Smartphones
have become a part of our daily existence. For most of us, we don't do anything
in life without them, and we feel disconnected or out of touch when we go long
periods without using our phones.
A big reason for this is simply how
convenient these devices are. Sometimes we forget, but you can access nearly
all the information in the world - and communicate with pretty much anyone - all by reaching into your pocket and grabbing a device that is no more than a
few square inches big.
But just how big is this trend of
increased smartphone usage? Is it happening all around the world, or more in
some countries than others? Is how we use our phones changing? Or are we just
doing more of the same things but more often?
We've answered all of these questions
and more, so keep reading if you want to know everything there is to know about
smartphone usage worldwide.
Smartphone Usage Around the World
Smartphones are some of the most
popular electronic devices currently in use around the world. To highlight
this, consider these stats:
1. There Are 3.5 Billion Smartphone Users Around the
World
Considering there are currently around
7 billion people on the planet, half of the population (including children) has
a smartphone. That is pretty remarkable when you think about it; these devices
were only just beginning to appear in most markets just 10-15 years ago. As you
can see in the graph below, things are growing, which means we can expect more
and more of the world's population to be using a smartphone in the coming
years.
[Source: Statista]
2. Median
Smartphone Ownership is 76 percent in rich countries and just 45 percent in
Poor Countries.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the wealth of
a given nation plays a considerable role in how many people in that nation own
a smartphone. Here's a summary of what things look like in a collection of rich
and developing countries:
[Source: Pew]
As you can see, the percentage of the
population with a smartphone is much higher in the world's wealthier
nations and much, much lower in the poorer countries. Yet even within these
groups, there is a disparity when it comes to wealth. Greece's economy has been
struggling since the 2008 crisis, and incomes there are much lower than in the
rest of Europe, which might explain why just 59 percent of the population has a
smartphone. India's numbers reflect the country's massive rural population,
which tends to be poorer and have less access to these kinds of technology.
In all counties, the difference
between older and younger groups is quite different, as we would expect. Still,
the gap is even wider in poorer countries, often referred to as emerging
markets. For example, in Australia, 97 percent of young people have a
smartphone compared to just 68 percent of older people. In Italy, it's 98
percent and 48 percent (this last number is lower than in most places.) In the
UK, 93 percent of the young population has a smartphone, and 60 percent of the
elderly do.
In other countries, things are much
different. Brazil is a great example - 85 percent of the younger population has
a smartphone compared to just 32 percent of the older group. A similar story is
unfolding in the Philippines, where 74 percent of young people have
smartphones, and only 27 percent of older generations do.
This makes a lot of sense. In these
nations, new economic opportunities that lead to higher incomes tend to be more
available to the younger generations who are more aptly trained for today's
work environment. Furthermore, younger people in these countries are more
likely to have been exposed to social media and other apps that drive
smartphone use. If things continue, we can expect developing nations worldwide
to soon catch up with the more affluent countries regarding smartphone
ownership.
3. 97.5 percent of Chinese Citizens Access the
Internet Through Their Smartphones
In China, very few people still rely
on desktop computers to use the internet, choosing instead to use a smartphone.
This is a very interesting trend that might give us an idea of what to expect
in the coming years.
China is still a rapidly growing
economy (although its pace has slowed down a bit in the past decade or so),
which means that more and more people are entering the middle class, and earning
incomes that allow them to pay for smartphones. When this happens, and they
choose to go from no internet to using either a desktop or a smartphone, most
people seem to be choosing a smartphone, likely because of its size,
convenience, and functionality.
As the world's
less-economically-advanced nations continue to grow, we will likely see this
trend repeated, which will only increase our dependence on these devices and
make them even more prominent in our lives.
4. 50.3 percent of Global Internet Traffic Takes Place
on a Smartphone
This number has grown considerably
over the last decade. To give you an idea, mobile's share of global internet
traffic in 2013 was just 16.2 percent, meaning it has more than quadrupled in
the past seven years. There are many reasons for this, mainly the increased
availability of smartphones and improvements to the mobile networks we use them
on. But recently, things have been leveling off if not decreasing a bit - in
2018, mobile's share was 52.2 percent, and in 2019 it was 53.3. However, expect
this slowdown to reverse as 5G networks and devices hit markets in the coming
years, and we begin to depend even more on these devices than we already do.
