Power-bank-specific global sales, ownership and waste series are not established in the primary sources summarized here. The available evidence instead measures the surrounding ecosystem: mobile-device adoption, subscriptions, Internet use, mobile technology’s economic role, lithium-battery aviation incidents, and broad electronics and small-appliance waste.
Key Power Bank Statistics
The most useful figures for understanding the scale and context of power banks are:
- In 2024, about four in five people aged 10 and over worldwide owned a mobile phone.
- In 2024, more than 95% of people aged 10 and over in high-income economies owned a mobile phone.
- In 2024, 56% of people aged 10 and over in low-income economies owned a mobile phone.
- In 2024, 66% of Africa’s population owned a mobile phone, compared with 38% who were online.
- In 2024, 112 mobile-cellular subscriptions existed per 100 inhabitants worldwide.
- In 2024, 95 mobile-broadband subscriptions existed per 100 inhabitants worldwide.
- In 2024, the world had 9.1 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions.
- Over the five years ending in 2024, mobile-broadband subscriptions grew by an average 5% per year worldwide.
- In 2024, 5.5 billion people were online worldwide, equal to 68% of the world’s population.
- In 2024, 2.6 billion people remained offline worldwide.
- In 2024, 93% of people in high-income countries used the Internet, compared with 27% in low-income countries.
- In 2024, mobile technologies and services contributed about 5.8% of global GDP, or $6.5 trillion in economic value.
- By 2030, GSMA forecasts almost $11 trillion in economic value from mobile technologies and services.
- Between 2010 and 2023, the FAA-known passenger-aircraft lithium-battery incident count ranged from 2 incidents in 2010 to 63 in 2022.
- In 2018, US small-appliance waste totaled 2.16 million tons, with about 75.9% landfilled.
- In 2018, the US selected-consumer-electronics recycling rate was 38.5% by weight.
Contents
- Mobile ownership and adoption
- Subscriptions and broadband trends
- Internet use and digital divides
- Mobile technology’s economic scale
- Lithium-battery aviation incidents
- Electronics waste and recycling
Power Bank Statistics: Mobile Ownership and Adoption
Mobile-phone ownership is the clearest available proxy for the potential population carrying rechargeable personal electronics, but it does not measure power-bank ownership, smartphone ownership or Internet use. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) reports these 2024 estimates for people aged 10 and over.
| Population or region | Mobile-phone ownership | Definition and period |
|---|---|---|
| World | About 80% | People aged 10+, 2024 |
| High-income economies | More than 95% | People aged 10+, 2024 |
| Low-income economies | 56% | People aged 10+, 2024 |
| Africa | 66% | Population, 2024 |
Source: Facts and figures 2024 – Mobile phone ownership.
The regional gap between ownership and connectivity is especially visible in Africa: 66% owned a mobile phone while 38% were online. That is a 29-percentage-point difference, derived from separately measured ITU estimates, not evidence that every person in the gap needs a power bank.
The same source reports 77% ownership among females and 82% among males aged 10 and over worldwide, producing a mobile-phone ownership gender-parity score of 0.93. A score of 1 indicates parity, and neither the percentages nor the score identifies power-bank ownership.
The gap between mobile ownership and Internet use also reached 14 percentage points in the Arab States and 11 percentage points in Asia-Pacific in 2024. These are comparisons of different indicators and should not be read as direct measures of charging access or portable-battery demand.
Power Bank Data: Mobile Subscriptions and Broadband Trends
Subscription counts describe connections rather than unique people. A person may hold multiple subscriptions, and the ITU notes that connected-device subscriptions can also be included where applicable.
| Measure | 2024 level or trend | Geography and period |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile-cellular subscriptions | 112 per 100 inhabitants | World, 2024 |
| Mobile-broadband subscriptions | 95 per 100 inhabitants | World, 2024 |
| Mobile-cellular subscriptions | 9.1 billion | World, 2024 |
| Mobile-broadband growth | 5% average annual growth | Five years ending 2024 |
| Mobile-cellular growth | 1.1% average annual growth | Five years ending 2024 |
Source: Facts and Figures 2024 – Subscriptions.
Mobile-cellular subscriptions exceeded world population by 12.1% in 2024, a derived comparison of the reported subscription and population measures. It is not a count of people or devices, but it illustrates the scale of the connected-device environment in which portable charging products are used.
High-income economies had about 138 mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, while low-income economies had 71. Fixed broadband grew by an average 5.9% annually over the previous five years, whereas fixed-telephone subscriptions declined by 2.8% annually; both figures are connectivity context rather than power-bank adoption measures.
