Are We Addicted to Smartphones? Stats Reveals Usage Gap Between Gen Z vs Boomers

Smartphones have changed the way we communicate with our friends, family and loved ones. With 5 billion smartphone users worldwide and 6 billion forecasted by 2027, these mobile devices have become part of our daily lives. And with every new release, smartphones have become more powerful and all-encompassing. Keeping in mind all this, it’s a no-brainer that year after year, smartphone adoption and daily screen time are increasing at an alarming rate. But how much smartphones have transformed the way we live, work and interact in society?

In today’s article we’ll explore the latest smartphone usage statistics, delving deep in our habits and how these have changed over the years.

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Smartphone Usage Statistics (Top Picks 2025)

• Approximately, 4.88 billion people worldwide own a smartphone. That number is set to grow to 6 billion by 2027.
• On average, people spend 3 hours and 50 minutes on their smartphone on a daily basis.
• Individuals check their smartphones an average of 58 times each day.
• Smartphone users spend an average of 4.37 hours per day on mobile apps.
• Time spent using smartphones in the US has grown from 4 hours and 36 minutes in 2023 to 4 hours and 39 minutes in 2024.
• 3 in 4 Gen Zers claim to spend too much time on their smartphones.

How Many Smartphone Users are There in the World?

As of 2024, it is estimated that 4.88 billion people worldwide own a smartphone. This number has been increasing exponentially since 2020, adding 2.61 billion new smartphone owners over the years. In fact, according to Statista, it is estimated that the numbers will increase by 1.8 billion users (42.62%) from 2024 to 2029.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the number of smartphone users worldwide since 2014:

• 2014- 1 billion smartphone users.
• 2015- 1.22 billion smartphone users.
• 2016- 1.43 billion smartphone users.
• 2017- 1.66 billion smartphone users.
• 2018- 1.94 billion smartphone users.
• 2019- 2.27 billion smartphone users.
• 2020- 2.67 billion smartphone users.
• 2021- 3.01 billion smartphone users.
• 2022- 3.62 billion smartphone users.
• 2023- 4.25 billion smartphone users.
• 2024- 4.88 billion smartphone users.
• 2025*- 5.28 billion smartphone users.
• 2026*- 5.65 billion smartphone users.
• 2027*- 6 billion smartphone users.

(* estimated)

Smartphone Market Share

With approximately 50% of the total mobile market worldwide, Apple and Samsung held the largest slice of the share in 2024. Following from afar we have Xiaomi with 11% and Vivo and Oppo with 5.95% and 5.72% of the sales respectively.

Here’s a list of the market vendor share worldwide from November 2024:

1. Apple- 27.69%
2. Samsung- 23.28%
3. Xiaomi- 11.08%
4. Vivo- 5.95%
5. Oppo- 5.72%
6. Realme- 4.17%
7. Motorola- 2.85%
8. Huawei- 1.86%
9. Tecno- 1.86%
10. Other- 15.51%

(Source: StatCounter)

Time Spent Using Smartphones Statistics

Recent data shared by Harmony Healthcare IT shows how the average person spends 4 hours and 37 on their smartphone every day. While this number might not seem much at first glance, if we look at it in a weekly perspective it’s the equivalent of one whole day spent on our smartphone or 6 whole days per month.

On average, most people check their phones 58 times a day, and from those check-ins, 30 are during working hours (9 am to 5 pm). It is estimated that we lose at least 37.5 minutes of working time per day simply by picking up our smartphones to check on them.

If we look at this matter closely, recent data shows how picking up the phone has become a daily habit, with 70% of these pick-ups resulting in sessions of 2 minutes or less. Here’s a detailed look on how much time we spend on smartphones by pick-up.

• Less than 2 mins – 40 times per day (70% of the daily pick-ups)
• 2-10 minutes – 15 times per day (25% of the daily pick-ups)
• +10 minutes – 3 times per day (5% of the daily pick-ups)

Taking in consideration the data gathered by Rescue Time, we can conclude that the time spent on a smartphone per pick-up is around 1 minute and 15 seconds on average.

Time Spent Using Smartphones by Country

According to the State of Mobile 2024 report by Sensor Tower, the average time spent on smartphones among users in 20 different markets is 4.37 hours per day. Countries like Indonesia lead the least with the most daily time on smartphones with 6.05 hours. In second position we find Thailand with 5.64 hours and closing the top 3 we find Argentina with 5.33 hours.

