--- title: "Voice Search Statistics 2026: Adoption, Devices & SEO Data" date: 2026-05-12 author: "Sofia Ramirez" featured_image: "https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/voice-search-statistics.jpg" categories: - name: "Technology" url: "/technology.md" tags: - name: "Statistics" url: "/tag/statistics.md" --- # Voice Search Statistics 2026: Adoption, Devices & SEO Data [Smart speaker ownership](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/smart-speaker-statistics/) in the United States sits at **35%** of Americans aged 12 and older, an estimated **101 million** people, after four consecutive years hovering near one-third, according to Edison Research’s Infinite Dial 2025 study. Roughly **27.6%** of online adults aged 16 to 64 worldwide use voice assistants every week (around 3 in 10, approximately one-third of that demographic), per DataReportal’s Digital 2025 Global Overview Report. The voice search story has split in two: dedicated speakers have stalled while voice queries on smartphones, in cars, and inside apps keep climbing. Data below pairs with SQ Magazine’s [voice assistant usage data](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/voice-assistant-usage-statistics/), which tracks the device-level cohort behind these queries. ## Key Takeaways - **35%** of Americans aged 12+ own an AI speaker, a level that Edison Research reports has held steady for four years. - Roughly **27.6%** of online adults aged 16 to 64 worldwide use a voice AI weekly (around 3 in 10), per DataReportal (approximately one-third of the cohort). - **54%** of UK adults have used a digital assistant in the past three months, with **41%** of UK households owning a voice-enabled speaker, according to Ofcom. - About **58%** of consumers use voice search to find local business information, with “near me” voice queries up **150%** since 2020, per BrightLocal. - Google Assistant leads the US market with **91.9 million** users in 2025, ahead of Siri at **86.5 million** and Alexa at **77.2 million** (figures reported about the calendar year), per EMARKETER. - Connected-speaker owners request an average of **12.4 tasks** per device weekly, up from **7.5** in 2017, the NPR/Edison Smart Audio study finds. - **71%** of consumers say they would prefer voice search to find product prices, per PwC’s Consumer Intelligence Series. ## Editor’s Choice - US voice assistant users will reach **168.2 million** by 2029, up from **139.8 million** in 2022, a net rise of roughly **28.4 million** users (as discussed across the EMARKETER forecast). - The UK leads US AI-speaker ownership by **10 percentage points**: **45%** of UK adults aged 16+ vs **35%** of Americans aged 12+, per Edison’s data. - Digital-assistant brand share in the UK: Alexa at **66%**, Google Assistant at **31%**, Siri at **28%**, per Ofcom’s 2025 Audio Report. - **43%** of US owners have three or more of these devices in their household, per Edison’s Infinite Dial 2024. - Voice-enabled speakers account for **18%** of UK radio listening, up **2 percentage points** from the previous quarter, the regulator reports. - US voice AI users will grow to **170.3 million** by 2028 from **145.1 million** in 2023, a CAGR of **3.3%**, per EMARKETER’s earlier 2024 forecast. - **57%** of voice command users issue voice commands daily, the NPR/Edison Smart Audio study finds. ## Recent Developments - In March 2025, Edison Research published the Infinite Dial 2025, surveying **5,020 individuals** aged 12+ in January 2025; results show US AI-speaker ownership at **35%**, a one-point uptick from 2024 but still inside the four-year plateau range. - In May 2025, Ofcom released its Audio Listening in the UK 2025 report, confirming **54%** of UK adults used a voice AI in the past three months and that home speakers drive **18%** of UK radio listening. - In July 2025, Ofcom published the Communications Market Report 2025, putting UK household speaker penetration at **41%**. - In April 2025, the Edison firm reported UK home-speaker reach had hit **45%** of the 16+ population, up from **25%** four years earlier, formally outpacing US adoption by **10 percentage points**. - In February 2026 (2026-02-04), [Amazon](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/amazon-statistics/) made Alexa+, its generative AI assistant built on Amazon Nova and Anthropic large language models, generally