Mobile phone and internet usage statistics in the UK

Smartphone ownership in the UK and other statistics.

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 2025, 95% of Brits own a smartphone.
  • Brits have an average of 3 hours and 21 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.
  • 3 in 5 Brits (58%) can access a 5G service on their smartphones and 93% of Brits can access either 4G or 5G.
  • As of October 2024, 48% of people used an Apple phone while 51.5% used an Android phone.
  • 95% of Brits have access to the internet at home in 2025.

How many people own a smartphone in the UK?

In 2025, 95% of UK residents aged 16 and over own a smartphone, which equates to around 53 million people. The number of people with a smartphone has increased since 2023, when just 87% of people owned a smartphone.

Year
Percentage of smartphone users
2025
95.0%
2024
94.0%
2023
87.4%
2022
89.3%
2021
87.4%
2020
82.0%
2019
79.0%
2018
78.0%
2017
76.0%
2016
71.0%
2015
66.0%
2014
60.5%

Smartphone ownership by age in the UK

In 2025, 98% of those aged 16-24 own a smartphone, while 99% of those aged 25-54 own a smartphone. This decreases slightly in the older age groups but ownership is still high, with 88% of 55+ year olds having a smartphone, dropping to 72% of those aged 75+.

Age group
Percentage of smartphone users
16-24
98%
25-34
99%
35-54
99%
55+
88%
65+
82%
75+
72%

Why do Brits choose not to have a smartphone?

The primary reason for not switching to a smartphone among those that don’t own one is that they are happy with their current phone and have no need for a smartphone (49%). Another common reason is that the individual has no need for a mobile phone whatsoever (22%), followed by the fact that using a smartphone would be too complicated (21%). 15% of those without a smartphone also found the cost of a handset too high to justify buying one.

Reasons not to have a smartphone
Percentage
Happy with my current mobile phone / no need for a smartphone
49%
No need for a mobile phone / not interested
22%
Using a smartphone is too complicated
21%
Cost of a smartphone handset is too high
15%
Costs for using the phone (e.g. data and calling minutes) are too high
9%
I have poor eyesight or another type of condition which makes it difficult to operate a smartphone
5%
Poor or no signal where I live
4%
Concerned about security/ fraud/ privacy
2%
Concerned about harmful/offensive content
1%

What is the average mobile data usage per month?

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.

Year
Average mobile data usage per month
2023
9.9GB
2022
8GB
2021
5.6GB
2020
4.5GB
2019
2.9GB

What is the average screen time on phones in the UK?

The average Brit spends 3 hours and 21 minutes a day staring at their smartphone. This is higher than the amount spent watching a TV set, which is 3 hours and 16 minutes. Overall, people in the UK spend an average of 7 hours and 27 minutes per day consuming screen-based media.

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 almost 1 in 5 Brits (18%) is O2. Vodafone comes in third place (16%) followed by Three or 3 (9%) and Tesco (8%).

Network
Percentage of Brits using network
EE
23%
O2
18%
Vodafone
16%
Three/3
9%
Tesco
8%

How many people have internet access in the UK?

95% of Brits have access to the internet at home in 2025, up from 92% in 2023. This means that 5% 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

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Matthew has written 261 Finder guides across topics including:
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Sophie Barber is a senior content marketing manager for Finder in the UK. She has over 5 years experience in writing and publishing clear, concise and informative articles that help consumers make informed decisions. See full bio

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Sophie has written 90 Finder guides across topics including:
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