Google’s web browser Chrome is now the second most-popular browser in the United Kingdom, according to web metrics company Statcounter.

Chrome’s market share has been on an upward trajectory globally, but in the UK Google’s browser has been doing exceptionally well, having captured a 22.12% market share in July, edging out Firefox, which currently holds 21.65%.

The first spot is still held by Internet Explorer, which holds a massive 45.51%, but its market share has been steadily declining over the past 12 months.

Google advertises Chrome as a lightweight, speedy browser and uses it as a base for its operating system, Chrome OS. The first portable machines based on the OS — Chromebooks — arrived on the market in June 2011.

Once a breath of fresh air on the browser market, Firefox has been losing users globally in 2011 — at least according to Statcounter’s numbers. Mozilla’s open source browser recently sped up its upgrade pace, having released two major versions of the browser — Firefox 4 and Firefox 5 — within a three months’ span.