Here’s a detailed list of results of daily time spent using smartphones across 20 different countries and how the numbers changed since 2022:

1. Indonesia- 6.05 hours (2023), 6.14 hours (2022).
2. Thailand- 5.64 hours (2023), 5.54 hours (2022).
3. Argentina- 5.33 hours (2023), 4.95 hours (2022).
4. Saudi Arabia- 5.28 hours (2023), 5.29 hours (2022).
5. Brazil- 5.02 hours (2023), 4.82 hours (2022).
6. India- 4.77 hours (2023), 4.67 hours (2022).
7. Mexico- 4.7 hours (2023), 4.44 hours (2022).
8. Singapore- 4.51 hours (2023), 4.43 hours (2022).
9. South Korea- 4.51 hours (2023), 4.72 hours (2022).
10. Turkey- 4.45 hours (2023), 4.34 hours (2022).
11. US- 4.34 hours (2023), 4.42 hours (2022).
12. UK- 3.81 hours (2023), 3.83 hours (2022).
13. Canada- 3.8 hours (2023), 3.65 hours (2022).
14. Japan- 3.77 hours (2023), 3.57 hours (2022).
15. Italy- 3.77 hours (2023), 3.79 hours (2022).
16. China- 3.72 hours (2023), 3.49 hours (2022).
17. Spain- 3.64 hours (2023), 3.62 hours (2022).
18. France- 3.61 hours (2023), 3.61 hours (2022).
19. Germany- 3.42 hours (2023), 3.42 hours (2022).
20. Australia- 3.35 hours (2023), 3.25 hours (2022).

Time Spent Using Smartphones in the US

The average American adult spends 4 hours and 39 minutes on their smartphone on a daily basis. In fact, a recent report by Harmony Healthcare IT shows how 36% of Amercians believe they have a screen time addiction and that they wouldn’t be able to go 24 hours without checking their phones. 

If we delve deep in this study, we find out that US children get their first phone at the age 12 and that there’s a clear correlation with people’s age and time spent on their smartphone. In fact, Gen Z smartphone users (people born between 1995-2012) lead the list of screen time usage in the US, spending an average of 6 hours and 5 minutes with their mobile device. 

Here’s a complete breakdown of daily time spent using smartphones in correlation to the users’ generation:

• Gen Z ( 1995-2012)- 6 hours and 5 minutes.
• Millennials (1980-1994)- 4 hours and 36 minutes.
• Gen X (1965-1979)- 4 hours and 9 minutes.
• Baby Boomers (1946-1964)- 3 hours and 31 minutes.

It’s also relevant to point out how the time spent in non-voice activities has been increasing since 2019, going from 3 hours and 45 minutes to 4 hours and 39 minutes in 2024.

Here’s the data gathered by Statista:

• 2019- 3 hours and 45 minutes.
• 2020- 4 hours and 16 minutes.
• 2021- 4 hours and 24 minutes.
• 2022- 4 hours and 30 minutes.
• 2023- 4 hours and 36 minutes.
• 2024- 4 hours and 39 minutes.

Smartphone Ownership in the US

According to November’s Mobile Fact Sheet by Pew Research Center, 91% of American adults own a smartphone. The number has increased exponentially since 2011 when only 35% of them owned one.

To illustrate this fact, we’ve charted a graph on smartphone ownership growth in the US during the past decade.

Smartphone ownership in the US:

• 2011- 35%
• 2012- 46%
• 2013- 56%
• 2014- 59%
• 2015- 68%
• 2016- 70%
• 2018- 77%
• 2019- 81%
• 2021- 85%
• 2023- 90%
• 2024- 91%

How Much Time is Spent on Smartphone Apps?

A recent study made by Statista shows how mobile users worldwide spent almost 16 billion hours using mobile apps. If we look at it in comparison to other years, time spent on apps has increased almost 25% since 2022.

Here’s a breakdown of the results:

Global hours spent on mobile apps 2020-2023:

• 2020- 8.46 billion hours.
• 2021-10.35 billion hours.
• 2022- 12.66 billion hours.
• 2023- 15.76 billion hours.

Smartphone users spend most of their screen time using apps rather than browsing or making calls. According to eMarketer, the average user spends a total of 3 hours and 28 minutes using apps versus 51 minutes browsing or doing other activities with their smartphone.

Conclusion

It’s undeniable that smartphone usage and mobile screen time consumption has grown at an arguably alarming rate during the past decade. This trend doesn’t seem to have reached its peak yet, and even though we will eventually reach a plateau and a decline, there’s no indicator that points that it will be anytime soon.