Wearable Devices Market Insights

Worldwide Wearable Device Market Results, 2025

Global wearable device shipments grew 9.1% year over year in 2025, reaching 611.5 million units, according to the latest data from IDC’s Worldwide Wearable Device Tracker. Growth during the year was supported by a combination of new product introductions, expanded price tiers, government subsidies in China, and refresh demand across mature markets.

Earwear shipments increased 7.8% globally in 2025, driven largely by the rise of lower‑cost Chinese brands that gained traction both domestically and internationally. Competitive pricing, frequent product refreshes, and expanding online distribution helped sustain volumes despite increasing market maturity in developed regions.

Smartwatches also recorded solid growth, led primarily by Apple and Huawei. Apple benefited from a broad refresh of its portfolio, including updates across its premium lineup and the Apple Watch SE, which helped stimulate replacement demand. Huawei emerged as the second‑largest smartwatch vendor globally, shipping 25.5 million units in 2025 and growing 21.7% year over year. Government subsidies in China played a key role in driving demand, while Huawei’s increased investment in R&D and marketing—particularly around sports and fitness use cases—helped strengthen its position among more performance‑focused consumers.

Wristbands grew 14.7% in 2025, largely driven by Xiaomi, which continued to focus on affordability and scale. Beyond traditional entry‑level devices, the category also showed early signs of premiumization. Inspired by the success of screen‑less health wearables such as Whoop, several vendors introduced recovery‑ and health‑focused wristbands aimed at more engaged users. As a result, wristbands began to expand beyond their historical role as low‑cost entry devices.

Looking ahead, total wearable device shipments are projected to grow 2.2% in 2026, with growth constrained by ongoing memory‑related supply limitations that are expected to place upward pressure on average selling prices. Growth is forecast to accelerate modestly to 2.8% in 2027 as supply conditions gradually improve. At the same time, IDC expects emerging form factors—including smart rings and display‑less smart glasses to gain traction, supporting longer‑term expansion of the wearable device market.