5. There are Currently More than 10 Billion Mobile
Devices In Use Around the World
Yes, that works out to more than one per person. At first,
this might seem strange but think about how many people you know who have a
mobile phone for both work and personal use. And if we consider that this stat
also includes tablets, it's easy to see how we can get to a point where each
person in the world - on average - owns 1.42 mobile devices.
Of course, there are going to be huge
discrepancies here related to incomes. People living in more prosperous
countries are much more likely to have multiple devices than those living in
poorer countries. But on average, each person in the world - adult and children - owns one and a half mobile devices, which is an incredible number.
6. South Korea Has the Highest Percentage of Smart
Phone Users
Given South Korea's reputation as a
hub for technology and electronics, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
But when we look closer at the numbers, one thing stands out - all South Koreans own a phone of some type.
Ninety-four percent own a smartphone, which is a higher percentage than any
other country. Perhaps more interestingly, six percent own a non-smartphone
mobile device, which works out to an even 100 percent. This is the only country
in the world that can make this claim.
7. Smartphone Usage in the United States
The Pew Research Center, one of the
most prominent research institutions in the United States, conducted a thorough
study on smartphone usage in the United States. Below we've taken out some of
the more interesting trends and conclusions from this study to help you get a
better picture of what's happening here in the United States as it refers to
smartphones.
8. 81 Percent of Americans Own a Smartphone
In 2020, more than three-quarters of
Americans own a smartphone, but such widespread adoption is a relatively recent
trend. If we go back to 2011, less than a decade ago, just 35 percent of
Americans owned one of these devices. This fast growth makes sense, though, for
there are now far more smartphone options available, at many different price
points, and improved network infrastructure allows these devices to work nearly
everywhere. Plus, with so many essential apps out there, owning a smartphone
has become a near necessity.
9. Older People Are The Ones Still Not Using
Smartphones
This might not come as much of a
surprise, but the reason the number listed above isn't higher is that America's
older generation hasn't bought into the smartphone revolution quite as much as
its younger ones have. Here is a breakdown of smartphone usage by age bracket:
- 18-29 - 96 percent
- 30-49 - 92 percent
- 50-64 - 79 percent
- 65+ - 53 percent
As you can see, though, it's just the
oldest group - the baby boomers - that have resisted this trend, but even
within this group, the majority still have a smartphone. A few years
ago, this would have been nearly unthinkable. We may never reach 100 percent
adoption, but we can expect that more and more of the older segments of the
population will be using smartphones as we move forward.
10. Smartphone Usage is Not Affected by Race
According to Pew, 82 percent of
Whites, 80 percent of Blacks, and 79 percent of Hispanics have smartphones,
suggesting that race does not play much of a role in determining whether
someone has a smartphone.
11. Education and Income Do Affect Smartphone Usage
However, while race isn't a factor,
education and income levels certainly are. Interestingly, education seems to be
a much better indicator. Only 66 percent of those with less than a high school
degree have a smartphone, whereas 91 percent of college graduates do have one.
Seventy-two percent of high school graduates have one, and 85 percent of those
with some college education also have one.
Such a trend makes a lot of sense when
we think about it; those with less than a high school degree will have fewer
economic opportunities available to them to be able to afford a smartphone.
However, those with college educations are far more likely to have jobs and be
involved in social circles where a smartphone is almost necessary. There are
many other factors at play, too.
Interestingly, though, income levels
don't seem to have quite as dramatic of an effect. Here's what this picture
looks like:
These numbers seem to indicate that
the more money you make, the more likely you are to have a smartphone, which
makes sense. Part of the reason this doesn't look so dramatic compared to the
influence of education level is that all people making less than $30,000 are
grouped into one category. Someone making $28,000 living on their own can
likely afford a phone, especially if they pay for it over time. Yet someone
making $25,000 with a child to take care of most certainly cannot.
Appreciating the variations that exist
among this group helps to get to a better understanding of what these numbers
mean, and that is that income, partly through education, is the most
significant barrier to getting a smartphone in the United States.
12. What Do We Use Our Smartphones For?
Most of the numbers we have presented
thus far speak to how many smartphones and smartphone users there are globally,
and the primary conclusion that we can draw is that there are A LOT. However,
if you want to go a bit further and understand what exactly everyone is using
these smartphones for, then check out these stats:
13. 90 percent of Our Smartphone Time is Spent on Apps
Due to their convenience and ease of
use, most of us show a considerable preference for
accessing the internet on our phones using an app. This makes sense these
programs were designed specifically for the site you're using. Also, more and
more apps are coming out each year, which means that there are always new
opportunities to access the web on our phones using these handy pieces of
software.
