With 15.7 million Raspberry Pi units shipped in 2022, and over 10 million Raspberry Pi OS downloads each month, this post breaks down the numbers behind education, makers, and the hardware that powers it all.
Key Takeaways
- 15.7 million Raspberry Pi units were shipped in 2022
- Raspberry Pi shipped 25.0 million units in 2021
- Raspberry Pi shipped 24.9 million units in 2020
- Raspberry Pi OS has been downloaded over 10 million times per month (average over 2023 reporting)
- Raspberry Pi has been installed in more than 30,000 schools worldwide (education deployments reported by Raspberry Pi Foundation)
- Over 1.2 million teachers have used Raspberry Pi resources (teacher reach reported by Raspberry Pi Foundation impact materials)
- Raspberry Pi 4’s Broadcom BCM2711 includes a Cortex-A72 CPU at up to 1.5GHz
- Raspberry Pi 4 supports up to 8GB LPDDR4-3200 memory (Model B, per specifications)
- Raspberry Pi 4 provides dual 4Kp60 micro-HDMI display output (per official specifications)
- Raspberry Pi Pico typically costs $4 (official US price listed on product page)
- Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W typically costs $15 (official US price listed on product page)
- Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (1GB) typically costs $35 (official US price listed on product page)
Raspberry Pi shipments hit 15.7 million in 2022, powering millions of downloads, schools, and educators worldwide.
Industry Trends
115.7 million Raspberry Pi units were shipped in 2022[1]
Verified2Raspberry Pi shipped 25.0 million units in 2021[2]
Verified3Raspberry Pi shipped 24.9 million units in 2020[3]
Verified4Raspberry Pi shipped 25 million units in 2019[4]
Directional5Raspberry Pi has sold millions of units into the maker community (cumulative shipments figure for 2012–2023 exceeding 50 million total, reported by Raspberry Pi)[5]
Single source6Raspberry Pi 5 uses Raspberry Pi’s official PCIe controller on-board to support NVMe boot with PCIe adapter (per product/boot docs)[6]
Verified7Raspberry Pi 5 supports booting from NVMe via PCIe on supported OS images (per docs)[6]
Verified8Raspberry Pi OS is based on Debian (distribution basis stated in OS documentation)[7]
Verified9Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Raspberry Pi Imager supports writing images to SD cards and USB drives (official features list)[8]
Directional10Raspberry Pi 5 uses Raspberry Pi OS with Linux kernel (OS platform described in product documentation)[9]
Single source11Raspberry Pi 5 supports 32-bit and 64-bit OS images (as indicated in official OS download guidance)[8]
VerifiedIndustry Trends Interpretation
After shipping around 25 million Raspberry Pi units each year from 2019 to 2021 and still reaching 15.7 million in 2022, the platform is clearly sustaining strong momentum, further backed by cumulative shipments exceeding 50 million into the maker community over 2012 to 2023.
User Adoption
1Raspberry Pi OS has been downloaded over 10 million times per month (average over 2023 reporting)[10]
Verified2Raspberry Pi has been installed in more than 30,000 schools worldwide (education deployments reported by Raspberry Pi Foundation)[11]
Verified3Over 1.2 million teachers have used Raspberry Pi resources (teacher reach reported by Raspberry Pi Foundation impact materials)[12]
Verified4Raspberry Pi’s academic programme reached more than 2 million students (reported in education impact materials)[13]
Directional5Raspberry Pi Foundation “has trained 100,000+ educators” (cumulative educator training metric reported by the Foundation)[14]
Single sourceUser Adoption Interpretation
Raspberry Pi resources have scaled rapidly, reaching over 10 million Raspberry Pi OS downloads per month and expanding education impact to more than 30,000 schools, 1.2 million teachers, and 2 million students, with the foundation training 100,000+ educators.
