QR code statistics 2026: Usage, adoption, and growth data
QR codes have moved well past the pandemic bump. The numbers in 2026 point to something more durable: habitual use across age groups, industries, and regions. Here is the data that matters, sourced and organized for anyone who needs the full picture.
How many people are Scanning QR Codes
The scale of QR code usage globally is now hard to ignore. Over 2.2 billion people worldwide actively scan QR codes, representing roughly 29% of all smartphone users (QR Code Maker, 2026). In the US alone, 102.6 million smartphone users are projected to scan QR codes in 2026, up from 99.5 million in 2025, which works out to approximately one in three Americans (Wave Connect, 2026).
Global scan volume is climbing at a similar pace. QR code scans surged 57% year over year across 50 countries in 2025, with over one trillion QR codes expected to be scanned worldwide across the year (Wave Connect, 2026). And 44.6% of internet users aged 16 to 64 globally already scan at least one QR code per month (QRCodeChimp, based on 2023 data).
Key scan volume figures:
QR code scans worldwide reached 26.95 million in 2023, a 433% increase over the previous two years (QRCodeChimp)
Usage grew 323% from 2021 to 2025 globally (Wave Connect)
84% of mobile users worldwide have scanned a QR code at least once (Krofile, 2026)
More than 90 million smartphone users scan a QR code every month (Krofile, 2026)
8 QR codes are generated per minute globally (QRCodeChimp)
Market size and growth
The QR code market is growing at a rate that most technology categories would envy. The global market was valued at $13.04 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $33.14 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 20.5% (Mordor Intelligence, via Wave Connect, 2026).
The payment side of the market moves separately. The global QR code payment market was valued at $10.28 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $35.07 billion by 2030, growing at 17.03% annually (QR Code Maker, 2026). Dynamic QR codes are the dominant format within this market, holding a 64.92% share in 2025 and continuing to widen their lead (Mordor Intelligence, 2026).
Regional breakdown
Adoption looks very different depending on where you are. Asia leads on volume and payment use by a wide margin, while Europe and Latin America are the fastest-growing regions right now.
Europe: scan rates climbed 42% between 2024 and 2025 (Bitly, 2026)
Latin America: scan rates grew 40% in the same period (Bitly, 2026)
Asia-Pacific: 21% scan growth year over year (Bitly, 2026)
North America: 8% growth, reflecting a market that has matured into routine use (Bitly, 2026)
China: users engage with QR codes an estimated 10 to 15 times daily (GoClick China, via QR Tiger)
India: over 9 million merchants accept QR code payments, with the digital payments industry growing 42% year over year (PwC, via QRCodeChimp)
Thailand leads individual country monthly usage at 61.5%, followed by Argentina (61%) and Brazil (60.8%) (Krofile, 2026)
North America's slower growth rate is not a warning sign. It reflects a market where QR codes have become infrastructure rather than novelty. Brands in mature markets are focused on improving the experience behind the scan, not just adding more codes.
Who is actually scanning
Age and demographics paint a clearer picture of who is driving adoption. Users aged 24 to 54 make up 68% of QR code users globally (QR Code Maker, 2026). Among younger consumers specifically, the behavior is already habitual.
Half of Gen Z and Millennials say they scan QR codes at least once a week (TEAM LEWIS Market Research, via Bitly)
57% of 18 to 34 year olds frequently use QR codes (Wave Connect, 2026)
Gender is not a significant factor: scan rates among men and women aged 16 to 24 are nearly identical, at 44.5% and 44.1% respectively (Krofile, 2026)
71% of consumers say QR codes are useful in their daily lives (Uniqode State of QR Codes 2026, survey of 1,000 US consumers)
The generational gap is closing. Even older consumer segments are scanning more than they used to, particularly in contexts where the use case is obvious, like restaurant menus or event check-ins.
How marketers are using QR codes
The marketer picture tells a story of high adoption and underdeveloped measurement. 98% of marketers report that QR codes have had a positive impact on their marketing over the past 12 months (Uniqode, 2026). Yet the same data shows real gaps in how results are tracked.
