Chrome exceeds 20% of worldwide browser market

Google’s Chrome browser exceeded 20% of the worldwide internet browser market during the month of June for the first time, according to website analytics company StatCounter.

The firm’s research arm StatCounter Global Stats reports that Chrome took 20.7% of the global market, up from 2.8% in June 2009. In the same period Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has fallen from 59% to 44% globally and Firefox dropped slightly from 30% to 28%.

StatCounter boss Aodhan Cullen said: "While Google has been highly effective in getting Chrome downloaded the real test is actual browser usage which our stats measure."

In Ireland, Chrome overtook Firefox in May to become the number two browser. In June it reached 27%, ahead of Firefox’s 24% and behind IE at 41%.

In the US Chrome has risen to 16% behind market leader IE on 46.5% and Firefox on 24.7%. In the UK Chrome at 21.1% is now neck and neck with Firefox on 21.7%. IE leads the UK market on 46.4%. (For other individual country or regional analysis see StatCounter Global Stats).

StatCounter Global Stats are based on aggregate data collected on a sample exceeding 15 billion page views per month (four billion from the US) from the StatCounter network of more than three million websites.