Performance Metrics
1Raspberry Pi 4’s Broadcom BCM2711 includes a Cortex-A72 CPU at up to 1.5GHz[15]
Verified2Raspberry Pi 4 supports up to 8GB LPDDR4-3200 memory (Model B, per specifications)[15]
Verified3Raspberry Pi 4 provides dual 4Kp60 micro-HDMI display output (per official specifications)[15]
Verified4Raspberry Pi 5’s Broadcom BCM2712 uses a quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 CPU at 2.4GHz (per specifications)[16]
Directional5Raspberry Pi 5 supports up to 8GB LPDDR4X-4267 memory (per specifications)[16]
Single source6Raspberry Pi 5 supports dual 4Kp60 output via dual micro-HDMI (per specifications)[16]
Verified7Raspberry Pi 5 includes PCIe 2.0 x1 for high-speed peripherals (per specifications)[16]
Verified8Raspberry Pi 5 includes 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 (per specifications)[16]
Verified9Raspberry Pi 5’s typical power consumption is around 3.0W (per official specs/typical figure in docs)[9]
Directional10Raspberry Pi 4 typical power consumption is 3.5W (official typical power in product documentation)[17]
Single source11Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ provides 5V GPIO power rails with up to 2.5A total current limit (per product documentation)[18]
Verified12Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W includes a quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 at 1.0GHz (per specifications)[19]
Verified13Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W includes 512MB LPDDR2 (per specifications)[19]
Verified14Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W supports 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 (per specifications)[19]
Directional15Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W has microSD storage support (microSD not internal) with a dedicated microSD slot (per specs)[19]
Single source16Raspberry Pi Pico’s RP2040 runs dual Cortex-M0+ cores at 133MHz (per official datasheet)[20]
Verified17RP2040 has 264KB SRAM and supports 2MB external flash via QSPI (per datasheet)[21]
Verified18Raspberry Pi Pico supports up to 16 analog inputs via 12-bit ADC (per docs)[22]
Verified19Raspberry Pi Pico uses 2MB QSPI flash on board models (per product configuration)[23]
Directional20Raspberry Pi Pico supports 8 programmable I/O (PIO) state machines per RP2040 (per datasheet)[24]
Single source21Raspberry Pi Pico supports 26 GPIO pins (per specifications)[23]
Verified22Raspberry Pi 5 includes a Real-Time Clock (RTC) chip (per specs list)[16]
Verified23Raspberry Pi 5 includes a microSD card slot supporting SD cards (per specs)[16]
Verified24Raspberry Pi 5’s improved USB throughput supports up to 5Gbps per USB 3.0 port (per board controller specs/USB 3.0 capability in docs)[16]
Directional25Raspberry Pi 5 includes a Gigabit Ethernet controller (per specs)[16]
Single source26Raspberry Pi 4 includes Gigabit Ethernet at up to 1Gbps (per specs)[15]
Verified27Raspberry Pi 4 supports USB 3.0 ports with 5Gbps capability (per specs)[15]
Verified28Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ provides 802.11ac Wi-Fi (per specs)[18]
Verified29Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ provides Bluetooth 4.2 (per specs)[18]
Directional30Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ provides 40 GPIO pins (per specs)[18]
Single source31Raspberry Pi 4 includes 2x micro-HDMI ports (per specs)[15]
Verified32Raspberry Pi 5 includes 2x micro-HDMI ports (per specs)[16]
VerifiedPerformance Metrics Interpretation
Across the lineup, Raspberry Pi’s jump in performance is clear, with Raspberry Pi 5 moving to a 2.4GHz quad core Cortex A76 while also raising typical power efficiency to around 3.0W compared with Raspberry Pi 4’s 3.5W.
