The QR code was invented in 1994 to track car parts in a Japanese factory. Thirty years later, it processes trillions of dollars in payments and is used by 2.2 billion people worldwide. This is the complete history of how a simple square pattern became essential infrastructure for the modern world.
1994
QR Code Invented
2000
ISO Standard
2011
Mobile Payments
2017
Native Scanning
2020
Pandemic Boom
2025
2.2B Users
1994: Invention at Denso Wave
The QR code was invented in 1994 by Masahiro Hara and his team at Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota. The project began in 1992 when manufacturing sites requested a barcode that could store more information and be read faster than traditional one-dimensional barcodes.
Traditional barcodes could only hold about 20 alphanumeric characters and didn't support Japanese Kanji characters. Hara's team needed a two-dimensional solution that could encode significantly more data while remaining quick to scan on production lines.
The Go Board Inspiration
The distinctive square pattern was inspired by the black and white stones on a Go board. The team surveyed thousands of printed materials to find the least-used ratio of black to white areas, settling on the 1:1:3:1:1 pattern used in the finder squares that appears in three corners of every QR code.
The name "QR" stands for "Quick Response", reflecting the code's ability to be scanned rapidly. Unlike barcodes that must be scanned in a specific orientation, QR codes can be read from any angle thanks to the three finder patterns in the corners.
1997-2000: Standardisation
In October 1997, the QR code was approved as an AIM International standard (ISS - AIM ITS 97-001), the first step toward global recognition. In 1999, it was registered as a Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS X 0510).
The critical milestone came in June 2000 when the QR code was approved as an ISO international standard (ISO/IEC 18004). This opened the door to worldwide adoption across industries.
Open Patent Policy
Denso Wave chose not to exercise its patent rights for standardised QR codes, allowing anyone to create and use them freely. This decision was crucial to the technology's widespread adoption. Denso Wave still holds patents but has waived licensing fees for codes conforming to the ISO standard.
2002: First Mobile Phone Scanner
In 2002, Sharp released the J-SH09 in Japan, the first mobile phone with a built-in QR code scanner. This was a novelty at the time, mobile internet access was still in its infancy, but it planted the seed for what would come.
Throughout the 2000s, QR codes gained traction in Japan for everything from product packaging to train tickets. However, Western adoption remained limited, largely because scanning required downloading third-party apps.
2010-2011: Early Western Adoption
The first major push for QR codes in the United States came in 2010 when Best Buy began using them across stores to provide product information. Marketing agencies experimented with QR codes in print advertising, though adoption remained niche.
In 2011, Android introduced QR Droid, one of the first popular scanning apps. The same year, Chinese company Alipay introduced QR code payments, allowing partnering stores to accept payment by scanning a customer's code. This would prove transformative.
2011-2014: The Rise of Mobile Payments in China
2011 marked a turning point when Tencent launched WeChat, which would become far more than a messaging app. In 2013, Tencent integrated its payment system to create WeChat Pay, enabling QR code payments within the app.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Alipay launches QR code payments |
| 2013 | WeChat Pay launches with QR payments |
| 2014 | Masahiro Hara wins European Inventor Award |
| 2016 | China mobile payments reach $5.5 trillion via QR |
By 2016, mobile payments in China reached $5.5 trillion, with QR codes processing the majority of transactions. WeChat Pay and Alipay together held over 90% of the market. China had effectively become a cashless society, powered by QR codes.
European Inventor Award (2014)
In 2014, Masahiro Hara and the Denso Wave development team received the European Inventor Award for their creation. Twenty years after inventing the QR code, Hara finally received international recognition for a technology that had quietly become essential infrastructure.
2017-2018: Native Smartphone Scanning
The biggest barrier to QR code adoption in Western markets was the need to download a separate scanning app. That changed in June 2017 when Apple's iOS 11 added native QR code scanning directly to the iPhone camera app.
Android 9.0 followed in 2018, integrating QR scanning through Google Lens. Suddenly, the friction was gone. Point your phone's camera at a QR code, and it just worked.
The Turning Point
Today, 91% of iOS users have iPhones with native QR scanning, and 86% of Android users have OS version 9.0 or higher with built-in scanning via Google Lens. The technology was finally ready for mainstream adoption. All it needed was a catalyst.
2020: The COVID-19 Catalyst
On 11 March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Within days, restaurants across the US began closing or limiting service to takeout. When they reopened, they needed contactless solutions. QR codes provided the answer.
