Number of Active Gmail Users 2024: Statistics, Demographics, & Usage

Google, founded in September 1998, first started as an online search firm. As the years passed, they expanded their services to accommodate the rising needs of the market. Gmail is one of those expanded services that has since become the most popular free email service online.

The idea that there could be a better way to handle email caught the attention of Paul Buchheit, a developer at Google. He used his “20% time” — a perk given by Google to its engineers to spend a day a week on projects that interest them — and created Gmail. The software officially launched on April 1, 2005. However, the general public was wary that the announcement is just part of an April Fool’s prank — something Google is also known for. Much to the delight of everyone, Gmail’s launch was successful. It then became the first free web-based email with one gigabyte of storage. This article will discuss the number of active Gmail users and will go on to the following major topics:

Who Uses Gmail?

With 1.8 billion active users, Gmail is undeniably one of the most popular email service providers in the US and the world. An individual needs to be at least 13 years old to create an account for most Google services, including Gmail.

What is the age of Gmail Users?

In general, most email users in the US are in their mid-20s or early 40s. In 2019, 93.6% of email users in the country were aged 25 to 44 (NTIA, 2019). Specifically for Gmail, the average age of a typical user is 31 (Desta, 2014).

In the U.S., Morning Consult conducted a study to find out which age group uses Gmail more. According to the data, Gmail is the most frequently used email service provider in almost all age groups. 61% of the age group 18 to 29 frequently use Gmail — the largest among the respondents (Armstrong, 2017). The age group 30 to 44 placed second with 54% of them frequently using Gmail. Thirdly, the age groups 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 tied with both of them 36% preferring Gmail. Lastly, only 24% of the age group 65+ prefer Gmail over other email service providers.

Millennials, the most tech-savvy generation, are typically on the lookout for new things over the digital horizon. That’s why when asked which are their top three essential apps, it came as no surprise that the top apps were mostly used for day-to-day communication.

According to a survey, the must-have apps for millennials were Amazon as the most popular app with 35%. Gmail placed second with 30% of the respondents considering the email service provider and an essential part of their daily lives (Richter, 2017). Lastly, Facebook in third place with 29%.

In 2020, Facebook topped the list of apps that Americans can least do without on their mobile. Gmail ranked third at 9% which is the same spot it was in during 2019, although with a lower percentage of 8% (Werlin, 2020).

What is the gender of Gmail Users?

A study reveals that Gmail is the fifth most popular app for 9% of American males and third for females at 9%. The studies were separately published and sorted by gender. Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were popular among both male and female Americans. However, the difference is that males included Twitter in their list of indispensable mobile apps while for females, it included Amazon (Werlin, 2020).

Top Countries That Use Gmail

Email is a vital part of our daily lives; be it personal or work-related, email is used to communicate around the world. Gmail is native to the US, but it has been one of the most recognizable brands available for use in the world market in the past decade. Aside from the US, which countries use and prefer Gmail?

What are the countries that use Gmail?

In the Global Email Benchmark Report (SendGrid, 2019), Gmail is the most popular inbox provider across 25 countries. The only country where Gmail placed second to a homegrown email service provider is in Russia.

Among the 25 countries, Gmail has the highest share in Indonesia with 82.6% of the respondents saying that they have an account. Additionally, Gmail is also widely used in the US, occupying 41.9% of email service provider share (SendGrid, 2019).

Email Client Market Share of Gmail

The number of emails sent and received in 2020 was 300 billion—that’s a lot of emails (Radicati, 2020). Additionally, there are hundreds, if not, thousands of email clients around the globe. Which makes you wonder, how many people use Gmail?

How many people use Gmail?

In 2019, Gmail took the top spot from Apple iPhone and became the number one most used email client in the world with a 27.8% share (Specht, 2019). However, as of February 1, 2021, Gmail trailed behind the Apple iPhone email client. Gmail captured a 30% share of the email client market share, based on tracking of 958 email opens worldwide (Litmus, 2020).

Inbox Placement Rates of Gmail

Gmail, being the most used email client around the world, is responsible for sending and receiving a big chunk of the reported hundreds of billions of emails annually. To avoid emails piling up in one place with the risk of important emails getting overlooked, Gmail created categories or tabs to segregate emails.

These tabs are an effective way to organize your inbox. First, the Social tab where messages from social networks and media-sharing sites are received. The second category is Updates, where emails for your notifications, confirmations, receipts, bills, and statements are inboxed. Third, the Promotions tab is where you can find messages about deals, offers, and other promotional emails. Fourth, the Forums tab contains emails from online groups, discussion boards, and mailing lists. Lastly, the Primary tab is where you receive emails from people you know, and other emails that can’t be classified under the other tabs. But which Gmail tab receives more emails?

According to a 2016 study, emails classified as Promotions reached the correct tab with 87.2% — the highest among other tabs. On the other hand, the Primary tab received the least amount of correct emails with 55.5% (Marketing Charts, 2017). In contrast, the year-to-date average for global inbox placement was 83% (Validity, 2020).

Read Rates of Emails in Gmail

Email marketing is one of the most popular ways to reach a target demographic. However, unread and unopened emails are two of e-marketers’ worst nightmares. But what’s the read rates of emails received by Gmail users?

In a 2016 study about inbox placement, it was found out that emails classified under the Updates tab were read the most by Gmail users at a rate of 28%. Unfortunately for e-marketers, the lowest read rate was reported for emails classified under the Promotions tab with a rate of 19.2% (Marketing Charts, 2017). In contrast, the average open rate for all emails around the world is 18% (Campaign Monitor, 2021).

