One of the most interesting things you’ll read about today will probably be these vr statistics that show virtual reality growth in our modern day society. We’ve come a long way since virtual reality used to mean opening an account on “Second Lifeâ€ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ, and we have the fascinating facts to prove it.
- How many VR headsets are there?
- How many people use VR?
- How big is the virtual reality market?
- What percentage of gamers use VR?
- How many VR headsets sold?
- General Virtual Reality Market Statistics
- Virtual reality market growth Stats & Figures
- Virtual Reality Gaming Statistics
- Virtual reality Usage demographics
- Virtual reality usage by industry
- The virtual reality industry report
- VR adoption rate: by the Numbers
- VR sales projections & Future Predictions
- Biggest spending growth sectors in the VR/AR industry
57.4 million is the number of VR users in the United States while the number of AR users is 90.9 million.
Virtual reality has taken the world by storm and with technological progress moving forward at such a rapid pace, you can barely keep up with all the latest industry developments.
1 in 5 adults in the United States have tried virtual reality by 2020.
This domain is growing as we speak, and if you’re interested in finding out more, be sure to check these virtual reality statistics below.
By 2023, VR will reach 25% (approximately 70.2 million) of internet users in the United States.
Let’s go over them together.
How many VR headsets are there?
You’re probably going to be surprised when you’ll see this number.
16.44 million units of VR headsets are currently installed in the world today.
That’s based on all the latest data covering virtual reality sales.
How many people use VR?
When you’re dealing with such a fast growing industry, the numbers will rise on a daily basis.
Over 171 million people user VR worldwide.
Chances are that if you haven’t used VR yet, you’ll be using it at least once throughout your lifetime.
57.4 million is the number of VR users in the United States.
And the number of AR users is approximately 90.9 million per month.
1 in 5 adults in the United States have tried virtual reality by 2020.
19% of all people living in the United States, aged 18 years or over, have used VR during the last year.
How big is the virtual reality market?
Virtual Reality and anything VR-related is witnessing an unprecedented growth, especially during the past 5 years.
Less than $5 billion was the total VR market size in 2021.
However, numbers will go up really quick.
$12 billion is the total VR market size predicted by 2024.
That represents a $7 billion growth in size within a period of less than 3 years.
What percentage of gamers use VR?
The gaming industry is one of the biggest beneficiaries of virtual reality technology, and the numbers are here to back this statement up.
73% of the 169 million gamers playing in the United States reported owning a VR console.
Oculus Rift sales figures show that this is one of the most popular consoles among gamers.
Only 29% of gamers have a VR system.
This number may seem small in comparison to other gadgets owned by gamers, but this percentage represents approximately 55 million people.
How many VR headsets sold?
The number of VR headsets being sold in the United States and worldwide continues to grow.
6.1 million is the number of unit sales of virtual reality (VR) headsets worldwide for 2021.
And that’s just for the year 2021.
The total number of cumulative installed VR headsets is projected to go over the $34 million marks.
This projection is expected to be reached in 2024.
2.2 million VR units were sold by Sony in 2019.
The company saw a 200,000 increase in the number of sold units based on a report done on virtual reality headset sales for 2018.
1.7 million VR units were sold by Oculus (Facebook).
Putting the Facebook owned company in second place.
800,000 VR units were sold by HTC in the same year.
However, all 3 companies have increased their sales numbers year after year.
General Virtual Reality Market Statistics
In order for us to get a better grasp of the entire virtual reality market, we need to go a little deeper into all the latest statistics and fascinating facts provided by relevant studies and research.
The AR (augmented reality) and VR market is to reach $209.2 billion by 2022.
That’s a very impressive growth for such a new and still developing technology.
$22.9 billion was the number reached by global VR video gaming revenues in 2020.
And we’re only talking about the revenue here, not the complete number of sales.
14 million AR and VR devices were sold in 2019 alone.
Two years later, the numbers have skyrocketed.
By 2023, over 30 million AR and VR headsets will be sold annually.
Talk about an impressive number? There you have it!
Virtual reality market growth Stats & Figures
The growth of this industry is extremely spectacular, reaching record numbers year after year.
By 2023, VR will reach 25% (approximately 70.2 million) of internet users in the United States.
And that’s just speaking about people living in the United States.
78% of Americans are now familiar with VR technology.
That’s almost 8 out of every 10 people in the United States.
7.7 times is the estimated growth of the AR and VR market size.
This prediction applies for the time period between 2018 and 2022.
$209 billion by 2021 is the estimated revenue for the global AR and VR industries.
36% out of that amount comes from VR alone.
14% more VR startups have been founded in 2020 as opposed to a year before.
It’s an unprecedented rise in the number of companies being created in the VR industry.
2,270 VR startups worldwide were listed on the AngelList in 2020.