From the Uniqode State of QR Codes 2026 report, based on 524 US marketers surveyed in 2025:
60% of marketers plan to increase QR code usage in the next 12 months
86% of marketers plan to increase QR usage over the next year (Wave Connect, 2026)
Marketers are deploying codes across social media (64%), digital ads (60%), printed materials (50%), and product packaging (42%)
56% of marketers expect QR codes to drive higher revenue
Only 12% currently measure the impact of QR codes on revenue
45% of marketers rank analytics as the most important QR code feature
The intent-to-measurement gap is significant. Most teams track clicks and scan counts. Very few connect those scans to downstream revenue.
Why consumers scan (And what they expect)
Understanding consumer motivation is useful for anyone designing a QR code experience. The data here is specific and somewhat surprising.
According to Uniqode's analysis of 188 million scans across 796,000 QR codes:
Getting more information is the top reason 75% of consumers scan QR codes
Discounts and offers drive 52% of scans
Payments account for 35% of scan motivations
Only 36% of marketers use QR codes to deliver additional information, despite that being the top consumer motivation
The gap between what consumers want from a scan and what they actually receive is the single most actionable insight in the 2026 data. Most brands are optimizing for discounts and payments while the majority of their audience just wants more information.
On trust: consumer confidence in QR code safety is growing. Almost 60% of US consumers say they are confident that QR codes are safe to scan, with 26% trusting them more than they did the previous year (Uniqode, 2026). You can read more about how to stay safe when scanning QR codes and what to watch for.
Industry adoption rates
Adoption is not evenly spread across sectors. Restaurants and hospitality have moved the fastest, largely driven by the contactless menu shift that started during the pandemic and never reversed.
Restaurants and hospitality: 75% adoption rate (Wave Connect, 2026)
Retail and eCommerce: 46% adoption
Product packaging: 46% adoption
Logistics and supply chain: 43%
Inventory management: 39%
Marketing and advertising: 37%, but with 323% growth from 2021 to 2024 (QR Code Maker, 2026)
Consumer goods grew 247% in the same period, driven in part by the EU Digital Product Passport regulation, which requires product traceability data accessible via QR code. The first mandatory categories, batteries and energy-intensive products, come into effect in July 2026.
If you run a restaurant or hospitality business, the broader guide on how QR codes are used across the industry covers the operational side in more detail.
Dynamic vs static QR codes
One of the clearest structural shifts in the market is the move from static to dynamic codes. Dynamic QR codes, which allow destination URLs to be updated after printing, now hold 65% of the QR code market share as of 2024 and are projected to grow at 19.2% CAGR through 2030 (Bitly, citing Research and Markets).
The practical reason is straightforward: businesses printing QR codes on packaging, signage, or printed materials need to update destinations without reprinting. Dynamic codes also provide scan analytics that static codes cannot. For a deeper look at how the two formats differ and when each makes sense, the static vs dynamic QR code comparison breaks down the tradeoffs.
Security: The quishing trend
One data point that deserves attention: QR code phishing, known as quishing, emerged as a mainstream cybersecurity concern in 2025. Only 39% of consumers can reliably identify a malicious QR code (Ivanti, 2021, still widely cited). As QR codes become more embedded in daily life, the attack surface grows alongside adoption.
The FBI and multiple national cybersecurity agencies issued public warnings about quishing in 2024 and 2025. Consumer confidence is recovering, but 29% of US consumers remain neutral on QR code safety, a segment that responds to branded domains, clear CTAs, and fast-loading destinations (Uniqode, 2026).
The bottom line
The headline from 2026 QR code data is not that adoption is growing. That has been true for several years. The more significant shift is that scanning has become habitual rather than occasional, especially among the 18 to 54 demographic that drives most consumer spending. Europe and Latin America are in a high-growth phase. North America is in a maturity phase where quality of execution matters more than volume of codes.
For businesses, the gap between marketers deploying QR codes and marketers actually measuring their impact on revenue is the clearest opportunity in the space right now.
If you want to start generating and managing QR codes for your own use, QR Code Air handles creation, customization, and scanning across all major QR and barcode formats on iPhone.