eSIM Statistics: Adoption, Phones and Market Size

About 5% of smartphone connections used an eSIM at the end of 2025 (GSMA Intelligence). Travel eSIM package revenue reached US$1.8 billion in 2025 (Juniper Research). Apple's iPhone 17 is eSIM-only in 12 countries, including Mexico and Canada. AT&T and Verizon day passes cost $12 a day on eligible plans (October 2026).

Key numbers at a glance

Secondary means we read the figure through a third-party report, not the original. Each one is dated and linked in the sources below.

About 5% of smartphone connections worldwide used an eSIM at the end of 2025, according to GSMA Intelligence figures reported by telecoms.com (a secondary source). As reported by telecoms.com in early 2026, GSMA Intelligence expects roughly 10% by the end of 2026. GSMA is the industry body for mobile operators, and GSMA Intelligence is its research arm.

In 2024, eSIM made up about 3% of connections, and nearly half of those were in the US, as reported by telecoms.com citing GSMA Intelligence. Two things pushed 2025 forward: Apple extended eSIM-only iPhones to more countries, and Chinese operators launched smartphone eSIM, per the same report.

The long-term forecast got smaller

GSMA Intelligence now expects 4.9 billion eSIM smartphone connections by 2030, about 55% of all smartphone connections, as reported by telecoms.com. Its 2022 forecast was 6.7 billion, or 76% (GSMA Intelligence, July 2022). Adoption has been slower than the industry expected, which is worth remembering when you read bullish headlines.

The flip side of 5% is blunt: about 95% of smartphone connections are still on a physical SIM. eSIM is growing fast from a small base, and it is not yet the default for most of the world.

Juniper Research puts travel eSIM package revenue at US$1.8 billion in 2025, up 85% from US$989 million in 2024 (Juniper Research, October 2025). Juniper also expects operators to launch their own travel eSIMs in 2026 to defend roaming revenue. This is the revenue that eSIM providers book from the packages they sell.

Kaleido Intelligence, a telecoms research firm, reports US$3.3 billion in travel eSIM retail spend for 2025 (as reported on its site). That is a different measurement: it counts what travelers spend at retail, not what providers earn as package revenue. The gap between the two numbers is a difference in scope, not a disagreement.

We show both and never average them. If you need one number to cite, name the firm and the measure, as in: "Juniper Research counts US$1.8 billion in travel eSIM package revenue for 2025."

Several current phones have no SIM tray at all, so an eSIM is the only option. The list depends on where the phone was bought, not where you live now. This matters for travel: some phones bought in the US (iPhone 14 to 16, Pixel 10) cannot take a local plastic SIM abroad, but they can take a travel eSIM.

Apple lists the iPhone 17 family as eSIM-only in 12 countries and regions (Apple Support, October 2026). Apple supports eSIM from the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR onward, and iPhone 13 and later can run two eSIMs at once.

On Android, Google says Pixel 7 and later can run two eSIM profiles at once if the carrier supports it (Google Pixel Phone Help, October 2026). Many Android phones sold outside the US still have a physical SIM tray, and some budget models lack eSIM entirely. We found no reliable percentage for either, so we do not give one.

iSIM builds SIM functionality into the phone's main processor instead of using a separate chip. It still follows the GSMA remote provisioning standard, so a plan is added remotely much like an eSIM. A physical SIM is a card, an eSIM is a soldered chip, and an iSIM is a part of the processor itself.

The first GSMA-certified, commercially deployable iSIM was announced by Thales and Qualcomm on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform in February 2023 (as summarized by secondary sources). That is historical context, not current market data.

What we could not find

We found no primary GSMA count of iSIM smartphone shipments, and no source showing a mass-market phone sold with iSIM-only travel service. So far iSIM looks IoT and wearable led. Our own reading is that iSIM is not yet a factor for travelers in 2026. That is an inference, not a sourced statistic.

The average smartphone worldwide used 22 GB of mobile data a month at the end of 2025, and Latin America averaged about 15 GB (Ericsson Mobility Report, June 2026 edition). Ericsson is a network equipment maker that publishes the industry's standard traffic forecasts.

Ericsson also reports that 5G carried 48% of mobile data traffic at the end of 2025, with 85% forecast by 2031.

Be careful with these averages. They describe people using their home networks, including heavy home Wi-Fi offload and fixed wireless. They are not a tourist's usage abroad, so do not use them to pick a trip plan size. For that, read how much data you need when traveling.

AT&T and Verizon charge $12 a day for international day passes on eligible plans, as of October 2026. Other carriers and some postpaid plans (T-Mobile, for example) include data in some countries, so check your plan. AT&T's International Day Pass is $12 a day on land, $6 a day for each additional line used the same day, and covers 210+ destinations (AT&T, October 2026). Verizon's TravelPass is $12 per line per day plus taxes, and $6 in Canada and Mexico (Verizon, October 2026).

Verizon's pass slows to 3G speeds after 5 GB of high-speed data for the rest of the session (Verizon, October 2026). A week abroad on one line is $84 at $12 a day. That is simple multiplication, not a carrier figure. For a one or two day trip, a day pass is fine and simpler than setting up an eSIM.

Europe is different

The EU's roam-like-at-home rules, which let people use their home plan across the bloc at domestic prices, now run until 2032 under Regulation (EU) 2022/612 (European Commission). They cover the 27 EU states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, with Ukraine and Moldova added from 1 January 2026. The UK is excluded.

Roam-like-at-home does not apply in Latin America. That is why a US or European plan behaves so differently when you land in Mexico, Colombia or Costa Rica. For a full cost comparison, see roaming vs travel eSIM.

The numbers say eSIM is growing quickly and is still a minority technology. With about 95% of connections on a physical SIM, plenty of travelers will have a phone with no eSIM support, or one locked to a carrier. Check yours first with our eSIM compatibility checker before you buy a plan.

If your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked, a travel eSIM lets you land with data already working and skip a kiosk queue. See our install guide, and if something goes wrong, what to do when your eSIM is not working. You can also chat with us any time.

eSIM is not always the right call. A carrier day pass is simple for a one or two day trip, and on a long stay a local SIM can cost less per GB. We lay out that trade-off in eSIM vs local SIM. Browse our eSIM plans when you are ready.

How to cite these numbers

Name the firm, the measure and the date, as in this page. Where we label a figure secondary, we read it through a third-party report and recommend checking the original before you republish it. Last checked October 2026.