AngelList is an investment platform where startup founders get the chance to attract investments from business angels and other private investors.
76% of users had a positive perception of VR even back in 2017.
In 2019, that number dropped to 62%.
Virtual Reality Gaming Statistics
If virtual reality was designed for something other than an escape from real life, that would be gaming.
Approximately 70% of VR headset owners have bought at least 1 game.
That’s a really high ratio, meaning that 7 out of every 10 gamers also buy a game specifically created for VR.
VR games amount to 6.6% and AR games amount to 5.1% of the total industry spending.
According to a report for 2018, done by IDC.
$3.77 billion is the estimated worldwide spending on VR content and apps for 2021.
This industry is blooming, and the numbers are here to back it up.
$22.9 billion in global VR video gaming sales revenues have been reached in 2020.
That’s almost 9 times more that Oprah Winfrey’s total net worth ($2.6 billion).
50% of VR gamers show interest in adventure, action, and simulation games.
The other 50% is occupied by apps and technical software solutions for professionals operating in other industries.
Gaming amounts to approximately 50% of the total VR software market share.
In 2019, this part of the industry was worth $30 billion.
93% is the increase in VR Gaming job postings in just 3 years.
During the time period between 2015 and 2018 the number of job postings have almost doubled.
64% of VR users think this technology can be best used in gaming.
WHile there are many other applications for VR technology, this one seems to be the most popular and profitable, at least for the current time.
52% of VR users see its bigger potential in film and TV.
While 42% would go for sports viewing, 41% for classroom education, and 38% on social media.
Virtual reality Usage demographics
You can’t do a virtual reality market research without coming to the conclusion that this industry has an extremely bright future ahead. Let’s have a go at the numbers that show this positive trend.
28% of VR set owners use their devices daily.
According to the same Greenlight Ventures study detailing VR headset market share, 39% of VR owners use them on a weekly basis, 19% use them once per month, 8% use them just once every other six months, while just 6% use their VR sets only 1 time per year.
30% of men living in the United States and the United Kingdom have used a VR headset.
While only 16% of women from the same countries have ever used VR gear.
35% of users in the 16 to 34 age group have used a VR headset.
The percentage tends to decline if we go to the higher age groups: 26% for the 35-44 group, 12% for the 45-54 group, and only around 6% for the 55-64 group.
77% of VR users feel like they want more social engagement within the games and apps.
This stat applies to everyone questioned who has ever used a VR headset.
7 out of 10 VR users plan on increasing their VR activities in the next year.
Based on the Greenlight Ventures study, 70% of VR users say they want to use their VR devices even more in the upcoming year. Only 7% of people say that they plan on decreasing the amount of time spent on VR devices.
53% of AR and VR knowledgeable people think that VR will be the first out of the two to go mainstream.
While the two seem to go hand in hand, user preferences tend to differ.
A 16% increase in donations was reported by Amnesty International UK after people experienced war-torn Syria through a VR headset.
This is one of the most useful usages of VR discovered so far.
A 190% revenue increase in Thomas Cook’s VR-promoted New York trip revenue has been recorded.
That just shows the power of good marketing, advertising and virtual reality.
51% of hotel customers at Marriott have shown intent to visit other locations operated by the same brand, after being exposed to VR experiences from their hotels.
Travel agencies are already working on more ways to use VR to their benefit, and this option seems to be working really well with hotel customers.
Virtual reality usage by industry
Some industries use VR and AR more than others and most likely, we’ll see these percentages grow. Gaming remains the leading industry for VR and AR usage.
- Healthcare devices – 38%
- Education – 28%
- Workforce development – 24%
- Manufacturing – 21%
- Automotive – 19%
- Marketing and advertising – 16%
- Logistics / Transportation – 16%
- Retail – 15%
- Military – 13%
- Commercial real estate – 13%
This industry information is provided in the Perkins Coie report conducted in 2020.
The virtual reality industry report
Almost every industry report you’ll read about the VR and AR industry since it first started popping out will show a huge growth in the number of sales and revenues.
43% is the total VR device shipment share of Sony.
Sony is the world’s largest vendor today.
15.6% is the share of consumer hardware in the global VR and AR spending.
The numbers apply for 2018, which make consumer hardware to be the industry’s largest share.
From $7.9 billion in 2018 to $44.7 billion by 2024, that puts the global VR industry at a CAGR of 33.47%.
CAGR stands for Compound Annual Growth Rate which in the case of the VR and AR industry is extremely high.
$915 million in 2020 was the total sum of the investments made in AR and VR.
This estimate is provided by SuperData based on all the collected information for the year 2020.
13% of people believe that VR experiences can lead them to shop more in physical stores.
This could trigger a massive growth of VR headset sales in retail.
75% of Forbes World’s Most Valuable Brands have already made investments in AR and VR.
These investments vary from company to company, but what’s certain is the fact that brands are getting more and more involved in VR and AR.
