52 Gmail Statistics To Show How Big It Is In 2023

In 2004, Google’s new email service, Gmail, made quite a racket when it hit the market. It quickly made a name for itself and replaced Yahoo, the leading name in the business at the time.

Today, most students and businessmen and women across the globe couldn’t even begin to imagine their day without Gmail. It has become a truly essential element, not only in our communication but in our lives.

Awesome Gmail Statistics

• Gmail remains the most popular email platform with over 1.8 billion users worldwide.
• As of April 2022, Gmail holds 29.5% of the email client market share.
• Gmail accounts for 27% of all email opens.
• 75% of all Gmail users access their email on mobile devices.
• 61% of 18-29-year-olds use Gmail.
• An average Gmail account is worth around $3,588.85.
• 333.3 billion emails are sent and received daily in 2022.

It might be a difficult task to imagine the world without Gmail, and yet we still tend to take it for granted, just as we do with numerous other things we got used to. Here are some Gmail statistics to help us appreciate the 21st-century services and conveniences they offer us.

Impressive Gmail Statistics for 2023

Although not popularly discussed like social media, Google mail (also known as Gmail) is one of the most successful and most used email services worldwide, with billions of followers.

Discussed below are some of the most recent Gmail stats for 2022 for your perusal.

1. Gmail remains the most popular email platform with over 1.8 billion users worldwide.

(Source: SaaS Scout)

Backtrack to May 2015, Gmail had just 900 million users. This figure rose to 1 billion in February 2016. Fast forward to October 2018, and Gmail already had 1.5 billion users. They’re now 1.8 billion users. This earned Gmail the title of the email service with the highest number of users worldwide.

2. There are currently 4.3 billion email users worldwide.

(Source: Oberlo, Statista)

Currently, there are 4.3 billion email users in the world. This means that about 85% of internet users have active email accounts. 

This number is predicted to hit 4.6 billion in 2025.

3. As of April 2022, Gmail owns 29.5% of the email client market share.

(Source: Litmus)

Apple has the largest market share (57.2%). But guess who’s next in line and way ahead of other email service providers… Yep. Gmail.  

As of February 2022, Gmail owns 27.4% of the email service market share, while Outlook and YahooMail have 4.2% and 3.4%, respectively.

4. Gmail holds a 53% share of the US email market in 2022.

(Source: Digital Trends)

85% of the US population are active email users - that is about 246 million people.

According to statistics on Gmail users in the USA, Gmail accounts for 130.9 million of the total email users in the US. Yahoo! and Outlook each have a user market share of 18% (42.2 million) and 14% (34.45 million), respectively.

5. Gmail is currently the top-ranking email client share provider with a market share of 27.8%.

(Source: Litmus)

Apple iPhone comes second with a market share of 27.6% - that’s quite close. Others like Outlook, Apple iPad, and Apple Mail, have a market share of 9.1%, 8.5%, 7.5%, respectively. 

However, Gmail account statistics for 2021 show that this is the first time that Gmail will occupy the number one spot. Apple iPhone Mail had always been at the top of the list - back in 2017, it had a market share of 28%, whereas Gmail accounted for 26% of the market. The same trend continued in 2018, with both Apple iPhone and Gmail having market share values of 29% and 27%, respectively.

6. 376.4 billion emails will be sent and received daily in 2025.

(Source: Statista)

That’s almost 3.7 million emails per second!

Statistics inform us that this number could hit nearly 380 billion in 2025. In comparison, only 306.4 billion emails were sent and received daily in 2020.

But will there be so many emails flying around daily?

Email messaging provides a cheaper means of communication for individuals, marketers, businesses, and organizations worldwide. It is simple to use, fast, flexible, makes documents exchanging online easy, and allows for mass messaging.

7. Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) hits 2 billion monthly active users worldwide.

(Source: 9 to 5 Google)

Just like Gmail, Google Workspace is a product of Google. However, it comes with a lot more features that favor businesses and business owners.

Gmail statistics for 2022 show that with Google Workspace, companies using Gmail accounts can now bypass the restriction of having a compulsory “@gmail.com” at the end of their email accounts. It allows businesses to create a Gmail account under Google with the extension “@yourcompanyname.com,” depending on what you want to name your company. Google Workspace also allows users access to other core Google products like Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Hangouts, etc.

Gmail Facts and Stats

Let's start from the beginning. How did Gmail appear in the first place?

8. Gmail was launched on April 1, 2004.

(Source: Entrepreneur)

Google’s email service was launched on April Fools’ Day, in 2004. The limited beta version was released at this date, and it took more than 5 years of testing for the final version to be released, on July 7, 2009.

