eSIM made up only about 5% of the world’s smartphone connections at the end of 2025, according to GSMA Intelligence, even though 605 million eSIM units shipped that year (Trusted Connectivity Alliance, 2025 market data). The gap between capability and use is the defining fact of the consumer eSIM market: CCS Insight counts 1.3 billion people who already own an eSIM-capable smartphone, yet most still run on a plastic card. The catalysts arrived late in 2025, when Apple’s eSIM-only iPhone Air went global and China’s three operators switched on smartphone eSIM, and GSMA Intelligence now expects penetration to double to 10% by the end of 2026. For the hardware context, see our smartphone market statistics. We aggregated data from GSMA Intelligence, the Trusted Connectivity Alliance, ABI Research, Juniper Research, Kaleido Intelligence, FDM CCS Insight, Counterpoint Research, Roy Morgan, Apple, Google, Airalo, Holafly and other primary sources listed in the methodology.
TL;DR
- eSIM accounted for about 5% of global smartphone connections at the end of 2025, forecast to reach 10% by end of 2026 (GSMA Intelligence, 2025).
- 4.9 billion eSIM smartphone connections forecast for 2030, 55% of all smartphone connections (GSMA Intelligence, 2025).
- 605 million eSIM units shipped in 2025, up 18% year over year (Trusted Connectivity Alliance, March 2026).
- Consumer eSIM profile downloads grew 43% in 2025 (Trusted Connectivity Alliance, March 2026).
- Over 70% of smartphones still lack eSIM support (ABI Research, September 2025).
- iPhone 17 Pro and 18 Pro models are eSIM-only in 12 countries and regions (Apple via MacRumors, September 2026).
- China’s MIIT approved smartphone eSIM for all three national operators on October 13, 2025 (TechNode, October 2025).
- 24% of Australian eSIM users switched provider in a year, versus 12% of all mobile users (Roy Morgan, May 2026).
- Nearly three-quarters of UK consumers have heard of eSIM, up from 27% in 2022 (FDM CCS Insight UK survey, January 2026).
- Travel eSIM package revenue hit an estimated $1.8 billion in 2025, up 85% (Juniper Research, October 2025).
- Airalo passed 30 million customers in June 2026, up from 20 million in April 2025 (Airalo, June 2026).
- Kaleido Intelligence forecasts 4.5 billion consumer and IoT eSIM connections in 2030 (Kaleido Intelligence, 2025).
1. Smartphone eSIM Penetration: Small Base, Steep Curve
The headline number is smaller than most marketing suggests. GSMA Intelligence puts eSIM at roughly 5% of global smartphone connections at the end of 2025, up from 3% in 2024, when nearly half of all eSIM smartphone connections were in the US. In the US itself, adoption was about 30% in 2024, driven by Apple’s eSIM-only iPhones since 2022. Everywhere else, eSIM was a rounding error until late 2025.
What changes the slope is that the forecast curve is now compounding from a real base. GSMA Intelligence expects penetration to reach 10% by the end of 2026 and to double again in 2027, ending at 4.9 billion eSIM smartphone connections and 55% of all smartphone connections by 2030 (summarized by TelecomLead, August 2025 and Telecoms.com). The GSMA’s Mobile Economy 2026 puts an intermediate marker at 2.5 billion eSIM-enabled smartphone connections by 2028 (ynews.digital, March 2026).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| eSIM share of global smartphone connections, 2024 | 3% (nearly half in the US) | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| eSIM adoption in the US, 2024 | About 30% | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| eSIM share of global smartphone connections, end 2025 | About 5% | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| eSIM share forecast, end 2026 | 10% (doubling again in 2027) | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| eSIM smartphone connections forecast, 2028 | 2.5 billion | GSMA, Mobile Economy 2026 |
| eSIM smartphone connections forecast, 2030 | 4.9 billion (55% of smartphone connections) | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| eSIM share of all SIM technologies, 2030 | 42% (smartphones, wearables, IoT) | GSMA, Mobile Economy 2026 |
Context note: GSMA Intelligence’s 2030 forecast has been cut sharply over time. In June 2020 it expected 2.5 billion eSIM smartphone connections by 2025 (35% of the total); in March 2021 it expected 2.4 billion by 2025; in July 2022 it cut 2025 to about 850 million and projected 6.7 billion (76%) by 2030 (GSMA Intelligence, July 2022). The realized 2025 figure, about 5%, is far below all three.
