Portable chargers sit within a much larger mobile ecosystem. In 2024, the world had an estimated 9.1 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions, while active mobile-broadband subscriptions reached 95 per 100 inhabitants; these measures describe the surrounding need for mobile power, not power-bank ownership.
The figures below also show how connectivity growth, travel rules, product recalls and electronics waste shape the portable-charger landscape.
Key Portable Charger Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- In 2024, 9.1 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions existed worldwide.
- In 2024, 112 mobile-cellular subscriptions existed per 100 people worldwide.
- From approximately 2019 to 2024, active mobile-broadband subscriptions grew by an average of 5% per year worldwide.
- At the end of 2023, global 5G connections were estimated at about 1.6 billion.
- Global 5G connections were forecast to reach 3.7 billion by 2027.
- In January 2024, India had 140 million 5G subscribers and 420,000 5G base stations.
- At the end of 2023, global mobile network traffic was estimated at about 160 exabytes per month.
- Average mobile data use was estimated at 21 GB per smartphone per month worldwide in 2023.
- In 2024, 79% of people aged 15–24 worldwide used the Internet.
- In 2024, 83% of the world’s urban population used the Internet, compared with 48% of its rural population.
- In 2024, the global median price of a data-only 2 GB mobile-broadband basket was 1.1% of GNI per capita.
- In 2024, 96% of the world’s population was covered by at least a 3G mobile network.
- Under current FAA passenger-baggage guidance, power banks rated 0–100 Wh are allowed on U.S. passenger aircraft for personal use, subject to airline rules.
- PHMSA identified 283 reported air-transport incidents involving standalone lithium-ion batteries from September 2010 through March 2020.
- The 2024 Baseus recall covered about 132,000 magnetic wireless power banks in the United States.
- In 2022, global e-waste reached 62 billion kg, with 22.3% documented as formally collected and recycled.
- In 2022, Europe generated 17.6 kg of e-waste per person and formally collected or recycled 7.5 kg per person.
- The Global E-waste Monitor projected 82 billion kg of e-waste worldwide in 2030.
Contents
- Global mobile connectivity and portable charger demand
- Mobile data and 5G portable power trends
- Access, affordability and geographic differences
- Portable chargers, air travel and lithium-battery transport
- Portable charger recalls and safety outcomes
- End-of-life, recycling and environmental outcomes
Global Mobile Connectivity and Portable Charger Demand
Official statistics do not provide a consistent global series for portable-charger ownership or sales. ITU mobile-connectivity data therefore provide scale and context for charging demand rather than a count of power banks owned.
The ITU’s 2024 aggregates are estimates based on regulator, ministry, operator and modelling inputs. Its worldwide measures show a large and growing base of connected devices and subscriptions:
- The world had an estimated 9.1 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions in 2024, equal to 112 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.
- Active mobile-broadband subscriptions reached an estimated 95 per 100 inhabitants worldwide in 2024.
- Over approximately 2019–2024, active mobile-broadband subscriptions grew by an average of 5% annually, compared with 1.1% annual growth for mobile-cellular subscriptions.
The difference between subscriptions and people matters. A rate above 100 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants can reflect multiple subscriptions per person, while neither measure tells us how many people carry a portable charger.
Regional and income differences are also visible in the subscription data:
| Geography | Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, 2024 |
|---|---|
| CIS region | 147 |
| High-income economies | About 138 |
| World | 112 |
| Africa | 98 |
| Low-income economies | About 71 |
Source: Facts and Figures 2024 – Subscriptions. These are ITU estimates and surrounding connectivity measures, not portable-charger ownership statistics.
Mobile Data and 5G Portable Power Trends
More connected services and heavier mobile use can increase the practical value of backup power, but the supplied data measure connections and traffic, not battery drain or charger purchases.
The ITU’s State of Broadband 2024 estimated global 5G connections at about 1.6 billion at the end of 2023. It cited forecasts that connections would surpass 2 billion in 2024 and reach 3.7 billion by 2027.
China alone was estimated to account for 1 billion 5G subscriptions in 2024. India had 140 million 5G subscribers and 420,000 5G base stations by January 2024, with 5G carrying 8% of the country’s data traffic about one year after commercial launch.
| Measure | Observed or estimated point | Forecast point |
|---|---|---|
| Global 5G connections | About 1.6 billion at end-2023 | More than 2 billion in 2024; 3.7 billion by 2027 |
| Global mobile traffic | About 160 exabytes/month at end-2023 | 563 exabytes/month by end-2029 |
| Mobile data per smartphone | 21 GB/month in 2023 | 56 GB/month in 2029 |
| Share of mobile traffic carried by 5G | About 25% at end-2023 | 76% by 2029 |
Source: The State of Broadband 2024. The 2024, 2027 and 2029 values marked as expected or forecast are forecasts, not observed outcomes.
Other scale indicators include 5.7 billion global Voice-over-LTE subscriptions at the end of 2023 and the forecast increase in total mobile network traffic from about 160 exabytes per month at the end of 2023 to 563 exabytes per month by the end of 2029. Average mobile data use per smartphone was estimated at 21 GB per month in 2023 and forecast at 56 GB per month in 2029.