9. On its first birthday, Gmail gave users 2GB of storage.

(Source: WikiNews)

In order to celebrate Gmail’s first birthday, Google decided to give every user 2 gigabytes of free email storage. It was decided later that this number should be increased even more, as some of the heavier users required even more storage.

10. Google launched a new 100TB storage model for schools and universities in 2022.

(Source: Google)

With this valuable resource, institutions will be able to store over 400,000 hours of video, 100 million documents, or 8 million presentations. 

This new feature will kick off by July 2022 across all Google Workspace for Education accounts.

11. In 2013 Google announced that users will get 15GB of unified storage for free.

(Source: Google)

Gmail analytics showed some of the more demanding users required even more storage than previously assigned. Another increase in online data storage limit from Google was announced on May 13, 2013. This time around, the company decided to give each of its users 15 gigabytes of storage to share between their Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+ Photos accounts.

12. You can undo sent emails by turning on Undo Send in Gmail Labs under Settings.

(Source: Google)

Due to popular demand, the option to undo sent emails shortly after clicking send was implemented into Gmail. Not many users are aware of this feature, as it is hidden in the settings and it wasn’t heavily advertised.

13. Google shut down the "Inbox by Gmail" app on April 2, 2019.

(Source: The Indian Express)Inbox by Gmail was introduced back in 2014, and it was Google’s attempt at creating a more casual email service, which allowed users to add personal touches to their messages. Some extra features, such as snoozing emails, smart replies, and nudges, were added later.

All of these features have since been incorporated into the standard Gmail service, and so Inbox by Gmail became redundant. Google decided to shut down the service in April 2019.

14. ML protects more than 1.4B active Gmail accounts from nearly 10M spam and malicious email every minute.

(Source: Twitter)

Automated machine learning (ML) is responsible for stopping over 10 million potentially harmful messages from reaching Google’s users every minute, according to Gmail Metrics. Google compares the time it takes this automated service to perform the insanely high number of tasks with the time it takes to peel an orange, tie your shoelaces, or untangle your headphone cable.

15. Gmail accounts for 27% of all email opens.

(Source: Litmus)

27% of all email accounts opened in 2018 were Gmail-based. Even though we tend to look at Yahoo as Gmail’s main competitor, this platform only accommodated just 1% of email accounts opened this year.

The only email service that had more new users during 2018 was Apple’s iPhone email service, with 28% of users choosing it over Gmail and other similar services.

16. Gmail was the second-leading email service in December 2016 (20%).

(Source: Marketing Charts)

Gmail has been the second most popular email service for a while now, as it held the same spot in December 2016. The percentages are nowadays closer than in 2016, as Gmail held 20% of email accounts back then.

17. Gmail is available in 72 languages.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Gmail usage statistics were showing a significant increase in use among the non-English speaking nations across the globe. In order to accommodate its global audience, Gmail is available in 72 languages.

18. Gmail was ranked second in PC World's "100 Best Products of 2005".

(Source: PCWorld)

Gmail took the second spot on PC World’s list of 100 best products for the year 2005, just after Mozilla Firefox. Both of these products have since become major staples in the IT world.

19. Gmail won 'Honorable Mention' in the Bottom Line Design Awards 2005.

(Source: AdWeek)

Gmail was awarded an honorable mention in the Bottom Line Design Awards 2005, which ranked new technologies for expected success and current appeal.

20. Forbes magazine declared Gmail as the best webmail in 2006.

(Source: Forbes)

Gmail stats list more awards that Google has managed to acquire over the years:

Another one on the list of awards for Gmail was issued back in 2006 when Forbes pronounced Gmail to be the best webmail service in the world.

21. An average Gmail account is worth around $3,588.85.

(Source: ZDNet)

The average Gmail account is roughly worth 3,588.85 dollars. The number is based on the average number of emails that accounts hold, as well as the average time it takes to write an email and the time it would take to rewrite those emails in case they’re lost.

The purpose of the calculator is to show just how valuable a simple backup of your emails can be. Another one of many interesting Gmail stats.

22. The average number of email accounts per user is 1.7.

(Source: Radicati)

An average Gmail user has 1.7 email accounts opened on the platform, according to the research done by Radicati Group. Most users have just one account that they use; however, some Gmail users have a business and a personal account, and there are numerous instances of people opening dozens of Gmail accounts for various purposes.

23. The average number of email accounts per user will grow to 1.9 by 2022.

(Source: Radicati)

Google relies on official Gmail email statistics and expects that most Gmail users will have multiple accounts by 2022, raising the average number of accounts per person from 1.7 to 1.9.

