Which websites dominate mobile versus desktop traffic worldwide?
Executive summary
Most recent publisher and analytics tallies show mobile devices account for roughly 60–64% of global web traffic in 2025, with desktop making up roughly 36–40%—a clear global majority for mobile but meaningful desktop pockets remain (examples: 64.35% mobile per Exploding Topics; 60.5% per VisualCapitalist) [1] [2]. Regional and industry splits matter: Asia and Africa skew strongly mobile-first, while countries such as Japan and parts of North America retain higher desktop shares in specific categories [3] [1].
1. Mobile’s global lead: the headline numbers
Multiple compilations put mobile traffic solidly above half of all visits in 2025: Exploding Topics reports 64.35% mobile as of May 2025 [1], Mobiloud lists 62.45% mobile [4], and VisualCapitalist summarizes July 2025 at 60.5% mobile [2]. These figures converge on the same story: mobile generates the majority of pageviews worldwide, with small differences driven by data sources, time windows and methodology [1] [4] [2].
2. Desktop hasn’t disappeared—where it still matters
Desktop remains a meaningful minority and often drives higher-value engagement. Several sources show desktop shares in the high 30s to low 40s percent range (roughly 36–40%) depending on the dataset and quarter [2] [5] [6]. Country-level exceptions exist: Digital Silk flags Japan as desktop-dominant at about 55.8% desktop vs 44.2% mobile, and Canada’s split is reported close to even with a desktop edge in some samples [3].
3. Regional patterns and industry differences
Regional variation is significant. Exploding Topics notes Africa has the highest mobile proportion (around 69.13% in its dataset) and Asia shows strong mobile-first behavior; VisualCapitalist and other summaries point to Asia and Africa leading mobile dominance [1] [2]. North America and parts of Europe are more balanced—many analyses still find mobile leading but by smaller margins; specific industries (news, social, short video) are overwhelmingly mobile whereas B2B tools, enterprise SaaS, and many productivity tasks still attract disproportionate desktop traffic [7] [8].
4. Why numbers differ: methodology, windows and definitions
Published percentages vary because vendors use different inputs: site-sample mixes (publishers vs panel data), time periods (monthly vs rolling averages), and what counts as “web” versus app traffic. StatCounter, SimilarWeb, Exploding Topics, Mobiloud and publisher blogs each use distinct methodologies, producing mobile estimates from about 58% up to 64% [6] [9] [1] [4] [7]. Analysts must check whether figures include app sessions, only browser pageviews, or both; those choices materially change the headline share [5].
5. Practical implications for publishers, advertisers and product teams
Publishers report mobile consistently outpacing desktop for audience volume, pushing many newsrooms toward mobile-first design and formats [7]. Marketers should note that mobile brings scale while desktop often delivers longer sessions and higher conversion value in some verticals; several pieces advise maintaining both optimized mobile experiences and desktop workflows for high-value users [5] [8].
6. Points of disagreement and hidden agendas in the reporting
Commercial blogs and tool vendors have incentives to emphasize one device over another. Publisher posts and analytics vendors emphasize mobile to justify mobile product work or ad offerings; consultancy posts sometimes highlight desktop value to sell enterprise redesigns [7] [5]. Differences between 60.5% (VisualCapitalist) and 64.35% (Exploding Topics) reflect sampling and whether app metrics are included; none of the sources present a single definitive global census [2] [1].
7. How to apply this to your own measurement
The clearest actionable step is to measure your audience: use your analytics tool (Google Analytics, StatCounter, SimilarWeb, etc.) to break device share by region, page type and conversion funnel—because global averages mask site- and audience-specific patterns [6] [9]. Publishers in the dataset analysis found mobile outpaced desktop across most clients between Oct 2024–Mar 2025, but they still stress using site-specific data to prioritize work [7].
Limitations and final note
Available sources consistently show mobile majority but differ by a few percentage points because of methodology, timeframe and whether app traffic is included; no source presents a universal device census, and site-level variation remains large [1] [2] [4].