Access, Affordability and Geographic Differences in Mobile Use
Portable charging needs are not distributed across an identical population. Internet use, network coverage and the affordability of mobile data differ by age, settlement type and income group.
In 2024, 79% of people aged 15–24 worldwide used the Internet, compared with 66% of the rest of the world’s population. Urban Internet use was 83%, while rural use was 48%.
The ITU also estimated that 96% of the world’s population had access to at least a 3G mobile network in 2024, while 10% of the rural population lacked access to 3G or higher.
Affordability of a data-only mobile-broadband basket varied substantially:
| Geography | Median price of 2 GB basket as share of GNI per capita, 2024 |
|---|---|
| High-income economies | 0.4% |
| World | 1.1% |
| Americas | 4.2% |
| Low-income economies | 7.4% |
Source: Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2024. These are mobile-broadband affordability measures, not prices for portable chargers.
Together, the figures describe the market context without proving product adoption. A connected person may use a phone without owning a power bank, and a portable charger may be shared, stored for emergencies or used while traveling.
Portable Chargers, Air Travel and Lithium-Battery Transport
U.S. passenger-aircraft rules classify portable chargers as spare lithium-ion batteries and use watt-hours, or Wh, to determine the applicable threshold. The FAA states that airline policies and international rules may be more restrictive.
| Power-bank rating | FAA passenger-baggage treatment |
|---|---|
| 0–100 Wh | Allowed for personal use, subject to airline rules |
| 101–160 Wh | Airline approval required; no more than two spare batteries per person |
| Above 160 Wh | Forbidden on passenger aircraft |
| Spare batteries and power banks | One allowed baggage location: carry-on; zero checked-baggage locations |
Source: FAA Airline Passengers and Batteries. The FAA’s worked example converts a 12-volt, 8-amp-hour battery to 96 Wh using volts multiplied by amp-hours; that is a calculation example, not a market measurement.
Transport incident records should not be read as prevalence rates for all portable chargers. PHMSA identified 283 reported incidents involving standalone lithium-ion batteries in air transportation from September 3, 2010, through March 22, 2020; after exclusions, 227 incidents remained in the cargo analysis, including 32 incidents, or 14%, involving overheating, fire or gas emission.
Of those 32 heat, fire or gas-emission incidents, 29, or 94%, involved fiberboard outer boxes. The PHMSA study excluded passenger checked-baggage, carry-on and in-cabin incidents, so its scope is standalone-battery cargo.
Source: Lithium Battery Packaging Evaluation – Final Report. FAA incident listings are also incomplete, and methods changed over time.
Portable Charger Recalls and Safety Outcomes
A product recall gives detailed evidence about a named product line, not the prevalence of defects across the portable-charger category.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s June 27, 2024 recall of Baseus magnetic wireless charging power banks covered about 132,000 units sold online for $18–$55 between April 2022 and April 2024. Baseus reported 171 incidents, including 132 reports of bulging or swelling batteries and 39 fires.
The same recall reported 13 burn injuries and about $20,000 in property damage. These figures describe reports associated with the recalled Baseus products by the recall date, not all power banks sold in the United States.
Source: Baseus Magnetic Wireless Charging Power Banks Recalled Due to Fire Hazard.
CPSC’s 2024 meeting materials counted 22 lithium-ion battery recalls covering 3,528,259 batteries across batteries and battery-powered equipment. That total is broader than portable chargers and should not be treated as a power-bank recall count.
Source: CPSC 2024 lithium-ion battery recall meeting materials.
End-of-Life, Recycling and Environmental Outcomes
Portable chargers are one part of connected electronics, but global e-waste statistics generally do not isolate them. The Global E-waste Monitor provides the wider environmental context and separately defines small IT and telecommunications equipment as an adjacent category.
Global e-waste generation reached 62 billion kg in 2022, or 7.8 kg per person. Documented formal collection and recycling covered 22.3% of global e-waste mass that year.
| Measure | 2010 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Global e-waste generation | 34 billion kg | 62 billion kg |
| Documented formal collection and recycling | 8 billion kg | 13.8 billion kg |
Source: The Global E-waste Monitor 2024. The figures cover global e-waste, not portable chargers alone.
Regional outcomes differed sharply. Europe generated 17.6 kg of e-waste per person and formally collected or recycled 7.5 kg per person in 2022, corresponding to a 42.8% documented collection and recycling rate.
African countries documented less than 1% of e-waste as formally recycled in 2022.
In 2023, 81 countries had an e-waste policy, law or regulation, including 67 countries with an extended-producer-responsibility instrument. The Global E-waste Monitor estimated a $37 billion net economic loss from e-waste management in 2022, including $78 billion in externalized costs.
The adjacent small IT and telecommunications equipment category generated about 4.6 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, with a 22% documented collection and recycling rate. This category includes laptops, mobile phones, GPS devices, routers and related equipment, so it does not isolate portable chargers.
The Global E-waste Monitor projected 82 billion kg of e-waste in 2030. Under its business-as-usual scenario, documented formal collection and recycling would fall to 20% in 2030; both are projections rather than observed outcomes.