Web Browser Statistics

With the popularity of SaaS apps, web browsers have become the new Operating Systems. As a result, the war between different web browsers has surpassed the war between different OS and platforms.

So, when you plan a marketing campaign or a product, understanding the web browser statistics makes a lot of difference. In this article, we have listed web browser statistics from different aspects.

Web Browser Statistics in 2024

Web browser statistics in 2024 reveal that Google Chrome is the most popular web browser across most platforms. However, the increasing popularity of Microsoft Edge is noteworthy, and Safari is becoming less popular over time.

Stats on the Use of Web Browsers

Let’s first find some interesting facts about how people use web browsers.

1. In the United States alone, web browsers are the most popular and downloaded app category on multiple app stores, such as the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
2. Records indicate that 97.6% of downloads from app stores are for browsers like Google Chrome and Opera.
3. In 2023, web browser apps are the second-most used smartphone applications in the United States, with 61%.
4. The number of web browsers has multiplied since 2018 when the recorded number was 118. In 2024, however, the number is far above 250.
5. More than 53% of users have close to 5 web browser tabs open at a given time.

Stats on Mobile Web Browsers

Because web browsers remain one of the most used mobile apps across markets, we found some impressive statistics.

1. As of December 2023, Google Chrome is the most used mobile web browser in the market. It has the current market share of 64.93%.
2. Since 2014 alone, Google Chrome on mobile has increased its popularity by 8 times, growing from a staggering 8.66%.
3. During these nine years, Chrome has overtaken Safari, Android, UC Browser, and Opera.
4. In 2024, Google Chrome remains the most popular mobile web browser, followed by Safari.
5. Google Chrome is not the most popular browser for mobile tablets, though.
6. That position is still held by Safari, thanks to the highest market share that Apple has in the tablet market. Safari has a market share of 64.12% in the tablet sector.
7. Surprisingly, the third position is taken by Samsung Internet, the go-to web browser app on Samsung smartphones and tablets. It currently has a market share of 4.48%.
8. Microsoft Edge for mobile, though introduced way back, started gaining noticeable market share only in August 2021. Edge currently has a market share of 0.24%.

Stats on Desktop Browsers

Now, let’s focus on desktop browsers, which have remained equally popular.

1. Google Chrome retains its position as the most used web browser in the case of desktop devices as well. It currently has a market share of 65.77%, which is close to its mobile market share as well.
2. However, Microsoft Edge has the second position in this list because it is included as a part of the Windows OS. Yet, the market share of 12.71% is not the highest.
3. Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera occupy the following positions, but their cumulative market share cannot beat Google Chrome.
4. Internet Explorer 11 still has an active market share of 0.26% among desktop web browsers
5. On Microsoft Windows alone, Chrome has a market share of 74.68%. It is quickly followed by Edge and Firefox, which have market shares of 16.28% and 4.15%, respectively.
6. On macOS, Chrome retains its first position with a market share of 70.60%. However, thanks to what Apple has done, Safari has pushed its market share to 24.11% on Mac devices.
7. Even on Linux, Chrome or Chromium-based browsers have the highest market share. However, on these devices, Mozilla Firefox has ensured better popularity.
8. Even though it is not old, Opera has a noticeable market share among desktop web browsers.

Stats on Global Browser Market Share

Here are some statistics on the global market share of web browsers across platforms:

1. As of March 2024, Google Chrome has the highest global market share of 65%. It essentially means every 65 people out of 100 you meet use Chrome as their go-to web browser.
2. Safari, in second place, has an overall market share of 18.57%. This is mostly due to the advantages provided by the tablet market.
3. Microsoft Edge still has almost double the market share of Mozilla Firefox. The former has a share of 5.03% whereas the latter has 2.8%.
4. Google Chrome has more than doubled its market share over the past 10 years. In March 2014, it had a market share of only 36.47%.
5. Mozilla Firefox on the other hand has travelled in the opposite direction. It had a market share of 14.35% in March 2014 but has plummeted to 2.97% in April 2024.
6. The Android Browser has practically become extinct in the previous years. This has in turn increased the market share of Google Chrome globally on mobile devices.

Stats on Browser Market Share in the US

There are some unique characteristics to the browser market share statistics in the United States.

1. Compared to the global figure, the market share of Google Chrome in the United States of America is lower, recording 51.06% in March 2024.
2. Safari, however, regains its second position in the market with a market share of 32.67% thanks to the increased adoption rate of Apple devices in the country.
3. The third position is occupied by Microsoft Edge, which has an improved market share of 7.53%. This number has increased in the past 5 years, and Edge is attracting more users.
4. When we look at the mobile browser market share in the United States, the story changes a bit. In this instance, Safari has a higher market share of 52.88% followed by Chrome with a share of 40.49% and the third position is occupied by Samsung Internet.
5. In the tablet browser market, however, Safari faces tight competition from Chrome. Safari has a market share of 39.78% but Chrome is growing like never before. It is not surprising considering the increasing market share of Android, though.

Stats on Browser Market Share in Europe

Europe mostly resembles the situation in the United States, but there are some noticeable differences.

1. Resembling the global trends, Google Chrome has the highest market share in Europe as well. Over the past ten years, Chrome has increased its share from 34.45% to 60.91%.
2. In second position, Safari had a total market share of 19.8% in 2023. This number was, however, a bit lower than 2022, which recorded 21.66%.
3. In the last two years, Microsoft Edge has become the third-most used web browser in Europe.
4. Until 2022, the position was held by Mozilla Firefox.
5. The Yandex Browser still had a surprisingly high market share of 0.88% in 2023.