14. 58 percent of Searches Take Place on Mobile
Devices
One of our smartphones' primary uses
is looking up information, as shown by the percentage of searches that come
from mobile devices. This is another area where convenience makes all the
difference. A question pops into our head, a friend suggests we meet at a
restaurant we've never been to before, we hear someone talking about a news
story we haven't seen yet, and the first thing we do is reach into our pockets
and search for it (usually on Google) to see what's going on. This behavior has
become so second nature that sometimes we do it without even realizing it. Ever
catch yourself reaching for your phone without even really being aware you're
doing so?
15. 79 percent of Smartphone Users Have Made a
Purchase On Their Mobile Device in the Past 6 Months
This number points to one of the more
significant smartphone usage trends - the turn towards using them to shop.
Online shopping - also known as eCommerce - has been growing considerably over
the years. As this has happened, more and more people are turning to their
phones to look up products, read reviews, and, ultimately, make a purchase.
Currently, mobile eCommerce sales amount to 3.56 billion, up from under $1
billion back in 2016.
However, one thing to point out is that
while more and more people are using their phones to shop, people still seem to
prefer using other devices to make the final purchase. Mobile conversion rates
(the percentage of mobile shoppers who actually make a purchase) are just 1.53
percent in the US compared to 4.14 percent on desktops. But with more and more
apps coming out and smartphone use continuing to grow, we may see these numbers
start to change.
Either way, it's safe to say that we
rely more and more on our phones for shopping around and buying the things we
need and want.
16. 80 percent of Shoppers Use Their Smartphones While
In a Store
Surely you've done this many times
before. You're walking through a store and find something you like, but you're
not too sure it's what you want, or if the price it's listed at is the best
one. So, you whip out your phone and start searching right then and there. If
this is something you've done before, know that you're far from alone. More than three-quarters of us do this.
The ramifications for this are that it
makes sure brick-and-mortar store owners are on their toes. If they are listing
a product at a dramatically higher price than what's available online, sales
will suffer.
This can also harm traditional
businesses. Many entrepreneurs with these types of shops will tell you that
it's difficult for them to compete with prices online. There are advantages to
buying in-store, mainly the help and personal assistance you can get when
working directly with someone.
Either way, though, the trend does
seem to be moving online, and it will be interesting to see how more
traditional businesses react.
17. Americans Consume 203 Minutes of Media on Their
Smartphones Each Day
In case you were wondering, 203
minutes translates to 3 hours and 23 minutes. If we extrapolate this over the
year, it means that we spend around 1,200 hours on our smartphones in a given
year - that's more than 50 days. This sounds dramatic - and is - but if we
think about all the time we spend scrolling through social media, watching
videos, responding to texts, video chatting, and reading articles, it's easy to
see how we can get to this number rather quickly. Are 203 minutes per day too
much? Who knows?
18. We Read Half of Our Emails on Mobile Devices
Although we now have many more ways of
communicating, email is still an important way for us to talk. We seem to use
our mobile devices for checking emails more so than any other device. And, once
again, this makes sense. What better time to check our email than while sitting
on a train, waiting in line for coffee, or lounging around the house? 61.9 percent of email opens occur
on a mobile device.
The Potential Dangers of Too Much Smartphone Usage
Hopefully, after seeing the numbers
we've presented here, you now have a pretty good idea of what's going on in the
world today with smartphones and can see that the trend is one of increasing
smartphone usage.
In general, this is probably a good
thing; smartphones allow us to do so much. However, this transition has taken
place so quickly it has left many of us adopting new ways of living and
interacting with the world in a really short period of time. And whenever this
happens, we should at least be aware of the potential risks. Here are a few to
consider:
Continuing Into the Smartphone Era
All of these numbers show that we are
very much in the smartphone era. Desktop computers are falling out of favor
worldwide, especially in countries that are less economically developed and are
just now starting to access the internet in large numbers.
Moving forward, we can expect this
trend to continue. Smartphones are getting cheaper, and networks are getting
better (5G is essentially here), and so it's quite likely that smartphone use
will increase unless, of course, a new technology emerges that takes its place.
Until then, it looks as though our
smartphones will continue to be our best friends.
