Radio ownership is increasingly spread across dedicated DAB sets, car radios and connected devices. In the 2025 Ofcom Technology Tracker, 63% of UK respondents reported having a DAB or DAB+ radio, while 41% of UK households had a smart speaker in Q1 2024. International household figures also vary sharply, from 99.5% in Malaysia in 2024 to 0.51% in Viet Nam in 2024.
Contents
- UK DAB ownership at a glance
- Ownership by gender and age
- The role of household income
- Regional and rural-urban differences
- Smart speakers as radio-access devices
- Household radio ownership in selected countries
UK DAB ownership at a glance
The 2025 Technology Tracker measured reported access to DAB or DAB+ radios among UK respondents. Overall, 63% said they had any DAB or DAB+ radio, leaving 37% who reported no DAB or DAB+ radio. These figures describe the survey response for 2025; they are not a count of individual receivers or a forecast of future ownership. (2025 Technology Tracker - Core Data Tables)
The location of the radio matters. In 2025, 54% of UK respondents reported a DAB or DAB+ radio in the car, compared with 27% reporting one in the home. A further 18% reported DAB or DAB+ radios in both locations. The categories describe reported possession or access in the relevant setting, so they should not be added together as separate people.
| UK DAB or DAB+ measure | Reported share in 2025 |
|---|---|
| Any DAB or DAB+ radio | 63% |
| In the car | 54% |
| In the home | 27% |
| In both car and home | 18% |
| No DAB or DAB+ radio | 37% |
The previous year provides a useful historical reference. The 2024 Ofcom Technology Tracker reported that 57% of UK respondents had any DAB radio. The 2024 and 2025 figures come from separate annual Technology Tracker data-table releases, and the earlier figure should be treated as a reported legacy measurement rather than independently rechecked here. (Technology Tracker 2024 Data Tables)
Ownership by gender and age
In the 2025 UK sample, reported DAB ownership was higher among men than women across the main measures. Any DAB or DAB+ radio was reported by 67% of men and 60% of women. For car access, the figures were 59% and 50%, respectively. Home access was reported by 29% of men and 25% of women, while ownership in both car and home was reported by 21% of men and 15% of women. (2025 Technology Tracker - Core Data Tables)
Age differences were more pronounced. Any DAB or DAB+ radio was reported by 37% of 16–24-year-olds, 59% of people aged 25–34, 70% of those aged 35–54 and 68% of people aged 55 or over. The age-specific figures for people aged 65 or over and 75 or over were 64% and 59%, respectively. These overlapping age groups should be read as separate published categories, not as a sequence that can be combined.
| Age group | Any DAB or DAB+ radio | In car | In home | In both |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16–24 | 37% | 33% | 10% | 6% |
| 25–34 | 59% | 57% | 10% | 7% |
| 35–54 | 70% | 62% | 25% | 17% |
| 55+ | 68% | 54% | 42% | 27% |
Car ownership was reported by 33% of 16–24-year-olds, 57% of 25–34-year-olds, 62% of 35–54-year-olds and 54% of people aged 55 or over. Home ownership rose across the broad age groups from 10% in both the 16–24 and 25–34 categories to 25% among 35–54-year-olds and 42% among people aged 55 or over. The share reporting radios in both settings followed the same pattern: 6%, 7%, 17% and 27% respectively.
Within the older categories, 43% of people aged 65 or over and 46% of those aged 75 or over reported a DAB or DAB+ radio in the home. The published age bands overlap, so these figures provide additional views of the sample rather than a single non-overlapping age breakdown.
The role of household income
Household income was strongly associated with reported DAB access in the 2025 UK sample, especially for car radios and combined car-and-home ownership. Any DAB or DAB+ radio was reported by 36% of respondents with household income under £10.4K, 41% of those at £10.4K–£15.59K, 60% at £15.6K–£25.99K and 75% at £26K or more. The highest reported any-DAB ownership category was therefore the £26K-or-more group, at 75%.
