56 Online Learning Statistics to Surprise You in 2025

Olesia Filipenko 18 November 2024

Online learning is in high demand. With a bit of nudge from the pandemic, people all experienced that digital classes can work just as well. It’s amazing how much eLearning can help a business grow.

Technology makes knowledge more affordable for everyone. Now people understand they don’t have to go to a classroom to skill up, they are more open to online courses and training. Businesses see this trend and get the most out of it.

Below are 56 of the most surprising online learning statistics that show the numbers behind this growing sector and the benefits of creating online classes this year.

Growth of Online Learning: Statistics and Figures

1. The worldwide e-Learning market will be worth $325 billion in 2025. Back in 2014, it was $165 billion, so we see that growth has doubled in a decade!

2. The global e-Learning market will grow to $1 trillion in 2028. This is partly due to the increased adoption of e-Learning techniques by leading corporations and institutions around the world.

3. The online learning sector has grown to over $240 billion in 2022. It’s the primary signal that the trend won’t leave us in the next few years.

4. The US e-Learning market will grow by $72.41 billion between 2020 and 2024. It’s true for online learning in both the educational and corporate sectors.

5. The eLearning gamification market has reached $1.8 billion in 2023. Compared to $450 million in 2018, it’s a considerable growth, given that 83% of employees admit that gamified training motivates them.

6. The MOOC market will grow by 40% by 2027. The massive open online course is prevalent in all niches: People want to learn new things and get new skills at their own pace.

7. The LMS market will reach $29.9 billion by 2025. The learning management system market also witnesses rapid growth as institutional eLearning rises.

8. The USA and Europe account for 70% of the world’s online education market. These regions are most active and focused on the eLearning industry growth.

9. 46% of online learners choose business-related courses. Computer science and health courses are super popular among individual learners too.

10. Mobile learning will reach $80 billion by 2027. Mobile learning is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the eLearning niche. It was worth around $8 billion in 2015, but that number had reached $22 billion in 2020!

11. Revenue for AR/VR educational software will grow by $700 Million in 2025. Augmented reality and virtual learning systems are now a must-have for businesses in niches like medicine, online education, games, and sales.

12. The demand for eLearning has risen by 400% since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The demand for eLearning has risen by over 1000% across all industries since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  It’s due to the shift from traditional in-class lessons to digital learning in educational institutions. Everyone needed LMS to organise the process.

13. 57% of learners spend more time learning online than they did three years ago. It’s mainly about learning and development (L&D) professionals.

14. Since 2019 the software and technology industry experienced the highest increase in demand for eLearning at 3600%. As the demand for tech experts keeps rising, so will the demand for tech knowledge and courses.

Online Learning Effectiveness

1. Microlearning is 17% more effective than traditional learning. The reason is that it’s easier for us to consume and remember information in small chunks.

2.About 74 million people use LMS (learning management systems). They are great tools to schedule the classes, complete tasks, and organise the learning materials.

3. Microlearning usage was up by 700% in 2020. Short lessons that take only 5-7 minutes to complete have become super popular lately.

4. The retention rate from microlearning is 70-90%, compared to 15% from traditional learning. It makes us think of implementing this format to business needs.

5. Every dollar invested in online training results in $30 for a company. We speak about improved employee productivity and engagement here.

6. 94% of learners see career benefits after taking more time to learn. Profitable online classes help them get a competitive advantage.

7. Online training increases retention rates by up to 60%. It’s because students have more control over their online education process. In contrast, traditional, face-to-face learning retention rates are just 8-10%.

8. 8 of 10 adult learners take an interest in online education. They want to pursue extra learning or move to a new career, and the interest in it has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

9. 70% of students consider online classes better than traditional ones. They claim to learn better online and get higher scores on tests.

10. 66% of Americans have been more motivated to seek out online learning since the pandemic began. Online learning has become a necessity thanks to the pandemic and people have now regarded it as the new normal.

Online Learning Statistics for Course Creators

1. Online course creation will cost from $140 to $10,770. The price depends on several factors, such as design, module number, and certification.

2. The average cost of online course creation is $177. So it’s not that expensive to start and create profitable online education for your business.

3. 36% of top course creators intend to sell membership and coaching in 2022. By selling membership and coaching, creators are building a community of students with similar interests.

4. Online course creation and launch consume 90% less energy than face-to-face training. It also produces 85% fewer CO2 emissions per person!