2. Devices and Shipments: Capability Is Running Ahead of Activation
eSIM hardware volumes are no longer the constraint. The Trusted Connectivity Alliance counted 605 million eSIM units shipped globally in 2025, an 18% rise, with consumer eSIM profile downloads up 43% (IoT Business News, March 2026). The physical card is still far larger at about 3.5 billion units, so eSIM was roughly 14.7% of the 4.1 billion SIM units in 2025 (605 million divided by 3.5 billion plus 605 million, our calculation from TCA figures).
Device coverage is uneven by price tier. ABI Research says smartphones made up 66% of eSIM-enabled device shipments in 2024 and 74% in 2025, yet over 70% of smartphones still lack eSIM support (ABI Research, September 2025). Counterpoint Research put smartphone eSIM penetration at 23% of devices in 2024, rising to 41% of devices launched in the US (TechCrunch, December 2025). Activation is the other leak: Kaleido Intelligence estimates only 30% of eSIM-capable devices had the eSIM activated in 2024.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global eSIM shipments, 2025 | 605 million (+18%) | Trusted Connectivity Alliance, March 2026 |
| eSIM units shipped by TCA members | 523 million (85% of the market) | Trusted Connectivity Alliance, March 2026 |
| Physical SIM total available market, 2025 | 3.5 billion units | Trusted Connectivity Alliance, March 2026 |
| eSIM-enabled device shipments, 2025 forecast | 403 million consumer, 140 million IoT | ABI Research, September 2025 |
| eSIM-enabled device shipments, 2026 forecast | Over 633 million | ABI Research, September 2025 |
| Smartphone share of eSIM-enabled device shipments | 66% (2024), 74% (2025) | ABI Research, September 2025 |
| Smartphones with eSIM, 2024 | 23% globally; 41% of US launches | Counterpoint Research via TechCrunch, 2025 |
| eSIM activation rate on capable devices | 30% (2024), 75% forecast (2030) | Kaleido Intelligence via TechCrunch, 2025 |
Growth is fastest where the base is lowest. ABI Research forecasts eSIM device CAGRs of 22.8% in Asia-Pacific, 9.8% in Western Europe and 6.2% in North America for 2025 to 2030, and TCA says eSIM uptake effectively doubled in the Middle East and Africa and in South America in 2025. On the capability side, CCS Insight counts 1.3 billion people owning an eSIM-capable smartphone in 2025, a figure it expects to pass 3 billion by the end of the decade.
3. Carrier Migration: eSIM-Only Phones and Operator Launches
Handset makers, not consumers, are forcing the migration. Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro models are eSIM-only in 12 countries and regions: Bahrain, Canada, Guam, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US and the US Virgin Islands (MacRumors, September 2026). The iPhone Air is eSIM-only worldwide. Apple started the shift when it removed the SIM tray from US iPhone 14 models in September 2022 (Apple Newsroom), and Google followed in August 2025: per Google’s Pixel help page, US Pixel 10, 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL models ‘don’t use physical SIMs, and are eSIM-only.’
China was the largest market without consumer smartphone eSIM, and it moved in a single week. On October 13, 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology approved commercial eSIM trials for China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom; China Unicom reported more than 70,000 users booking appointments, and the eSIM-only iPhone Air went on sale in China on October 22 (TechNode, October 2025). GSMA Intelligence names Apple’s global eSIM-only push and China’s launch as the two late-2025 events behind its doubling forecast.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Countries and regions where iPhone 18 Pro is eSIM-only | 12 (unchanged from iPhone 17 Pro) | Apple via MacRumors, September 2026 |
| iPhone Air | eSIM-only worldwide | Apple via MacRumors, 2026 |
| First eSIM-only iPhones | iPhone 14 US models, September 2022 | Apple Newsroom, 2022 |
| Google Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL (US) | eSIM-only | Google Pixel Help |
| China MIIT smartphone eSIM approval | October 13, 2025 (three operators) | TechNode, October 2025 |
| China Unicom eSIM appointment bookings | Over 70,000 | TechNode, October 2025 |
| eSIM-enabled smartphones launched, H1 2025 | More than 60 | GSMA Intelligence via TechCrunch, 2025 |
| Networks supporting eSIM worldwide | Over 500 | Juniper Research, September 2025 |
Context note: operator support has a long history of outrunning consumer use. GSMA Intelligence counted at least 158 operators offering smartphone eSIM in more than 60 countries in June 2020 (GSMA Intelligence, 2020) and more than 260 by July 2022. Juniper Research says GSMA expects most operators globally to support eSIM by 2028 (Juniper Research, September 2025). Price is another lever: Holafly’s Global eSIM Index 2026 reports South Korean operators charging about KRW 2,750 to issue an eSIM versus KRW 7,700 to 8,800 for a physical SIM.
