Introduction
Operating Systems Statistics: In the dynamic realm of digital infrastructure, operating systems play a pivotal role, serving as the backbone that enables hardware and software to function seamlessly. An operating system (OS) is essential for managing a computer’s resources, and ensuring efficient coordination between hardware and software.
As of February 2024, Microsoft Windows dominates the global desktop OS market with around 72% share, followed by Apple’s macOS at nearly 20%. Smaller players like Linux and Chrome OS maintain stable but minor shares. Mobile devices are led by Android, which holds approximately 70% of the global market, while iOS commands around 29%.
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- As of February 2024, Microsoft Windows dominates the global desktop operating system (OS) market with a 72% share.
- Apple’s macOS holds nearly 20% of the global desktop OS market.
- Linux and Chrome OS have small but stable shares in the global desktop OS market.
- Google’s Android leads the global mobile OS market with approximately 70% market share.
- Apple’s iOS commands around 29% of the global mobile OS market.
- In 2023, sales of Android smartphones exceeded 960 million units worldwide.
- Apple shipped around 225 million smartphones in 2023.
- As of the fourth quarter of 2023, Apple’s iOS held a 55% market share in the global tablet OS market.
- In the fourth quarter of 2023, Apple shipped nearly 15 million tablets worldwide.
- Microsoft Windows holds 68% of the global PC operating system market.
- Windows 10 accounts for 68% of all Windows desktop PCs.
- Apple’s macOS holds 15% of the global PC operating system market.
- In September 2023, Apple released macOS Sonoma, the latest version of its operating system.
- In 2022, 65 million PCs were shipped with Windows operating systems installed.
- Up to 30 million Chromebooks are currently being used in classrooms, according to Google estimates.
- As of February 20, 2016, mobile technology adoption in some smaller nations in North America, such as Haiti, reached 72.35%, and by 2023, it had declined to 64.43%.
- In 2023, 25% of Apple’s user population had downloaded the El Capitan operating system.
- As of September 2021, macOS had a 9.54% share of the desktop and laptop operating system market.
- The current Linux desktop market share is estimated to be between 1.74% and 2.18%.
- Windows 10 holds a 43.53% share of the global desktop and laptop OS market.
- macOS High Sierra ranks third globally with a 5.62% market share in the desktop OS segment, according to StatCounter.
- In 2020, Android dominated the smartphone market, powering 84.1% of all smartphones sold that year.
- Around 52% of all tablets shipped globally in the first quarter of 2021 had Android as their operating system.
- In 2021, macOS accounted for 16% of the market share for Apple’s personal and enterprise computers.
- In 2017, the operating system software industry saw a 1.1% revenue growth, signaling a mature market.
- As of 2023, there were 307,391 people employed in the Operating Systems & Productivity Software Publishing industry in the United States, according to IBIS World.
General Operating Systems Statistics
- Operating Systems Statistics show that in 2024, the worldwide OS market is valued at $46.67 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.1%, reaching $50.69 billion by 2028.
- Overall, Asia Pacific was the largest market for operating systems in 2023.
- In addition, Asia Pacific is estimated to be the fastest-growing market in the OS segment by 2028.
- Operating Systems Statistics also state that the leading influential factor of the OS market is the rise in demand for computers.
- Around 100% of supercomputers are said to be working on Linux.
- As of 2023, 2.8 billion users were actively using Android OS.
- In 2024, 71.74% of smartphones have Android OS installed.
- Around 93% of Android users are satisfied with the OS and for meeting their requirements.
Operating Systems Statistics By Market Share By Region
According to the Operating Systems Statistics 2024, the following numbers show the market share of operating systems currently used in the worldwide market.
Desktop Operating System
Worldwide (2024)
| OS |
Market Share |
| Windows |
72.52% |
| OS X |
14.68% |
| Unknown |
6.47% |
| Linux |
4.05% |
| Chrome OS |
2.27% |
| FreeBSD |
0.01% |
Africa
| OS |
Market Share |
| Windows |
63.75% |
| Unknown |
28.27% |
| OS X |
4.74% |
| Linux |
2.81% |
| Chrome OS |
0.41% |
| FreeBSD |
0.02% |
Asia
| OS |
Market Share |
| Windows |
74.96% |
| Unknown |
9.6% |
| OS X |
9.3% |
| Linux |
5.89% |
| Chrome OS |
0.24% |
| FreeBSD |
– |
Americas
| OS |
Market Share |
| Windows |
63.75% |
| OS X |
23.36% |
| Chrome OS |
5.87% |
| Linux |
3.61% |
| Unknown |
3.38% |
| FreeBSD |
0.01% |
Australia And Oceania
| OS |
Market Share |
| Windows |
65.95% |
| OS X |
28.28% |
| Unknown |
2.37% |
| Chrome OS |
1.73% |
| Linux |
1.67% |
| FreeBSD |
0.01% |
Europe
| OS |
Market Share |
| Windows |
76.51% |
| OS X |
14.88% |
| Unknown |
3.42% |
| Linux |
2.76% |
| Chrome OS |
2.43% |
| FreeBSD |
0.01% |
Finding
As of 2024, Windows is the leading operating system in the desktop operating system market segment, with more than 50% of the market share in every region.
