AWS stands for Amazon Web Services, which has substantially grown in popularity and use since it was launched in 2006. This is the branch of Amazon that provides cloud computing services, with product offerings that include everything from developer tools and management tools to analytics, databases, security, and more.1
As consumer demands change, Amazon is always ready to provide individuals and businesses with what they need, and AWS is one way that the company has been able to serve its many customers around the world. Below are some interesting AWS statistics to give you a better idea of what this service is all about, and how it has grown over the years.
Top Statistics
- In 2020, Amazon Web Services (AWS) generated over $45 billion.1
- Amazon Web Services makes up a large percentage of the total profits that Amazon earns. Roughly 52% of the company’s operating income comes from AWS.7
- More than 1 million users take advantage of all of the perks that come with AWS, which is available in 190 countries.8
- Some of the biggest businesses that use AWS include Sony, General Electric, Walt Disney Company, SAP, and Unilever.11
- Amazon Web Services has experienced several major outages over the years, causing inconveniences to some of the largest organizations and their customers. For example, outages occurred each year from 2011 to 2018.13
AWS Is a Leading Hyperscale Cloud Provider
Amazon is one of the biggest hyperscale cloud providers, alongside Microsoft Azure, Alibaba, and Google Cloud Platform.1 But, as you will see when reading the stats below, AWS dominates.
- As of 2020, AWS leads among hyperscale cloud providers with 52.7% of global IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and PaaS (Platform as a Service) market share.5
- As of the fourth quarter of 2020, Amazon Web Services made up 33% of the global market share of cloud infrastructure services. On the other hand, Microsoft made up 20%.6
- One reason why so many people choose to use AWS instead of its competitors is because they can save money by going with Amazon. For example, customers might save around 76% when running a standard web application, roughly 51% when using Big Data, and around 58% when running business applications.8
- Business of all sizes can take advantage of the many perks that come with signing up for AWS, and some of the brand’s most well-known customers include Netflix, Samsung, Adobe, Airbnb, Reddit, and Pinterest, among many others.12
A Look at Some Amazon and AWS Numbers
AWS has seen a steady growth in revenue from one year to the next. To get a sense of just how large and successful Amazon and AWS really are, all you have to do is look at the revenue that they have been able to generate in recent years. Here are some stats that can help shed light on why AWS is such an important component of Amazon.
- Amazon’s net revenue has grown every year since the early 2000s, but it experienced the biggest year-to-year increase between 2019 and 2020. In 2019, Amazon’s net revenue was $280.52 billion, but it was $386.06 billion in 2020.2
- Although most of the revenue that Amazon generates comes from selling a variety of products on its website, AWS makes up a large portion of the company’s earnings. In fact, in just the first quarter of 2021, cloud computing and hosting provided by AWS made roughly $13.5 billion. In the fourth quarter of 2020, revenue was around $12.7 billion.3
- AWS has become Amazon’s most reliable income source. Revenue grew more than expected – 32% – in the first quarter of 2021. Growth was 28% in the fourth quarter of 2020.4
The Many Ways That AWS Supports Organizations Around the World
According to its website, AWS works hard to help you do more at a lower price. The company claims that it has helped its myriad customers innovate more efficiently while also becoming increasingly agile. By providing more services and features than its competitors, and by operating in a way that allows it to be secure yet flexible, AWS has been able to stand out against the rest.9
- Amazon Web Services offers more than 200 fully featured services, and its customers include business of all sizes, from startups to big enterprises, as well as government agencies.9
- AWS provides high-quality cloud-based products that include storage, analytics, databases, mobile, networking, IoT, enterprise applications, security, management tools, developer tools, and more.10
- Amazon Web Services offers more than 70 infrastructure services.8
- With AWS, business owners can reduce the costs associated with IT, while also finding it easier to operate more efficiently and grow their organization. Some of the workloads that are powered by AWS include data processing and warehousing, game development, archive, web and mobile applications, and storage.10
- The AWS Cloud is global, with 25 Regions and 81 Availability Zones. The company has also announced that it is planning on expanding both its Regions and Availability Zones. It is set to have 7 more Regions and 21 more Availability Zones, and its focus is to expand in Israel, Switzerland, Spain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Indonesia, India, and Australia.10
Overall, thanks to AWS, Amazon has proven that it can do much more than just sell consumer products at low prices online. By being a leader in the world of cloud computing products and services, AWS has become a major profit-maker for Amazon, while also providing high-quality options for individuals and businesses. The growth has been steady, has exceeded expectations, and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down in the near future.