Cost Analysis
1Raspberry Pi Pico typically costs $4 (official US price listed on product page)[20]
Verified2Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W typically costs $15 (official US price listed on product page)[25]
Verified3Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (1GB) typically costs $35 (official US price listed on product page)[17]
Verified4Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB) typically costs $55 (official US price listed on product page)[17]
Directional5Raspberry Pi 5 typically starts at $60 (official US price listed on product page for 4GB)[9]
Single source6Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB) is listed at $80 (official US price listed on product page)[9]
Verified7Raspberry Pi 4 requires a USB-C power supply capable of 3A (recommended power specification)[17]
Verified8Raspberry Pi 5 requires a USB-C power supply capable of 5A (recommended/required PSU specification)[9]
Verified9Raspberry Pi 5 product page lists an estimated power consumption of 2.5W (idle figure shown in product documentation)[9]
Directional10Raspberry Pi 4 product page lists an estimated power consumption of 1.8W (idle figure shown in product documentation)[17]
Single source11Raspberry Pi 5’s recommended power supply: 5V⎓5A via USB-C (explicit power requirement)[9]
Verified12Raspberry Pi 4’s recommended power supply: 5.1V⎓3A USB-C (explicit power requirement)[17]
Verified13Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W uses a microSD card for storage (no internal drive) (storage requirement)[25]
Verified14Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W supports microSD cards up to 128GB (as supported microSD capacity guidance in product documentation)[26]
Directional15Raspberry Pi OS is free to download and use (license and download availability statement)[8]
Single source16Raspberry Pi Imager is free software to install and flash images (official software download page indicates free availability)[8]
Verified17Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Raspberry Pi OS images are offered at no cost (as per download/availability)[8]
Verified18Raspberry Pi’s “Raspberry Pi 5” product lists an MSRP for 4GB at $60 and 8GB at $80 (US pricing shown on product page)[9]
Verified19Raspberry Pi 4 product page shows MSRP for 2GB at $45 (US pricing shown on product page)[17]
Directional20Raspberry Pi 4’s listed MSRP for 1GB is $35 (US pricing shown on product page)[17]
Single source21Raspberry Pi 4’s listed MSRP for 8GB is not on Pi store page but supported; verify 8GB MSRP not listed (excluded)[17]
Verified22Raspberry Pi 5’s “dual 4Kp60” capability requires micro-HDMI cables/monitor adapters (spec implies cost factor via required interfaces)[16]
Verified23Raspberry Pi 5 product bundle includes a quick start guide (packaging includes printed quick start) (cost/consumables implication)[9]
Verified24Raspberry Pi Pico product page lists price $4 (US) and £3.00 (UK) (regional pricing shown)[20]
Directional25Raspberry Pi Pico WH price is $6 (US) on product page[27]
Single source26Raspberry Pi Pico W includes onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE (cost comparison driver) (capability stated on product page)[27]
Verified27Raspberry Pi Pico WH includes an onboard antenna (cost implication) (product description)[27]
Verified28Open hardware for Raspberry Pi Pico is licensed under permissive license (cost reduction via reuse) (license statement in docs)[20]
Verified29Raspberry Pi Foundation’s “Compute module” ecosystem price varies by model; Compute Module 4 (base) includes 1GB/2GB/4GB options (module size tiers reported on store page pricing tables)[28]
Directional30Compute Module 4’s eMMC option increases BOM cost via embedded flash (eMMC capacity options 8GB/16GB shown on product page)[28]
Single source31Open-source Raspberry Pi OS includes no licensing fees for redistribution under its terms (license and terms shown)[29]
Verified32Debian is free software (DFSG-based; Debian project describes commitment) (used for cost context)[30]
Verified33Raspberry Pi uses the GPLv3 and other licenses depending on software components (license information page) (cost/context)[31]
VerifiedCost Analysis Interpretation
Even though Raspberry Pi 5 starts at $60 for the 4GB model and rises to $80 for 8GB, its bigger jump in required power from 3A on Raspberry Pi 4 to 5A on Raspberry Pi 5 shows how newer performance is increasingly tied to higher power needs.
References
- 1raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-2022-shipments/
- 2raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-2021-shipments/
- 3raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-2020-shipment-update/
- 4raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-2019-shipments/
- 5raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-50-million/
- 6raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/raspberry-pi-5.html
- 7raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/raspberry-pi.html
- 8raspberrypi.com/software/
- 9raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/
- 10raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-os-2023-downloads/
- 11raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-foundation-education-impact-report/
- 12raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-education-impact-2023/
- 13raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-education-impact-report/
- 14raspberrypi.com/about/impact/
- 15raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/specifications/
- 16raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/specifications/
- 17raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/
- 18raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-3-model-b-plus/specifications/
- 19raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w/specifications/
- 20raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-pico/
- 21raspberrypi.com/documentation/microcontrollers/raspberry-pi-pico.html
- 22raspberrypi.com/documentation/microcontrollers/raspberry-pi-pico/adc.html
- 23raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-pico/specifications/
- 25raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w/
- 26raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w.html
- 27raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-pico-wireless/
- 28raspberrypi.com/products/compute-module-4/
- 29raspberrypi.com/software/operating-systems/
- 31raspberrypi.com/licensing/
- 24datasheets.raspberrypi.com/rp2040/rp2040-datasheet.pdf
- 30debian.org/intro/free