Apple’s 10-K filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission record 217.7 million iPhone units in fiscal 2018, the last year the company published a hard unit count. Summed across fiscal 2007 to 2018, those filings total roughly 1.47 billion iPhones.
Starting in fiscal Q1 2019, Apple stopped reporting iPhone unit sales entirely, so every “iPhones sold” figure since is an analyst estimate. The reported years below come straight from Apple’s SEC filings; the estimate years draw from research firms such as the International Data Corporation.
Key Takeaways
- Apple’s 10-K filings record an all-time annual peak of 231.2 million iPhone units sold in fiscal 2015, driven by the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
- The reported curve dipped only once: fiscal 2016 fell to 211.9 million units from the prior year’s peak, the single year-over-year decline in the reported era.
- Apple’s last published annual figure was 217.7 million units in fiscal 2018 before unit reporting stopped.
- The iPhone’s first partial year on the market, fiscal 2007, recorded 1.4 million units after a June 2007 launch.
- IDC projected Apple’s 2025 shipments would reach a forecast record of 247 million units, up 6.1% year over year, the estimate-era high.
- Apple’s installed base reached more than 2.5 billion active devices as of its fiscal Q1 2026 results, a figure that spans all Apple hardware rather than iPhones alone.
Editor’s Choice
- Fiscal 2015 peak: 231.2 million iPhones sold.
- Fiscal 2018, the final reported year: 217.7 million units and $166.7 billion in iPhone net sales.
- Estimated 2024 shipments: 232.1 million units, holding an 18.7% global smartphone share, per the International Data Corporation.
- Forecast 2025 shipments: IDC projects a record 247 million units worth more than $261 billion.
- Active Apple devices: Over 2.5 billion worldwide as of early 2026.
- Launch-year sales: 1.4 million iPhones in fiscal 2007.
iPhone Units Sold by Fiscal Year (Reported, FY2007-FY2018)
- Apple’s SEC filings show a first reported year of 1.4 million units in fiscal 2007, a partial year after the June launch.
- Volume crossed 11.6 million units in fiscal 2008 and 20.7 million in fiscal 2009.
- Fiscal 2010 saw 40.0 million units sold, climbing to 72.3 million in fiscal 2011.
- The iPhone passed 125.0 million units in fiscal 2012 as the smartphone went mainstream.
- Apple reported 150.3 million units in fiscal 2013 and 169.2 million in fiscal 2014.
- Fiscal 2015 marked the reported peak at 231.2 million units, a figure Apple has never disclosed beating.
- The reported run closed with 216.8 million units in fiscal 2017 and 217.7 million in fiscal 2018.
Apple’s fiscal year ends in late September, so each figure below covers the 12 months to that point. The reported per-unit figures in this table come from Apple’s Form 10-K filings; figures for the years after Apple stopped reporting units are analyst estimates. Those filings, lodged with the SEC, are the highest-trust source available for this data.
| Fiscal Year | iPhone Units Sold (millions) | iPhone Net Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1.4 | not separately reported |
| 2008 | 11.6 | not separately reported |
| 2009 | 20.7 | not separately reported |
| 2010 | 40.0 | not separately reported |
| 2011 | 72.3 | not separately reported |
| 2012 | 125.0 | not separately reported |
| 2013 | 150.3 | $91.3 billion |
| 2014 | 169.2 | $102.0 billion |
| 2015 | 231.2 | $155.0 billion |
| 2016 | 211.9 | $136.7 billion |
| 2017 | 216.8 | $141.3 billion |
| 2018 | 217.7 | $166.7 billion |
Source: Apple Form 10-K filings, SEC EDGAR (FY2009, FY2010, FY2012, FY2015, FY2018)
By the numbers: Apple’s reported iPhone sales ran from 1.4 million units in fiscal 2007 to a peak of 231.2 million in fiscal 2015, a steep rise across eight years before the curve flattened. The full reported series, audited and filed with the SEC, is the only iPhone unit data Apple has ever formally stood behind.
The iPhone Growth Curve and Its 2016 Inflection
Recent Developments
- IDC’s December 2025 forecast projected Apple’s full-year 2025 shipments would reach a forecast record of 247 million units, up 6.1% year over year.
