60+ Browser Usage Statistics, Facts, and Trends

Do you remember the time before the internet? If you are younger than 29, that’s impossible.

Today we are connected 24/7, and the Web influences everything in our lives. And I mean everything – from starting a romantic relationship to what TV to buy and where to go for dinner.

The following list of browser usage statistics will show you the state of the web browsers in 2022.

Mind-Blowing Browser Usage Statistics

• There are over 4.3 billion internet users worldwide. That’s 57% of the world’s population.
• The percentage of Gen Z smartphone users is up to 98%.
• There are 2.71 billion smartphone and 1.23 billion tablet users globally and according to Smartphone Statistics, the number of smartphone users in 2020 will go up to 2.87 billion.
• The total number of websites is over 2 billion in 2020.
• Android is the most popular OS with a 39.91% market share, followed by Windows with 35.12%.
• Chrome is the most used browser. Its browser market share is 63%.
• Mobile browser usage statistics show Safari is the leading mobile browser in the US with a 55.35% market share.
• Back in 2004, 95% of the internet population used Internet Explorer.

More than half of the world’s population uses a web browser. And most use Chrome on Android.

Anyone could’ve made an educated guess and reached the same conclusion. Still, coming up are browser statistics that will unveil the details about Chrome’s dominance. Moreover, you’ll see what happens with its competitors.

General Browser Usage Statistics

1. There are 4.38 billion internet users worldwide.

(Source: Hootsuite and We Are Social)

• There are more than 1.7 billion websites in 2019.
• According to web browser statistics, there were more than 112 browsers in 2018.
• The most popular mobile app categories in the US are “Communication and social” – 97.7% and web browsers – 97.6%.
• A poll by Digital Trends shows 53% of people have between one and five tabs opened at any given time. 13% have “Too many to count!”
• According to browser usage statistics for 2019, the market share of the most popular web browsers at the time of writing is:
  • Chrome has a market share of 63.37%.
  • Safari’s market share is 15.05%
  • Firefox accounts for 4.49% of the browser market.
  • According to browser usage stats, Samsung Internet has 3.75%.
  • UC browser shares fourth place with Samsung Internet. It’s the browser of choice for 3.75% of the internet population.
  • Opera’s market share is 2.58%, leaving the last two spots for Internet Explorer and Edge.
  • IE has a market share of 2.26%, followed by Edge with 2.18%.

Well, the stats show Google’s browser is the king of browsers.

But why is Chrome so popular?

First of all, Google is the most powerful website on the planet with more than 63,000 searches in a second.

Second of all, Android is the most adopted OS worldwide, and Chrome is its default browser.

Last but not least, Chrome does a decent job of providing access to the Web – it’s fast, relatively secure, and easy to use.

2. There are 2.71 billion smartphone and 1.23 billion tablet users in 2019.

(Source: Bankmycell and Statista)

• Smartphones account for 51.11% of the global device market. Interestingly enough, 31% of smartphone users are using voice search to some extent. By the way, more people own a cell phone than a toothbrush.
• Chrome is the browser of choice for 71.07% of desktop users. Firefox has a market share of 9.53%. Safari is third among the most popular browsers with 5.63%.
• Google’s web browser is also the leader among mobile users with a 60.63% market share. Safari is a distant second with 20.19%. Curiously, mobile users prefer Samsung Internet to Firefox and Opera, which places it in third place with 6.85%.
• Browser statistics show Safari is the undeniable ruler of the tablet kingdom. Apple’s browser accounts for 64.12% of the market, while Chrome is second with 23.76%.
• For TVs, the browser usage in 2019 is divided between Chrome (75.47%) and Opera (22.09%). Together, they hold 97.56% of the TV browser market.

If Apple didn’t control over 70% of the tablet market, Chrome would dominate the entire browser market across all devices.

It’s interesting to see newcomers like Samsung Internet enter the top three browsers for mobile. On the other hand, if the US-China trade war continues, Huawei may abandon Android. While this is rather unlikely, if it happens, we may see new players joining the browser war. Furthermore, this would undermine Chrome’s superiority, since Huawei controls about 17% of the smartphone market.