Device Usage of Gmail Users

What devices are used by Gmail users?

There are three major ways to access your email: desktop, webmail, and mobile. In the report by Litmus, they listed the share of email opens by the device. As of the first quarter of 2019, the majority of email users are using mobile to access their email with a share of 41.9%. The second-most used way to access emails is webmail with 39.9%. Lastly, email opens via desktop with a share of 18.2%.

From the same report, Gmail dominated the webmail environment. From the second quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019, Gmail outperformed its competitors by a lot. As of Q1 of 2019, Gmail accounted for 26.2% of webmail opens.

US Companies Using Gmail

Businesses need to have an email to communicate with their stakeholders.

A lot is going into email hosting, which can be a little costly. Gmail both offers free web-based email and email hosting services. This makes their usage more attractive for small to medium businesses. That’s why it’s not surprising that 92% of US startups are using Gmail according to the report of Customer Stories (Petrov, 2020).

Key Insights

• Global Popularity: Gmail boasts over 1.8 billion active users worldwide, making it one of the most widely used email platforms.
• Age Demographics: The average age of a Gmail user is 31, with the highest usage among those aged 25 to 44.
• Gender Distribution: Gmail is the third most popular app among American females (9%) and the fifth among males (9%).
• Top Countries: Gmail is the leading email provider in 24 out of 25 surveyed countries, with Indonesia having the highest usage at 82.6%.
• Market Share: Gmail holds a significant share of the email client market, capturing 30% of the market as of early 2021.
• Inbox Organization: The Promotions tab in Gmail has the highest correct placement rate at 87.2%, while the Primary tab has the lowest at 55.5%.
• Read Rates: Emails categorized under Updates are read the most (28%), whereas Promotions have the lowest read rate (19.2%).
• Device Usage: Mobile devices are the most popular for accessing Gmail, followed by webmail and desktop.
• Business Adoption: Gmail is highly favored by US startups, with 92% utilizing the service for their email needs.

FAQ

1. How many active Gmail users are there? There are over 1.8 billion active Gmail users as of 2020. This equates to roughly one Gmail user for every five people globally.
2. What is the average age of a Gmail user? The average age of a Gmail user is 31 years old. Most email users in the US fall within the age range of 25 to 44 years.
3. Which countries have the highest Gmail usage? Indonesia has the highest Gmail usage, with 82.6% of users having an account. The US also has a significant share, with 41.9%.
4. What is Gmail’s market share among email clients? As of early 2021, Gmail has a 30% share of the email client market, making it one of the most popular email clients globally.
5. How do Gmail users typically access their emails? Gmail users primarily access their emails via mobile devices (41.9%), followed by webmail (39.9%), and desktop (18.2%).
6. What is the gender distribution among Gmail users? Gmail ranks as the third most popular app among American females (9%) and the fifth among males (9%).
7. How do Gmail’s inbox tabs help organize emails? Gmail uses five tabs—Social, Updates, Promotions, Forums, and Primary—to help users organize their inbox. Promotions have the highest correct placement rate at 87.2%, while the Primary tab has the lowest at 55.5%.
8. What are the read rates for emails in different Gmail tabs? Emails in the Updates tab have the highest read rate at 28%, while those in the Promotions tab have the lowest read rate at 19.2%.
9. How popular is Gmail among US startups? Gmail is extremely popular among US startups, with 92% of them using Gmail for their email needs.

References:

1. Armstrong, M. (2017). The Gmail/Yahoo Mail age divide. Statista.
2. Campaign Monitor. (2021). Ultimate email marketing benchmarks for 2021: By industry and day. Campaign Monitor.
3. Desta, Y. (2014, April 1). Who is the average Gmail user? Mashable.
4. Litmus. (2020). 2020 State of Email Engagement. Cambridge, MA: Litmus.
5. Marketing Charts. (2017, February 2). What’s the read rate for emails in Gmail’s promotions tab? Marketing Charts.
6. NTIA. (2020, June 10). Digital Nation Data Explorer. Washington, DC: National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
7. Petrov, C. (2021, March 19). 50 gmail statistics to show how big it is in 2020. Techjury.
8. Radicati. (2020). Email Statistics Report, 2020-2024. Palo Alto, CA: Radicati.
9. Richter, F. (2017). These are millennials’ must-have apps. Statista.
10. SendGrid. (2019). 2019 Email Benchmark and Engagement Study. Denver, CO: Twilio SendGrid.
11. Specht, B. (2019, July 8). Infographic: The 2019 email client market share. Litmus Blog.
12. Validity. (2020). 2020 Email Deliverability Benchmark. Boston, MA: Validity.
13. Werlin, R. (2020, September 17). New study: Instagram climbs the ladder, TikTok has a long way to go. Insights. Copenhagen, Denmark: AudienceProject.

By Nestor Gilbert

Nestor Gilbert is a senior B2B and SaaS analyst and a core contributor at FinancesOnline for over 5 years. With his experience in software development and extensive knowledge of SaaS management, he writes mostly about emerging B2B technologies and their impact on the current business landscape. However, he also provides in-depth reviews on a wide range of software solutions to help businesses find suitable options for them. Through his work, he aims to help companies develop a more tech-forward approach to their operations and overcome their SaaS-related challenges.