available to all US customers, free to Prime members, and **$19.99 per month** for standalone access. - In 2025, EMARKETER’s Voice Assistant User Forecast projected roughly **91.9 million** US Google Assistant users that year, with Siri at **86.5 million** and Alexa at **77.2 million**, all figures rounded to the nearest tenth and reported about the calendar year. ## Voice Search User Counts and Adoption Rates - Roughly **27.6%** of online adults aged 16 to 64 worldwide use voice assistants every week (around 3 in 10, approximately a third), per DataReportal’s Digital 2025 Global Overview Report. - Nearly **20.5%** of online adults worldwide engaged with voice search in mid-2024 (around 1 in 5, approximately one-fifth), the DataReportal report shows. - US voice AI users will reach **168.2 million** by 2029, up from **139.8 million** in 2022, per EMARKETER’s 2025 forecast (the report talks about a steady upward curve). - An earlier EMARKETER 2024 forecast pegged the cohort at **170.3 million** US users by 2028, climbing from **145.1 million** in 2023, a CAGR of **3.3%**. - Pew Research Center’s foundational 2017 survey found **46%** of US adults used voice-controlled digital assistants, with **42%** using them on smartphones, **14%** on a computer or tablet, and **8%** on a stand-alone home-speaker device. - Global active voice AI footprint puts roughly **3 in 10** online adults aged 16 to 64 in the weekly-use cohort (around one-third, approximately a third), the DataReportal data finds. - EMARKETER’s 2029 endpoint represents a net addition of **28.4 million** new voice assistant users in the United States from 2022 (the figure many analysts have written about). MetricValueYearRegionInternet users 16-64 using voice assistants weekly27.6%2025GlobalInternet users engaging with voice search20.5%mid-2024GlobalUS voice assistant users139.8M to 168.2M2022-2029United StatesUS voice assistant users (earlier forecast)145.1M to 170.3M2023-2028United StatesCAGR of US voice assistant user base3.3%2023-2028United StatesUS adults using voice assistants (baseline)46%2017United StatesNet new US voice assistant users28.4M2022-2029United States*Source: EMARKETER, DataReportal, Pew Research Center* ## US Smart Speaker Ownership Has Plateaued at 35% - The 2025 Edison study reports **35%** of Americans aged 12+ own at least one voice-enabled speaker, an estimated **101 million** people. - Home-speaker ownership has hovered around one-third of Americans for four consecutive years, per Edison’s data. - Ownership in 2024 was **34%**, down two points from **36%** in 2023, before the one-point recovery in 2025, the Infinite Dial 2024 reports. - **43%** of US owners have three or more of these devices in their household, per the research firm. - Among current owners, **22%** had listened to audio through their device in the prior month and **18%** in the prior week, the Infinite Dial 2025 finds. - Earlier NPR/Edison Smart Audio survey data put US adult ownership at **35%** in 2022, illustrating the long plateau. - IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Devices Tracker projected speaker shipments would fall **8.8%** in 2024 before recovering to **0.7%** growth in 2025. YearUS Smart Speaker Ownership (12+)Notes2022~35% (18+)NPR/Edison Smart Audio Report202336%Edison Infinite Dial 2023202434%Edison Infinite Dial 2024202535%Edison Infinite Dial 2025*Source: Edison Research, NPR Smart Audio Report* > **By the numbers:** US AI-speaker reach has stalled near **35%** of Americans aged 12+ for four straight years per the 2025 Edison study. The data points to a market shifting from device acquisition to deeper engagement on devices already in homes, and on smartphones, where voice queries remain dominant. Voice search keeps growing through pre-installed assistants on Android and iPhone, alongside SQ Magazine’s [Google search statistics](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/google-search-statistics/) coverage of those device footprints. ## Voice Assistant Brand Share: Google vs Siri vs Alexa - Google Assistant leads US voice AI users at **91.9 million** in 2025, per EMARKETER (a figure widely talked about across the industry). - Siri ranks second in the US at **86.5 million** users in 2025, the EMARKETER forecast shows (a number quoted in stories about the brand-share gap). - Alexa ranks third in the US at **77.2 