MADRID - The number of smartphones in use in the world has risen to over 1 billion, 16 years after they were first put into market, report from Strategy Analytics showed on Wednesday.

According to the third quarter figures released by the research firm, the number of smartphones in use increased by around 330 million from the third quarter of 2011 and by 79 million from the second quarter of this year.

Executive Director at Strategics Analytics Neil Mawston said one in seven people in the world now has a smartphone.

Mawston pointed out that there will be more smartphone penetration in the future because of the "huge scope for future growth, particularly in emerging markets such as China, India and Africa."

It is calculated that although 16 years were needed for the first billion smartphones to come into use, it will need just three years for that number to double to 2 billion.