Rise Above Research Estimates Over 2.3 Trillion Images Will Be Taken Worldwide By 2028

February 23, 2024

Sparta, NJ – February 22, 2024 – The number of photos captured globally each year is now well in the trillions. Driven primarily by the number of smartphones in use and their continued popularity for capturing photos, Rise Above Research estimates that the annual number of photos captured globally will grow to over 2.3 trillion by 2028.

“Photography continues to play a significant role in most everyone’s lives, from taking photos during special events to simple everyday moments,” said Ed Lee, director and founder of Rise Above Research. “Both a challenge and an opportunity for the photo industry is helping people unlock the untapped value of these images, including the trillions that are already saved on consumer devices. With the advances in the artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its use cases, we can envision services that incorporate AI that catalog these images and recommend things to do with them or products to make with them.”

With the taking and sharing of photos with smartphones showing no signs of slowing down, the number of photos taken globally is expected to grow at a linear rate from 2024. The number of photos that are saved is estimated to reach over 11 trillion images in 2024 and will continue growing as well.

The 2024 Worldwide Image Capture Forecast report provides a five-year forecast for the number of photos expected to be take globally. It also includes the shares of photos taken by smartphones, cameras, and tablets; which regions of the world are most photo-active; and the cumulative number of photos saved.

More details about this report are available in the Report Store.

About Rise Above Research, LLC

Rise Above Research, LLC is an independent market intelligence and strategic consulting firm that supports industry vendors, service providers, and retailers with actionable intelligence to assist them in making effective decisions in fast-paced photography and imaging markets. Established in 2020, Rise Above Research has extensive experience providing groundbreaking market research and strategic consulting for the digital imaging industry.