4. Consumer Awareness and Switching Behavior
Awareness has quietly crossed the majority line in mature markets. In the UK, nearly three-quarters of consumers had heard of eSIM in December 2025, up from 27% in 2022, and almost a third of those aware had already used eSIM to sign up with a UK provider (FDM CCS Insight, January 2026, 1,006 respondents). That compares with GSMA Intelligence’s 2022 finding that fewer than 30% of consumers across eight major countries knew what eSIM was.
The behavioral shift matters more for carriers than the awareness figure. Roy Morgan found that 24% of Australian eSIM users switched mobile provider in the 12 months to March 2026, double the 12% rate across all mobile users (Roy Morgan, May 2026). When changing carrier no longer requires a shop visit or a mailed card, churn becomes a few taps, and the operator’s own eSIM marketing is not what drives discovery: GSMA Intelligence found only 8% of eSIM-aware consumers learned about it through their operator’s promotion.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| UK consumers who have heard of eSIM | Nearly three-quarters (Dec 2025), up from 27% (2022) | FDM CCS Insight UK survey, January 2026 |
| UK eSIM-aware consumers who signed up with a UK provider via eSIM | Almost a third | FDM CCS Insight, January 2026 |
| UK consumers on SIM-only plans | Close to 45% | FDM CCS Insight, January 2026 |
| Australian mobile consumers aware of eSIM | 60% (March 2026) | Roy Morgan Single Source, 2026 |
| Australians aware of eSIM whose handset is eSIM-enabled | 51% | Roy Morgan Single Source, 2026 |
| Australians with eSIM-enabled devices who activated eSIM with their provider | 31% | Roy Morgan Single Source, 2026 |
| Provider switching rate: eSIM users vs all users | 24% vs 12% | Roy Morgan, May 2026 |
Context note: Roy Morgan’s switching data covers October 2025 to March 2026 with an average sample of 2,405 eSIM users and 28,563 mobile users. eSIM users skew toward newer premium handsets, so part of the switching gap may reflect who they are rather than what eSIM enables.
5. Travel eSIMs: The First Mass-Market Use Case
Travel is where consumers actually activate eSIM. GSMA Intelligence found that 51% of eSIM users across 11 major countries had used the service while travelling abroad, which makes travel the single largest reason people touch the technology. CCS Insight estimates about 70 million travel eSIMs were provisioned in 2024 and forecasts more than 280 million in 2030, with market value passing $4.4 billion (FDM CCS Insight, September 2025). Our business travel statistics show how much of that demand comes from corporate trips.
Revenue estimates vary with what is counted. Juniper Research puts travel eSIM package revenue at $1.8 billion in 2025, up 85% from $989 million in 2024 (Juniper Research, October 2025). Kaleido Intelligence, measuring traveller retail spending, puts 2025 at $3.8 billion and nearly $12 billion by 2030, with adoption among international travellers rising from 12% to 31% (Kaleido Intelligence). Operators are responding: Telefonica’s eSIMflag roaming offer reached 100,000 customers within six months and 660,000 service days by mid-January 2026 (CCS Insight, February 2026).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| eSIM users who used it while travelling abroad | 51% (11 countries) | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| Travel eSIM package revenue | $989 million (2024), $1.8 billion (2025) | Juniper Research, October 2025 |
| Travel eSIM retail spending | $3.8 billion (2025), nearly $12 billion (2030) | Kaleido Intelligence, 2025 |
| Traveller adoption of travel eSIM | 12% (2025), 31% (2030 forecast) | Kaleido Intelligence, 2025 |
| Travel eSIMs provisioned | About 70 million (2024), 280 million+ (2030) | FDM CCS Insight, September 2025 |
| Average travel eSIM spend per trip | $28 (+133%); roaming spend $42 (-9%) | Kaleido Intelligence traveller survey |
| UK adults who have used a travel eSIM | Almost a quarter (32% of recent holidaymakers) | FDM CCS Insight, January 2026 |
| Downloads of the top five travel eSIM apps | 36.4 million (2025) | Sensor Tower via TravelersToday, August 2026 |
The provider side has scaled with it. Airalo reported 20 million users in April 2025, raised $220 million at a valuation above $1 billion in July 2025 (Airalo, July 2025) and passed 30 million customers on June 2, 2026 (Airalo, June 2026). Holafly says it has sold more than 15 million eSIMs, earned about $200 million in revenue in 2024 and passed $500 million in cumulative revenue (Holafly, September 2025).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Airalo customers | 20 million (April 2025), 30 million (June 2026) | Airalo press releases |
| Airalo funding round and valuation | $220 million; over $1 billion | Airalo, July 2025 |
| Airalo unlimited data plan growth since Q3 2025 | 193% | Airalo, June 2026 |
| Holafly eSIMs sold | More than 15 million | Holafly, September 2025 |
| Holafly revenue | About $200 million (2024); $500 million+ cumulative | Holafly, September 2025 |
| Telefonica eSIMflag customers | 100,000 in six months | CCS Insight, February 2026 |
Context note: the Juniper and Kaleido revenue figures differ by roughly 2x for 2025 because Juniper counts package revenue while Kaleido counts traveller retail spending. A further CCS Insight estimate of 134 million travel eSIMs in 2026, up 32% from 101.8 million in 2025, was reported by TravelersToday; we could not open the underlying report.