3. Android was the most popular OS in 2019 with a 39.91% market share, followed by Windows (35.12%) and iOS (13.85%).

(Source: Global Stats)

• Unsurprisingly, Chrome rules over 88.43% of Android devices. All other browsers have less than a 3% market share.
• Chrome leads the race for the “Mostly Used Browsers Cup” for Windows. Google’s browser is several laps ahead of its competitors and has won the hearts of 68.30% of the public. Internet Explorer is far behind with 9.77%, followed closely by Firefox (9.18%). Edge’s fanbase is 5.52%, leaving Opera no chances for the trophy with 1.7%.
• Safari dominates across iOS devices with a 93.23% market share. Surprisingly, 4.47% of iOS users prefer Chrome to Apple’s browser.
• Linux is the battlefield of the Firefox vs. Chrome fight. The latter has the upper hand, being the browser of choice for 54.54% of Linux’s users. Still, Firefox isn’t giving up and has the support of one-third of all Linux consumers.

Although Chrome is the most popular browser on three out of the four major operating systems, it can’t dethrone Safari in iOS.

Still, with Android’s expansion, Chrome will become more and more popular. It’s already leaving the remaining browsers in the dirt, and there aren’t any notable pretenders to take its place.

Browser Usage by Region

4. Chrome (52.53%) and Safari (29.37%) are the most popular web browsers in North America.

(Source: Stat Counter)

• Chrome rules over 82.64% of South America, leaving Safari a distant second with 5.59%. Firefox’s adoption on the continent is 4.04%.
• You won’t be surprised to find out who the leader in Africa is. Once again, Chrome has the highest market share – 61.68%. Still, what’s interesting about Africa’s browser usage is that Safari and Opera are equals. Each accounts for 11.05% of the browser market.
• And the browser of choice for Europeans is… (drumroll) – Chrome! Is anyone surprised? Guess not. Google’s web browser market share is 60.66%. The other most used browsers across the Old Continent are Safari (16.45%), Firefox (7.54%), and Samsung Internet (4.89%).
• The leader in Asia holds 67.45% of the market (you already know its name). Safari is second with 8.95%. What’s interesting about Asia is that UC browser holds third place with 7.59% of the market.
• Oceania is an intriguing region in the browser wars. It’s the part of the globe with the highest Safari usage – 31.92%. Chrome accounts for 51.8% of the browser market. Firefox, Samsung Internet, and Edge are fighting for the third spot, each with about 4% of the market.

Chrome’s dominance spreads all over the globe.

Although Safari has a stable presence in all regions, it’s still too far behind Google’s web browser. If Google doesn’t make any dramatic mistakes, there aren’t any notable threats to its dominance. So far, that is.

5.Google Chrome and Safari own the majority of the US browser market share at 45% and 38%, respectively.

(Source: StatCounter)

• The figures are quite similar in Canada, with the gap between Chrome and Safari becoming wider. Chrome’s usage has increased by 6% (51%) and Safari’s has dropped by 8% (30%).
• Interestingly, the percentage of Chrome and Safari users in the UK stands halfway between the usage in the US and Canada, reaching around 48% and 34%, respectively.
• Australia shows similar numbers to Safari’s use in the UK and Canada’s use of Chrome.
• Microsoft Edge is the 3rd most used browser in all regions accounting for about 4% in Australia but more than 5% in the other countries.
• Other browsers are significantly less popular and stand at somewhere less than 5%.

Browser usage statistics per region in percentages:

Chrome Statistics and Facts

6.Google launched its browser in 2008.

(Source: CrossBrowserTesting)

• According to browser stats, Chrome has more than five billion downloads on Play Store.
• Browser usage stats show Chrome accounts for about 39% of mobile traffic in the US.
• The Chrome bounty program increased its maximum payout from $5,000 to $15,000 for a baseline report. For a high-quality one, the bounty jumped from $15,000 to $30,000.
• Google Safe Browsing protects over four billion devices, mostly accessing the Web via Chrome.
• On average, Chrome shows its users more than 250 million warnings for malicious websites a month.
• Here’s a curious browser statistic about Chrome – 65.94% of mobile users in Wyoming use Chrome. It’s the only state where Google’s browser beats Safari.

One of Chrome’s pros is that it evolves. Google continues to improve its browser’s security, and the statistics above prove it.

Although Chrome requires more resources than most browsers, people still prefer it over the competition. It’s not perfect, and it doesn’t provide any revolutionary features, but it gets the job done. And browser usage stats show that’s enough for most people.

Safari Statistics and Facts

7. Apple released its browser in 2003 to replace Navigator on Macintosh computers.

(Source: Apple)

• According to browser usage statistics, Safari is the browser of choice for mobile users in 49 of the 50 states in the US.
• Alaska has the highest number of iOS users – 77.88% of the population. That means about 687,000 people use Safari in the 49th state alone.
• According to browsers statistics for 2019, Safari accounts for 55.35% of the mobile browser market in the US. Chrome is second with a 35.37% market share.
• There were over one billion visits via Safari to US government sites between June and August 2019.
• Steve Jobs wanted to name the browser “Freedom.” Its developers amusingly called it “iBrowse.”