Mobile Operating System Market
Worldwide
| OS |
Market Share |
| Android |
70.79% |
| iOS |
28.46% |
| Samsung |
0.39% |
| Unknown |
0.17% |
| KaiOS |
0.13% |
| Windows |
0.02% |
Americas
| OS |
Market Share |
| iOS |
59.09% |
| Android |
40.56% |
| Samsung |
0.24% |
| Windows |
0.05% |
| Linux |
0.02% |
| KaiOS |
0.01% |
Africa
| OS |
Market Share |
| Android |
85.18% |
| iOS |
12.49% |
| Unknown |
1.99% |
| Samsung |
0.11% |
| KaiOS |
0.09% |
| Series 40 |
0.04% |
Asia
| OS |
Market Share |
| Android |
78.42% |
| iOS |
20.78% |
| Samsung |
0.45% |
| KaiOS |
0.24% |
| Unknown |
0.07% |
| Nokia Unknown |
0.01% |
Australia And Oceania
| OS |
Market Share |
| iOS |
54.29% |
| Android |
44.7% |
| Samsung |
0.09% |
| Windows |
0.06% |
| Unknown |
0.02% |
| BlackBerry os |
0.01% |
Europe
| OS |
Market Share |
| Android |
67.41% |
| iOS |
32.08% |
| Samsung |
0.45% |
| Windows |
0.03% |
| Linux |
0.01% |
| Unknown |
0.01% |
Finding
In 2024, both iOS and Android in the mobile OS segment almost equally share the market in all regions.
Tablet Operating System Market Share
Worldwide
| OS |
Market Share |
| iOS |
52.18% |
| Android |
47.64% |
| Linux |
0.12% |
| Unknown |
0.03% |
| BlackBerry OS |
0.02% |
| Windows |
0.02% |
Americas
| OS |
Market Share |
| iOS |
57.32% |
| Android |
42.4% |
| Linux |
0.19% |
| BlackBerry OS |
0.03% |
| Unknown |
0.02% |
| Windows |
0.02% |
Africa
| OS |
Market Share |
| Android |
84.41% |
| iOS |
15.3% |
| Unknown |
0.19% |
| Linux |
0.05% |
| Windows |
0.02% |
| BlackBerryOS |
0.02% |
Asia
| OS |
Market Share |
| iOS |
57.19% |
| Android |
42.72% |
| Linux |
0.06% |
| Unknown |
0.01% |
| BlackBerry OS |
0.01% |
| Windows |
0.01% |
Australia And Oceania
| OS |
Market Share |
| iOS |
79.77% |
| Android |
19.95% |
| Linux |
0.19% |
| BlackBerry OS |
0.05% |
| Windows |
0.03% |
| Unknown |
0.01% |
Europe
| OS |
Market Share |
| Android |
52.62% |
| iOS |
47.16% |
| Linux |
0.13% |
| Unknown |
0.04% |
| BlackBerry OS |
0.02% |
| Windows |
0.02% |
Finding
In the Tablet operating system market, iOS is leading in almost all regions, with more than 50% market share compared to the commonly used Android OS.
Desktop Vs. Mobile Vs. Tablet Market Share
Worldwide
| OS |
Market Share |
| Mobile |
59.91% |
| Desktop |
37.89% |
| Tablet |
2.2% |
Americas
| OS |
Market Share |
| Desktop |
50.73% |
| Mobile |
46.47% |
| Tablet |
2.8% |
Africa
| OS |
Market Share |
| Mobile |
76.18% |
| Desktop |
22.43% |
| Tablet |
1.39% |
Asia
| OS |
Market Share |
| Mobile |
68.63% |
| Desktop |
29.53% |
| Tablet |
1.84% |
Europe
| OS |
Market Share |
| Mobile |
51.34% |
| Desktop |
46.23% |
| Tablet |
2.43% |
Australia And Oceania
| OS |
Market Share |
| Desktop |
52.41% |
| Mobile |
43.52% |
| Tablet |
4.07% |
Finding
In terms of Desktop, Mobile, and Tablet Market share, all of these will be more or less dominant in all regions in 2024.
