The popularity of the Android OS is nothing short of mind-boggling. Android is the most popular mobile operating system—and it’s not a close contest. Android is utilized on tens of thousands of devices across the world, including vehicles, watches, televisions, and more.
In many parts of the world, Android smartphones have a monopoly on the market. The selection of products is astounding, ranging from pretty affordable to high-end smartphones and tablets.
To gain a better sense of just how powerful Android is in the worldwide mobile OS environment, we've gathered the top Android statistics that testify to its pervasiveness.
Astonishing Android Stats to Keep an Eye on in 2022
- Android holds 72.72% of the smartphone market.
- Google and Apple hold around 99% of the mobile operating system market.
- Android has around 1.6 billion users worldwide.
- There are 129.1 million Android users in the United States.
- Android 10 has a solid 12.5% of the market share.
- More than 80% of mobiles and tablets use newer versions than Android 7.
- Android holds 87% of the market for mobile operating systems.
- 42% of Android devices lack Vulkan support.
Android Statistics 2022: Dominating the Market
Android OS is one of the biggest operating systems in the world, dominating the smartphone and tablet market.
Let’s take a look at some amazing Android facts that highlight its presence on the global market.
1. Google acquired Android in July 2005.
(Source: Android Authority)
Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White co-founded Android Inc. in 2003, with the goal of developing smarter mobile devices.
Android is currently owned by Google. Looking back at the acquisition, it might be one of the best purchases the company has made, along with YouTube. Back in 2005, Google paid a meager $50 million for Android.
2. There are more than three billion active Android devices.
(Source: The Verge)
Wondering how many Android devices there are in the world?
About two billion devices were powered by Android in 2017. Roughly every two years since, Google adds about 500 million Android-powered machines. The number currently sits at over three billion currently active units.
For comparison, Apple recently announced that there are about one billion active iPhones in the world, which is one-third of the number of Android devices.
3. Samsung Galaxy A51 was the best selling Android smartphone in 2020.
(Source: Zeebiz)
Looking at the Android phones statistics, the Samsung Galaxy A51 accounted for 2.3% of the entire smartphone market share, while the Redmi 8 accounted for 1.9%. Samsung Galaxy S20+ took third place with a 1.7% market share.
4. Samsung is the biggest manufacturer of Android smartphones in the world.
(Source: Techradar)
As far as Android device stats are concerned, smartphone giants Apple and Huawei have recently challenged the global market dominance of Samsung, delivering 76.5 million devices, which account for a 22% share.
Xiaomi is the world’s second-biggest Android smartphone manufacturer, selling nearly 49 million units in the first quarter of 2021. Oppo came in the third position selling 37.6 million devices worldwide.
Android Demographics: Users All Around the World
Android OS is used by big brands including Samsung, Sony, HTC, and One Plus.
Let’s take a quick look at some amazing statistics that highlight Android’s mobile market share and user base.
5. This is how many Android users there are in the world: over 2.5 billion people actively use the OS.
(Source: Business of Apps)
With over 2.5 billion active users spread over 190 countries, Android is the most popular operating system in the world.
The number of Android users is rapidly increasing year by year. There were only 500 million Android users in 2012. But in just eight years, Google was able to attract more than two billion users.
6. There are more than 129.1 million Android users in the US.
(Source: Statista)
Wondering how many Android users there are in the United States?
Despite the US being an iPhone market, there are more than 129 million Android smartphone users in the country. According to the latest Android usage statistics, the number is expected to reach 131 million in 2021 and 133 million in 2022.
Google was able to attract 42 million US users from 2014 to 2020.
7. Android powers more than 95% of smartphones in India.
(Source: Statista)
In 2014, Android took over the smartphone operating system market in India, accounting for around 45% of the market.
Since then, the number has been going up.
In 2020, Android accounted for 95.23% of the Indian mobile operating system market. It was followed by Apple's iOS, which came in second place with a 3.2% market share.
The Android user base tends to be comparatively higher in developing countries than in developed countries.
Android vs iPhone Market Share: A Battle of the Tech Giants
Apple and Google are two of the biggest tech giants in the world. Both are fighting to reign supreme in the mobile operating system market.
Let’s take a quick look at some amazing iPhone and Android statistics that highlight their market dominance.
8. The Android operating system holds more than 72% of the OS market.
(Source: Statcounter)
Looking at the latest Android OS stats, smartphones using the Android operating system account for 72.83% of the worldwide market in 2021—and this figure is anticipated to rise. Apple's mobile operating system (iOS) commands a 26.35% market share.
Android’s global market share is comparatively higher because Samsung, Oppo, One Plus, and Xiaomi produce low- to mid-range smartphones that are affordable for most people in developing countries.
In this case, the fact that Apple produces only high-end devices seems to be a disadvantage.
9. More than 50% of smartphones in the US are powered by iOS.
(Source: Statcounter)
The Android vs iOS market share competition in the US is unique.
iOS dominates the United State’s mobile OS market, accounting for 57.62% of smartphones, followed by Android with 42.06%.
10. Android 9 is the most popular version of Android OS.
(Source: Statista)
Wondering which is the most common Android version in the world?
Looking at the Android version market share, Android 9 “Pie” was the most popular OS in the world in 2020, with a 31.3% market share.
And although it was introduced in the fall of 2015, Marshmallow 6.0 was still the second most popular version of Android's operating system on smartphone devices in 2020.
