providers to choose from! Source: 8. Newzoo
Smartphone Adoption in Developed vs. Developing Countries
*Percentages are an average of the smartphone penetration of the top 10 most populous developed and developing countries.
Developing countries primarily have feature phones still.
When reviewing the country data above, it’s clear that not every person is likely to have a phone for many reasons, especially in developing countries. For instance, when analyzing PEW Research data from India, they found that 40% of people own a feature phone (not a smartphone) and 35% of the population don’t have a mobile device. Similar trends match the table above for Nigeria with 17% without phones, 44% with feature phones and Indonesia 29% without, 28% feature phones only. Source: 9. PEW Research Center
14.28% of people in the world physically can’t own a cell phone
Another important fact to point out is that it’s estimated that 14.28% of the current world population (1.1 billion) doesn’t have access to electricity – resulting in the fact they couldn’t even charge one if they owned it. Source: 10. Quartz
Historic Smartphone Penetration Rate
Average Global Smartphone Penetration Statistics
| Year | Number of smartphone users (in billions) | Worldwide population (in billions) | Percentage of smartphone users worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2029 | 6.38 | 8.50 | 75% |
| 2028 | 6.22 | 8.42 | 74% |
| 2027 | 6.01 | 8.34 | 72% |
| 2026 | 5.65 | 8.26 | 68% |
| 2025 | 5.28 | 8.18 | 64% |
| 2024 | 4.88 | 8.08 | 60% |
| 2023 | 4.25 | 8.01 | 53% |
| 2022 | 3.62 | 7.94 | 46% |
| 2021 | 3.10 | 7.88 | 39% |
| 2020 | 2.67 | 7.81 | 34% |
| 2019 | 2.27 | 7.73 | 29% |
| 2018 | 1.94 | 7.64 | 25% |
| 2017 | 1.66 | 7.56 | 22% |
| 2016 | 1.43 | 7.47 | 19% |
| 2015 | 1.22 | 7.38 | 16% |
| 2014 | 1.01 | 7.30 | 14% |
When looking at how many people have smartphones in the world over time, the average global figures increased to 60% in 2024. This figure is up from 14% back in 2014, a substantial increase in ten years. The number of smartphone users is still growing faster than the world’s population, which means that smartphone usage and adoption at a global scale is still likely to increase. Source: 3. Statista, 4. DataReportal
U.S. Smartphone User Data
Smartphone and Demographics Statistics
It’s clear from the worldwide smartphone penetration data above that its adoption correlates closely to markets with greater affluence.
In this section, we explore the smartphone penetration of the U.S. market in terms of the number of phones, the demographic adoption, and manufacturer market share.
How Many People in the US Own a Smartphone?
NEWZOO reports that the USA has 251.7 million smartphone users in 2024 and is ranked the 5th highest country in terms of smartphone penetration, at 77% of its entire population. It only falls behind the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden.
The United States has been a thriving smartphone market with steady increases in people ditching feature phones. Back in 2010, there were only 62.6 million smartphone users in the US, and the current figures quoted above have smashed all estimates. Source: 8. Newzoo, 11. Statista
U.S. Smartphone Ownership Demographics
Based on Pew Research Center’s survey of adult Americans, around 90% own a smartphone. An additional 7% owns a phone with less connectivity features.
Smartphone ownership in America is comparatively consistent across surveyed areas such as gender, ethnicity, and regional development. The most significant contrasts are presented where age, income and education are studied. For example, 97% of 18-29-year-olds have a smartphone, whereas only 76% of the 65+ age group has adopted it.
Another contrast is whereas only 79% of people that earn less than $30,000 a year own a smartphone, 90% or more of those earning more have them. Further to this affluence data, only 83% of Americans with less than a high school graduate attainment have a smartphone while 92% those with higher educational attainment have them.
Below are reports on the cellphone ownership of respondents grouped according to certain demographics. Source: 8. Newzoo
Age Demographics
| Age Group | Own a SMARTPHONE (%) | Own a phone, but NOT a smartphone (%) | TOTAL of those who own ANY kind of phone (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 years old | 97 | 1 | 99 |
| 30-49 | 97 | 2 | 99 |
| 50-64 | 89 | 8 | 98 |
| 65+ | 76 | 17 | 94 |
Gender Demographics
| Gender | Own a SMARTPHONE (%) | Own a phone, but NOT a smartphone (%) | TOTAL of those who own ANY kind of phone (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 91 | 6 | 97 |
| Women | 90 | 7 | 97 |
Race and Ethnicity
| Race and Ethnicity | Own a SMARTPHONE (%) | Own a phone, but NOT a smartphone (%) | TOTAL of those who own ANY kind of phone (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91 | 6 | 97 |
| Black | 84 | 12 | 96 |
| Hispanic | 91 | 6 | 98 |
| Asian | 97 | 2 | 99 |
Income Demographics
| Income Range | Own a SMARTPHONE (%) | Own a phone, but NOT a smartphone (%) | TOTAL of those who own ANY kind of phone (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than $30,000 | 79 | 14 | 94 |
| $30,000- $69,999 | 90 | 8 | 98 |
| $70,000- $99,999 | 94 | 3 | 98 |
| $100,000+ | 98 | 1 | 99 |
Educational Attainment
| Education Level | Own a SMARTPHONE (%) | Own a phone, but NOT a smartphone (%) | TOTAL of those who own ANY kind of phone (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| High school or less | 83 | 12 | 95 |
| Some college | 92 | 5 | 98 |
| College graduate+ | 97 | 2 | 99 |
Community Type
| Community Type | Own a SMARTPHONE (%) | Own a phone, but NOT a smartphone (%) | TOTAL of those who own ANY kind of phone (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 91 | 6 | 97 |
| Suburban | 93 | 5 | 98 |
| Rural | 87 | 10 | 97 |
Political Affiliation
| Political Affiliation | Own a SMARTPHONE (%) | Own a phone, but NOT a smartphone (%) | TOTAL of those who own ANY kind of phone (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat/lean Democrat | 91 | 7 | 98 |
| Republican/lean Republican | 92 | 6 | 97 |
Source: 9. PEW Research
US Smartphone Market Share
USA Mobile Manufacturer Market Share
The statistics below show the market share of the top 5 leading smartphone OEMs in America. The StatCounter data in 2024 shows significant market share figures from Apple (61.2%) and Samsung (22.5%), which combine to 83.7% of the US smartphone market.
| Brands | Market Share |
|---|---|
| Apple | 61.2% |
| Samsung | 22.5% |
| Motorola | 3.6% |
| Xiaomi | 1.1% |
| Others | 9.3% |
Source: 12. StatCounter
Sources & Media Contacts
Today’s Phone Trade-In Prices
To get an idea of the values you can get when selling your old phone in the US, check out our latest phone trade-in pricing below:
