20 Little-Known Browser Statistics for 2022

Browser statistics confirm what we already know—while the world has seen countless technological innovations in the last few decades, none can compare to the internet.

What was once thought impossible, like communicating in real-time with people on the other side of the world or quickly exchanging data, is now an integral part of people’s everyday lives.

Browsers are means by which people quickly access the information they need, and billions of people globally use them. Customers always choose the browser providing them with the best customer service and user experience.

So, what do the numbers say about browser usage and market share? Let’s check that out.

General Browser Stats

There are many web browsers, and Chrome is the most popular. Some of the reasons may be the fast browsing speed, simple merge with a Google account, and numerous extensions—from the best VPN to the one blocking ads.

1. The first graphical web browser was created over three decades ago in 1990.

(Mozilla)

Apart from this web browser, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee also created the first web server. That happened during the time he was working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland—CERN.

Three years later, Marc Andreessen created the first popular web browser Mosaic. It wasn’t until 1995 that Internet Explorer appeared. Internet Explorer usage was immense, and it was once the most widely used browser, having its peak in 2003.

2. The four most popular desktop browsers are Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.

(Kinsta)

Even though it was once ahead of the game, Internet Explorer has lost its place among the most popular browsers in the world. Now, when looking at browser usage by country, we can conclude that Chrome is the most popular one in the world.

3. Most used browser for mobile devices is Chrome for Android with 75.0%.

(Finances Online)

In second place with a much lower percent is iOS Safari—12.3%. Next is UC Browser with 11.5%, then Samsung Internet with 9.2%, and Opera Mini with 1.42%.

4. Web browsers were responsible for around 14.76% of exploit attacks in Q3 of 2020.

(Statista, Cynet)

Browsers frequently engage with infected apps and websites, letting an attacker take control of the browser.

In fact, the latest browser trends show that one of the most popular tricks attackers use to lure people into visiting an infected website is invading through email links or attachments. Amazingly enough, 94% of malware is gained through email.

5. Google Chrome offers over 188,620 extensions in the Chrome Web Store.

(ZDNet)

Out of that number, most extensions are dwindling, with only a few active installations. As a matter of fact, browser statistics show that half of them have fewer than 16 installs.

Moreover, around 13% of them have only one user, while a bit more than 10% have zero installs. At the same time, 13 extensions have more than 10 million users.

6. Google Chrome had 308 identified vulnerabilities in 2021.

(CVE Details)

However, that wasn’t the highest number of vulnerabilities during the years. In fact, there were 312 reported vulnerabilities in 2019.

On the other hand, 2017 was the year with the least vulnerabilities—only 64.

Web Browser Market Share 

About 6 in 10 people worldwide use Google Chrome to browse the internet. But what about other browsers? Read on to find out.

7. Chrome has gained a market share of 62.78% globally.

(GS Statcounter)

All in all, when looking into the data for the last five years, we can see that Chrome has remained the most popular browser. In fact, it is most popular on all platforms, including mobile, tablet, and desktop, as stats on Chrome market share show.

8. Google Chrome represented around 66.6% share of the desktop Internet browser market globally in September 2021.

(Statista)

If this browser is your preferred desktop browser, you are already familiar with its benefits. In other words, it is well-organized, intuitive, and stylish, and these are only some of the reasons it significantly dominates the market in terms of desktop browser market share.

9. Google Chrome for Android had around 36.04% share of the global web browser market at the end of 2021.

(Statista)

Google has become a critical part of the tech industry, and that’s hardly surprising given the fact it owns the most popular search engine, web browser, email service, and GPS mapping service globally.

As we have already seen, its browser market share is bigger than any other browser, and it will probably stay that way in the future.

10. Chrome 96.0 is the desktop browser version that had the biggest market share in December 2021—50.96%.

(GS Statcounter)

Other desktop browser versions with a big market share are still far behind Chrome 96.0, with each of them having less than 10% of the market share.

So, let’s look at the browser market share by version. Namely, Edge 96 has a market share of 7.1%, while Chrome for Android has 2.52%. Moreover, Firefox 95.0 has gained a market share of 4.77%, while Firefox 97 has 2.9%.

11. Globally, Safari is the second most popular browser, with a market share of 19.3%.

(GS Statcounter)

Moreover, Firefox is accountable for 4.2% of the market share, and Edge for approximately 4.05%. In addition, Samsung Internet has a 2.77% market share and Opera a 2.26% share.