13% of people who try a VR experience that portrays a vacation destination will book a trip as soon as possible.
The huge impact VR can have on people is yet to be determined, but the numbers we have so far are extremely impressive.
Police officers trained using forms of AR and VR are 2.7 times more likely to take part in successful missions.
There’s basically no domain, industry or branch that can’t stand to benefit from implementing custom made VR/AR solutions in its operations.
360 video statistics / VR videos have increased by 46% when it comes to VCR (Video Completion Rate).
At the same time, the ROI (Return on Investment) for 360 videos / VR has increased by 14%.
VR adoption rate: by the Numbers
When it comes to VR adoption rate, the numbers couldn’t have painted a better picture. It’s expected that VR consoles will be a staple in every American home in the next decade.
$2.6 billion is the total value of the consumer VR market worldwide.
This number was reached in 2020, and the expectations for 2021 are even bigger.
Using VR in engineering can reduce design time by 10%, and construction time by 7%.
This is just one of the many practical uses of VR in other industries.
17% is the increase online shopping conversion due to adopting VR.
In 2020, online stores that chose some form of VR have significantly influenced their customers’ decisions.
82.1 million people in the United States have used VR and AR at least once a month in 2020.
When numbers are so high, big investments will continue to fund this industry.
27% of VR industry specialists say that user experience is the biggest obstacle they face.
Being a rather new technology, technical difficulties like glitches and lags are a huge turn-off when it comes to user adoption.
19% of people say they haven’t adopted VR due to the poor content offering.
More and more companies have shifted to designing VR and AR content in order to get into this industry while it is still in its younger phase.
43% of manufacturing companies say that VR will become mainstream in their organization.
They predict that this will happen within the next 3 years.
China has the highest implementation level of VR in manufacturing with 51%.
The numbers are constantly growing and other countries are following up.
VR sales projections & Future Predictions
The future of VR looks extremely promising, and all the latest stats and virtual reality facts point to this industry being a class A investment for the upcoming years.
The need for standalone VR devices will grow over 16 times between 2018 and 2022.
It’s pretty hard to name another product or service with such a significant growth in such a short timespan, like the virtual reality projections seem to reveal.
$5.8 billion was China’s projected spending for VR in 2020.
That makes China the world’s leading VR and AR consumer.
With $5.1 billion on spending for VR and AR, the United States came in second place.
These numbers apply for the same time period.
$18.8 billion globally is the projected number for AR and VR spending in 2021.
A few countries like China and the United States make up the large majority of worldwide VR and AR spending. However, other countries are catching up.
Over 70 million 360-degree images and 1 million 360 videos are hosted on Facebook.
These videos are done using VR technology and they have generated more than 600 million views so far.
91% of business organizations planning on adopting VR or AR technology in the near future.
That means that almost all companies are thinking about introducing some form of VR technology into their operations.
More than 70% of AR/VR revenue will be generated by the enterprise sector by 2022.
AR/VR will continue it’s positive trend for decades to come, if all the predictions will be correct.
68% of healthcare professionals believe that AR and VR training will be a key element for new solutions and applications by 2022.
That’s almost 7 out of every 10 people working in the healthcare industry.
82% of companies who chose to adopt AR/VR say that benefits surpass their initial expectations.
A percentage as high as that speaks volume of the advantages an organization can gain by implementing this new technology.
80% of consumers have had positive reactions towards VR tactics.
Marketing campaigns for VR seem to be a lot more accepted by people than most other products.
20% of respondents said that a branded VR experience would make them see the brand more favorably.
This means that positive branded VR experience could still stand a lot to gain in the next few years.
26% of businesses are already using forms of VR/AR technology to train their employees.
It seems like we’re already living in a Black Mirror episode.
A 43% decrease in the occurrence of workplace injuries has been recorded in organizations using VR training.
At this rate, we can only imagine what the limits for this fast-growing technology are when it comes to the added value it brings.
Biggest spending growth sectors in the VR/AR industry
- Banking will see a 126.7% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate.
- Securities and investment services will see a 106.1% CAGR.
- The Central / Federal government will witness a 102.5% CAGR.
According to IDC’s report, these are the sectors that will see the highest compound annual growth rates in the time span between 2020 and 2024.
Conclusion
Judging by everything we’ve read throughout this article and by surfing around other online and offline sources, we can easily conclude that virtual reality is here for good, is here to stay.
If all the VR statistics for 2021 and the future predictions for virtual reality growth are correct, we’re likely going to see this industry flourish even more in the years to come. VR equipment is becoming more and more accessible to a larger array of people, meaning that it will only continue to grow in popularity.
What’s your experience with VR so far? Have you tried it out? Any applications or VR games you would recommend? We’re really interested in finding out your take on the VR industry. Drops us a line!