5. Top course makers are 2x more likely to use communities. Course creators are making their courses more engaging and interactive for students.

6. 85% of top course makers sell more than one product or service. They are creating more revenue streams and giving their audience the option to choose how they want to engage.

7. Top course creators are three times more likely to sell their courses in bundles. They’re creating complementary pieces of learning that students can purchase together.

8. 58% of top course makers use social media traffic to attract students to their courses. Social media still remains a great place to grow your followers, and creators are using it to attract students to their courses. 

9. Top course creators are 2x more likely to track student engagement, 2.7x more likely to collect student reviews, and 1.4x more likely to collect student feedback. By making use of their student’s data, course creators can improve the quality of their courses. 

10. 67% of top course creators use “Free Courses” as a sales tactic. Creators are giving students a chance to see the quality of their courses before they have to buy them.

11. Successful course makers are 2x more likely to offer subscription pricing and 1.4x more likely to upsell additional learning content. Creators are bringing in more students by being flexible with pricing and lowering the initial cost for access.

12. More than 40% of top creators use at least four different sales tactics. The goal for many creators is to bring in as many leads as possible, so they keep developing new sales tactics.

13. The business and marketing industry has the highest average course price at $234. People keep investing in marketing courses to give their business the highest chance for success.

Corporate eLearning Statistics

1. 90% of corporations use online education for employees today. It’s worth mentioning there was only 4% of them back in 1995.

2. More than 40% of Fortune 500 companies use online education. Regular courses help them generate income and improve employees’ productivity and engagement.

3. Companies with comprehensive training programs have 218% higher revenue. These numbers are per employee and come from the American Society for Training and Development survey of 2,500 companies. Also, we speak about 24% higher profit margins here.

4. Corporate eLearning will grow by over 250% by 2026. The stats take the 2017-2026 timeline, with the market valued at $14.23 billion in 2017 and expected to hit $49.87 billion in 2026.

5. Corporate eLearning will increase by $38.09 billion by 2024. It covers the 2020-2024 timeline, entailing online training employees undergo in organisations. The training includes conferences, workshops, sales or product training, recruitment training, etc.

6. 62% of companies use online learning programs to close a gap in employee knowledge. It’s the case of newbies, though experienced team members also take courses to keep up with their niche’s trends.

7. 51% of businesses use eLearning courses to improve employee morale. These companies believe that online training positively impacts their mentees’ satisfaction and longevity.

8. 60% of companies use social learning strategies. It becomes mainstream with organisations willing to succeed in today’s transitional age. Social learning brings better outcomes, increasing the course completion rate to 85%.

9. 80% of employees want their company’s courses to be shorter. They say they would learn more frequently if the course content was in multiple, more concise lessons. They believe frequent training is more important than formal workplace training.

10. 72% of organisations consider online learning their competitive advantage. They specify courses and training as a perk in job descriptions to hook talents.

11. 42% of US companies that practice eLearning generate more income. This benefit of online training is hard to overestimate, huh?

12. Online training improves employee productivity by up to 25%. They feel motivated and more engaged in work processes.

13. 58% of employees want to learn at their own pace. And that’s a reason why they choose online education with multiple, shorter lessons.

14. 54% of employees are ready to spend more time learning. The main condition for this, they say, is the availability of specific course recommendations from their managers.

15. Corporate eLearning takes 40-60% less time to complete. It’s time- and energy-saving for employees, motivating them to learn new information when it’s most comfortable for them.

16. eLearning drives employee engagement by up to 18%. It’s excellent for employee motivation and morale, and it helps them get involved in a company’s mission and values.

17. 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025. For organizations, it’s about identifying skills gaps and providing suitable upskill content for their staff.

18. 75% of employees admit that online classes and training tools help them perform better. They rely on these instruments to ensure their knowledge and skills stay up to date.

19. 73% of L&D professionals plan to develop more custom learning content in the upcoming years. They agree their companies need to adopt new training techniques and change their delivery methods.

20. 57% of financial services institutions plan on hosting virtual events post-pandemic, 40% plan to go hybrid.

Find out how to combine email marketing and virtual events in finance from our full guide about email marketing for financial services.

How to Get Started with Online Courses

With so many numbers and insights in the pocket, you see the reasons to create profitable online education for your business, don’t you?

