IDC: Global AR/VR headset shipments reached 11.2 million units in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 92.1%

According to IDC, AR/VR headset shipments grew significantly in 2021, thanks in large part to strong sales of the Meta Quest 2, and growth will continue.

The global augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) headset market grew 92.1% year-on-year in 2021, with shipments reaching 11.2 million units. The holiday shopping season was a major driver for the industry, as the fourth quarter of 2021 accounted for almost half of annual shipments. Low-cost VR screenless headsets such as Samsung's Gear VR dominated in 2016.

Meta’s Quest2 is by far the most popular product, accounting for 78% of the AR/VR market this year. In second place is DPVR, which has seen great success in the Asian market and has a 5.1% share worldwide. ByteDance’s Pico VR ranks third (4.5% market share), and like DPVR, is well-positioned in the Asian market, but also performs well in North America and Western Europe, filling the gap left by Meta’s discontinuation of Oculus Go. VR pioneer HTC and Chinese online video platform iQiyi also made it into the top five.

As global AR/VR headset shipments exceed 50 million units, headset shipments are expected to grow 46.9% year-on-year in 2022 and maintain double-digit growth rates until 2026. New entrants and wider adoption in the commercial field will further drive market development, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.1% during the period.