How Many Computers Are There in the UK and USA in 2022?

Computers changed the world during the 20th century and continue to do so to this very day. 

They altered the way we work and the way we communicate, and improved education, as well as our overall standard of living. 

But, how many computers are there in the UK and USA in 2022? What is the computer ownership rate by country, household, demographic, and market success? 

Let’s take a look at the numbers.

The Most Important UK and US Computer Stats You Need to Know In 2022

General Computer Statistics

1. Almost 93% of UK households have at least one working computer.

(Statista) (OECD)

According to data from the OECD that looked at computers in UK homes statistics, 92.7% of UK households have at least one computer (in a working condition) in their home.

By 2017/18, the percentage of UK households that owned computer devices had reached 88%, an increase of 30% from 2002/3.

2. 95% of US households own a computer device.

(IBISWorld) (Census Bureau)

The percentage of households with a computer is expected to reach 95.2% in 2022, a jump of 0.7% from 2021 which is in line with the slow and steady growth in computer ownership that countries have recorded in the last several years. 

For comparison, in 2018 the US Census Bureau reported that only 73% of US households own a computer.

3. 57% of UK households use laptops.

(Statista)

More than half of UK homes that took part in the survey said they have at least one laptop and 24% of them said they use a computer. 19% of those that have at least one laptop in the household said they used laptops only, and 5% of those who own a PC said they don’t use any other device.

Based on the numbers the second most-used computer device is a tablet computer, used by 52% of the respondents. 

4. 25% of adolescents and adults in the UK have used their devices for gaming.

(Statista)

A survey conducted between October 2020 and January 2021 found that 25% of people in the UK who are 16 and older have used their devices for gaming at least on one occasion. 

This marks an increase of 10% from 2019, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

5. The global spending on IT devices in 2022  is expected to reach $813.7 billion. 

(Statista)

Worldwide spending on IT devices in 2022 is projected to reach $813.7 billion, an increase of approximately $26.2 billion, compared to 2021 spending. 

6. In 2020, 4 million people in the UK bought new desktop PCs.

(Statista)

The most recent personal computer statistics available show that an estimated 4 million UK citizens purchased new desktop PCs in 2020.

7. The average replacement cycle of desktops and laptops in the US is under 5 years.

(Statista)

In 2020, the average amount of time that a consumer in the US took to replace their PC was 4.75 years. The replacement cycle for tablet computers was shorter (4.2 years).

Compared to the previous year, both PCs and tablet computers recorded longer refresh rates in 2020. 

8. Almost 40% of adolescents and adults in the UK have played games on their phones. 

(Statista)

A 2020/2021 survey found that 39% of UK respondents, aged 16 and above, play games on their mobile phones, making them the most used computer device for gaming. 

The second most used gaming device is gaming consoles, used by 26% of the population, while the least used device for gaming are wearable devices (only 2% of the people who took part in the survey said they used them for gaming). 

9. 57% of gamers in the US said their preferred gaming device was a PC/laptop.

(Statista)

More than half of the gamers in the US said their preferred video gaming device was their smartphone. Gaming consoles and PCs ranked second and third respectively.

10. 25% of Brits use 1920×1080 desktop resolution.

(Statista)

In 2021, the most popular resolution among Britons was 1920×1080 – almost 26% of the respondents said they used it, which was up from 22.6% from the previous year.

The 768p, which reached a peak of 32% in 2013, fell to 14% in 2021.

Demographic Statistics

10. 27% of Brits aged 55 and older use desktop/iMac devices more frequently.

(Statista)

People over the age of 55 are more likely to own a desktop computer than any other age group. Statistics on computer usage showed that 27% of the respondents that are 55 or older said they own a desktop computer. 

For comparison, only 18% in the 25-35 age group said they own such a device. 

11. By 2021, the penetration rate of laptops in the UK has reached 76%.

(Statista) (Statista)

The penetration rate of laptop ownership statistics in the UK in 2021 is over 75%. 

Across the age demographics, laptops are most appealing to people between 18 – 54, where the laptop penetration rate is above 60%. For those aged 55+, the rate is around 47%. 