Overall, Safari is the second most popular browser worldwide and first in the US mobile market. So if we compare Chrome to Safari, a reasonable question pops out – which web browser is the best?

Well, it depends on which company’s philosophy suits you best. Keep in mind that Safari is available only for Apple devices, while you can download Chrome on every device. Still, Safari is more privacy-oriented, while Google’s primary purpose is to advertise to you.

Firefox Statistics and Facts

8. Mozilla released Mozilla 1.0, the forefather of Firefox, in 2002.

(Source: Mozilla)

• According to browser usage statistics, there are over 250 million Firefox users globally.
• The mobile version of Firefox has over 100 million downloads for Android.
• Volunteers wrote almost 40% of the Firefox source code.
• More than half of Firefox users use non-English versions.
• 1.3% of Firefox users have the browser’s tracking protection feature enabled.

Although the majority of people don’t use Firefox in 2019, it’s one of the best if not the best web browser out there. And since Mozilla is a non-profit organization, you know they won’t use your data to flood your browsing experience with ads.

In case you are wondering, “Which browser is best for privacy?”, you can count on Firefox. You can also use the Tor browser for privacy and anonymity, but it’s much slower.

Internet Explorer and Edge Statistics and Facts

9. Microsoft released the first version of Internet Explorer in 1995.

(Source: Network World)

• In 2004, 95% of the online population used Internet Explorer to access the Web. It’s been downhill for the browser ever since.
• According to Statista, IE accounts for 5% of the browser market in the US, while Edge has 4.22%.
• By November 2018, only 11% of people using Windows 10 browsed the Web via Edge.

Internet Explorer is almost history today. A glorious one, but history nonetheless. Its successor, Edge, failed to impress the majority of users, and only a fraction of the online population uses Microsoft’s browser.

Still, the company announced the launch of a full-Chromium Edge. There’s already a Beta available for download. Microsoft hopes its new browser will change the status quo and receive wider adoption. Only time will tell, though.

Mobile vs Tablet vs Desktop

10.Around 55.73% of the traffic was mobile while about 41.46% was desktop usage at the beginning of 2021.

(Source: StatsCounter)

• The least frequently used device is the tablet accounting for only around 2.81% of the global internet traffic.
• Browser usage stats reveal that although mobile outweighs desktop usage, more than 55% of engagement comes from desktop devices. Speaking of different smart devices and their usage rates, the inability of a website to scale properly to any device on which the users access it is the modern scourge of website designers. More complicated actions are usually done on desktop computers or laptops as they are fast-processing and the features are laid out visibly across the interface. Mobile phones and tablets are oftentimes reserved for low-stake activities and simple tasks.
• The most popular mobile browsers worldwide are again the big players Chrome and Safari, with Chrome being incredibly 258% more frequently used than Safari, which comprises 62% of the mobile browser market share.
• On the other hand, 90% of time spent on a mobile device involves using an app whose engagement is as much as four times better than the mobile web browser.
• 60% of consumers read reviews on their mobile browsers, which is larger by a third than those who use their mobile apps for that purpose.
• Statistics predict that internet browser usage on a mobile device will remain low at 12% but users will spend about 88%, i.e. 4 hours a day using mobile internet in their apps rather than on their browser.
• Microsoft Windows (76%) is the most popular OS for desktops while Android (72%) rules the mobile OS. iOS (56%) is the most frequently used OS for tablets.
• Android is a two gold medal winner in the category of most used OS for a tablet and a mobile phone.

Browser Privacy and Security Statistics

11. 60% of companies got infected with malware through a web browser.

(Source: Technical.ly)

• According to browser statistics, Edge can identify 98% of phishing sites. Chrome and Firefox can successfully recognize 96%.
• Research shows Edge can immediately block 89% of phishing sites, outperforming Chrome (79%) and Firefox (77%.)
• Almost a third of companies lost some data through web browsing.
• There are about 18.5 million websites infected with malware at any given time.
• There are around 1,800 malicious uploads to the Chrome store blocked by Google on a monthly basis while Google is actively coming up with novel protections alongside an entire team of manual reviewers.
• With 177 vulnerabilities detected in 2019, Chrome is the most vulnerable browser with Denial of Service being the most common type. All this doesn’t prevent it from being the most common browser.
• Firefox is the second most vulnerable website with 105 vulnerabilities detected in the same respect.
• Websites that employ SSL certificates are easily recognizable by HTTPS as opposed to those that are not secure and only have the HTTP extension.