24. Google added handwriting input support to Gmail in October 2013.

(Source: Gmail)

The common complaint among Gmail users was that there was no ability to insert foreign phrases for languages such as Cantonese. Students and those conducting business in this part of the world complained about the inability to insert symbols into their papers and business correspondence, so Google decided to acknowledge their demands.

In October 2013, the option to input handwritten text was added to Gmail. Users have been able to input handwritten words for 50 languages since, including Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Hindi.

25. Gmail allows users to send/receive emails from addresses with unspecific characters.

(Source: Gmail)

Gmail was the first email service provider to allow accent marks and letters that don’t belong to the Latin alphabet into sender and receiver’s email addresses. The French were over the moon when this feature was announced.

26. Gmail suffered a two and a half-hour outage, affecting 100M accounts in February 2009.

(Source: Slate)

The list of Gmail security statistics includes some of the exposed drawbacks of the system that Google has implemented for its email service:

100 million Gmail users were affected by a 2 and a half-hour outage of the service back in February of 2009. Most of the US users were asleep at the time of the outage, so this region isn’t taken into account. The outrage on Twitter lasted for a few days, as the service was slow after being restored.

27. 5M Gmail logins were leaked in September 2014.

(Source: DirectIQ)

In September 2014, Google announced that 5 million Gmail login passwords were leaked onto a Bitcoin forum based in Russia. Apparently, most of the passwords were from old and already expired accounts.

28. From those leaked passwords only 1% combined letters, numbers, and symbols.

(Source: Cool Infographics)

The leak that occurred in 2014 happened to be fairly useful in the long run. Google had to implement new requirements for new users when it comes to creating their passwords, as only 1% of leaked passwords contained a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, and were considered safe. In case you want to learn how to create a strong password, we've got just the guide for you. Or you can always use a password manager instead - it's even more convenient.

29. Less than 8% of the leaked passwords were more than 10 characters long.

(Source: Cool Infographics)

Gmail statistics related to password security show that under 8% of the passwords leaked onto the Russian forum contained more than 10 characters. The disappointing truth is that just 8% of users could be bothered to think of slightly complicated passwords in order to protect their privacy. Even more devastatingly, the most common passwords were 123456 and password.

30. 42.5% of the leaked passwords combined lowercase letters and numbers.

(Source: Cool Infographics)

Even though it might appear that 42.5% of the users whose passwords were leaked were smart to combine lowercase letters and numbers in their passwords, the situation changes when we look into the most used combinations. The list includes examples such as abc123, which can be guessed by anyone trying to access the account and doesn’t necessarily require a hacker.

31. 39.84% of the leaked passwords had lowercase letters only.

(Source: Cool Infographics)

Almost 40% of leaked passwords were made of just lowercase letters. The most common ones were password, qwerty, love, dragon, and welcome.

32. 69% of all spam emails are flagged based on the subject line.

(Source: Email Analytics)

Gmail does a great job picking out spam emails, but almost seven out of ten are flagged on the subject line alone.

33. Paul Buchheit wrote Gmail in Javascript.

(Source: SaaS Scout)

In 2001, Buckheit started creating Gmail. Hotmail and Yahoo Mail were built with HTML, and it caused them to load relatively slow. On top of that, Buchheit added 1 GB of storage space, compared to the 2-4 MB provided by his competitors.

Gmail User Statistics

An email service for the masses: how Gmail broke through the 1 billion users barrier.

34. Gmail has around 1.8 billion monthly active users every month.

(Source: SaaS Scout)

Back in October 2018, Gmail had 1.2 billion monthly active users every month. In the last few years, that number grew by 50%!

35. 75% of all Gmail users access their email on mobile devices.

(Source: TC)

Email tracking statistics for Gmail show that the colossal majority of Gmail users, three-quarters of them, access their Gmail accounts using an Android or iOS device.

Smartphones have become the new standard when it comes to accessing the web, regardless of the type of content the users are after. From Facebook and YouTube to Gmail and more business-oriented apps, most of us prefer the convenience of smartphone usage vs. desktop.

36. 61% of 18-29-year-olds use Gmail.

(Source: Statista)

Gmail is used by 61% of those between the ages of 18 and 29. 19% of those who belong to the same age group use Yahoo as their main email service provider.

54% of those 30 to 44 years old use Gmail, while 23% use Yahoo.

As the age increases, the difference in the number of users becomes closer and closer; 36% of those aged 45 to 54 chose to use Gmail, and 32% use Yahoo. An interesting piece of Gmail statistics here.

