Last year was a golden one for Windows Phone market share as it finally reached 10 percent across several countries. Now, in a statement by Microsoft, the company is proud to give us the juicy details of this feat for the once-struggling mobile platform

In a report by GSM Arena, a statement from Microsoft is ecstatic about its recent success in the mobile market:

"We've seen record sales of Windows Phone this holiday worldwide, nearly doubling phone sales during Christmas week (YOY). In the third quarter this year, according to IDC, Windows Phone reinforced its position as a top three smartphone operating system and was the fastest-growing platform among the leading operating systems with 156% year-over-year gain. Windows Phone is the #2 smartphone operating system in 14 markets, and shipped more units than iPhone in 24 markets in Q3. Our portfolio continues to expand: from award-winning flagship devices like the Nokia Lumia 928/1020/1520, to affordable new innovations like the Lumia 520/625/1320 and Huawei W1/W2." 

While we still don't know where the Redmond company got its data, the numbers are certainly impressive. In the report, Microsoft even enumerated 24 markets where more Windows Phone handsets were shipped compared to Apple's iPhones. The list includes both established and emerging countries such as Finland, Greece, Italy, Peru, India and Poland. 

In addition, there are also 14 markets wherein the Windows Phone platform has been recognized as the top 2 mobile OS based on market penetration and usage. The list includes India, Italy, Chile, Ukraine, South Africa, Czech Republic and Greece. 

For the past three years, Microsoft has been painstakingly developing its mobile platform to be the undisputed number 3 OS in the world. But while the numbers for the past year are certainly impressive, there are some critics who point out that WP's success can mainly be attributed to the failure of Blackberry OS in making a comeback. 

Whether this success is a fluke or not, we will know this year.