6. Forecasts, IoT and the Road to 2030
Forecasters agree eSIM wins by 2030 but disagree on the size of the win. Kaleido Intelligence forecasts 4.5 billion eSIM connections across consumer and IoT segments in 2030, up from 500 million in 2024 (Kaleido Intelligence, 2025), while GSMA Intelligence expects 4.9 billion eSIM smartphone connections alone. Juniper Research counts 1.2 billion devices using eSIM in 2025, rising 30% to 1.5 billion in 2026 (Juniper Research, January 2026). The spread reflects different definitions (connections, devices, active profiles) as much as different optimism.
IoT is the second engine. GSMA’s SGP.32 specification for remote provisioning of IoT eSIMs, first published in 2023, is reaching commercial products; Kaleido Intelligence forecasts around 50 million SGP.32-compliant eSIMs under management by 2027. Juniper Research expects three IoT sectors (connected logistics, oil and gas, and smart street lighting) to add a combined 75 million eSIM connections in 2026. Our IoT statistics cover the wider connected-device base.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| eSIM connections, consumer and IoT | 500 million (2024), 4.5 billion (2030 forecast) | Kaleido Intelligence, 2025 |
| Devices using eSIM | 1.2 billion (2025), 1.5 billion (2026 forecast) | Juniper Research, January 2026 |
| New IoT eSIM connections from three sectors, 2026 | 75 million | Juniper Research, January 2026 |
| SGP.32-compliant eSIMs managed by 2027 | Around 50 million | Kaleido Intelligence, 2025 |
| Consumer eSIM profile downloads by 2029 | Over 1 billion | ABI Research, September 2025 |
| Smartphones supporting eSIM by 2030 | 82% (70% of all cellular devices) | Counterpoint Research, 2023 |
| GSMA Intelligence 2030 eSIM smartphone forecast | 6.7 billion (2022 edition) vs 4.9 billion (2025 edition) | GSMA Intelligence |
Context note: the Counterpoint 2030 device forecast dates from June 2023 (Light Reading) and is the most recent public version of that forecast we found (most recent available data: Counterpoint Research, 2023). On-device voice and calling features rely on a working cellular profile regardless of SIM format, and the IMS voice layer underneath is covered in our VoLTE and VoNR deployment statistics.
