Welcome to our curated and vetted list of 26+ mobile photography statistics for 2026.
Let’s dive in:
Top Mobile Photography Statistics
- Smartphones capture 92.5% of all pictures, leaving just 7.5% to conventional cameras.
- The typical smartphone user stores ~2,795 photos in their camera roll.
- About 92M selfies are taken daily in the world.
- An average American takes out their smartphone to take a photo six times a day.
General Smartphone Photography Facts, Statistics, and Trends
- The Kyocera VP-210, launched in 1999, is known as the first phone with a built-in camera.
- The Sharp J-SH04, released in 2000, was the first phone with a color camera.
- The Nokia 7650, launched in 2001, was the first smartphone to feature a built-in camera.
- When the iPhone debuted in 2007, it revolutionized mobile photography by turning smartphones into the go-to device for capturing and sharing images.
- The 2010 release of the Samsung Galaxy S and iPhone 4, the first modern phones with front cameras, fueled the rise of smartphone selfies.
- The Nokia Lumia 1020, launched in 2013, introduced the first high-resolution camera on a smartphone.
- The 2016 Huawei P9 sparked the mobile photography arms race as the first smartphone with dual rear cameras, enhancing low-light and depth-of-field shots.
- Smartphones capture 92.5% of all pictures, leaving just 7.5% to conventional cameras.
- About 1.8T photos are taken annually, translating to 5B daily or 57,246 every second.
- The typical smartphone user stores ~2,795 photos in their camera roll.
Sources: PetaPixel, ResearchGate
Mobile Photography Habits and Preferences
- An average American takes out their smartphone to take a photo six times a day.
- The most common types of photos taken are selfies (58%), pets (52%), and scenery (43%).
- Photos are commonly taken at graduations (45%), weddings (44%), vacations (40%), and sporting events (37%), averaging nearly 23 pictures per occasion.
- Smartphone users admit to spending almost 40% of their time capturing photos at events.
- Post-event, Americans review their pictures around 13 times a year.
- Reflecting on moments later (65%) is the top reason driving Americans’ photo-taking decisions.
| What Influences Americans’ Photo Choices? | In % |
| Because they want to look back at the moment later | 65 |
| It’s something unusual/something they’ve never seen before | 61 |
| Based on whether or not they want to show someone else | 58 |
| It’s something they want to post on social media | 38 |
| Cuteness factor | 29 |
| It’s something a friend or family member would like to see | 28 |
| They want to add it to their photobook | 15 |
- People typically keep their photos private (61%), while others review them for nostalgia (55%) or share them on social media (53%).
- Nearly 54% of smartphone users find it overwhelming to search their camera roll for specific photos from the past.
- Among 196 people surveyed, 125 seldom or never print their photos, 44 do so a few times yearly, 14 monthly, and 13 multiple times each month.
Sources: ResearchGate
Selfie-Specific Statistics
- A full 95% of youth have taken selfies, compared to 63% of those aged 35–54 and only 44% of people over 55.
- About 92M selfies are taken daily in the world.
- On average, smartphone users spend seven minutes daily taking selfies.
- Roughly 33% of pictures snapped by 18 to 24-year-olds are self-portraits.
- Millennials are forecast to capture around 25,700 selfies over their lifetime.
Sources: PetaPixel, Sur in English
Photo Editing and App Usage
- As of November 2024, Canva is the most downloaded photo editor app in the US, with over 1.16M downloads on Google Play and App Store.
- About 40% of smartphone users in major markets regularly use photo editing apps.
| Mobile Phone Users in Selected Markets That Regularly Use Camera/Photo Editing Apps | In % |
| US | 43 |
| Japan | 42 |
| India | 42 |
| South Korea | 38 |
| France | 37 |
| Germany | 37 |
| China | 36 |
| UK | 30 |
Sources: Statista #1, Statista #2
Stacking It All Up
That concludes our deep dive into mobile photography statistics.
If you think this information would benefit your audience, you’re welcome to share it.
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FAQ
What’s the average number of photos taken per day?
The average number of photos taken per day stands at 5B.
How many photos does the average person have on their phone?
The typical smartphone user stores ~2,795 photos in their camera roll.
What percentage of photos are taken with phones?
Smartphones capture 92.5% of all pictures, leaving just 7.5% to conventional cameras.
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