In the EU, 70.9% of people aged 16–74 used an internet-connected device in 2024. Connected TVs were by far the most common category, while a European Commission report last described mobile apps as the leading interface for consumer IoT in 2021. Together, those figures show the scale and variety of consumer IoT—but they do not provide a current app-versus-voice split or a recipe for building an IoT app.
How widespread is consumer IoT use in the EU?
Eurostat reported that 70.9% of people aged 16–74 in the EU used an internet-connected device in 2024. The measure refers to use during the three months before the survey, not device ownership or lifetime use. Eurostat’s August 2025 release is the source for the individual-use figures below.
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A separate Eurostat publication says 76% of EU internet users used connected devices or systems in 2024. That denominator includes internet users rather than all people aged 16–74, so 76% and 70.9% are not directly comparable adoption rates. The publication also groups some categories differently; its figures should not be merged with the individual-use breakdown as if they were one series. See Digitalisation in Europe – 2025 edition.
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The 2024 EU figures show consumer IoT extending well beyond home automation. Entertainment devices and wearables led, while energy management, security, health and connected toys were less commonly reported.
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| Device category | EU people aged 16–74 using it in 2024 |
|---|---|
| Internet-connected TV | 57.9% |
| Smart wearable | 29.9% |
| Game console | 19.5% |
| Connected home audio system | 19.3% |
| Smart speaker or other virtual assistant | 16.0% |
| Home energy management system | 14.2% |
| Smart appliance | 12.8% |
| Home security device | 11.8% |
| Connected car | 10.5% |
| Health-related IoT device | 7.9% |
| Internet-connected toy | 2.3% |
These are shares of people aged 16–74 in the EU reporting use of each type, not shares of device sales, households, or IoT apps. Categories can overlap: a person may use a TV, wearable and smart speaker. The table reflects the 2024 survey figures published by Eurostat in 2025; it is not a measure of current use in 2026.
How does adoption vary across EU countries?
In Eurostat’s 2024 individual-use figures, the highest country shares were the Netherlands (94.8%), Ireland (90.6%) and Denmark (87.0%). The lowest were Poland (46.1%), Bulgaria (50.8%) and Romania (56.6%). These are country results within the EU release, not global estimates, and the same age and recent-use context applies.
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- Advantages: The ESP32 development board offers high performance, low power consumption, and rich wireless connectivity, making it suitable for developers of all levels, especially beginners.
What do these statistics mean for mobile IoT apps?
The European Commission Directorate-General for Competition’s 2021 preliminary report said that, despite growing use of voice assistants, the smart mobile application remained the most used interface for accessing smart-home and wearable devices and consumer IoT services. It also identified Android and Apple’s iOS as the leading smart-mobile operating systems at that time. Read this as a dated sector observation, not a current market-share ranking: the report does not quantify the share of app, voice, web or other interfaces today. European Commission, Internet of Things: Preliminary Report (2021).
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Rank #3
What counts as an IoT device in these figures?
Eurostat’s household ICT survey measures IoT use in private life, including home automation, wearables, e-health and cars with built-in wireless connectivity. A smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop is not counted as an IoT device merely because it accesses the internet. A phone used to control a connected device has a separate role as an interface; smartphone ownership by itself is not evidence of IoT adoption. The scope is described in Eurostat’s 2025 compilers’ manual.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to track the trend over time
Eurostat’s dataset for “Internet of Things – use” lists observations for 2020–2024 and was last updated on 17 April 2026. The update date describes the dataset, not the date of every observation: the figures discussed here refer to 2024 use. The dataset is available at Eurostat’s IoT usage table.
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- 100% compatible with Arudino IDE, Lua and Micropython, it shows robustness, versatility, and reliability in a wide variety of applications and power scenarios.
- All I/O pins have interrupt, PWM, I2C and one-wire capability, except the pin DO.
- Designed with ultra-low power technology, it offers the full range of performance and features of the ESP32 chip. The pin arrangement provides compatibility with the modules developed for the D1 Mini ESP8266 while also offering fast WLAN, enhanced GPIO, Bluetooth functionality, and with its higher performance, a wider range of applications.
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- 2.4GHz Dual Mode WiFi + Bluetooth Development Board
- Support LWIP protocol, Freertos
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- Ultra-Low power consumption, Compatible with Arduino IDE
- ESP32 is a safe, reliable, and scalable to a variety of applications
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