Power Bank Statistics: Internet Use, Traffic and Digital Divides
The ITU estimated that 5.5 billion people were online in 2024, representing 68% of the world’s population. The 2023 Internet-use share was 65%, and global Internet use grew 3.4% year over year in 2024.
| Geography | Internet use in 2024 |
|---|---|
| High-income countries | 93% |
| Low-income countries | 27% |
| Europe, CIS and the Americas | 87%–92% |
| Arab States | About 70% |
| Asia-Pacific | 66% |
| Africa | 38% |
Source: Facts and Figures 2024 – Internet use.
An estimated 2.6 billion people remained offline worldwide in 2024. Offline status does not establish a lack of mobile ownership, electricity, charging access or a power bank, and the ITU warns that estimates may be revised.
The regional range for Europe, CIS and the Americas summarizes distinct ITU regional estimates rather than one pooled population. Likewise, the Arab States, Asia-Pacific and Africa figures are separate regional estimates and should not be treated as a single global average.
Power Bank Trends and the Mobile Economy’s Scale
The GSMA’s broad mobile-economy estimates show why charging capacity matters as supporting infrastructure, while not measuring power-bank revenue or manufacturing. In 2024, mobile technologies and services contributed about 5.8% of global GDP and generated $6.5 trillion in economic value added.
GSMA’s 2024 headline figures also put 2023 mobile-ecosystem value at $5.7 trillion and jobs supported at 30 million worldwide. These are broad sector measures, not counts of power-bank jobs or outcomes attributable to portable chargers.
For 2030, The Mobile Economy 2025 forecasts almost $11 trillion in economic value added and a contribution equal to 8.4% of global GDP. It also projects 6.5 billion unique mobile subscribers, equal to 71% of the global population.
The figures are forecasts rather than realized outcomes and include effects from 5G, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. An earlier GSMA 2024 outlook separately forecast $7.7 trillion and 6.3% of GDP by 2030; that earlier forecast should not be merged with the later projection.
Source: The Mobile Economy 2025. The GSMA page was discoverable through the supplied source record, but its direct page open returned 403; the figures retain that source caveat.
Power Bank and Lithium-Battery Aviation Incident Statistics
Portable power banks use lithium batteries, so aviation incident data provides a safety context. The FAA-linked evaluation counts known passenger-aircraft lithium-battery incidents; it does not establish the probability that a particular power bank will cause an incident, and collection methods and awareness affect the series.
| Year | Passenger-aircraft lithium-battery incidents |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 6 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2016 | 27 |
| 2017 | 32 |
| 2018 | 30 |
| 2019 | 32 |
| 2020 | 28 |
| 2021 | 45 |
| 2022 | 63 |
| 2023 | 61 |
Source: An Evaluation of Fire Containment Products for Inflight Fires Resulting from Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs). The chart runs through January 12, 2024 and covers FAA-known events.
The FAA also proposed an $89,500 civil penalty in a 2024 case involving 99 lithium-ion power-bank batteries across three shipments from New York. This was an enforcement allegation subject to the company’s response period, not an incident rate.
Source: FAA Proposes $89,500 Fine Against SnackMagic of New York for Alleged Hazardous Materials Violations.
Power Bank-Related Electronics Waste and Recycling Statistics
The EPA does not provide a power-bank-specific 2018 waste series in the supplied evidence. Its small-appliance and selected-consumer-electronics categories are therefore useful context, but they should not be presented as direct measurements of discarded power banks.
| US category, 2018 | Generation or outcome | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Small appliances | 2.16 million | tons generated |
| Small appliances | 120 thousand | tons recycled |
| Small appliances | 5.6% | recycled by weight |
| Small appliances | 18.5% | combusted for energy recovery |
| Small appliances | 75.9% | landfilled |
| Selected consumer electronics | 2.7 million | tons generated |
| Selected consumer electronics | 38.5% | recycled by weight |
Source: Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data.
The selected-consumer-electronics category includes phones, computers, televisions and other electronics, and represented less than 1% of US municipal solid waste in 2018. The EPA lacked separate landfill and combustion amounts for that selected-electronics category.
For broader context, US miscellaneous durable-goods generation totaled 24.81 million tons in 2018, while 3.05 million tons were combusted with energy recovery. That category includes electronics and other durable goods, so neither figure isolates power banks.
These limitations matter when interpreting any power-bank waste estimate: small appliances, selected electronics and miscellaneous durable goods use different category boundaries. The available evidence supports discussing recycling and end-of-life context, but not claiming a standalone global power-bank waste rate.