FACT: Wrap-up of QR Code Demographics in 2024

By: Ashley P.Update: November 27, 2024

Ever wanted to know what the QR code demographics are in the year 2024?

If the answer is yes, you can count yourself among many who are curious about how different groups of people view and use QR codes.

After all, these two-dimensional barcodes are merging into every aspect of our lives as years go by, and looking into the facts can tell us a lot about its future.

In this article, we explore insights into QR code usage among different age groups, regions of the world, and industries.

Table of Contents

QR code demographics in terms of usage
Distribution of QR code popularity worldwide
QR code statistics among various industries
Challenges and setbacks faced by QR code users
Hop in on the QR code revolution with the best QR code generator
FAQ

QR code demographics in terms of usage

First, let’s review the statistics on QR code scanning by different groups of people:

Almost half of the world’s internet users scan QR codes each month

According to data from We Are Social, 44.6% of the world’s population that uses the internet also use or scan QR codes with their mobile devices every month.

While this is a significant percentage, it tells us that not everyone on the internet scans QR codes monthly.

The QR code demographics report also underscores that the country with the highest percentage of internet users that scan QR codes monthly is Hong Kong, with 59.1%. The country with the lowest percentage, on the other hand, is Morocco at 16.7%

QR codes are most likely to attract Gen Z

According to statistics published by Statista, QR codes play a major role in advertising to members of Gen Z.

Based on QR code statistics in 2022 from responses to its survey, a staggering 99% of respondents believed that QR codes should be implemented in advertising strategies to successfully target Gen Z.

This data is supported by the results of a survey by Team Lewis that said that 83% of Gen Z are more likely to use QR codes than those from older generations.

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More men use QR codes each month than women, but not by much

In the same report from We Are Social, male internet users use QR codes more than female internet users do monthly. However, the difference is very small for most age groups.

For example, 44.5% of men aged 16 to 24 use QR codes each month, and the same is true for 44.1% of women in the same age group.

Interestingly enough, more women between the ages of 25 and 34 use QR codes a month than men in the same age group (46.3% and 45.8%, respectively). Also, 42.5% of male internet users aged 55 to 64 use QR codes versus 35.2% of female internet users.

Distribution of QR code popularity worldwide

We all know that QR codes are becoming more popular all over the world. Let’s explore how common QR codes are in different regions of the world.

Americans account for most of the QR code scans in the world

Who uses QR codes the most? According to a QR code trend we found, the answer is the citizens of the United States of America.

In 2022, the US accounted for 42.2% of QR code scans worldwide. In 2023, this increased to 43.9%, showing us that QR code usage will only grow in the country as years go by.

In fact, data from Statista suggests that by 2025, there could be over 100 million QR code scanner users in the country.

Most smartphone users in Europe have scanned a QR code at least once

According to MobileIron, 86.66% of respondents to their survey held in the UK and the rest of Europe say they’ve used a QR code at least once in their lives. Moreover, 36.4% of respondents also claimed to scan a QR code at least once per week.

Over 9 million merchants in India have incorporated QR code payments in their businesses

With the help of the UPI interface, many businesses in the country have added the option to make payments through QR codes. This has made QR code payments a popular means of making financial transactions.

According to QR code payment statistics from Statista, the system logged over 131 billion transactions during the country’s financial year 2024.

Chinese users interact with the most QR codes per day

Based on data from GoClick China, it is estimated that Chinese users can scan 10 to 15 QR codes in one day.

This could be due to the prevalence of QR code payments in the country. Research from Statista estimates that nearly 1 billion smartphone devices will be making QR code payments by 2022.

QR code payments are rising in Latin America

Latin America is another region enjoying the benefits of QR code payments, thanks to one of its largest payment platforms. Mercado Pago logged at least 112.8 million payments with their system in the latter half of 2022.

Fintech Nexus also shared the results of a private study that found that about 6 out of 10 digital payments in Argentina were done with QR codes.

Brazil has also adopted a low-cost payment system called Pix that utilizes QR codes for instant payments, indicating the growing popularity of this payment method in the country.