The CDC mandated that restaurants use either single-use disposable menus or QR code menus. Practically overnight, QR codes went from marketing novelty to public health tool. By the end of March 2020, QR code menus were spreading globally.
26%
More US Users (2020-2022)
45%
Prefer QR to Order
The numbers tell the story. US QR code usage jumped from 70.8 million users in 2020 to 89 million in 2022, a 26% increase. According to a QSR study, 45% of diners now prefer using QR codes to order and pay at restaurants. 77% said they would continue using contactless payments after the pandemic.
2021: EU Digital COVID Certificate
In July 2021, the European Union launched the EU Digital COVID Certificate, a QR code-based system for proving vaccination, recovery, or negative test status. The system became the largest coordinated QR code deployment in history.
By December 2022, EU member states had issued more than 2 billion Digital COVID Certificates. The system connected 51 non-EU countries and territories in addition to the 27 member states, establishing the EU's framework as a global standard for health certification.
2022: Super Bowl Breakthrough
Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 became a watershed moment for QR codes in advertising. Coinbase ran a 60-second ad featuring nothing but a bouncing QR code on a black screen.
The result: 20 million users scanned the code within one minute, six times higher than any previous traffic Coinbase had experienced. The app crashed from the load. The ad cost $14 million and won the Clio Awards' "Super Clio" for best Super Bowl commercial.
The Coinbase Effect
The Coinbase ad proved that QR codes could drive massive engagement when used creatively. Super Bowl LVII the following year saw even more QR codes in advertising, cementing their place in mainstream marketing.
2024: 30th Anniversary
In October 2024, Masahiro Hara visited France to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his invention. He still works at Denso Wave, continuing to refine QR code technology and explore new applications.
The same year, the ISO published ISO/IEC 18004:2024, the latest revision of the QR code standard. The technology continues to evolve, with improvements in error correction, capacity, and scanning reliability.
2025: 2.2 Billion Users
According to Juniper Research, QR code payment users will exceed 2.2 billion globally in 2025. That represents 29% of all mobile phone users worldwide making payments via QR code.
In the United States, approximately 100 million people will scan QR codes this year. The technology that started in a Toyota factory has become essential infrastructure for commerce, healthcare, marketing, and daily life.
WHO Adoption
In June 2023, the World Health Organization announced it would adopt the EU's Digital COVID Certificate framework as the foundation for a global digital health certification network. The QR code infrastructure built during the pandemic will serve future public health needs.
Timeline Summary
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Masahiro Hara invents QR code at Denso Wave |
| 1997 | AIM International standard approved |
| 2000 | ISO/IEC 18004 international standard approved |
| 2002 | First mobile phone with QR scanner (Sharp J-SH09) |
| 2011 | Alipay launches QR code payments in China |
| 2013 | WeChat Pay launches |
| 2014 | Hara wins European Inventor Award |
| 2016 | China QR payments reach $5.5 trillion |
| 2017 | iOS 11 adds native QR scanning |
| 2018 | Android 9.0 adds native QR scanning |
| 2020 | COVID-19 drives contactless QR adoption |
| 2021 | EU Digital COVID Certificate launches |
| 2022 | Coinbase Super Bowl ad: 20M scans in 1 minute |
| 2024 | 30th anniversary; ISO/IEC 18004:2024 published |
| 2025 | 2.2 billion global QR payment users |
The Technology Behind the Squares
A QR code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode that can store up to 7,089 numeric characters or 4,296 alphanumeric characters. The three large squares in the corners (finder patterns) allow scanners to detect the code's orientation. The smaller patterns contain timing, format, and version information.
QR codes include built-in error correction using Reed-Solomon algorithms, allowing them to remain scannable even when partially damaged. The four error correction levels (L, M, Q, H) can recover from 7% to 30% data loss, which is why QR codes work with logos overlaid on them.
For a deeper technical explanation, see our guide on how QR codes work.
What's Next?
Thirty years after invention, QR codes continue to evolve. Denso Wave has developed variants like Micro QR (for small spaces), iQR (for rectangular codes), and SQRC (with embedded security features). The ISO standard continues to be updated.
The technology that Masahiro Hara created to track car parts now processes trillions in payments, verifies health credentials, connects physical and digital experiences, and serves billions of users daily. From factory floor to Super Bowl, the QR code's journey is far from over.