Stats on Browser Market Share in Asia

The economic differences between Europe, the US, and Asia are reflected in the browser market share.

1. As of March 2024, Google Chrome has the highest market share of 71.06% in Asia.
2. In the next position, we have Safari, which has secured a market share of 13.91% as of March 2024. Safari has maintained this number over the past few years.
3. The statistics don’t change when we narrow down to the mobile browser market share in Asia.
4. However, browsers like Samsung Internet, UC Browser and Opera have a noticeable presence in this category.
5. The tablet browser market in India is dominated by Chrome, not Safari. Chrome has a market share of 52.75%, followed by 33.6% of Safari.
6. In the desktop sector, Safari is pushed to the third position. Chrome maintains a market share of 70.49%, followed by Edge with 11.06%.

Stats on Browser Market Share in India

India is an ambitious market for web browsers, primarily due to the increasing demographics.

1. Thanks to its default status on Android, Chrome has a whopping mobile market share of 88.22% in India.
2. Surprisingly, the second position is occupied by Opera, which has a 3.86% market share in the mobile browser sector.
3. Both UC Browser and Firefox have a noticeable presence in the Indian web browser market.
4. Overall, Firefox has become less popular as a web browser in the Indian market.
5. On desktop devices, Firefox is a popular option among web browsers. However, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge take up the first and second positions, with market shares of 87.81% and 4.97%, respectively.
6. Like other parts of India, Chrome has the highest market share in the tablet browser sector as well. It is followed by Safari, which has a market share of 11.91%.

Stats on Windows OS Browsers

Now, we shall check how the browser war has fared in the context of Microsoft Windows.

1. Even though Microsoft has been pushing Edge, Google Chrome remains the most popular browser among Windows users. It has a market share of 76.48%.
2. Edge, however, has a noticeably high market share of 16.28%, especially considering its age.
3. Firefox has also maintained a comparatively higher market share of 4.15%, unlike what it has done in other sectors.
4. It is surprising that 1.37% of Windows users still rely on Yandex Browser.
5. Not-so-popular browsers like QQ and Sogou Explorer have a space in the Windows browser market

Stats on Android OS Browser

The browser market share situation on Android is also great:

1. As expected, Google Chrome is the most used web browser on Android. It has an unparalleled market share of 87.50%.
2. The market share of Google Chrome is the highest any browser has on any platform.
3. In the second position, Samsung Internet has a share of 8.21%, which is normal when considering the growing popularity of Samsung devices.
4. Surprisingly, Android Browser, Yandex, and Baidu have an existent market share in the mobile sector.
5. Samsung Internet Browser has been downloaded more than 1 billion times.

The statistics on the browser preference on Android are indicative of the smartphone market. For instance, the increasing popularity of Samsung devices has contributed to the increased market share of the Samsung Internet Browser.

Stats on iOS Browsers

Because of its exclusive nature, the web browser statistics on iOS are a little unique.

1. Unsurprisingly, Safari retains the highest market share on iOS devices, with 88.40%.
2. It is followed by Google Chrome, which has a market share of 10.84%.
3. Other browsers like Firefox and UC Brower do not stand a chance in the competition.
4. iOS is the only platform where Safari has remained the most popular option by a long shot.
5. The market share distribution of iOS and iPadOS are similar.

These numbers do not come as a surprise, considering how limited third-party browsers are on both iOS and iPadOS.

Google Chrome Browser Market Share Statistics

1. Except in the case of the tablet sector, Google Chrome has remained the web browser with the highest market share.
2. Google Chrome has been downloaded more than 10 billion times from the Play Store.
3. Both Windows and macOS users are likely to choose Chrome over Safari as their go-to browser.
4. Microsoft Edge is the only multi-platform competition that Google Chrome has had in the past years.
5. More than 4 billion devices make use of Chrome’s Safe Browsing, which protects devices from various threats like phishing.

Safari Browser Market Share Statistics

1. Safari is the most popular tablet browser across all markets.
2. It holds the second-highest market share in the mobile browser sector with a market share of 35.85%.
3. Apple Safari was the first browser to introduce private browsing, which was launched in 2005.

Microsoft Edge Browser Market Share Statistics

1. Microsoft Edge is the default web browser on Windows devices, and it has the second-highest market share in 2024.
2. Edge has received a higher number of downloads than browsers like Firefox and Opera on Android.
3. Microsoft Edge has grown the most in terms of market share in the past five years, reaching the top market share of 12.71% in 2024.
4. Edge has overtaken Safari, Firefox, and Opera during this growth.
5. Bing Search on Edge has led to a revenue of $18 billion in 2022 alone
6. As of April 2024, Microsoft Edge is the third most popular web browser in the world.
7. Microsoft claims that businesses using Edge have increased their productivity savings by a whopping $2.7 million in three years.

Samsung Internet Browser Market Share Statistics

1. Samsung Internet is the third most popular mobile web browser in the world right now. It has a total market share of 4.41%.
2. Samsung Internet is the default web browser app for Samsung smartphones and tablet PCs.

Stats on Browser Security

1. Web browsers are the most common channel through which malware attacks are spread
2. Most web browsers are now equipped with built-in tracking protection and ad-blocking

The Bottom Line

We have covered most of the interesting statistics and facts about web browsers. The data has been taken from trusted sources, which are known for accurate data collection methods. Therefore, you can count on these insights when you want to launch a testing campaign where the web browser is a variable.

Source

• Statista
• StatCounter Global Stats