Browsers have been around since 1990 when Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist at CERN created the first web server and graphical web browser (Mozilla).
By 1995, the world was in a “browser war” as more browsers were developed like Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer which sparked a lot of competition.
Today, browsers are essential for navigating the Internet.
We have a plethora of browsers nowadays that are compatible with desktop and mobile.
In this article, we will discuss the browser user statistics across browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Safari since these are the most used across the globe.
Key Statistics
- The first browser was created in 1990 by a CERN computer scientist.
- Google Chrome has a 58.96% share of the world’s browser usage market.
- 68.31% of the desktop browser market share goes to Google Chrome.
- Google Chrome has the highest global mobile browser market share at 66.08%.
- Safari has the second highest global internet browser usage share at 28.13%.
- 15.38% is Microsoft Edge’s market share of the global desktop browser market.
- Safari’s mobile-based global web browser market share is 38.4%
- 53.1% of North America uses the Google Chrome browser.
- Microsoft Edge accounts for 5.9% of the global browser share and 2.7% goes to Firefox.
- In terms of tablet global browser market shares, Chrome has 42.56% of that market.
Top Browser Usage Statistics in 2025
Let’s discuss browsers and their usage.
1. The First Browser Was Created in 1990 by A CERN Computer Scientist.
Web browsers have been around for over 30 years, which means the younger generations have no idea how we used computers or “surfed” the web before browsers.
In 1990, a CERN computer scientist named Tim-Berners Lee created the web server and the first web browser.
(Mozilla)
It should come as no surprise that Google Chrome, an Alphabet asset, has the biggest share of the global browser usage market by far.
A massive 58.96% of the world uses Google Chrome as of November 2023.
This data includes desktop and mobile browser usage, which each has their own shares in their segments.
(Similarweb November 2023)
Once again, Google Chrome stands by far as the biggest desktop browser in 2023 at 68.31%.
As you will learn more from this list of statistics, it’s well ahead of the second most used internet browser, Safari.
Even with Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox experiencing gains over the past few years, Google Chrome is still way ahead of the global desktop browser usage game.
Which browser are you using right now to read this article? Do you use any other browsers?
(Similarweb November 2023)
Even in the global mobile browser market, Google Chrome leads the way and is well ahead of other mobile internet browsers with a 56.22% share.
Data like this is known to fluctuate since browser users may engage with more than one web browser.
Android phones come with Google Chrome already installed and ready to use, which could be a determining factor in mobile browser usage.
What mobile browser do you use?
(Similarweb November 2023)
The Safari browser is second among global internet users with a 28.13% share of the overall browser market.
While it pales to the 58.96% of Google Chrome’s share, it’s still a significant browser used by millions of people across the world.
Many people with Mac/iOS devices use Safari since it comes preinstalled.
Does this relate to you?
(Similarweb November 2023)
While the Safari browser has the second largest share overall in the global web browser market, Microsoft Edge has the highest share of desktop browser users.
Microsoft Edge has a 15.38% compared to Safari’s 11.5% in global desktop browser usage.
Edge also has the edge over Firefox, Opera, and other desktop browsers.
What browser(s) do you use on your laptop or desktop?
(Similarweb November 2023)
While this data is from February 2023, we have seen fluctuations in browser usage over the years.
Safari has maintained second place after Google Chrome across the board in terms of browser usage.
The mobile-based Safari browser has a global share of 38.4% in this market after Chrome’s 56.22% and towers over Samsung Internet which has a share of 4.14%.
Do you use the Safari mobile app on your iOS device or another browser?
(Similarweb November 2023)
8. 53.1% of North America Uses the Google Chrome Browser.
Recent statistics about regional browser usage from Statista revealed that Google Chrome dominates all over the globe at between 52.2% (Oceania) and 78.9% (South America).
Moreover, 53.1% of the population in North America uses Chrome and 58.6% in Europe.
7Asia accounts for 72.2% of Google Chrome browser usage and Africa has a 71.5% share of the browser action.
(Statista)
Microsoft Edge and Firefox are two well-known, significant web browsers.
You might think they have an enormous share in global web browser usage, but each is much lower than Google Chrome and Safari.
Microsoft Edge accounts for 5.9% of the world’s overall usage of desktop and mobile-based browsers compared to 24.36% of Safari and 61.80% of Chrome.
Firefox has a 2.7% of the global web browser usage share, which is just more than half of Edge’s share.
(Similarweb November 2023)
When discussing web browsers, we can’t leave out the tablet share of browser usage.
Google Chrome again takes the highest share in this segment with 42.56% of the global tablet browser market share.
Safari has a 40.99% share, Samsung Internet a 3.64% share, and Internet Explorer (not Edge) has a 1.73% share in the tablet browser share.
(Similarweb)
Browser Usage Demographics
In this section, we’ll cover more demographics about browser usage across the world, devices, age groups, etc.
11. There Are Roughly 5.3 Billion People in The World Using the Internet.
Before we move forward with more specific browser usage demographics, let’s look at the range of internet users across the globe.
Statista revealed that around 5.3 billion people across the globe use the internet, which means they are also using browsers to navigate the web.
This represents 65.7% of the world’s population.
(Statista³)
12. 2021 Global Data Shows that 25-To-34-Year Olds Use the Internet the Most at 33.8%
Statista revealed that in 2021, the largest age group using the internet was between 25 and 34 years old.
