The "metaverse" may sound like something straight out of a sci-fi movie for those unfamiliar with the concept. But far from being fiction, this new virtual realm has a bustling economy and is proving game-changing for leisure and business.

So as we enter 2023, we cannot help but ask what's in store for the metaverse. We take a look at our comprehensive statistics round-up. 

Key Metaverse Facts and Figures

This section shows you a TLDR version of our favorite facts and figures on the metaverse for 2023.  If you’re interested to dive in deeper, you can find more details by scrolling further. 

1. In January 2023 alone, Google saw an average of 1.9 million searches globally for the term "metaverse." 

2. Google searches for the metaverse have increased year on year since 2018.

3. The metaverse is estimated to reach a global market of $1.5 trillion by 2030.

4. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of U.S. adults do not understand the purpose of the metaverse.

5. Whilst 38% of U.S adults think the metaverse would make life better.

6. Epic Games, Unity and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) are amongst the largest investors of the metaverse.

7. December 2022 saw global VR headset sales fall by 2% since December 2021.

8. The most popular VR headset of 2023 is the Oculus Rift, with an average of 341,000 online searches made for the headset in January alone.

Metaverse Market Size in 2023 and Predictions for 2030

Clearly, the metaverse is becoming an increasingly discussed topic within the business world. But just how much is the metaverse worth now? And how much is it projected to grow over the next few years? 

9. As of 2021, the global value of the metaverse was $58.5 billion¹. 

10. It has since been predicted to increase to an impressive $1.5 trillion by the year 2030¹ (based on a CAGR of 43.7% between 2021-2030).

11. This means that by 2030, the estimated global metaverse market size will be over 300 times higher than predictions for the global cryptocurrency market ($4.94 billion²). 

Metaverse Adoption Statistics

How many people use the metaverse? And which age groups are most likely to spend their time in this virtual universe? Our research found: 

12. The metaverse now has over 400 million unique average monthly users worldwide².

13. More than half (51%) of global users of metaverse virtual worlds are aged 13 or under.

14. And 83.5% of metaverse virtual worlds users are under 18.

Metaverse Awareness — What Search Trends Tell Us

A surefire way to get into the minds of a global population is by checking out their Google searches. And that's exactly what we did. Using the tool Keyword Finder³, we looked at the number of searches per month in Google (globally) for keywords and queries surrounding the metaverse and this is what we found.

*Prediction based on monthly average search volumes in the 12 months preceding January 2023.

As you can see from the table:

15. Global online searches for terms related to the metaverse increased rapidly from 2020 to 2021 and then again even more significantly between 2021 and 2022. 

16. In January 2022 alone, an average of 5 million searches were conducted for the term “metaverse,” up from just 33,100 in 2021. 

17. Global searches for terms such as “What is the metaverse?” and 'Metaverse definition' also continued to rise year on year until they decreased in 2023. 

Understanding of the Metaverse 

Metaverse technology is rapidly growing in popularity over time. But how well does the average person understand what it has to offer? And which age groups are most likely to have a firm grasp of the technology? To find out, we analyzed data from Protocol and The Harris Poll's 2022 survey on the metaverse⁴. 

Their study involved a survey of 1,060 U.S. adults and found that: 

18. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of U.S. adults do not understand the purpose of the metaverse.

19. Broadly speaking, the younger we are, the more likely we are to be familiar with the metaverse, as shown in the graph below. 

20. Over half (55%) of Gen Zers say they are somewhat familiar with the metaverse.

21. While even more Millennials say the same (60%).

22. However, 35% of Gen X say they're familiar with the metaverse.

23. And only 17% of Boomers are aware and somewhat familiar with the technology.

24. The study also found that even after reading an explanation of the metaverse, more than half (52%) of U.S. adults feel overwhelmed by the concept.

Attitudes Towards the Metaverse

The metaverse is set to transform a wide range of industries, bringing more lifelike experiences and collaborative opportunities to individuals, communities and businesses worldwide. But just how useful does the typical U.S. adult deem the metaverse to be? 

Protocol and The Harris Poll's 2022 survey into the metaverse asked participants how they felt about the concept. And the findings revealed that: 

25. More than a third (37%) of U.S. adults feel that the metaverse would be more fun than real life.

26. And 38% say they think the metaverse would make their life better. 

27. Millennials are the most likely age group to have a positive outlook on the metaverse, as over half of those surveyed belonging to this generation said that it would make life better or that it's more fun than real life.

Metaverse Investment 

The metaverse has received investment from a multitude of tech giants, chip manufacturers and gaming platforms, and most recently, retailers and e-commerce brands have also placed funding in the virtual realm. 

28. The top 10 companies investing the most in the metaverse going into 2023 were⁵:

• Epic Games

• Unity

• Meta (formerly known as Facebook)

• Microsoft

• Yuga Labs / Improbable

• Roblox

• Nvidia

• Google

• Niantic

• Dapper Labs

When we take a look at the industries these companies belong to, it becomes clear that: 

29. Gaming and Software companies such as Epic Games, Unity, Microsoft and Niantic are some of the largest stakeholders when it comes to metaverse investment.

30. This is followed by Networking, Graphics, Technology and Blockchain organizations, such as Meta, Nvidia, Google and Dapper Labs. 