As we can see, with a bit under 20% market share, Safari is nowhere near Chrome. However, the Safari market share is considerably higher than the one of Edge, Firefox, Samsung Internet, and Opera.

12. In terms of mobile browsers, Samsung ranked third in 2019, with a 6.83% market share.

(Gizmochina)

Chrome topped the list again with a 60.26% market share, followed by Safari with a market share of 20.9%. The fourth and fifth place belonged to UC browser (a 4.07% market share) and Opera (a 2.14% market share).

In addition, Android browser usage statistics reveal that Android had a 0.94% market share in 2019.

13. Chrome also prevails in the European market, with a market share of 59%.

(GS Statcounter)

The situation is similar in Europe, where the close second is Safari, with a 20.74% market share. Moreover, Edge has a 5.87% market share, while Firefox has a share of 5.72%. The fifth and sixth place are taken by Samsung Internet (a 3.25% market share) and Opera (a 3.09% market share).

US Browser Market Share

Google Chrome is the most commonly used browser in the United States, while Safari is the runner-up.

14. In the US, Google Chrome had almost 50.46% share of the internet browser market in September 2021.

(Statista, GS Statcounter)

The only browser that might seem like a competitor to Chrome was Safari, with 34.7% of the market share at the time. That’s because all other browsers had less than 6% of the market share, based on browser share stats.

However, things were different 10 years ago. In fact, Internet Explorer dominated the market in December 2012, with Chrome taking second, Safari third, and Firefox fourth place in terms of market share.

15. The US market share of Microsoft Edge is 5.91%.

(GS Statcounter)

Microsoft Edge ranks third on the list of browsers with the biggest market share in the US, right after Chrome and Safari. So, the Microsoft Edge market share has even surpassed that of Firefox (3.53), despite the fact that Firefox has been on the market 11 years longer than Edge. Moreover, Edge has a bigger share than Samsung Internet (1.92%) and Android (0.81%).

16. In the United States, Firefox accounts for about 3.53% of the market share.

(GS Statcounter)

That translates to Firefox taking fourth place. In addition, the Firefox market share is slightly higher than that of Samsung Internet (1.92%), and Opera with around 0.75% of the market share.

The situation wasn’t that different five years ago when Firefox was also fourth in this race. Only then, its market share was slightly bigger—5.33%. In the same year, Samsung Internet had 1.89%, and Opera had 0.58% of the market share.

Browsers Users Statistics

Even though Chrome has reached its 3-billion user mark, some browsers have lost over 50 million users in the last couple of years.

17. In April 2021, around 3.2 billion users used Google Chrome.

(HD Tech)

That equates to 41% of the population. Since its release in 2008, Chrome has seen immense growth. People choose it for its quick software support, developer-friendly design, and dominance on Android.

18. Stats on browsers by usage note that Firefox has lost 56 million users since 2019.

(Laptop)

More specifically, the number of Firefox monthly active users was 254 million at the beginning of 2019. However, it dropped to 198 million by July 2021.

Even though Firefox took extra steps last year to ensure it had more users, like an overhaul that made its UI clutter-free and privacy-focused updates, browser stats indicate that it still comes forth in respect of browsers with the biggest market share.

19. Over 944,500,000 Internet users globally used Safari in April 2021.

(HD Tech)

Even though that number is significantly lower than that of Chrome users, it is higher than Firefox, Edge, Samsung Internet, and Opera’s number of users.

For example, almost 181.5 million people used Firefox, over 171 million used Edge, more than 166 million used Samsung Internet, and over 112 million used Opera in the same period, browser statistics show.

20. In 2019, 17% of adults in the United States saved their login passwords in the browser.

(Statista)

Although many people turn to writing down (43%) or memorizing (45%) as a way of keeping track of the login info, others prefer memorizing it in their browsers. However, that may lead to security risks and someone stealing people’s passwords.

So, what might come in handy in these situations, especially after learning that over 80% of Americans use weak passwords, is having a password manager. In fact, 1Password is a great example of being an excellent password manager for personal, family, and business use.

Conclusion

Hopefully, these browser usage statistics have created a clearer picture of the popularity, importance, and market share of browsers.

Even though Google Chrome has stayed in the saddle for quite some time now, there are other browsers people frequently use. Regardless of which browser you use, the most crucial is that it provides a good user experience, speed, simplicity, and security.

So, will Chrome’s tendency to run the show continue in the years to come? What does the future hold for other browsers? Let’s wait and see.

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