AirPods Statistics: 110 Million Pairs and Bigger Than M&S

AirPods in pounds and units

1. 110 million AirPods shipped in a single year

That is roughly how many AirPods Apple shipped in 2024, making the little earbud one of the best selling gadgets on the planet.¹

2. About £16 billion in annual revenue

Bloomberg analysts estimate AirPods generated around $22 billion in 2024 (roughly £16 billion at current exchange rates), up about 22 percent year on year.²

3. Roughly £13 billion the year before

AirPods revenue came in near $18 billion in 2023, or about £13 billion, so the trajectory is still pointing firmly up.³

4. Roughly £30 billion in Apple's Wearables segment

Apple's "Wearables, Home and Accessories" segment, which includes AirPods, Apple Watch and HomePod, brought in $39.85 billion in fiscal 2024, roughly £30 billion. The music sibling in the same company, Apple Music, is estimated at about £7 billion in annual revenue.⁴

5. About 5 to 7 percent of all Apple revenue

AirPods alone account for a meaningful slice of Apple's $391 billion annual revenue, putting one product category ahead of many entire public companies.⁵

6. Around 550 million units sold since 2016

Cumulative shipments since launch are estimated at more than half a billion pairs of AirPods.⁶

Dominating the wireless earbuds market

7. 76.5 million units and 23 percent global share

Apple was the runaway leader in true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds in 2024, shipping 76.5 million units for a 23.1 percent global share.⁷

8. Samsung trails far behind

Second place Samsung shipped 28.2 million units with an 8.5 percent share, only about a third of Apple's volume.⁸

9. 331 million TWS units sold worldwide

The overall TWS market grew 12.6 percent in 2024 to reach 331.6 million units shipped.⁹

10. 455 million smart audio devices shipped

Including headphones and other wireless audio devices, global smart personal audio shipments hit 455 million units in 2024, up 11.2 percent.¹⁰

11. A roughly £42 billion global market

The worldwide true wireless earbuds market was valued at about $57 billion in 2024, or roughly £42 billion, according to industry research.¹¹

How AirPods perform in the UK

12. 33 percent of the UK headphone market

Apple now leads the UK headphone market with around a 33 percent share, well clear of every rival brand on British shelves.¹²

13. Samsung and Sony each take 12 percent

The next two largest brands in the UK, Samsung and Sony, each hold about 12 percent. Combined, they are still smaller than Apple on its own.¹³

Bigger than household British brands

14. More revenue than M&S, BT Consumer and the BBC combined

A UK comparison helps put the scale in context. Marks and Spencer reported £11.9 billion in revenue for the year to March 2024, BT's Consumer division (mobile, broadband and TV for households) brought in about £9.83 billion, and the BBC's total income for 2024 to 2025 was £5.90 billion (of which £3.84 billion came from the licence fee). AirPods, with roughly £16 billion in annual revenue, are bigger than M&S, larger than BT's entire consumer arm, and worth more than three BBCs put together. They also earn more on their own than Spotify does globally. All from a product that fits in your ear.¹⁴

15. Cumulative revenue heading past $100 billion

Counterpoint Research projects that total AirPods revenue since 2016 will cross the $100 billion mark, roughly £75 billion, sometime in 2026.¹⁵

From earbud to hearing aid

16. Launched in the UK in December 2016 at £159

The first generation of AirPods went on sale in the UK on 20 December 2016 priced at £159, after a brief delay following their September unveiling. They were initially mocked, then quickly became a status symbol on commuter trains.¹⁶

17. AirPods Pro 3 replaced Pro 2 in September 2025

Apple announced AirPods Pro 3 at its September 2025 event and quietly retired AirPods Pro 2. The new model launched at £219 in the UK and now sits at the top of the regular AirPods line.¹⁷

18. AirPods Max 2 launched in April 2026 at £499

Apple's over-ear flagship was refreshed in March 2026 with the H2 chip and Adaptive Audio, going on sale in early April at £499 in five new colours.¹⁸

19. UK hearing aid feature arrived in February 2025

The clinical-grade hearing aid software that turns AirPods Pro 2 into an over-the-counter hearing aid was held back in the UK for months while Apple worked through MHRA registration. It finally arrived as a free update on 24 February 2025, months after the US launch.¹⁹

20. About 59 percent of iPhone owners use AirPods

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) estimates that roughly 59 percent of iPhone owners worldwide now own a pair of AirPods, although growth is starting to plateau as the market saturates.²⁰