It stands to reason that if they are using the internet, they are engaging with browsers.
The second age demographic that uses the internet and therefore desktop or mobile browsers include those aged 18 to 24 with 22.8% and 18.6% of those aged 35 to 44 use the internet.
The rest of the age demographics include:
- 45-54 years old: 11.9%
- 55-64 years old: 7.3%
- 65+ years old: 5.5%
(Statista²)
13. Globally, 68.6% of Individuals Identifying as Male Use the Internet and 62.8% Identify as Female as Of October 2023.
The most recent data from October 2023 shows that worldwide, 68.6% of people who identify as male use the internet and 62.8% of those identifying as female.
We can expect that these internet users accessed web browsers to navigate the internet.
Note that these percentages have only a very small gender gap, with men being in the majority over women.
(Statista³)
14. Over 3.2 Billion Internet Users in The World Use Google Chrome.
Now that we have some age and gender demographics, we want to address the fact that there are more than 3.229 billion people accessing the internet using Google Chrome.
We already know that Google Chrome literally dominates the world’s browser usage, but now we know there are over 3 billion users of this specific browser out of all the internet users in the world.
Are you one of the over 3.2 billion Google Chrome users?
(DemandSage)
15. Data from 2022 Revealed that 90% of European Males Use the Internet.
Over 5 billion people across the world use the internet; meaning they access browsers to navigate the web.
In Europe, 90% of men reported using the internet as of 2022.
Furthermore, 89% of the female European population used the internet in 2022.
This represents the largest group of internet and browser users in the world as of 2022.
(Statista⁴)
16. In The Americas, an Equal 83% of The Population Among Men and Women Used the Internet.
More regional data from 2022 showed that the Americas had an equal percentage of internet users in terms of gender with 83% for each male and female user.
CIS came close to the same as the Americas with 83% of females and 84% of males using the internet and Arab States showed that 75% of men and 65% of women used the internet in that region in 2022.
The Asia Pacific region in 2022 had 61% female and 67% male internet users while Africa lagged with 34% of women and 45% of men browsing the internet.
(Statista⁴)
17. More than Half of All Website Traffic in The World Comes from Mobile.
Data shows that 55% of all the world’s website traffic comes from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Over the past few years, mobile browser (going online) usage has significantly increased, especially among the younger generations.
As of the first quarter of 2023, 60.89% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices.
Naturally, this data will fluctuate at least for a few years.
(Exploding Topics)
18. Over 92% of All Internet Users Access the Web via Mobile Devices.
According to our sources, 92.3%, or roughly 9 in 10 internet users engage online through their mobile phones or tablets.
Even with a lot of fluctuations, using mobile devices to access the internet is still a growing trend that doesn’t show signs of slowing down.
For reference, 65.6% of people accessing the internet say that they are using a desktop or laptop.
(Exploding Topics)
19. Accessing the Web via Smartphone Accounts for 91% of Internet Users.
In terms of using smartphones to access the web, 91% of internet users say that’s how they go online.
Only 5.2% of those with a standard feature phone use it to access the internet.
Also, tablets alone account for 27.3% of users, according to one survey.
(Exploding Topics)
20. By 2032, the Market Size Value of Internet Browsers Is Expected to Reach $998.1 Billion.
We know enough now that internet browsers are the gateway to information across the globe.
As you might imagine, the market size is substantial, and you would be correct.
In fact, in 2022, the internet browser market was worth $201.9 billion (USD).
Between 2023 and 2032, this figure is expected to reach $988.1 billion (USD) with a CAGR of 17.3% over that period.
With Google Chrome at the forefront, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Samsung Internet have their own portion of the market size.
(EnterpriseAppsToday)
21. In America, 88% of Internet Users Access the Web via Apps.
While mobile browser usage is up and growing, most Americans access the web through their mobile apps.
This data also shows this kind of access to be in a growth phase that will continue as technology evolves.
Furthermore, social media usage accounts for a lot of app usage on mobile.
(Insider Intelligence)
FAQs
Does It Matter Which Browser You Use to Access the Web?
Yes, it does matter.
Web browsers each have their own security protocols and speeds that will impact your browsing experience.
Google Chrome is at the top of the internet browser game because of its high security levels that make people feel safer and more secure when they navigate the web.
This is especially true for mobile browsing.
How Can You Protect Yourself when Using Browsers?
Most browsers today have security protocols in place that help protect your privacy and security.
However, you can do some things to protect yourself further such as:
• Regularly updating your browsers and plugins
• Ensure you’re on an HTTPS secure site
• Use a VPN
• Install antivirus and enable firewall protection
• Keep your cookies and cache clear and clean
• Use strong passwords and use 2FA for further protection
Take these browser tips into consideration to help you protect yourself.
What Are the Three Functions of A Web Browser?
Web browsers essentially have three functions which are to:
• Display and print content
• Display or save files and pages
• Upload scanned data to a server
Moreover, the main parts of a web browser include:
• Navigation bar
• Navigation buttons
• Search/Address bar
Conclusion
Now you know that Google Chrome currently crushes the competition in the browser market in desktop/laptop and mobile browser arenas.
You also now know who uses browsers, from what device they use them, and the age and gender demographics related to internet browser usage.
Considering this data and statistics related to browser usage, what is your perception of browsers across the board?
We hope you have garnered enough from these browser usage statistics to apply it to your marketing strategies.
