You’ve seen a lot of attention surrounding navigation. Now some stats from comScore highlight just how popular those services have become.

Mobile maps are increasingly popular in the United States and Europe, reports comScore, with 8% of American mobile subscribers and 3% of European subscribers accessing maps from the mobile phone in the 3-month period ending in May.

The iPhone is the leading device used to access maps in the United States, and in Europe, the device trails the Nokia N95 and N70, according to the comScore M:Metrics study.

With the influx of devices, such as the iPhone with GPS, entering the market, Nokia’s purchase of Navteq and the growing popularity of downloadable navigation applications, you don’t need a map to see where this sector is going, said Mark Donovan, senior analyst, in a press release.

According to comScore, 73% of U.S. mobile subscribers accessing maps are doing so via the browser, and in Europe, it’s 57%. Less than a third of Americans and Europeans are using a downloaded application, which allows even feature phones, with less computing power and often smaller screens, to better render graphic-rich maps and directions. Despite the ubiquity of SMS usage in Europe, the penetration of consumers accessing maps and directions via SMS is 24%; only one percentage point higher than it is in the United States.

The majority of mobile map users are seeking driving directions, including in Europe, where public transportation and non-vehicular options are more popular.