Metaverse and the Arts

Alongside industries such as entertainment, education, gaming and networking, the metaverse has also provided unique platforms and opportunities for artists and their audiences, whether that be in music, performing arts or digital art forms such as NFTs (non-fungible tokens). But just how popular are these forms of art?

In August 2022, we surveyed 2,000 U.S adults asking about their experiences with NFTs⁶. The findings revealed that: 

31. 1 in every 26 adults (3.8%) say they have traded NFTs in the past.

32. And 1 in 12 (8%) plan to trade them in the future.

33. Men are twice as likely as women to buy and sell NFTs (5.6% vs. 2.2%).

How Beneficial has the Metaverse Been for the Arts?

The metaverse provides artists, creatives, gallerists and musicians with the opportunity to form communities, build relationships and display their exhibits in a new and exciting way, completely unrestricted by location or physical presence. So how has this impacted the arts industry? And what does this mean for its future? 

The Metaverse and NFTs 

34. Quantum, the first NFT ever created, sold for an impressive $1.47 million in 2021.

35. Since then, digital art forms have been skyrocketing in value, with the highest priced NFT sold to date being Pak's 'The Merge' which sold for $91.8m in December 2021⁷.

36. The global NFT market size is now predicted to reach $211.72 billion by 2030, increasing by 33.9% from 2022 to 2030⁸.

The Metaverse and Music 

It's not just digital art forms that have increased in popularity on the metaverse over the last few years. More and more musicians, actors and performers have used the platform to innovate and share their work. 

37. The first-ever AR (augmented reality) & VR (virtual reality) concert experience was a collaboration between rapper Travis Scott and the gaming platform Fortnite in April 2020.

38. Since then, many artists such as Imagine Dragons, Kings of Leon, Calvin Harris and Miley Cyrus have performed live concerts using VR technology, providing fans with front-row seats, backstage access and exclusive fan art.

39. South Korean girl group Blackpink were recently awarded MTV EMAs and VMAs "Best Metaverse Performance" for their concert 'The Virtual' which over 15.7 million viewers watched.

Virtual Reality Hardware Sales

As we've seen, the future is no doubt bright for the worlds of VR and the metaverse. But these exciting developments and new forms of technology would not be possible without the equipment the end user requires to access them. But how exactly does the VR hardware market look as of 2023?

Recent statistics in virtual reality hardware sales show that:

40. In 2020, the global virtual reality headset market size was valued at $7.81 billion and it's now predicted to grow at a CAGR of 28.2% from 2021 to 2028⁹. 

41. However, December 2022 saw sales of VR headsets fall by 2% since the previous year¹⁰.

42. Worldwide shipments of VR headsets and AR devices also dropped by more than 12% to 9.6 million in 2022¹¹.

Which VR Headsets are Most Popular in 2023? 

Despite the decrease in VR headset sales in 2022, Google Trends insights¹² tell us that they're still very much sought after by members of the public. 

As you can see from the graph: 

43. Searches peak each year for VR headsets at the end of November and between Christmas and New Year, likely due to Christmas shoppers and those looking for Boxing Day deals.

44. Over the last five years, global online searches for VR headsets increased year on year, apart from in 2022 when demand fell.

To find out just how much demand there is for VR headsets and which brands are most popular in 2023, we used the Keyword Finder tool, which revealed that: 

45. As of January 2023, the term' VR headset' is searched 556,000 times a month on average worldwide. 

46. The most popular VR headset of 2023 based on monthly average searches worldwide is Oculus Rift, receiving an average of 341,000 searches worldwide every month.

47. This is followed by Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index. 

48. PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Meta Quest Pro and PlayStation V2 are also among some of the world's most popular VR headsets, receiving upwards of 100,000 monthly searches online. 

49. Also in the top 10 most-searched-for headsets are Samsung Odyssey+ and Pico 4.

50. Products such as HP Reverb G2, Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR are featured in the top 20 as well.

Methodology and Further Information

Please feel free to use these statistics in any way you wish. All we ask is that you kindly credit us in the form of a link.

References and Sources

1. https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/metaverse-market

2. https://www.metaversed.consulting/blog/the-metaverse-reaches-400m-active-users

3. https://kwfinder.com/

4. https://theharrispoll.com/briefs/future-of-ar-vr-metaverse/

5. https://www.vccafe.com/2022/08/02/the-top-10-companies-investing-billions-in-the-metaverse/

6. https://learn.bybit.com/nft/nft-stats/

7. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/pak-merge-nft-sale-nifty-gateway-1234612436/

8. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-non-fungible-token-market#:~:text=The%20global%20non%2Dfungible%20token,by%20Grand%20View%20Research%2C%20Inc.

9. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/virtual-reality-vr-headset-market

10. https://www.forbes.com/sites/qai/2023/01/06/vr-headset-sales-underperform-expectations-what-does-it-mean-for-the-metaverse-in-2023/?sh=53545bb334f5

11. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/28/metaverse-off-to-ominous-start-after-vr-headset-sales-shrank-in-2022.html#:~:text=Sales%20of%20virtual%20reality%20headsets,to%209.6%20million%20in%202022.

12. https://trends.google.com/trends/?geo=GB