Photo by Don McCullough

While unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) have been around in various incarnations for over a century, they have gained significant commercial momentum over the past year or so. Relegated to military activities and intelligence gathering until fairly recently, drones have taken off as toy and a hobby and were one of the hottest gifts this past holiday season. They have grown commercially so much that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated registration of new drones.

So just how big has the drone market become? I decided to sit down and dig up a few Drone statistics and facts you may not have known. I hope you enjoy

Drone Statistics and Facts

Estimated number of Drones that will be shipped in 2017:

almost 3 million drones

Last updated 2/9/17

Projected number of drones in the US by 2020:

7 million

Last updated 3/26/16

Estimated number of commercial drones in the air by 2018:

600,000

Last updated 8/29/16

Total number of drones registered for commercial use:

20,000

Last updated 8/29/16

Percentage of Americans that are interested in drone deliveries:

47%

Last updated 1/2/17

Largest concern about drone deliveries among US internet users:

Theft Concerns (72%) and Damaged Packages (72%)

Last updated 1/27/17

Top industry using drones in the US:

Photography

Last updated 5/22/16

Second largest industry using drones in the US:

Real Estate

Last updated 5/22/16

Estimated number of drones shipped in 2015:

700,000 drones

Estimated number of drones that were purchased for Christmas 2015:

400,000 drones

Increase in drone sales form 2014-2015:

63%

Number of drones that have been registered with the FAA:

770,000 drones

Last updated 3/27/17

Estimated value of the drone industry:

$3.3 billion

Last updated 12/14/15

Projected size of the drone industry in 2020:

$13 billion

Last updated March 2017

Projected value of the drone industry by 2025:

$90 billion

Last updated 12/14/15

Number of incidents between drones and manned aircraft in the U.S. that have resulted in the aircraft had to maneuver to avoid a collision:

28 incidents

Last updated 12/11/15

Number of times a pilot or air traffic controller in the U.S. has spotted a drone flying near the flight path of a manned aircraft:

594

Last updated 12/11/15

Number of close encounters between a manned aircraft and a drone that has involved a plane that could carry 50 passengers or more:

116 incidents

Last updated 12/11/15

Number of “close encounters” between drones and manned aircraft in the U.S.:

300 incidents

Last updated 12/11/15

Percentage of drone crashes that are caused by technical errors:

64%

Last updated 8/24/16

Number of drones Disney used for their 2016 Disney Springs Christmas light show:

300

Projected number of small, hobbyist drones in use by 2021:

3.5 million 

Last updated 3/27/17

Please note that some of these numbers are easier to find than others, so some of these are based on news reports and not official company tallies. All stats are linked to their source unless it was sent to me directly from the company. In other words: This is the best I can find, but I don’t guarantee anything.