Global mobile augmented reality (AR) users 2015-2023

As per recent data, by 2023 there will be an estimated 2.4 billion mobile augmented reality (AR) users worldwide, a rise of 2.2 billion from the 200 million seen in 2015. In 2021, there will be an estimated 1.96 billion mobile AR users worldwide. That same year, in the United states alone, the total number of AR users is forecast to reach 85 million.

AR headsets

In contrast to virtual reality (VR), which creates an artificial environment, AR simply makes use of the existing environment by overlaying new information on top of it. In AR, the information about the surrounding real world is made available to the user for information and/or interaction through the use of headsets. By 2023, it is anticipated that global AR headset shipments will reach over 30 million units, over 12 times the number expected to be shipped in 2020.

AR consumption

AR technology is being used across numerous industries such as: healthcare, public safety, gas and oil, tourism, marketing etc. Everyone from tourists to soldiers to someone looking for the closest subway stop is able to benefit from this ability to place computer-generated graphics in one’s field of vision. Forecasts estimate that in 2023, spending on extended reality (XR) technology, including AR, by the manufacturing and construction industry alone will reach 35 billion U.S. dollars.