Summary: Consumer eSIM Adoption by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| eSIM share of smartphone connections, end 2025 | About 5% | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| eSIM share forecast, end 2026 | 10% | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| eSIM smartphone connections, 2030 | 4.9 billion (55%) | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| eSIM share in 2024 | 3% (nearly half in the US) | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| Global eSIM shipments, 2025 | 605 million (+18%) | Trusted Connectivity Alliance, 2026 |
| Consumer eSIM profile downloads, 2025 | +43% | Trusted Connectivity Alliance, 2026 |
| Smartphones lacking eSIM support | Over 70% | ABI Research, 2025 |
| eSIM-enabled device shipments, 2026 | Over 633 million | ABI Research, 2025 |
| eSIM-capable smartphone owners | 1.3 billion (3 billion+ by 2030) | FDM CCS Insight, 2025 |
| eSIM-only iPhone markets | 12 countries and regions | Apple via MacRumors, 2026 |
| China smartphone eSIM approval | October 13, 2025 | TechNode, 2025 |
| UK eSIM awareness | Nearly three-quarters (27% in 2022) | FDM CCS Insight, 2026 |
| Australian eSIM user switching rate | 24% vs 12% overall | Roy Morgan, 2026 |
| eSIM users who used it abroad | 51% | GSMA Intelligence, 2025 |
| Travel eSIM package revenue, 2025 | $1.8 billion (+85%) | Juniper Research, 2025 |
| Travel eSIM retail spending, 2030 | Nearly $12 billion | Kaleido Intelligence, 2025 |
| Travel eSIMs provisioned, 2030 | 280 million+ | FDM CCS Insight, 2025 |
| Airalo customers | 30 million (June 2026) | Airalo, 2026 |
| eSIM connections, consumer and IoT, 2030 | 4.5 billion | Kaleido Intelligence, 2025 |
| Devices using eSIM, 2026 | 1.5 billion | Juniper Research, 2026 |
Methodology and Sources
Every figure above was traced to the organization that produced it. GSMA Intelligence’s current forecasts sit behind a paywall, so its 2025 figures were read through trade-press summaries that name GSMA Intelligence as the source; its older forecasts were read on GSMA Intelligence’s own report pages. Unattributed figures circulating on eSIM vendor blogs were excluded.
- GSMA Intelligence: 2025 eSIM outlook as summarized by TelecomLead (August 2025) and Telecoms.com; eSIM: market progress, consumer behaviour and adoption to 2030 (July 2022); eSIM moving up the agenda (June 2020); eSIM: State of the consumer market (March 2021)
- GSMA Mobile Economy 2026 eSIM figures as reported by ynews.digital and 1GLOBAL
- Trusted Connectivity Alliance 2025 market data as reported by IoT Business News and Mobile News
- ABI Research: eSIM-enabled device shipments press release (September 2025)
- Juniper Research: Travel eSIMs Surge as Roaming Alternative (October 2025), eSIM Connections to Reach 1.5bn in 2026 (January 2026), iPhone Air and eSIM (September 2025)
- Kaleido Intelligence: eSIM Connections to Reach 4.5 Billion in 2030, Travel eSIM bundle (5,000 travellers, 20 markets)
- FDM CCS Insight: Travel eSIM market forecast (September 2025), UK mobile consumer survey (January 2026), Travel eSIM Market Continues to Fly (February 2026)
- Counterpoint Research: 2024 penetration figures via TechCrunch (December 2025); 2030 forecast via Light Reading (June 2023)
- Roy Morgan: eSIM users switching rate (May 2026)
- Device makers: Apple Newsroom, iPhone 14 (September 2022), MacRumors on iPhone 18 Pro eSIM-only markets (September 2026), Google Pixel Help, Learn more about eSIMs
- China launch: TechNode (October 2025)
- Travel eSIM providers: Airalo 30 million customers (June 2026), Airalo unicorn round (July 2025), Holafly $500 million milestone (September 2025), Holafly Global eSIM Index 2026
- Sensor Tower and CCS Insight 2026 travel figures as reported by TravelersToday (August 2026)
- Data watch: GSMA Intelligence’s 2025 penetration figures (5% in 2025, 10% in 2026) were read through press summaries because the report is paywalled, and the Telecoms.com and GSMA pages blocked automated access (403). Forecasts conflict: GSMA Intelligence (4.9 billion smartphone connections in 2030), Kaleido Intelligence (4.5 billion consumer and IoT connections in 2030) and Juniper Research (1.5 billion devices in 2026) use different units, and travel eSIM revenue estimates for 2025 range from $1.8 billion (Juniper, package revenue) to $3.8 billion (Kaleido, retail spending). GSMA Intelligence has cut its 2030 forecast from 6.7 billion to 4.9 billion since 2022. Counterpoint’s 2030 device forecast (2023) and GSMA Intelligence’s 2020 to 2022 operator counts are older than three years and shown as historical baselines. Holafly’s index figures are vendor estimates. The Roy Morgan data covers Australia only and the CCS Insight survey covers the UK only. Airalo, Holafly and Telefonica figures are company-reported. The CCS Insight 2026 travel eSIM count and Sensor Tower download figures were read through a news report, not the original documents.
Last updated: October 3, 2026. We update this roundup quarterly, and the next refresh is expected when the Trusted Connectivity Alliance publishes its 2026 SIM and eSIM market figures and GSMA Intelligence releases its updated eSIM forecast in early 2027.