million** users in 2025, the EMARKETER data shows (commentary about Alexa’s plateau has cited this figure). - Google Assistant grew from **81.5 million** US users in 2022 to **88.8 million** in 2024, the EMARKETER brand-level chart shows. - In the UK, the brand order flips: **66%** of digital assistant users choose Alexa, more than double the **31%** using Google Assistant and the **28%** using Siri, per Ofcom’s 2025 audio study. - Many UK voice AI users rely on multiple platforms, since the brand-share figures sum above 100% in Ofcom’s data. - The 2025 EMARKETER spread between Google Assistant at the top and Alexa in third place comes to **14.7 million** US users (a gap analysts often write about). ![Top Voice Assistants Ranked By Users](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/top-voice-assistants-ranked-by-users.jpg "Top Voice Assistants Ranked by Users") ## UK Voice Search Adoption Outpaces the US - UK AI-speaker ownership reached **45%** of adults aged 16+ in 2025, up from **25%** four years earlier, per Edison’s UK study. - The UK leads the US by **10 percentage points** in home-speaker ownership: **45%** vs **35%**, per Edison’s data. - **54%** of UK adults reported using a voice AI in the past three months, per Ofcom’s 2025 audio study. - **41%** of UK households own a voice-enabled speaker, per Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2025. - These devices account for **18%** of UK radio listening, up **2 percentage points** from the previous quarter, the regulator reports. - **63%** of UK speaker owners tap the device for music streaming and **57%** turn to it for live radio, the Ofcom data shows. - **54%** of UK voice AI users who listen to the radio do so via a home speaker, compared with **20%** via smartphone, according to Ofcom. MetricUKUSSmart speaker ownership (adults)45% (16+)35% (12+)Voice assistant past-3-month use54%not reportedSmart speaker household penetration41%not directly reportedSmart speaker share of radio listening18%not reported*Source: Edison Research, Ofcom Audio Report 2025, Ofcom Communications Market Report 2025* Age splits below echo patterns seen in SQ Magazine’s [attention span statistics](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/social-media-attention-span-statistics/) coverage. ## Voice Search Demographics by Age Group - **55%** of US adults aged 18 to 49 used digital assistants in Pew Research’s foundational survey, compared with **37%** of those aged 50 and older. - **29%** of US adults under 50 had a home speaker device, vs **19%** of those aged 50 and older, the Pew survey shows. - **42%** of US adults reported using digital assistants on a [smartphone](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/smartphone-statistics/), **14%** on a computer or tablet, and **8%** on a stand-alone home-speaker device, the Pew data finds. - One-quarter of US adults reported having a voice-enabled speaker in their home in Pew Research’s 2019 follow-up. - Among all US adults surveyed by Pew, **46%** used voice-controlled digital assistants overall. - DataReportal’s 2025 global figure of roughly **27.6%** weekly voice AI use covers online adults aged 16 to 64 only (around two-thirds of the under-65 cohort, approximately one-third weekly). ![US Voice Assistant and Smart Speaker Trends by Age Group](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/us-voice-assistant-and-smart-speaker-trends-by-age-group.jpg "US Voice Assistant and Smart Speaker Trends by Age Group") ## Voice Search Frequency: How Often People Use It - **57%** of voice command users issue voice commands daily, the NPR/Edison Smart Audio Report finds. - Connected-speaker owners request an average of **12.4 tasks** per device weekly, up from **7.5** in 2017, the same report shows. - **22%** of US owners listened to audio through their device in the prior month, and **18%** did so in the prior week, the Infinite Dial 2025 reports. - Roughly **3 in 10** online adults aged 16 to 64 globally use a voice AI each week (around one-third of the cohort, approximately a third weekly), the DataReportal report shows. - Weekly task volume per connected-speaker household has risen **65%** from the 2017 baseline, derived from the NPR/Edison **7.5** to **12.4** task progression. - Mid-2024 global voice search engagement reached roughly **20.5%** of online adults (around 1 in 5, approximately