Online E-Learning Statistics & Trends for 2021

The educational disruption caused by the unforeseen pandemic has brought forth an unprecedented revolution in the educational landscape. Lectures and seminars or learning of any sort no longer have to be confined to a physical venue thanks to digital toolboxes – ranging from mobile devices to virtual learning systems to online courses.

The remarkable shift from traditional in-class instruction to digital learning followed by the eLearning industry's skyrocketing growth shows no signs of slowing down.

Whether you want to jump into E-learning as a student or a course instructor aiming to harness its potential, here are a few highlights comprising the most critical statistics covered in this article for you to work through:

21 E-learning Statistics & Trends For 2021

Our roundup of 21 key online E-learning statistics can help you develop a better understanding of the major E-learning and online education trends and what the future holds for them:

As more and more institutions offer mobile learning opportunities to people from far-flung areas, the E-learning market is set to grow at a rate of 10.3% to reach a whopping $457.8 Billion.

Based on the report of the eLearning Industry, Deloitte mentioned that the average employee needs 24 minutes or 1% of their workweek for learning purposes. This microlearning approach helps the employees in absorbing the latest knowledge and skills available to them. The process leads to higher revenues and increased competitive advantage.

China's E-learning market will surpass the USA by reaching a projected U.S. $105.7 billion market size by 2026. The boost is attributed to China's policies to accelerate the shift to newer learning methods reliant on the Internet.

According to eLearning Infographics, 65% of millennials prefer their current jobs that give them greater chances for both personal and professional development. These digital natives value the work-life balance with greater flexibility and professional growth that requires more space for a continuous online learning process.

According to Glassdoor, studies reveal that the average salary for professional eLearning developers is $79,526. This shows that LMS developers not only have an exciting and fulfilling career. They also receive a rewarding salary that could even go above that figure. This also proves that learning management systems is a viable career as it’s higher than the national average annual salary by $20k.

Higher premiums are placed on employees who have more skills over the others. This is the outstanding reason why 68% of employees say that training and development is the company’s most important policy. Employees want continuous eLearning, training, and development not only to gain more skills that they can use to enhance their career but also to get into higher-paying positions.

The COVID-19 pandemic even boosts and yields advantages to the online e-learning statistics and trends for 2021. Even after its peak, eLearning became a trend and is continuing to become a norm, not just a fad.

According to Class Central – a research and analysis company, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) exceeded 180 million learners, owing to the pandemic.

Giving employees the knowledge they need to execute their operational responsibilities well can improve the quality of their deliverables and the overall bottom line. Therefore, the majority of the organizations surveyed consider E-learning a major competitive advantage.

Students are heavily relying on online learning platforms to help them with their homework assignments. Top universities have made their lessons available online to improve the quality of education.

Fortune 500 companies recognize the value of eLearning and incorporate it into their business models. Research shows that there is a correlation between the use of eLearning in these companies and their success.

The United States and Europe collectively account for 70% of the global eLearning market – a trend that shows that those in developed countries drive the majority of eLearning activity.

According to the Research Institute of America, E-learning can boost retention rates by 25-60% compared to traditional training. The research cites a greater control over the learning process as one of the key drivers of higher retention.

The “Corporate E-Learning – Global Market Outlook (2017-2026)” report by Research and Markets shows that E-learning was used as a training tool by the majority of the companies worldwide. The massive shift is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately 70% of all students believe that online instruction is as good as or better than a traditional classroom setting. The results were part of a research carried on to compare online learning with traditional learning.

Taking notes on your laptop is much easier, especially if a course instructor speaks fast! This study also found that 51 percent of people use tablets every week.

According to Deloitte's “Digital Education Survey”, 75% of teachers surveyed believe that digital learning content will completely replace printed textbooks within the next decade.

The global educational technology (EdTech) investments reached around $18.7 billion in 2019, with the proliferation of newer, faster, and widely available gadgets.

Nearly 9 out of every 10 teachers report allocating more time troubleshooting technology than when they were using physical classrooms. 

According to the Household Pulse Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau that included 52 million households, 4.4 million households with children cannot access computers for online learning purposes consistently.

According to a global data analysis by McKinsey, US students whose device usage varies around 60 minutes per week achieve better academic results.

According to a research report by the U.S. education department, between 12% and 32% of U.S. teachers agree with smartphones' usefulness towards their student's assignments.

Online E-Learning Statistics: Summary

The drastic educational shift that has led to the rise of eLearning is the need of the hour, considering the pre-existing inaccessibility of educational resources in various regions. However, since E-learning methods are quick to deploy, effective, and affordable, their rapid worldwide adoption appears to be permanent in nature.