Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Global PC shipments rose sharply in 2021, but “16%” is one estimate, not a single agreed industry total. Thurrott reported 344.3 million PCs shipped, up 16% from 2020; Canalys estimated 341 million, up 15%. The difference reflects varying definitions and methods—and the figures measure shipments, not a direct count of computers bought by consumers.
What the 16% figure actually measures
The January 13, 2022, headline “PC Sales Grew 16 Percent in 2021” came from Thurrott’s summary of worldwide market estimates. Its 344.3-million total was an average of estimates from Gartner and IDC. In industry reporting, “sales” commonly means vendor shipments, or sell-in: computers sent by manufacturers into sales channels. That is not the same as audited retail purchases, or sell-through, so it does not establish that consumers personally bought 344.3 million computers.
PC totals generally cover desktops and notebooks, along with some workstation categories. Chromebooks may be included or reported separately depending on the firm. Tablets should not be added to a PC total unless a source explicitly reports a combined category. The original report and its estimate are described at Thurrott.
How the major estimates compare
| Source | 2021 worldwide estimate | Year-over-year change | Scope or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurrott’s Gartner/IDC average | 344.3 million PCs | 16% | Secondary report averaging Gartner and IDC estimates; see Thurrott. |
| Canalys | 341 million units | 15% | Desktops, notebooks, and workstations; see Canalys. |
| Gartner | More than 339 million PC and Chromebook shipments | Nearly 10% | Preliminary estimate and category scope differ from other totals; Gartner called it the highest volume since 2013. See Gartner. |
These estimates should not be forced into one supposedly exact figure. Firms can use different device definitions, treatment of Chromebooks and workstations, shipment timing, vendor inputs, estimation models, and revision schedules. A result described as preliminary may also differ from a later estimate. The sound conclusion is that worldwide PC shipments increased roughly 15% to 16% in the commonly cited 2021 estimates, with Gartner’s preliminary figure using a different scope and showing a different rate.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
Why PC demand surged
The pandemic accelerated demand that was already developing. Remote work prompted employers and workers to equip home offices; online schooling increased demand for notebooks and Chromebooks; and households used computers for video calls, productivity, entertainment, and gaming. Businesses also continued refresh cycles and deployments for distributed teams, while consumer demand in emerging markets remained relevant.
Revenue grew alongside unit volume. Canalys reported that worldwide PC revenue exceeded $250 billion in 2021, compared with about $220 billion in 2020. It also put the two-year compound annual growth rate from 2019 at approximately 13%. Higher average selling prices helped lift revenue, so revenue growth should not be treated as identical to unit growth. Canalys’ figures are in its 2021 shipment report.
Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
Notebooks grew faster than desktops
Canalys estimated 275 million notebook and mobile-workstation shipments in 2021, up 16% year over year. Desktops and desktop workstations totaled 66 million, up 7%. The stronger notebook result fits the needs of remote work, hybrid work, and online learning, where portability matters. It does not mean desktops stopped mattering: gaming, professional workloads, enterprise workstations, and cost-sensitive deployments continued to support them.
Strong annual growth met a weak fourth quarter
The annual result and the late-year slowdown can both be true. Canalys estimated about 92 million PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2021, just 1% above the same quarter a year earlier. Thurrott reported a comparable estimate of 90.6 million, below 92.4 million in the prior-year quarter. These are different firms’ estimates, not a single reconciled count.
Analyst explanations centered on component shortages, logistics disruption, and manufacturing bottlenecks. Demand could remain strong while manufacturers struggled to fulfill orders; constraints became especially visible by the holiday quarter. Shortages therefore help explain why late-year shipments were weak, not why the full-year total failed to rise. The figures and commentary are reported by Canalys and Thurrott.
Which vendors led the market?
Thurrott’s summary of 2021 vendor shipment estimates put Lenovo first, followed by HP and Dell. These are approximate shipments and shares, not audited retail sales or company-reported financial results.
Rank #4
| Vendor | Approximate 2021 shipments | Approximate share |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo | 83 million | 24.1% |
| HP | 74.1 million | 21.5% |
| Dell | 59.5 million | 17.3% |
| Apple | 27 million | 7.8% |
| Acer | 24 million | 7.0% |
Rankings and shares vary somewhat across research firms. Apple’s product transition to its own Apple Silicon processors was notable, but shipment totals alone do not establish that it caused the company’s growth. Nor does growth in units automatically mean a larger share when competitors are also expanding. The estimates above are from Thurrott’s vendor summary.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was 2021 a record year?
That depends on the dataset and comparison. Canalys called 2021’s 341 million shipments the largest annual total since 2012. Gartner described its result as the highest shipment volume since 2013. Thurrott compared its 344.3-million estimate with an approximately 365.4-million peak in 2011, leaving 2021 below that cited high. None of those statements supports calling 2021 the all-time record without specifying the measure and source.
Best Value
- It can be a gift option
- Comes with secure packaging
- Helpful in various ways
Canalys also estimated 2021 shipments were 27% above 2019, a useful indication that the market had grown substantially beyond its pre-pandemic baseline. See the historical comparisons in the Canalys report, Gartner’s preliminary result, and Thurrott’s summary.
What the boom did—and did not—signal
Some forces behind the increase could persist: hybrid work made personal computers essential to more workers, schools and households relied more heavily on them, and delayed upgrades created replacement demand. Other forces were temporary. Pandemic buying may have pulled purchases forward, early deployments could reduce later need, and supply limits kept the industry from meeting all demand. After households and employers were equipped, a slowdown was plausible rather than evidence that the 2021 demand had never existed.
Hindsight confirms that the surge did not continue at the same pace: a later IDC summary reported that shipments fell about 16% in 2022, to roughly 289 million, after approximately 344.3 million in 2021. That subsequent decline gives context to the boom but does not change what the 2021 estimates measured. See Thurrott’s later summary of IDC data.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Recommended Free Tools