one-fifth), the DataReportal data shows. ![Global Voice Assistant Adoption and Usage Frequency](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/global-voice-assistant-adoption-and-usage-frequency.jpg "Global Voice Assistant Adoption and Usage Frequency") ## Voice Commerce and Voice Shopping Statistics - **24%** of consumers have used digital assistants for online shopping, the PwC Consumer Intelligence Series finds. - **40%** of voice AI users have tapped the technology to search for product information, the PwC research shows. - **71%** of consumers say they would prefer voice search to find product prices, according to the PwC report. - **41%** of consumers tap voice queries to find grocery stores, **40%** rely on it to find what items a business has in stock, and **32%** turn to it for clothing stores, the PwC findings show. - **49%** of voice shopping consumers use a digital assistant because it is easier, and **44%** find shopping with the AI assistant faster, the same PwC study reports. - PwC’s 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey of **20,662 consumers** across **31 countries** found that more than half of consumers are comfortable using AI to replace human interaction for low-risk activities such as drafting emails and tracking orders. ![How Consumers Use Voice Assistants for Shopping and Search](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/how-consumers-use-voice-assistants-for-shopping-and-search.jpg "How Consumers Use Voice Assistants for Shopping and Search") > **Key finding:** PwC’s Consumer Intelligence Series found **71%** of consumers prefer voice search to find product prices, **40%** use it for product information, and **24%** have used voice assistants for online shopping. The pattern points to voice as a discovery and price-comparison layer, not a closed-loop purchase channel for most consumers. ## Voice Search for Local Business Discovery - About **58%** of consumers tap voice queries to find local business information, per BrightLocal’s Consumer Search Behavior research. - “Near me” voice queries grew about **150%** since 2020, per BrightLocal. - About **76%** of voice searches include a local intent component, such as “near me” or another local modifier, per BrightLocal. - **41%** of US consumers turn to voice queries to find grocery stores, the PwC research finds. - **40%** of US consumers tap voice queries to find what items a local business has in stock, the PwC data shows. - **32%** of US consumers rely on voice queries to find clothing stores, the same PwC study reports. ![Local Voice Search Trends and Consumer Behavior](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/local-voice-search-trends-and-consumer-behavior.jpg "Local Voice Search Trends and Consumer Behavior") ## Voice Search SEO Impact and Result Page Characteristics - About **58%** of consumers tap voice queries to find local business information, per BrightLocal. - About **76%** of voice search queries carry local intent, raising the SEO value of local pack and local business listing optimization, per BrightLocal. - Of Ofcom’s UK data, **63%** of UK speaker owners use the device to listen to music streaming, and **57%** use it for live radio, indicating that audio queries dominate the SEO surface for these devices. - **71%** of UK voice AI users tap the device to listen to radio stations, the Ofcom data shows. - BrightLocal’s “near me” growth figure of about **150%** since 2020 reframes voice [SEO](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/google-seo-statistics/) as a local-discovery problem, not a long-form-content problem. - **40%** of voice AI users have tapped the technology to search for product information, raising commerce-page schema and structured data signals as voice SEO priorities, the PwC findings show. SEO SignalVoice Search ImplicationSourceLocal intent in queries~76% localBrightLocal“Near me” query growth+150% since 2020BrightLocalLocal business voice search use58% of consumersBrightLocalUK voice assistant audio queries71% radio, 71% other audioOfcomProduct info via voice40% of usersPwC*Source: BrightLocal, Ofcom Audio Report 2025, PwC* ## Voice Search by Device Type (Smartphone, Speaker, Car) - **42%** of US adults reported using digital assistants on a smartphone, the Pew survey notes. - **14%** used a digital assistant on a computer or tablet, the same Pew data