Car access showed a wider spread: 21% in the under-£10.4K group, 28% at £10.4K–£15.59K, 42% at £15.6K–£25.99K and 69% at £26K or more. Home access was 17%, 21%, 32% and 30% across the same income categories. (2025 Technology Tracker - Core Data Tables)
| Household income | Any DAB | In car | In home | In both |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under £10.4K | 36% | 21% | 17% | 2% |
| £10.4K–£15.59K | 41% | 28% | 21% | 8% |
| £15.6K–£25.99K | 60% | 42% | 32% | 14% |
| £26K or more | 75% | 69% | 30% | 24% |
The combined car-and-home measure was reported by 2% of the lowest-income group, 8% of the next group, 14% of the £15.6K–£25.99K group and 24% of respondents with income of £26K or more. Conversely, no DAB or DAB+ radio was reported by 64%, 59%, 40% and 25% across those income bands. This is a descriptive association in the survey categories; the figures do not establish why the differences occur.
Regional and rural-urban differences
Reported ownership also varied across English regions in 2025. Any DAB or DAB+ radio was reported by 48% of respondents in London, 63% in the South East, 65% in the South West and 64% in the East Midlands. The corresponding figures were 67% in the West Midlands, 71% in the East of England, 64% in Yorkshire and the Humber, 64% in the North East and 71% in the North West. (2025 Technology Tracker - Core Data Tables)
| English region | Any DAB | In car | In home |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 48% | 41% | 18% |
| South East | 63% | 49% | 31% |
| South West | 65% | 56% | — |
| East Midlands | 64% | 57% | — |
| West Midlands | 67% | 49% | 40% |
| East of England | 71% | 62% | — |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 64% | 58% | — |
| North East | 64% | 54% | — |
| North West | 71% | 63% | — |
The available regional car figures ranged from 41% in London to 63% in the North West. For home access, the supplied regional figures ranged from 18% in London to 40% in the West Midlands, with the South East at 31%.
The rural-urban split was also substantial. Any DAB or DAB+ radio was reported by 77% of rural respondents and 60% of urban respondents. Home access was reported by 36% of rural respondents and 25% of urban respondents, while car access was reported by 67% of rural respondents and 41% of London respondents. The rural and London comparisons use different geography categories, so they are not a direct rural-versus-London comparison.
Smart speakers as radio-access devices
Dedicated DAB ownership is only one way to access radio. Ofcom reported that 41% of UK households had a smart speaker in Q1 2024. Among those households, 46% had two or more smart speakers. Amazon Echo was present in 80% of smart-speaker households, while 15% had a Google Home or Google Nest. (Media Nations: UK 2024)
Placement was concentrated in everyday household spaces. Among UK households with a smart speaker in Q1 2024, 57% had one in the living room or lounge, 49% in the kitchen and 37% in the bedroom. These location figures describe households with a smart speaker and are not shares of all UK households.
Radio was a significant use of the devices. Among smart-speaker owners surveyed in Q1 2024, 57% reported using the device to listen to radio and 63% to stream music. Ofcom also reported that 23.8% of live radio listening at home was on smart speakers in Q1 2024. That listening measure is distinct from household ownership: a household can own a smart speaker without using it for radio.
Earlier Ofcom figures reported smart-speaker ownership in 22% of UK households in 2020 and 39% in early 2022. Ofcom also reported that smart speakers carried 13% of all UK radio listening hours in 2022, and that 27% of UK smart-speaker owners got news from the device in 2022. These earlier measurements are retained as historical context and have not been independently reverified here. (It won’t be lonely this Christmas for smart speaker users)
Household radio ownership in selected countries
The ITU DataHub provides a different type of measure: the percentage of households with a radio in selected countries and measurement years. The figures below should not be compared directly with the UK DAB figures, because they cover household radio ownership rather than the presence of a particular digital-radio format, and the years differ.
| Country | Household radio ownership | Measurement year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 99.5% | 2024 | Malaysia data - ITU DataHub |
| Singapore | 65.2% | 2024 | Singapore data - ITU DataHub |
| Jamaica | 61.6% | 2023 | Jamaica data - ITU DataHub |
| Viet Nam | 0.51% | 2024 | Viet Nam data - ITU DataHub |
In this selected set, Malaysia had the highest reported household radio ownership at 99.5% in 2024. Singapore’s figure was 65.2% in 2024, while Jamaica’s was 61.6% in 2023. Viet Nam’s reported figure was 0.51% in 2024. The values are country-level observations for their stated years and definitions; they are not estimates of radio listening, DAB adoption or smart-speaker use.