- The same forecast projected Apple’s 2025 smartphone business at more than $261 billion, a forecast up 7.2% year over year.
- For 2024, IDC estimated Apple shipped 232.1 million iPhones for an 18.7% global share.
- Apple reported in January 2026 that its installed base topped 2.5 billion active devices across all product lines.
- IDC tied the 2025 surge to strong demand for the iPhone 17 series, including a sharp acceleration in China.
Why Apple Stopped Reporting iPhone Unit Sales
Worth noting: Because Apple discontinued unit reporting from fiscal Q1 2019 onward, no figure after fiscal 2018 carries Apple’s own audited backing. Research firms reconstruct shipment estimates from supply-chain and channel data, which is rigorous but methodologically different from the sell-through counts Apple once published.
iPhone Shipments in the Estimate Era (FY2019-Present)
| Period | Apple iPhone Shipments (millions) |
|---|---|
| 2024 (IDC estimate) | 232.1 |
| 2025 (IDC estimate) | 247.0 |
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, January and December 2025
Apple’s Global Smartphone Market Share
How Many iPhones Have Been Sold in Total?
A clean, verifiable total covers only the reported years. The 12 reported fiscal years from 2007 through 2018 sum to roughly 1.47 billion iPhones, a figure that rests entirely on SEC-filed data. Apple itself has never published a cumulative iPhone total.
Any lifetime total beyond fiscal 2018 mixes audited figures with estimates; headline claims of 3 billion cumulative iPhones extend the reported base with unconfirmed shipment estimates.
Key finding: The only iPhone total Apple has formally stood behind is the 217.7 million units of fiscal 2018 and the audited annual figures before it. Every cumulative number past that point is a reconstruction, not a disclosed figure.
iPhone Revenue Versus Units: The Story ASP Tells
How Many Active iPhones Are There?
Active devices, not annual sales, became Apple’s preferred yardstick. The company reported more than 2.5 billion active devices in its installed base as of fiscal Q1 2026. Apple’s count spans iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and other hardware, so it overstates the iPhone-only figure.
Apple no longer breaks out active iPhones separately, so any iPhone-specific active count is an estimate, and a different measure from iPhones sold.
Best-Selling iPhone Years and the Model Cycle
That reported peak aligns neatly with a specific product. Fiscal 2015’s record reflected strong demand for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the first large-screen iPhones. That iPhone 6 cycle remains the high-water mark in Apple’s audited data.
- The fiscal 2015 peak of 231.2 million units coincided with the iPhone 6 generation.
- iPhone average selling prices rose 11% in fiscal 2015 on the larger-screen mix.
- IDC tied Apple’s record 2025 forecast to the iPhone 17 series.
Because Apple stopped reporting units before later models shipped, no individual iPhone model has a lifetime sales figure direct from Apple. Per-model best-seller rankings online are channel-data estimates.
Did Apple sell the most iPhones in 2015?
Yes, by Apple’s own reported figures. Fiscal 2015 was the reported peak at 231.2 million units, and Apple has never published a higher annual number. Later years may have shipped more on an estimated basis, but the International Data Corporation’s 2025 figure of 247 million units is a forecast estimate, not a reported Apple disclosure, so it is not directly comparable to the 2015 record.
How many iPhones does Apple sell each year now?
Apple no longer says. The company stopped reporting iPhone unit sales from fiscal Q1 2019. The best available proxy is third-party shipment data: the International Data Corporation estimated roughly 232.1 million units in 2024 and forecast a projected 247 million in 2025, both as channel-shipment estimates rather than Apple-confirmed sales.
Conclusion
Apple’s verifiable iPhone story runs from 1.4 million units in fiscal 2007 to the 217.7 million units of fiscal 2018, summing to roughly 1.47 billion reported units before the company went quiet on the metric. The reported peak remains fiscal 2015’s 231.2 million units. Everything after fiscal 2018, including the International Data Corporation’s record 247 million-unit estimate for 2025, comes from analysts rather than Apple. The practical takeaway is to read reported and estimated figures as two separate datasets.
