Global Tablet Audience to Total 1 Billion This Year

The worldwide tablet audience has a few more years of double-digit growth in store, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast for usage of the devices around the globe. We estimate that this year, 1.00 billion people will use a tablet at least monthly, including people who own their own tablet as well as those who use devices belonging to a friend, family member or other source.

That means tablet usage will grow by more than 19% this year, and by 2019, eMarketer estimates, 1.51 billion people around the world will use tablets monthly.

eMarketer previously forecast a worldwide tablet population of 1.06 billion for this year, and has revised current figures downward. However, we expect growth this year and in the near future to be faster than our previous forecast predicted.

Asia-Pacific will be home to the largest number of tablet users in the world, with 458.7 million expected this year. The region will pass the half-billion mark in 2016 and boast more than three-quarters of a billion tablet users by 2019, the end of our forecast period.

Penetration, however, is below-average in Asia-Pacific, both as a percentage of internet users and as a percentage of the total population in the region. By these metrics, North America has the clear edge, followed by Western Europe. These are the only two regions where more than three in 10 internet users have regular access to tablets.

In individual country terms, China has the largest tablet population, with 276.5 million users expected this year, followed by the US, with 158.8 million. India, whose massive overall population helps boost it to a distant third place, will have 44.4 million tablet users this year.

eMarketer’s forecasts and estimates are based on an analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from research firms, government agencies, media firms and public companies, plus interviews with top executives at publishers, ad buyers and agencies. Data is weighted based on methodology and soundness. Each eMarketer forecast fits within the larger matrix of all its forecasts, with the same assumptions and general framework used to project figures in a wide variety of areas. Regular re-evaluation of available data means the forecasts reflect the latest business developments, technology trends and economic changes.