From a time when smartphones were in just over a third of American pockets, we now live in a world where over 85% of U.S. adults and more than six and a half billion people globally carry these powerful devices, spending nearly a third of their waking hours on them and fundamentally reshaping how we connect, work, bank, and see the world.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, 85% of U.S. adults owned a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011
- Globally, smartphone users numbered 6.8 billion in 2023, representing 83.6% of the world's population
- In 2024, average daily smartphone usage worldwide reached 6 hours and 37 minutes
- Worldwide, 4.88 billion people used social media in January 2024
- Average daily social media usage globally was 2 hours 25 minutes in 2024
- Facebook had 3.05 billion monthly active users in Q1 2024
- In 2023, global internet users totaled 5.35 billion, or 66.2% of world population
- Fixed broadband subscriptions reached 1.43 billion worldwide in 2023
- U.S. average fixed broadband download speed was 242.66 Mbps in Q4 2023
- In 2023, 90% of U.S. households owned desktop/laptop computers
- Global PC shipments totaled 241.8 million units in 2023
- 75% of U.S. adults owned laptops in 2023
- In 2023, 80% of global app revenue came from gaming apps
- Average user opened 9 apps daily worldwide in 2023
- Video streaming apps were used by 70% of U.S. smartphone users weekly in 2023
Smartphones dominate daily life worldwide with near-constant connectivity and usage.
App Usage and Digital Services
- In 2023, 80% of global app revenue came from gaming apps
- Average user opened 9 apps daily worldwide in 2023
- Video streaming apps were used by 70% of U.S. smartphone users weekly in 2023
- Global mobile app downloads reached 257 billion in 2023
- 42% of U.S. adults used ride-sharing apps weekly in 2023
- Banking apps had 4.6 billion downloads globally in 2023
- TikTok app sessions averaged 10.85 daily per U.S. user in 2023
- 65% of global consumers used food delivery apps in 2023
- Dating apps generated $5.6 billion revenue worldwide in 2023
- U.S. users spent 4.1 hours daily in mobile apps in 2023
- Cloud storage apps like Google Drive had 1 billion installs in 2023
- 55% of Europeans used navigation apps daily in 2023
- Meditation apps saw 50 million downloads in 2023
- U.S. fitness app usage increased 47% post-pandemic by 2023
- Language learning apps like Duolingo had 500 million users in 2023
- 73% of smartphone users employed music streaming apps in 2023
- E-commerce apps accounted for 60% of mobile shopping in 2023
- Podcast apps reached 100 million weekly listeners globally in 2023
- Remote work apps like Zoom had 3.5 billion meeting minutes daily in 2023
- 38% of global users accessed educational apps weekly in 2023
- Photo editing apps were used by 48% of U.S. millennials in 2023
- Global VPN app downloads surged 27% to 150 million in 2023
- Weather apps had 2.2 billion global downloads in 2023
- 62% of parents used parental control apps in 2023
- Cryptocurrency apps saw 200 million downloads in 2023
App Usage and Digital Services Interpretation
Our phones have become the Swiss Army knives of modern life, expertly juggling our finances, love lives, and dinner plans between relentless bouts of gaming and doomscrolling, proving we’re not just users of technology but its utterly devoted, multitasking protagonists.
Device Ownership
- In 2023, 90% of U.S. households owned desktop/laptop computers
- Global PC shipments totaled 241.8 million units in 2023
- 75% of U.S. adults owned laptops in 2023
- Tablet ownership in the U.S. stood at 42% among adults in 2023
- Worldwide smart TV penetration reached 46% of households in 2023
- 68% of UK households owned laptops in 2023
- Global wearable device shipments hit 487 million units in 2023
- U.S. smart speaker ownership reached 39% of households in 2023
- 52% of global consumers owned fitness trackers in 2023
- China's PC ownership per 100 households was 65 in 2023
- 94% of U.S. teens owned smartphones, but only 80% had PCs in 2023
- Global e-reader shipments declined to 11.5 million in 2023
- 35% of Europeans owned smartwatches in 2023
- U.S. gaming console ownership was 32% among adults in 2023
- VR headset ownership globally was 171 million devices in 2023
- India had 500 million PC users in 2023
- 48% of U.S. households owned tablets in 2023
- Smart home device ownership in U.S. hit 41% of households in 2023
- Global drone ownership estimated at 5 million consumer units in 2023
- 62% of Japanese households owned PCs in 2023
- U.S. e-reader ownership dropped to 17% in 2023
- 28% of global population owned laptops in 2023
- Apple Watch held 22% of global smartwatch market in 2023
Device Ownership Interpretation
We are a species with an increasingly crowded digital nest, where our wrists now hum with data, our televisions judge our streaming choices, and our teenagers would rather text on a phone than type on a computer, all while we collectively try to figure out where we left our e-reader.
