Rise Above Research estimates more 2.3 trillion images to be taken worldwide by 2028

Driven primarily by the number of smartphones in use and their continued popularity for capturing photos, Rise Above Research estimates the annual number of photos captured globally will grow to more than 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 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 taken 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.