On the other hand, the US penetration rate of laptops in 2022 among people aged 18-29 is 69%, while the rate for those aged 30-64 is 72%.

 12. 74% of female Brits use a tablet. 

(Statista)

In the UK, the most used device among men (67%) was a computer. The least used device was wearable technology, used by around 17% of men. 

Among women, 64% of which also said they used a computer, the most used device was a tablet. 74% of them said they used a tablet, whereas only around 64% of men said they used the same device. 

13. 77% of the US population own a desktop/laptop computer.

(Pew Research Center)

More than three-quarters of people in the US own a desktop or a laptop computer, making it the most used device in the US. 

For comparison, tablets rank lower on the scale with a little above 50% reported ownership.

14. 50% of male Brits use a computer to access the internet.

(Statista)

As of May 2021, the most used device for internet access, among both men and women, is a smartphone. A staggering 93% of men and 94% of women internet users said they access the internet through their mobile devices. 

On the other hand, only around half of men and 40% of women use a computer to access the internet.

Market Statistics

15. Google has the highest market share in the UK, with almost 85% of the desktop search engine market.

(Statista)

The most popular search engine in the UK is Google, with a reported market share of 84.55% of the desktop search engine market in the country. The second most popular is Bing, used by around 10.64% of the UK population, followed by Yahoo, with a market share of less than 3%.

A 2022 US survey showed similar Google numbers. A total of 87% said Google was their first choice. However, in the US, Yahoo is more popular than Bing, with 29% and 20% of the market share, respectively.

16. Microsoft and Apple own a combined 93.6% market share of desktop operating systems in the UK.

(Statista)  (StatCounter)

As of 2021, Microsoft and Apple own almost the entire share of the desktop operating system market in the UK. Windows, Microsoft’s product, held 67.12% of the market, while Apple’s OS held 26.48%.

In the US, however, Windows holds only 28.63%, while Apple holds the bigger share with 30.9%.

17.  UK desktop PC sales dropped to 5 million GBP in 2020.

(Statista)

According to a 2020 study, desktop personal computer sales statistics show that UK manufacturers made 4.77 million GBP in desktop and deskside sales. That’s a significant drop compared to sales in 2008 when sales amounted to 115 million GBP.

18. Laptop PC sales in the UK reached 142.46 million GBP.

(Statista)

In comparing desktop vs laptop market share, it’s clear laptops are becoming the more popular choice. In 2020, UK manufacturers’ sales of laptops amounted to 142.46 million GBP. 

2018 and 2019 marked a significant increase when the combined sales of the two years only reached about 15 million GBP.

19. In 2020, the US PC market generated $59 billion in revenue.

(Statista) (Statista)

In 2020, the US PC market generated a little under $60 billion in total revenue and is estimated to reach $66 billion by 2026.

In the UK, they generated a revenue of $1.5 billion and are expected to reach $1.36 billion in 20216.

20.  In the UK, laptop revenue reached 5.5 billion US dollars.

(Statista)

In 2020, laptops generated a revenue of $5.57 billion in the UK. That number is expected to grow in the future and reach an estimated %6.65 billion in 2026.

21. 29% of UK users prefer HP over other laptop brands.

 (Statista) (Statista)

HP is on top of the list of most popular laptop brands in the UK, followed by Acer and MacBook, which are used by 19% of people in the UK.

Dell is more popular than Lenovo (by 1%), making Lenovo the least popular of the top 5 laptop brands, with only 17% of users. 

HP comes out at the top in the US too, with 35% of people saying it’s their favourite brand. Dell takes second place with 26% popularity, followed by MacBook at 24%, and Lenovo and Acer, with 13% and 12% popularity rates respectively. 

Bottom Line

Computers are one of humanity’s greatest inventions. Although their usage can get out of hand, and certain critics believe we might be better off, there’s no denying that computers changed society for the better. 
Statistics on computer usage show that not only are they part of our day-to-day life but they’re also incorporated into any field you can think of. What’s more, it would be hard to live without one, even if you wanted to.