We look at the latest mobile internet and smartphone statistics, including how many people own a smartphone, the number of internet users in the UK and how many of us use apps for online banking.
Mobile phone usage statistics: Highlights
In 2024, 94% of Brits own a smartphone.
Brits have an average of 3 hours and 49 minutes screen time a day on their mobile phones.
Between 98% and 99% of those aged 16-54 own a smartphone, while just 82% of those aged 65+ own a smartphone.
The average person uses 9.9GB of mobile data each month.
Half of Brits (50%) can access a 5G service on their smartphones and 92% of Brits can access either 4G or 5G.
As of October 2024, 51% of people used an Apple phone while 49% used an Android phone.
How many people own a smartphone in the UK?
In 2024, 94% of UK residents aged 16 and over own a smartphone, which equates to around 51.9 million people. The number of people with a smartphone has increased since 2023, when just 87% of people owned a smartphone.
In 2024, 98% of those aged 16-34 and 45-54 own a smartphone, while 99% of those aged 35-44 own a smartphone. This decreases slightly in the older age groups but ownership is still high, with 95% of 55-64 year olds and 82% of those aged 65 and over having a smartphone.
As of 2023, the average person in the UK uses a whopping 9.9GB of mobile data each month. This has been increasing year-on-year and is up % from 8GB per month in 2022. Since 2019, the average monthly data usage in the UK has more than tripled.
What is the average screen time on phones in the UK?
The average Brit spends 3 hours and 49 minutes a day staring at their smartphone. This has decreased slightly from the previous year when Brits spent 4 hours and 14 minutes each day looking at their phone screen.
Year
Average screen time on phone
2023
3 hours 49 minutes
2022
4 hours 14 minutes
2021
4 hours
2020
3 hours 7 minutes
2019
3 hours
What’s the most popular mobile phone network?
The most popular mobile provider in the UK is EE, used by almost a quarter (23%) of Brits. EE was created from a merger between popular brands T-Mobile and Orange back in 2012. The second most popular network used by 1 in 5 Brits (20%) is O2.
Vodafone comes in third place (14%) followed by Tesco Mobile (10%), Three or 3 (9%) and Giffgaff (5%).
94% of Brits have access to the internet at home in 2024, up from 92% in 2022. This means that 6% of Brits still can’t get onto the internet at home, despite many processes now relying on you having an internet connection.
Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact –
Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications T: +44 20 8191 8806
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Matthew Boyle is a banking and mortgages publisher at Finder. He has a 7-year history of publishing helpful guides to assist consumers in making better decisions. In his spare time, you will find him walking in the Norfolk countryside admiring the local wildlife. See full bio
Matthew's expertise
Matthew has written 285 Finder guides across topics including:
Helping first-time buyers apply for a mortgage
Comparing bank accounts and highlighting useful features
Sophie Barber is a content marketing manager for Finder in the UK after previously working as a content manager at a digital marketing agency. She has over 5 years experience in writing and publishing clear, concise and informative online articles for a variety of websites. See full bio
Sophie's expertise
Sophie has written 77 Finder guides across topics including:
Publishing original personal finance research
Creating data-led statistics pages to highlight industry trends
An estimated £1.3 billion has been spent on unwanted gifts in the UK, with around 31 million Brits receiving a gift they did not want.
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