11. Android powers more than 80% of smartphones in China.
(Source: Statista)
Looking at the Android OS share of the market in China, Android is clearly in the lead.
Android was the most popular smartphone operating system in China in 2020, with a market share of more than 80%.
The immense popularity of Chinese smartphone manufacturers has increased the popularity of Android OS.
12. Android powers less than 50% of smartphones in the UK.
(Source: Statcounter)
The Android operating system is not as popular as iOS in the United Kingdom. Looking at Android vs iOS statistics, the latter has a 49.97% market share whereas Android accounts for 49.46%. The third position is taken by Samsung OS, whose market share stands at just 0.5%.
13. Android powers more than 55% of smartphones in Japan.
(Source: Statista)
In March 2021, iOS had 42% of the Japanese market share among smartphone operating systems. The percentage of Android users is comparatively higher, occupying 57.4% of the market.
The two opponents dominate the market in Japan, with a share of over 99%.
14. More than 1.3 billion Android smartphones were sold in 2019.
(Source: Statista)
Android’s smartphone sales share has been steadily increasing for a little over a decade now.
Of the 1.54 billion smartphones sold globally in 2019, around 1.35 billion operate on Android OS. This means that Android holds an 87.4% sales share.
The growing popularity of Oppo, Xiaomi, One Plus, Vivo, and Realme have drastically increased Android sales.
App Download Stats: Android Is Ruling the Category
Google Play Store, just like Apple’s App Store, is the home of thousands of apps. Let’s take a quick look at some amazing app download statistics that highlight app stores’ growth, consumer behavior, and more.
15. Google Play Store has more than three billion apps.
(Source: Statista)
The number of apps in the Google Play Store is nothing short of astonishing.
Back in 2009, Google’s app store had only 16,000 apps.
Four years later, that number increased to one million and then, in February of 2016, it surpassed the two-million milestone.
As of 2020, the Google Play Store reportedly has 3.04 million apps available for end-users.
16. More than 200 billion app downloads were recorded in 2019.
(Source: Techcrunch)
Looking at the app download stats, consumers downloaded 204 billion applications in 2019, which represents a 6% increase over 2018 and a 45% increase over 2016.
Throughout 2019, consumers spent $120 billion on apps, subscriptions, and other in-app purchases.
17. Gaming was the most popular app category in the Google Play Store.
(Source: Statista)
Wondering what is the most popular app category on Google Play?
Looking at the Google Play statistics, gaming applications were the most popular app category in the Google Play Store as of the first quarter of 2021, accounting for 13.72% of all accessible apps globally.
Education applications came in second place with a 9.31% market share.
18. The average user spends 4.2 hours per day in apps.
(Source: Techcrunch)
According to data from the first quarter of 2021, mobile users now spend an average of 4.2 hours a day using applications on their smartphones, which represents a 30% rise from 2019.
For the first time, the average amount of time spent daily on apps exceeded four hours in the United States, Turkey, Mexico, and India.
However, in certain markets—such as Brazil, South Korea and Indonesia—that figure goes up to more than five hours.
Android Version Usage: Constantly Evolving
On November 5, 2007, the beta version of Android OS was released, followed by the software development kit (SDK) on November 12, 2007.
Let’s take a quick look at some amazing Android stats that highlight different Android versions and their uses.
19. The first commercial Android version was released in 2008.
(Source: Computer World)
Looking at the Android version stats, Android had its initial public debut in 2008 with Android 1.0 (which sounds a bit boring compared to the more current Android versions).
Charming nickname or not, the software did offer a suite of early Google programs including Gmail, Maps, Calendar, and YouTube.
20. Samsung S21 Ultra has been Android’s bestseller smartphone of 2021.
(Source: Android Authority)
Wondering which are the most popular Android devices of 2021?
Samsung flagship was the most successful Android smartphone in terms of revenue. The Galaxy S21 Ultra came in fifth place, accounting for 3% of the overall sales pie. The Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus also made an appearance, capturing a combined 3% of the market.
21. About one billion Android devices are vulnerable to security issues.
(Source: CPO Magazine)
More than one billion Android smartphones worldwide are no longer supported by operating system security upgrades, possibly leaving them vulnerable to a wave of damaging cyberattacks.
Wondering which Android versions and devices are at risk?
Any version of Android older than Android 8 has higher security concerns.
This is fairly alarming, considering that 42.1% of users around the globe employ the Android 6 version—or even an older one.
22. The latest Android version was released in September 2020.
(Source: Android Authority)
Android 11 is the eleventh major version—yet the 18th version overall—of the Android mobile operating system. It was launched on September 8, 2020.
The first Android phone to get the Android 11 update was Google Pixel (except for the 1st generation Pixel and Pixel XL).
OnePlus 8 was the first non-Google phone to receive an Android 11 update.
Wrap Up
During the pandemic, smartphone applications saw a tremendous increase in both users and income.
Looking at the Android statistics, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS together account for 99% of the worldwide mobile market. The market share of mobile operating systems is dominated by those two behemoths, and there doesn’t appear to be a third mobile OS that’ll rise to the challenge anytime soon.
Sources
There are more than 2.5 billion Android users in the world as of 2022. Android stats show that, out of those 2.5 billion users, at least 129 million reside in the United States.
There are above three billion active Android devices as of 2022.
Unaware that life beyond the internet exists, Nick is poking servers and control panels, playing with WordPress add-ons, and helping people get the hosting that suits them.
