Google Maps Statistics 2026: Users, AI Features & Business Data

Last updated: November 2026

At On The Map Marketing, we help many local businesses with Google Business Profile SEO as a part of their local SEO campaigns.

Why?

Google Maps is one of the most widely used digital map services in the world. If you’re a local business owner, you have to optimize your Google Business Profile. That’s where many of your customers will find your business, form an opinion based on your reviews, and decide whether to buy from you.

To understand the true scale of Google Maps, what users expect from a local listing, and how AI is changing the app, here are the latest Google Maps statistics for 2026. Every figure below is labeled with the year it refers to and links to its original source.

Related Reading: Google My Business for Lawyers: A Simple Guide

Key Takeaways

• Google Maps has more than 2 billion monthly users, according to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai (October 2024), up from more than 1 billion in 2020.
• Google Maps draws on information about more than 300 million places and a community of more than 500 million contributors (Google, March 2026).
• In 2025, Google blocked or removed more than 292 million policy-violating reviews and removed more than 13 million fake Business Profiles on Maps (Google, April 2026).
• Google launched Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered conversational feature, in the U.S. and India in March 2026, alongside its biggest navigation update in over a decade.
• The share of U.S. consumers using Google for local business reviews fell from 83% in 2025 to 71% in 2026, while Apple Maps rose from 14% to 27% (BrightLocal, 2026).

How Many People Use Google Maps?

More than 2 billion people use Google Maps every month. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said on the company’s Q3 2024 earnings call (October 29, 2024) that Google Maps was “the latest product to surpass the 2 billion user milestone,” joining the other Google products and platforms with more than 2 billion monthly users. (Alphabet Q3 2024 earnings remarks)

That figure has roughly doubled in five years: in February 2020, Google said Google Maps was used by more than 1 billion people every month. (The Keyword 2020)

Google Maps General Stats

To begin, we will take an overview of Google Maps, which will help you understand its true scale and reach. Let’s dive right in.

1. Google Maps is offered in more than 220 countries and territories. (The Keyword 2019)

2. In 2018, Google Maps added 39 new languages, spoken by an estimated 1.25 billion people worldwide. (The Keyword 2018)

3. There are more than 220 billion Street View images from more than 100 countries and territories (2022). (The Keyword 2022)

4. Google Maps analyzes information from more than 300 million places, including reviews from a community of more than 500 million contributors (2026). (The Keyword 2026)

5. For comparison, in 2020 Google Maps showed details such as hours, ratings and prices for about 200 million businesses and places worldwide. (The Keyword 2020)

6. Every second, Google Maps incorporates more than 5 million updates to traffic around the world (2026). (The Keyword 2026)

7. Drivers using Google Maps provide more than 10 million contributions about real-time disruptions, such as road construction and crashes, every day (2026). (The Keyword 2026)

8. Every day, over 1 billion kilometers are driven with Google Maps (2020). (The Keyword 2020)

9. Google Maps had a community of 120 million Local Guides in 2020. (The Keyword 2020)

10. Google Maps users contribute more than 20 million pieces of information every day, which amounts to more than 200 contributions every second (2019). (Google Maps Platform 2019)

11. Google Maps has more than 10 billion downloads on the Google Play Store, with an average rating of 3.3 stars from about 19.6 million reviews (as of November 2026). (Google Play Store)

12. On Apple’s App Store in the U.S., Google Maps has an average rating of 4.7 stars from about 7.4 million ratings (as of November 2026). (Apple App Store)

Related Reading: Google My Business Ranking Factors

Google Maps Usage Statistics

We just looked at the scale of Google Maps, but now let’s come to the usage statistics of the platform.

This data will help you understand the audience you can reach by being present on the platform and being found by customers who look for you directly or via Google search.

1. Google Maps is one of seven Google products and platforms with more than 2 billion monthly users, all of which use Gemini models (2024). (Alphabet Q3 2024 earnings remarks)

2. More than 5 million active apps and websites use Google Maps Platform core products every week (2019). (Google Maps Platform 2019)

3. Google Maps was the most downloaded map and navigation app in the United States in 2025, even though it comes pre-installed on Android smartphones. (Statista 2026)

4. Google Maps ranked fifth among all smartphone apps in the United States by mobile audience reach in August 2026. YouTube ranked first and Gmail third. (Statista 2026)

5. In April 2018, 72% of U.S. mapping app users accessed the Google Maps app. (Statista 2018)

6. 67% of smartphone owners surveyed in 2018 said they use Google Maps most frequently, compared to 12% for Waze, the next most used navigation app (which Google acquired in 2013). (The Manifest 2018)

Google Maps AI and Gemini Statistics

Google has been adding its Gemini AI models to Maps since 2024. Here is what has launched so far.