shows. - **8%** of US adults used a voice AI on a stand-alone home speaker such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, according to the foundational Pew survey reports. - In the UK, **54%** of voice AI users who listen to the radio make voice requests via a home speaker, compared with **20%** via smartphone, the regulator notes. - The latest Edison study reports the US AI-speaker reach at 35% of Americans aged 12+, putting the US footprint at **101 million** people. - Among UK speaker owners, **63%** stream music and **57%** listen to live radio on the device, the Ofcom audio study reports. DeviceVoice Assistant UseRegionSmartphone42% of adultsUS (Pew)Computer/tablet14% of adultsUS (Pew)Stand-alone home speaker8% of adultsUS (Pew)Smart speaker for radio (voice)54% of voice assistant usersUK (Ofcom)Smartphone for radio (voice)20% of voice assistant usersUK (Ofcom)*Source: Pew Research Center, Ofcom Audio Report 2025, Edison Research* ## Privacy Concerns and Non-Adoption Reasons Privacy concerns sit alongside SQ Magazine’s [voice phishing statistics](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/voice-phishing-statistics/) on rising voice-fraud risk. - **61%** of non-users say they are just not interested in the tool, the Pew survey reports. - **28%** of non-users say they do not engage with digital assistants because none of the devices they own have the feature, the Pew data shows. - **27%** of non-users say they avoid voice AI because they are concerned about privacy, the same survey notes. - **83%** of consumers worldwide say protection of their personal data is essential to earning their trust, per PwC’s 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey. - **80%** of consumers demand assurances about the privacy of their personal information, the PwC survey finds. - PwC’s 2024 cohort of **20,662 consumers** across **31 countries** treats data protection as a baseline trust signal. ![Why Consumers Avoid Voice Assistants](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/why-consumers-avoid-voice-assistants.jpg "Why Consumers Avoid Voice Assistants") ## Voice Assistants for Audio: Radio, Podcasts, Music - **71%** of UK voice AI users tap the device to listen to radio stations, the regulator reports. - **71%** of UK voice AI users also tap the device for other audio, including music streaming and podcasts, the same study finds. - These devices account for **18%** of UK radio listening, up **2 percentage points** from the previous quarter, the Ofcom data shows. - Among UK speaker owners, **63%** tap the device for music streaming and **57%** for live radio, according to the Ofcom audio study notes. - Owners of these devices request an average of **12.4 tasks** per device weekly, up from **7.5** in 2017, the NPR/Edison Smart Audio Report finds. - **22%** of US speaker owners had listened to audio through the device in the prior month, and **18%** did so in the prior week, per Edison’s Infinite Dial 2025. Audio Behavior on Voice DevicesShareRegionVoice assistant users listening to radio71%UKVoice assistant users listening to other audio71%UKSmart speaker share of UK radio listening18%UKSmart speaker owners using music streaming63%UKSmart speaker owners using live radio57%UKUS speaker owners listening, prior month22%USUS speaker owners listening, prior week18%US*Source: Ofcom Audio Report 2025, Edison Research, NPR/Edison Smart Audio Report* ## Voice Search Growth Forecast Through 2029 Forecasts from EMARKETER, IDC, and DataReportal converge on slow but durable user growth. Pairs with SQ Magazine’s [browser market share data](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/web-browser-usage-statistics/) on the broader query interface mix. - EMARKETER’s 2025 forecast projects US voice AI users will reach **168.2 million** by 2029, up from **139.8 million** in 2022 (the trajectory most analysts write about). - The 2022 to 2029 net addition runs to **28.4 million** US users, per EMARKETER (a figure cited across reports about the channel). - EMARKETER’s earlier 2024 forecast pegged the US digital-assistant cohort at **170.3 million** by 2028, climbing from **145.1 million** in 2023, a CAGR of **3.3%**. - IDC projected voice-enabled-speaker shipments would decline **8.8%** in 2024 and recover to **0.7%** growth in 2025, per its Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Devices