How the global eSIM market is shaping up for the future

The global eSIM market continues its evolution, reshaping the landscape of digital connectivity and offering unprecedented opportunities for consumers and brands alike.

As the enabler of eSIMs for businesses, we’ve rounded up some of the most recent research findings to shed light on the significant growth drivers characterizing this market.

According to CCS Insight, the installed base of eSIM-enabled smartphones is on a steep upward curve. From 700 million devices in 2023, the figure is expected to more than double, reaching 1.4 billion by 2027. The GSMA (which predicts 1 billion connections by end of 2025) sees growth accelerating massively in the latter half of the decade, hitting 6.9 billion by the end of 2030.

This surge underscores the increasing adoption of eSIM technology, driven by its convenience and the flexibility it offers consumers. As more smartphone manufacturers integrate eSIM capabilities into their devices, the technology is becoming more accessible, paving the way for even greater mass adoption.

The Trusted Connectivity Alliance (TCA) highlights another aspect of eSIM's rapid growth: consumer eSIM profile downloads have more than doubled in 2023, with a staggering 109% increase year on year.

This uptick in eSIM profile downloads signifies what’s happening on the ground; a growing consumer preference for eSIM's seamless connectivity options, especially in an era where digital nomadism and post-pandemic global travel are stronger than ever.

Kaleido Intelligence forecasts that retail spending on travel eSIM services will hit $3.3bn by 2024 – almost 165% higher than 2023 – with significant adoption growth among leisure and business travelers from India, Brazil, UAE, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The group predicts 50% annual growth over each of the next 4 years. This will mean that, by 2028, global travel eSIMs will account for 28% of all travel connectivity retail spending. The average spend on travel eSIMs is expected to stay at around $15 per trip over the period.

Juniper Research's latest study spotlights some of the economic benefits of eSIM for consumers, particularly those who travel. In 2024, travel eSIM consumers enjoyed an average saving of 35% per GB of data compared to traditional roaming options.

Juniper analysts also forecast a dramatic increase in data consumption through travel SIM and eSIM packages. From 363 million petabytes in 2024, the consumption is expected to quadruple by 2028, reaching 1.5 billion petabytes. This prediction merely reflects the growing demand for data as consumers increasingly rely on mobile connectivity for both personal and professional use, especially when traveling. Something that’s bound to continue growing as networks become faster, and more bandwidth-intensive apps more prevalent.

Juniper also sees the number of travel eSIM users growing by 440% globally over the next 5 years, disrupting the traditional roaming market once and for all.

The evolution of the global eSIM market is marked by rapid growth, increased consumer adoption, significant cost savings, and a surge in data consumption. These trends highlight the pivotal role of eSIM technology in shaping the future of digital connectivity. For brands, this represents a unique opportunity to innovate and cater to their increasingly connected consumers who crave data wherever they go.

Want to understand how your business fits into the evolution of digital mobile and eSIM? Arrange a call with one of the expert eSIM Go team or browse our solutions.