The transaction value of mobile POS payments in the Australia and Oceania market is expected to reach $106.6 billion by 2028

According to Statista, analysts expect the market’s value to grow at a rate of 18.34% thanks to the integration of mobile payment systems in several business functions.

The number of users in Africa is estimated to reach 160.50 million by 2028

Last but not least, the African mobile POS payment market is experiencing a growth in users thanks to the increasing penetration of smartphones and tablets for business and personal reasons.

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QR code statistics among various industries

We’ve examined the stats on QR code usage among different groups of people and across geographic regions. Now, let’s take a look at how different industries employ QR codes in their operations.

42% of American shoppers have scanned QR codes for retail purposes

Dynamic QR codes are better for your marketing, and here is why it is true. This statistic from Statista as well as additional data shows that more than half of young shoppers in the country use QR codes regularly.

70% of hotels have made reservations easier with QR codes

It looks like hotels are also getting into the addition of QR codes, according to a report from the Washington Hospitality Association. Based on their data, around 70% of hotels have improved their reservation process with the help of QR codes.

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Gen Z and Millenials are supportive of restaurant QR codes

The Food Institute released a report showing that 68% of Gen Z and 78% of Millennials used QR codes to check restaurant menus.

On the other hand, only 22% of Boomers used restaurant QR codes. However, 56% liked pulling up menus on their phone.

QR code scanning in marketing and advertising increased by 323% in two years

According to QR code statistics from The Enterprise World, QR code usage in the marketing and advertising sectors tripled between 2021 and 2023.

This is due to marketers creating groundbreaking strategies with QR codes for a more engaging marketing experience.

QR code usage rose by more than 30% among national banks

During PYMNTS’ research into digital payments, they found out that national banks increased their adoption of QR codes by 32%. Moreover, 27% of the respondents to their study who have already used 2D barcodes said that they were using them more and more.

According to Website Planet, this increased use of QR codes for banking is due to the convenience and security they offer compared to other authentication methods.

Challenges and setbacks faced by QR code users

With so many dynamic QR code generators available, there must be countless QR codes out there just waiting to be scanned. However, some challenges still face further adoption of QR codes. Here are some of the most significant ones.

Limited understanding of the potential of QR codes

A study by Ivanti revealed that while 47% of respondents knew that QR codes can open URLs, only 37% knew that QR codes could also direct users to download mobile applications.

Furthermore, only 22% knew their GPS locations could be tracked when scanning QR codes.

While this does not keep them from using QR codes, this could leave them vulnerable to malicious QR codes, leading to discouragement from scanning more.

Lack of security measures

Another challenge facing the growth of QR code popularity is the lack of security. According to the same study by Ivanti, 51% of respondents stated they had security software running on their mobile phones.

On the other hand, the rest of the respondents claimed to not have or do not know about their devices' security software.

An increasing number of quishing incidents

What makes things worse for QR code usage is the rise of QR code phishing, a form of cyberattack used to steal information like passwords and credit card numbers with QR codes.

Reliaquest, a cybersecurity company, reported a 51% increase in quishing incidents in September 2023.

According to their report, the two most common quishing methods were Microsoft's two-factor authentication resets and online banking pages.

Hop in on the QR code revolution with the best QR code generator

Based on these statistics, two things are clear: One is that the growing popularity of QR codes is mostly driven by the need for a more convenient means of communication and financial transactions.

The other is that while the barcode type has made a name for itself, it still needs to be considered the norm.

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FAQ

What age group uses QR codes the most?

According to various statistics, Gen Z and Millenials use QR codes the most. This accounts for people aged 12 to 43.

What are the most common uses of QR codes?

Most QR codes give direct access to websites. However, QR codes can be used for a variety of content types, from simple text to social media.

How many QR codes can be created?

With QR code software, you can create as many QR codes as possible. However, some platforms have subscription plans that limit the number of QR codes that can be generated. As for how many QR codes are there to create? Virtually limitless.