And you’re right:

With so many people eager to learn, online courses are beneficial. It’s an opportunity to engage a broader audience, build trust, and prove that you’re an expert in your field. Plus, it’s a sure-fire way to generate revenue!

Here is your quick guide on how to get started with online education and create a successful one to grow your business. From choosing the topic to finding the best online education platforms to build and sell your course, below is everything you need to know, step by step:

1. Decide on the Right Subject

The #1 factor for an online education success is choosing a topic that appeals to your audience and business needs. It stands to reason that you’ll consider something relevant to your niche, but it should also be something your targets want to learn.

So, before you dive into writing ideas for a course subject, test it and identify the audience’s demand for it. Offer something valuable for people’s personal or professional needs.

Ask the targets what they think about your online course topic:

• Share polls or online forms on social media.
• Prepare a short tutorial on the subject and track its performance to see if there’s an interest in it.
• Launch an email marketing campaign to ask the audience if they want to see more of such content.
• Research and check other online courses on the same subject. It’s a signal that people find this topic helpful, so your course on a related topic have chances to succeed.

2. Choose the Type of Online Course to Sell

Once you decide on the subject, it’s time to define what kind of online education it will be. It depends on business goals and your resources for course creation and promotion. Consider crafting mini-courses, professional training courses, live or presell courses, bonus courses, etc.

All they differ by structure and promotion strategies you’ll use to sell them.

3. Write a Course Outline

With the course type and topic in the pocket, you will develop a curriculum and write a detailed outline for your online course. Make a list of lessons you will teach, and break down each class into covered subtopics. Write a great course description, that’s the shortest copy that has the biggest impact on signups.

Define a goal for each lesson and structure them logically to ensure the learning process will smooth naturally, step by step. Remember to add assignments and activities for learners.

4. Compile the Material and Create the Course Content

Based on the outline, craft the content for your online course. Consider different methods of delivering the information to the audience. Make each lesson entertaining and inspirational for students.

Most creators use video lessons (webinars) to communicate with learners. Yet, don’t hesitate to mix videos with presentation templates, audio recordings, or other media files. Also, think of the form of assignments for your online education program. Make them interactive for better engagement: Quizzes, surveys, and games are a few options to consider.

5. Host Your Course Online

Once you have your course material ready, you’ll need to upload it and start selling. You have three options for this:

1. Place the course on your business website. You will need to create a separate page with all the necessary plugins and extra features. Teachery is a good option if you use WordPress.
2. Upload your course to online platforms like Udemy or Coursera. In this case, your brand identity may suffer.
3. Use online course platforms and digital learning tools like Thinkific, LearnWorlds, or Teachable. They allow you to build a course and brand it with your business name, using their platform for hosting. Read our full Thinkific review to compare it with others and see if it’s right for you.

6. Decide on a Business Model and Price for Your Course

And now, for the most critical part:

What price to set for your course, and what business model to choose for selling it?

The most popular strategy is to set a fixed price for full access to the course material upon payment. But feel free to consider alternative models:

• Individual lessons from your course for sale
• Subscription (set a monthly fee for users to access new tasks on your channel)
• Payment plans (installments)
• The first lesson is free (to showcase your expertise and generate leads for the rest of your course)

Whatever model you choose, ensure you offer a course preview or a short trailer of each lesson for free. It allows users to see what they get from the course and encourage them to sign up.

Speaking of prices, here go a few ways to determine the rates to set for your course:

1. Do a quick audit of competitor prices to understand the average rates on your topic.
2. Consider the time and resources you’ve spent creating the course.
3. Think of the value a user will get from your course.

It helps find a good balance between your investments and gains.

7. Create a Landing Page to Sell It

Once all the above is ready, you’ll need a sales page for your online course. It’s a landing page you’ll use for its marketing campaign, for people to visit before deciding to sign up and buy it. If you can’t create pages with your course platform, look for a standalone landing page builder.

Follow the best landing page design, copywriting, and SEO practices to get more people to know about your online course and persuade them to join.

Ready to Start?

After reading these online education statistics, you’re eager to get started with online courses for your business, aren’t you?

With high growth in the eLearning industry, it’s high time to do that. As a business educating your team is crucial. Make sure to include all relevant online learning opportunities in your internal newsletters.

About Olesia Filipenko

Olesia is a freelance content writer and a blogger behind WritingBreeze.com. She writes about digital marketing, online learning, and social media. She enjoys researching statistics and curating them into easy-to-read content.

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