Smartphone Adoption in Developing Economies

• Nearly 5 billion people across the globe have mobile devices and around 50% of these mobile devices are smartphones.
• According to GSMA, the global smartphone adoption rate in 2018 was 60% of all mobile connections. However, many countries had an adoption rate considerably lower than that.
• The lowest level of smartphone adoption was observed in Sub-Saharan Africa at 36% while the highest rate was observed in North America at 80%.
• Data from Pew Research Center provides the following smartphone adoption rate in developing countries (emerging economies) in 2018:
•  South Africa: 60% 
•  Brazil: 60% 
•  Philippines: 55% 
•  Mexico: 52%  
•  Tunisia: 45% 
•  Indonesia: 42%  
•  Kenya: 41% 
•  Nigeria: 39% 
•  India: 24% 
• Overall, 83% of adults in these nine countries owned a mobile phone while only 45% owned a smartphone in 2018.
• In addition, the age gap in smartphone ownership in these nine countries has been increasing with a much faster adoption rate among young people. For example, in the Philippines, people aged 34 and under are 47% more likely to have a smartphone than older adults.
• Smartphone adoption rates among people aged 18-34 vs 50+ adults in 2018 were:
•  South Africa (18-34): 73% 
•  South Africa (50+): 35% 
•  Brazil (18-34): 85% 
•  Brazil (50+): 32% 
•  Philippines (18-34): 74% 
•  Philippines (50+): 27% 
•  Mexico (18-34): 66% 
•  Mexico (50+): 30% 
•  Indonesia (18-34): 66% 
•  Indonesia (50+): 13% 
•  Kenya (18-34): 51% 
•  Kenya (50+): 18% 
•  Nigeria (18-34): 48% 
•  Nigeria (50+): 20% 
•  India (18-34): 37% 
•  India (50+): 8% 

Summary of Initial Findings

• The initial research focused on information surrounding smartphone adoption across developing economies.
• Initial research indicates that most of the available information on the given industries has a global focus, and there are no resources that focus on developing economies as a whole. However, information specific to individual developing economies such as China, India, Indonesia, etc., is available.
• If desired, a competitive landscape of the major players in the given industries can be compiled in the relevant tabs of this spreadsheet.