Gmail is trusted by 36% of those who are 55 to 64 years old, while 29% went to Yahoo.

Finally, the odds turn to Yahoo’s favor among those older than 65, with 31% of this age group going with it instead of Gmail, which is used by 24% of those over the age of 65.

In total, 44% of people choose Gmail, and 26% would rather go with Yahoo, for their emailing needs.

37. The average age of a Gmail user is 31.

(Source: Mashable)

The median age of all Gmail users is 31. In fact, 68% of Gmail users are between the ages of 18 and 34, most of them being on the upper end of that spectrum.

38. 60% of mid-sized US companies use Gmail.

(Source: Checkpoint)

Medium-sized businesses from the US mostly choose Gmail for their emailing needs. Gmail statistics reports all conclude that 60% of these types of businesses went for the Gmail option rather than have their own dedicated email domain or a different provider.

39. 92% of US startups use Gmail.

(Source: Finances Online)

More than 90% of startups from the US have decided to go with Gmail as the main email service for their business.

Gmail Message Stats

Messages, sponsored content, spam... Welcome to the world of an average Gmail user.

40. Gmail users found that 68.4% of all incoming messages are classified as Promotions.

(Source: Marketing Charts)

Latest Gmail statistics state that most of the messages users receive are some form of advertisement, and therefore are sorted into the Promotions category in their inbox. The information that over 68% of all incoming messages can be classified as ads is just another proof of how easily we share our info with websites and apps that are more than willing to constantly spam us with messages. This comes as no surprise considering that email marketing tools have became extremely efficient, and email marketing has an ROI of 3200%.

41. Gmail users found that 22.1% of all incoming messages are classified as Updates.

(Source: Marketing Charts)

The analysis of all emails sent to Gmail users found that over a fifth (22.1%) of messages are classified as Updates. This category includes information about users’ purchases, such as receipts and shipping updates.

Gmail inbox statistics also note that just 1 in 10 Gmail users find the sorting functions in the interface ineffective and incorrect.

42. The average Gmail account contains roughly 17K messages.

(Source: ZDNet)

An average Gmail account holds around 17,000 messages, including Spam folders.

43. Less than 0.1% of email in the average Gmail inbox is spam.

(Source: Gmail)

An average Gmail user’s inbox receives less than 0.1% of spam messages out of the total incoming traffic. Google’s algorithms are designed to target spam emails and put them in a separate folder, and this procedure is constantly being improved using users’ input.

44. The amount of wanted mail landing in the spam folder is under 0.05%.

(Source: Gmail)

People find the spam filtering that Google applies to their messages effective, according to Gmail statistics per user.

The optimization of the algorithms that target spam is so effective that just 0.05% of messages that shouldn’t have landed in the spam folder end up there. As mentioned before, improvements are being made constantly.

45. Email messages tagged as Promotions have a high inbox placement rate of 84.5%.

(Source: Marketing Charts)

Nearly 85% of messages that are sent by advertisers end up in users’ inboxes, under the Promotions category, rather than being automatically moved to their spam folder.

46. Email messages tagged as Social have a high inbox placement rate of 87.2%.

(Source: Marketing Charts)

The majority of Social messages are received by users, Gmail app statistics say.

Deliverability of messages tagged as Social is even higher than those tagged as Promotions, as more than 87% of email ads with this tag end up in Gmail users’ inboxes.

47. Email messages tagged as Updates have a high inbox placement rate of 86.8%.

(Source: Marketing Charts)Marketing agencies and businesses that tag their marketing emails as Updates are facing the inbox placement rate of 86.8%.

48. The read rate of messages tagged as Promotions is 19.2%.

(Source: Marketing Charts)

More than 19% of Gmail users read through the messages that end up in their Promotions folder.

49. The read rate of messages tagged as Updates is 28%.

(Source: Marketing Charts)

Gmail ad statistics argue that tagging messages as Updates have the highest potential for the messages to actually be read by users. Gmail users appear to find the messages tagged as Updates most relevant, as 28% of these messages are read through.

50. The read rate of messages tagged as Social is 22.4%.

(Source: Marketing Charts)

Social updates aren’t as important to Gmail users, as just over a quarter of this type of messages is opened.

51. The read rate of messages tagged as Forums is 21.1%.

(Source: Marketing Charts)

Not many of the emails sorted into the Forums category in Gmail interface see the light of day. Users open just over 21% of those messages.

52. The Gmail Primary tab has a read rate of 22%.

(Source: Zettasphere)

Gmail statistics show that just 22% of messages that make it to the Primary tab are read by Gmail users, even though the Primary tab is the first thing they see when they open the interface.