1. In March 2026, Google introduced Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered conversational experience that answers complex questions about places. It began rolling out in the U.S. and India on Android and iOS, with desktop to follow. (The Keyword 2026)

2. At the same time, Google launched Immersive Navigation, which it called the biggest update to driving in Maps in over a decade (2026). (The Keyword 2026)

3. In August 2026, Ask Maps added food ordering, real-time transit information and an option to connect Gmail for suggestions based on existing travel plans and reservations. (The Keyword 2026)

4. In April 2026, Google said it now uses Gemini models to automatically catch and block policy-violating edits to place names on Maps before they go live. (The Keyword 2026)

Google Maps Reviews and Fake Content Statistics

Reviews and business information on Maps are a big part of how customers choose a local business. Google’s 2025 Trust & Safety figures, published in April 2026, show the scale. If you want more reviews for your own profile, see our guide on how to get more Google reviews.

1. Google Maps users shared more than 1 billion reviews and suggested 80 million updates to business hours, contact information and more in 2025. (The Keyword 2026)

2. Google blocked or removed more than 292 million policy-violating reviews on Maps in 2025. (The Keyword 2026)

3. Google blocked 79 million inaccurate or unverified edits to Business Profiles in 2025. (The Keyword 2026)

4. Google removed more than 13 million fake Business Profiles and placed posting restrictions on more than 782,000 policy-violating accounts in 2025. (The Keyword 2026)

Google Maps Platform For Businesses

Google Maps Platform lets you embed Google Maps into your website or app using APIs.

1. As of March 1, 2025, Google replaced the $200 monthly Google Maps Platform credit with free monthly usage for each SKU: 10,000 free calls per month for Essentials SKUs, 5,000 for Pro and 1,000 for Enterprise. (Google Maps Platform, Google Maps Platform pricing)

Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

Having just looked at usage data for Google Maps, let’s look at one of its main competitors, Apple Maps. Many iPhone users use both apps, and Apple Maps is the default on iOS.

So Apple Maps SEO should ideally also be a part of your local SEO strategy. These stats will help you decide whether to list your business on other platforms too.

1. The share of U.S. consumers using Apple Maps for local business reviews nearly doubled, from 14% in 2025 to 27% in 2026. (BrightLocal 2026)

2. Google Maps used an average of 0.73MB of mobile data per 20 minutes, while Apple Maps used 1.83MB per 20 minutes. Waze, also owned by Google, used the least at 0.23MB (October 2020). (Statista 2020)

How Good is Google Maps and What Users Think of It

Having looked at the usage stats on Google Maps and compared it to Apple Maps and other navigation apps, it is important to understand how accurate the platform is and what users expect from a good navigation app.

1. Google says its arrival-time predictions have been consistently accurate for over 97% of trips (2020). (The Keyword 2020)

2. One-quarter (25%) of smartphone owners say they use their preferred navigation app because they believe it offers better directions (2018). (The Manifest 2018)

3. Google Maps is the preferred navigation app for nearly 6x more people than the second-most popular app, Waze (2018). (The Manifest 2018)

Google Maps for Local Business in 2026

Google Maps isn’t just a navigation tool. It is also where many people discover and vet local businesses. Here’s what recent data shows:

• 71% of U.S. consumers used Google for local business reviews in 2026, down from 83% in 2025. Google is still the top review source. (BrightLocal 2026)
• 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 41% “always” read them, up from 29% the year before. (BrightLocal 2026)
• Use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools for local recommendations rose from 6% to 45%, making them the third most popular source of business recommendations. (BrightLocal 2026)
• 47% of consumers won’t use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% only care about reviews written in the last three months. (BrightLocal 2026)
• 68% of consumers will only use a business with four or more stars, up from 55% in 2025. (BrightLocal 2026)
• Businesses with more than 100 images on their Google listing got 520% more calls, 2,717% more direction requests and 1,065% more website clicks than the average business. (BrightLocal 2019)

For local businesses, these statistics underscore the importance of maintaining an optimized Google Business Profile with a steady flow of recent reviews. Learn more about affordable SEO services for small businesses to improve your local visibility.

Final Thoughts

Google Maps is important if you want people to find your business online.

Here’s what these Google Maps statistics help you understand in 2026:

• the reach of the platform, now more than 2 billion monthly users,
• how AI features like Ask Maps are changing how people search for places,
• how seriously Google polices fake reviews and fake Business Profiles,
• how other platforms like Apple Maps compare,
• the free usage available on Google Maps Platform.

Next, I recommend you check out Local SEO Statistics and Local Business Stats to make an informed local marketing strategy. If you want help with improving your local business’ presence on the maps, contact us today.