Windows 10 adoption varies across the world

Sep 3, 2015 07:10 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft launched Windows 10 more than a month ago, and the new operating system has already reached record adoption figures, with existing stats showing that it has surpassed the 30-day install rate of Windows 7, which is Redmond's latest “successful” OS.

But Windows 10 adoption depends on region, and data provided by market research firms across the globe helps us get a closer look at how the operating system is performing in each individual market.

Today, we're looking at Windows 10's market share after one month on the world's seven continents and determine the friendliest in terms of adoption for the new software.

Before anything, let's see how this data is collected. StatCounter uses a tracking code installed on more than 3 million sites across the world, and the company says that billions of page views are recorded every month. StatCounter collects details of devices that connect to these websites and analyzes information such as browser, operating system, and screen resolution.

The collected details are then organized in a single database that generate charts such as the ones below, so while they might not be 100 percent accurate, they do provide us with a closer look at market share figures of each product.

Africa

First off, Africa. Windows 7 continues to be the leading operating system here on the desktop with a share of 55.96 percent, while Windows XP is second with 17.63 percent. Windows 8.1 is third, followed by Windows 8 with 10.82 and 5.65 percent, respectively.

Windows 10 is far behind with only 2.9 percent after 30 days on the market.

Antarctica

Yes, Internet does exist in Antarctica, and yes, some PCs there are already running Windows 10. And what's more impressive is that Windows 10 has a pretty good market share here.

Windows 7 is obviously the leading choice with 77.23 percent of the market, while Windows 8.1 is the runner-up with 9.41 percent. Antarctica is most likely the best market for Linux, as 7.43 percent of the computers here are powered by the open-source platform.

Windows 10 runs on 5.94 percent of the PCs on this continent.

Asia

Windows 10 isn't yet gaining traction in Asia, and this isn't a big surprise at all. Piracy continues to be a problem here, and because the free Windows 10 upgrade offer is only aimed at those running genuine Windows 7 or 8.1, it's pretty clear that adoption of the new OS is impacted too.

Piracy has a strong impact on Windows 10 adoption rate.

58.98 percent of the computer users in Asia run Windows 7, while 14.04 percent of them are still living in the past and are using Windows XP. Windows 8.1 was detected on 11.98 percent of the PCs

Windows 10 is far behind and has a market share in Asia of just 3.37 percent

Australia

Australia is one of the markets where Windows 10 already shows signs of success, but there's still a very long road ahead until it manages to overtake Windows 7.

The OS launched in 2009 has a share of 42.3 percent in the country, followed by OS X and Windows 8.1 with 21.65 and 18.61 percent, respectively.

Windows 10 is fourth on the desktop with 7.59 percent of the market.

Windows 10 has a surprising share in Antarctica
Windows 10 has a surprising share in Antarctica

Europe

Computers users living on the Old Continent are generally more interested in the latest software, but in this case, 49.13 percent of them are still running Windows 7. Windows 8.1 and OS X are next, while Windows XP still has a share of 7.86 percent.

Windows 10 is currently installed on 7.51 percent of computers in Europe.

North America

This is the continent where Microsoft invested billions of dollars to make Windows 10 successful, but Windows 7 continues to lead the charts with 46.19 percent.

OS X and Windows 8.1 are the next 2 OSes in the rankings with 16.73 percent and 16.01 percent, respectively.

Windows 10 performed acceptably in the first 30 days on the market and is now at 6.63 percent.

Windows 10 adoption not going well in Asia
Windows 10 adoption not going well in Asia

South America

This time, Windows 10 isn't performing so well, as Windows 7 still has a surprisingly big market share, with 57.72 percent of the PCs in the country still running this OS version. Windows 8.1 and Windows XP are the next two entries in the charts with 14.41 and 9.28 percent, respectively.

Windows 10 is only installed on 4.98 percent of the computers on the continent.

So which continent uses Windows 10 the most? Below is a wrap-up of all these specs:  

Continent Windows 10 market share
Australia 7.59%
Europe 7.51%
North America 6.63%
Antarctica 5.94%
South America 4.98%
Asia 3.37%
Africa 2.9%

Windows 10 adoption worldwide (7 Images)

Desktop OS market share in Africa
Windows 10 has a surprising share in AntarcticaWindows 10 adoption not going well in Asia
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