Tracker. - Google Assistant’s 2025 US user base of **91.9 million** sets it ahead of Siri’s **86.5 million** and Alexa’s **77.2 million**, per EMARKETER (a ranking that has held steady, the firm has talked about). - Global weekly voice AI use among online adults aged 16 to 64 sits at roughly **27.6%** (around 3 in 10, approximately one-third) as of early 2025, per DataReportal. Forecast WindowMetricValue2022 to 2029US voice assistant users139.8M to 168.2M2023 to 2028US voice assistant users (earlier)145.1M to 170.3M2023 to 2028CAGR3.3%2022 to 2029Net new US users+28.4M2024Smart speaker shipment change-8.8%2025Smart speaker shipment change+0.7%*Source: EMARKETER, IDC, DataReportal* ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) **How many people use voice search globally?**Roughly **27.6%** of online adults aged 16 to 64 worldwide use a voice assistant every week (around 3 in 10), according to DataReportal’s Digital 2025 Global Overview Report. Nearly **20.5%** of the same cohort engaged with voice search specifically in mid-2024. The active weekly slice spans approximately three in ten online adults under 65 globally. **What percentage of Americans own a smart speaker?**The 2025 Edison Research study puts the US AI-speaker reach at **35%** of Americans aged 12 and older, an estimated **101 million** people. The figure has held near one-third of the population for four consecutive years, suggesting the home-speaker market has reached a plateau in the United States. Of those owners, **43%** have three or more devices in their household, the Infinite Dial 2024 reports. **Who is the leader: Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa?**Google Assistant leads the US market with **91.9 million** users in 2025, ahead of Siri at **86.5 million** and Alexa at **77.2 million**, according to EMARKETER’s Voice Assistant User Forecast (a snapshot widely talked about). The brand order flips in the UK, where Ofcom data shows Alexa at **66%** of voice AI users, more than double Google Assistant’s **31%** and Siri’s **28%**. **How do UK and US voice search adoption compare?**The UK leads the US in AI-speaker ownership by **10 percentage points**: **45%** of UK adults aged 16 and older own one of these devices, versus **35%** of Americans aged 12 and older, per Edison Research. Ofcom reports **41%** of UK households own a home speaker. These devices drive **18%** of UK radio listening. **What share of voice searches are local?**About **76%** of voice searches include a local intent component such as “near me” or another local modifier, per BrightLocal. “Near me” voice queries have grown about **150%** since 2020, and about **58%** of consumers use voice search to find local business information. Local business discovery is now the dominant voice search use case for most consumers. **Why do people avoid voice assistants?**According to Pew Research, **61%** of non-users simply are not interested in voice AI, **28%** say none of their devices have the feature, and **27%** cite privacy concerns. PwC’s 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey found **83%** of consumers worldwide consider data protection essential to earning their trust, signaling that privacy concerns remain a structural drag on voice AI adoption. ## Conclusion US AI-speaker reach has held near **35%** of Americans aged 12 and older for four years, the 2025 Edison study reports. Roughly **27.6%** of online adults aged 16 to 64 globally now use a voice AI weekly (around one-third of the under-65 cohort, approximately a third overall), the DataReportal report shows. Across SQ Magazine’s platform statistics coverage, the consistent pattern is engagement depth rising even as user growth slows. Voice fits that pattern: per-user task volume has climbed from **7.5** to **12.4** weekly requests since 2017, even as device counts have stalled. The winners are operators who already own a voice AI footprint: Google through Android, Apple through iPhone, and Amazon through the installed base. Local businesses with strong Google Business Profiles and structured data benefit from the **150%** rise in “near me” voice queries since 2020. The question for this year is whether Alexa’s UK-leading **66%** digital-assistant share, paired with home speakers driving **18%** of UK radio listening, signals what the US engagement curve looks like at maturity.