Operating Systems Statistics By Brand Versions Market Share Worldwide In 2024
Windows
| OS |
Market Share |
| Win10 |
69.04% |
| Win11 |
26.72% |
| Win7 |
3.04% |
| Win8.1 |
0.44% |
| WinXP |
0.39% |
| Win8 |
0.29% |
Apple
| OS |
Market Share |
| macOS Catalina |
94.24% |
| macOS High Sierra |
1.38% |
| macOS Mojave |
0.98% |
| macOS Sierra |
0.96% |
| OS X EI Capitan |
0.81% |
| OS X 10.10 |
0.57% |
iOS
| OS |
Market Share |
| iOS 17.3 |
49.74% |
| iOS 17.4 |
7.1% |
| iOS 16.6 |
5.06% |
| iOS 16.7 |
4.57% |
| iOS 17.2 |
4.05% |
| iOS 15.8 |
3.63% |
Android
| OS |
Market Share |
| 13.0 |
26.3% |
| 12.0 |
16.97% |
| 14.0 |
16.22% |
| 11.0 |
16.2% |
| 10.0 |
8.82% |
| 9.0 Pie |
5.66% |
Microsoft Windows Operating System Statistics
- In January 2024, Windows 10 held the largest market share among Microsoft’s versions, accounting for 66.47%.
- As of December 2023, the older Windows XP still retained 0.64% of the market share.
- Microsoft Windows is the leading operating system for desktops and laptops, commanding 73% of the global market.
- 95% of G2 reviewers rated Windows 11 with 4 or 5 stars.
- The highest market share for Microsoft Windows was 89.49% in December 2021. Since then, its market share has decreased to 61.51% in the desktop OS category.
- Microsoft Windows will operate on 1.6 billion active devices globally in 2024.
- Despite the release of Windows 11, searches for Windows 10 have risen in 2024, with an average of 25 more searches per week.
- Microsoft reported sales of USD 143.015 billion in 2020, a 13.65% increase from the previous year.
- 96% of G2 reviewers found Windows 11 easy to use.
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Android Operating System Statistics
- Android was developed by a small team of developers led by Andy Rubin, and Google acquired it in 2005 due to its potential.
- Known for its open-source nature, Android allows developers and smartphone brands to modify it, contributing to its dominance in the smartphone OS market.
- In 2023, 41.2% of the global population used the Android operating system.
- There were approximately 3.3 billion Android users worldwide in 2023, with 2.8 billion active consumers.
- As of 2024, 71.74% of mobile phones globally operate on Android.
- In January 2021, Android 10 held its highest market share at 43.13%.
- 97% of G2 reviewers rated Android 4 or 5 stars.
- Samsung remains the largest vendor of Android devices, commanding a 34% market share, followed by Xiaomi at 14%.
- The Google Play Store had 2.67 million apps available as of March 2023.
- 92% of Android users would recommend the operating system to others, and 93% feel that it meets their needs effectively.
Mac OS X Operating System Statistics
- As of December 2023, macOS held a 6.57% market share globally.
- In the United States, macOS’s market share increased from 12.17% in December 2022 to 22.08% in May 2023. However, by December
- 2023, this had decreased to 14.03%.
- Between July 2021 and December 2023, macOS maintained a market share below 1% in India.
- In 2023, 100 million people globally were using macOS.
- 88% of G2 reviewers rated macOS Mountain Lion with four or five stars.
- 66% of macOS users are women, making them the majority of the Mac consumer base.
- The United States accounts for 40% of Apple’s global Mac revenue.
Apple iOS Operating System Statistics
- Apple iOS is the operating system for Apple’s mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad. The system is regularly updated to enhance security and performance.
- As of December 2023, iOS held 17.71% of the global mobile operating system market share. In the United States, its market share reached 26.67%.
- In India, iOS has maintained a smaller market share, standing at 3.23% as of January 2024, and it has consistently remained under 4% since 2018.
- Temu was the most downloaded free app on the App Store in 2023, with over 100 million active users in the US.
- 97% of G2 reviewers rated Apple iOS with 4 or 5 stars in their reviews.
- 90% of iOS users believe that the operating system is moving in the right direction, according to user feedback.
- Apple iOS held 19.3% of the market share in China in 2020.
- Over 1 billion people currently use iOS on their iPhones worldwide.
- In the United States, iPhones account for 65% of all smartphone sales.
- iOS reached its highest global market share of 26.28% in 2020.
Conclusion
As proven in these Operating Systems Statistics, operating systems are the foundation upon which our digital world is built. They are the invisible conductors, the tireless workhorses, and the ever-evolving guardians of our digital experiences.
As technology continues to advance, operating systems will adapt and innovate, ensuring a smooth and secure journey in the ever-expanding digital landscape.