According to browser usage stats, Edge seems to be more secure than Chrome and Firefox.

Considering how many threats exist on the Web, using a safe browser is a no-brainer.

Browser Resources and Extensions

12. Firefox uses more resources than Chrome, using up 1,722MB while Chrome trots behind using around 900MB of space.

• Opera uses around 790MB, which is slightly lesser than Chrome.
• Microsoft Edge stands out by using only about 640MB, which justifies the claim that thanks to the added support, it has seen more than a 27% drop in the browser’s memory footprint.

The experiment to find out which of the most used web browsers uses the least memory was carried out on a PC running AMD Ryzen 3 2200G with 8 GB RAM and Windows 10 (64 bit) operating system and 10 websites running in the background.

Overall, current versions of Firefox are no longer more memory efficient than Chrome/Chromium-based browsers.

• Firefox has 563 extensions whilst Chrome Web Storage lists more than 200,000 extensions at the moment justifying its immense browser usage percentage.
• Chrome has reinforced its strong relationship with its users via extensions such as HubSpot Sales, Todoist, Reply, HTTPS Everywhere, Click@Clean, Bitly, BuzzSumo, MozBar, HubSpot Collect, etc.
• The most popular Firefox add-ons to help you control the functionality of your browser and introduce a variety of tools are Adblock Plus, Ghostery, uBlock Origin, GreaseMonkey, Lightshot, uMatrix, Dark Reader, Clippings, Grammarly, Video Speed Controller, etc.

Browser Market Share Statistics

13. The Google Chrome browser accounts for circa 63.43% of the global market share of leading internet browsers.

• It has undeniably monopolized the browser market-making other browsers slowly tune out.
• Apple’s Safari browser popularity is more than three times slower than Chrome’s, reaching 19.26%.
• Firefox, Samsung, and Microsoft Edge account for around 9% combined, while separately each of them represents about 3% of the market share.
• UC Browser, Internet Explorer, and Opera market share range lower than 3% while Android has no current statistics available.
• In November 2020, Net Applications announced that it will throw in the towel and no longer provide reports on web browser market shares, as plans by Google to deprecate user agents in Google Chrome will disable it from measuring web browser usage as closely as possible.

Curious Browser Statistics and Facts

14.Tim Berners-Lee developed the first web browser in 1990. Its name was The WorldWideWeb application, which later became “Nexus.”

(Source: ArsTechnica)

• Internet Explorer lost its dominance on the browser market to Firefox in January 2009. Back then, Mozilla became the most used browser with a 45.5% market share, leaving IE second with 44.8%. Less than 7% of the online population used Safari or Chrome at the time.
• It was in March 2012 when Chrome became the king of browsers. Browser usage stats show Chrome was the browser of choice for 37.3% of online users, while 36.3% of them used Firefox. IE was down to an 18.9% market share.
• More than 80% of Windows 10 users download another browser to replace Edge at the first opportunity.
• The Samsung Internet browser has over a billion downloads on Google Play. That’s more than Firefox and Opera combined.
• Employees who used Chrome or Firefox (instead of Safari or IE) stayed at their jobs 15% longer and performed better in 2015.
• Facebook’s in-app browser accounted for 7.63% of mobile traffic in the US in 2018. This means it was the third most used browser for mobile devices, behind Safari and Chrome. Still, if Facebook is a browser, what’s the correct answer?

Chrome is the undeniable victor in the browser wars for the last seven years.

What’s interesting is the advance of Samsung’s Internet and Facebook’s role in the browser market.

These two don’t stand a chance against Google’s champion, but such newcomers could unbalance the status quo.

Conclusion

With Chrome being the browser of choice for so many people, the others are just trying to maintain a large enough user base to keep them afloat. This excludes Safari, which is tied to Apple devices and the company’s loyal customers.

There aren’t any indications the seven-year rule of Chrome is going to end soon.

Still, we live in exciting times as far as browsers are concerned.

We’ll see a new Edge, based on Chromium.

Firefox is regaining its former glory.

And Samsung wants a piece of the pie as well.

Undoubtedly, the 2022 browser usage statistics will show some changes.

Who knows, maybe a new pretender will join the fun.

Happy surfing!