Internet Penetration and Access
- In 2023, global internet users totaled 5.35 billion, or 66.2% of world population
- Fixed broadband subscriptions reached 1.43 billion worldwide in 2023
- U.S. average fixed broadband download speed was 242.66 Mbps in Q4 2023
- 93% of South Koreans had home internet access in 2023
- Global mobile broadband penetration hit 99% in 2023
- In 2023, 2.6 billion people remained offline globally
- EU average internet access in households was 92% in 2023
- India's internet users grew to 881.3 million by August 2023
- U.S. households with broadband: 89% in 2023
- Global average internet speed was 63.94 Mbps in 2024
- Africa had 24.4% internet penetration in 2023
- China had 1.09 billion internet users in 2023
- 5G networks covered 1.57 billion connections globally in 2023
- Rural U.S. broadband access lagged at 79% in 2023
- Japan had 94.3% high-speed internet access in households in 2023
- Global IPv6 adoption reached 39% in 2023
- Brazil's internet penetration was 81.9% in 2023
- Average U.S. mobile download speed was 64.36 Mbps in Q4 2023
- 96% of UAE population had internet access in 2023
- Fixed wireless access subscribers hit 41 million globally in 2023
- Nigeria's internet penetration reached 55% in 2023
- Global data traffic grew 23% year-over-year to 5,200 exabytes in 2023
- 85% of Australian households had NBN broadband in 2023
Internet Penetration and Access Interpretation
While we celebrate a hyper-connected world where most can stream at lightning speeds, we must remember that for billions still offline, the digital divide remains a chasm between the haves and the have-nots.
Smartphone Adoption and Usage
- In 2023, 85% of U.S. adults owned a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011
- Globally, smartphone users numbered 6.8 billion in 2023, representing 83.6% of the world's population
- In 2024, average daily smartphone usage worldwide reached 6 hours and 37 minutes
- 58% of global internet users accessed the internet primarily via smartphones in 2023
- In the U.S., 72% of smartphone owners used their devices for banking in 2023
- Indian smartphone users spent an average of 4.5 hours daily on apps in 2023
- 91% of U.S. adults owned a smartphone in Q1 2024
- Globally, Android held 70.92% market share among smartphones in March 2024
- U.S. teens aged 13-17 spent 4.8 hours daily on smartphones excluding YouTube in 2023
- In Europe, 80% of the population owned smartphones in 2023
- Chinese smartphone penetration hit 96% among urban residents in 2023
- Average U.S. smartphone screen time was 4 hours 39 minutes daily in 2023
- 54% of global consumers used smartphones for purchases in 2023
- In Brazil, 88% of internet users accessed via mobile in 2023
- U.S. smartphone ownership among adults over 65 rose to 61% in 2023
- Global smartphone shipments reached 1.15 billion units in 2023
- 78% of UK adults used smartphones for news consumption in 2023
- In South Korea, smartphone usage averaged 5 hours daily per user in 2023
- 45% of U.S. smartphone users checked their phones within 5 minutes of waking up in 2023
- Global 5G smartphone connections hit 1.76 billion by end of 2023
- In Japan, 88.1% of the population owned smartphones in 2023
- U.S. average app opens per day on smartphones was 58 in 2023
- 92% of Filipinos owned smartphones in 2023, highest in Southeast Asia
- Women in the U.S. spent 3.5 hours more weekly on smartphones than men in 2023
- Global smartphone penetration among under-18s reached 75% in 2023
- In 2023, 67% of smartphone users worldwide used voice assistants daily
- Average battery drain from social media apps was 25% of daily smartphone usage in 2023
- 76% of global travelers used smartphones for navigation in 2023
- U.S. smartphone replacement cycle averaged 2.53 years in 2023
- In 2023, 81% of smartphone owners used them for health and fitness tracking
Smartphone Adoption and Usage Interpretation
The statistics reveal a world that now lives and breathes through its smartphone screen, where this pocket-sized portal has seamlessly annexed nearly every facet of modern life—from global commerce to personal health—binding humanity in a cycle of six-hour daily glances that we call connection.
Social Media Engagement
- Worldwide, 4.88 billion people used social media in January 2024
- Average daily social media usage globally was 2 hours 25 minutes in 2024
- Facebook had 3.05 billion monthly active users in Q1 2024
- YouTube users watched 1 billion hours of content daily in 2023
- Instagram reached 2 billion monthly active users in 2024
- TikTok had 1.58 billion monthly active users globally in 2024
- 62.6% of the world's population used social media in 2024
- WhatsApp had 2.78 billion monthly users in Q4 2023
- U.S. adults spent 34 hours monthly on Facebook in 2023
- 95% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 used YouTube in 2023
- Snapchat had 414 million daily active users in Q1 2024
- LinkedIn grew to 1 billion members worldwide in 2024
- Global social media ad spend reached $207 billion in 2023
- 49% of U.S. consumers used social media for product discovery in 2023
- Twitter (X) had 368 million monthly active users in 2023
- Pinterest users numbered 498 million monthly actives in Q4 2023
- 71% of U.S. teens felt worse about body image due to Instagram in 2023
- WeChat had 1.34 billion monthly active users in China in 2023
- Global time spent on TikTok reached 52 minutes daily average in 2024
- Facebook video views hit 8 billion daily in 2023
- 59% of UK internet users accessed social media via mobile exclusively in 2023
- Reddit had 73.1 million daily active users in Q1 2024
- 82% of Gen Z used social media daily in 2023
- Instagram Reels garnered 200 billion daily plays in 2023
- 44% of global social media users experienced cyberbullying in 2023
- Telegram reached 900 million monthly active users in 2024
- U.S. social media users averaged 2 hours 16 minutes daily in 2023
- 68% of social media posts contained images or videos in 2023
Social Media Engagement Interpretation
The planet has become a digital theater where nearly two-thirds of humanity now performs, consumes, and connects for hours each day, proving that while we may have built these platforms, it's undeniable they are now building us.
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