While the number of downloads kept increasing between 2016 to 2022. However, in 2023, the global app downloads stagnated, reaching 257 billion downloads and experienced only a one percent year-over-year increase.

The app market Mobile apps are projected to generate more than 613 billion U.S. dollars in revenues in 2025, with mobile games making up the biggest revenue share among all app categories. In 2020, gaming and video made up the largest shares of the mobile content market for the year. The ePublishing and education sectors still saw a limited market for their mobile content, despite the increase in apps usage brought by the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting regular school system settings.

App monetization: a changing landscape As an indispensable part of the smartphone experience, the largest number of apps in the major app stores are free to download. However, in recent years, the growth of global consumer spending on apps has shown users’ healthy appetite for premium services or paid app content. In the second quarter of 2021, Android consumers have spent an average of 5.31 U.S. dollars per handset, after peaking in the last quarter of 2020 reaching an average of 10.6 U.S. dollars per mobile device. As of September 2021, the number of paid apps has shrunk to make up only six percent and four percent of the total numbers in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, respectively. In comparison, apps offering subscription plans are becoming increasingly popular in the monetization landscape. In 2020, the leading subscription apps in the Apple App Store generated more than 10 million U.S. dollars in global revenues.

App Download Key StatisticsApp and Game DownloadsiOS App and Game DownloadsGoogle Play App and Game DownloadsGame DownloadsiOS Game DownloadsGoogle Play Game DownloadsApp DownloadsiOS App...

In 2021, WhatsApp's user base in the United Kingdom amounts to approximately 40.23 million users. The number of WhatsApp users in the United Kingdom is projected to reach 38.35 million users by 2025. User figures have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

In 2022, Google Play users worldwide downloaded 110 billion mobile apps, down from 111.3 billion apps in 2021. Generating significantly more downloads than it’s iOS counterpart, the Apple App Store, Android apps on Google Play are available for a wider range of devices than those catering to Apple's closed ecosystem.

Google’s app sales continue to climb Google’s success was equally reflected in its app revenue which has steadily increased each year, reaching 38.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Since 2019, the highest average number of apps released monthly on Google Play was 141.4 thousand in March 2019. Meanwhile, August 2021 saw the lowest number of apps released within the last two and a half years. Despite its success in the mobile app arena, the tech powerhouse still generates the vast majority of its revenues from advertising.

Social and dating apps are among most popular in 2021 In the first quarter of 2021, one year into the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, the number of available dating apps grew by nearly 24 percent. Meanwhile, travel apps saw relatively little growth during this period. Facebook-owned Instagram was the most downloaded Android app in July 2021. With travel restrictions still in place in many regions of the world, communication and social apps such as Snapchat, TikTok and Telegram also featured among the most popular apps downloaded that month.

The global mobile application store market is experiencing robust growth, driven by the increasing penetration of smartphones and rising mobile internet usage worldwide. While precise figures for market size and CAGR are absent from the provided data, a reasonable estimation, considering current market trends and the growth observed in related sectors like mobile gaming and app development, would place the 2025 market size at approximately $150 billion USD. Assuming a conservative Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15% for the forecast period (2025-2033), this translates to a projected market value exceeding $600 billion USD by 2033. This expansion is fueled by factors such as the continuous evolution of mobile technology, the emergence of 5G networks facilitating faster app downloads and smoother in-app experiences, and the ongoing diversification of app categories, including increased adoption of mobile commerce, subscription-based apps, and augmented/virtual reality applications. Key segments within the market are showing diverse growth trajectories. The Android OS segment is expected to continue its dominance due to its larger global market share, although the iOS segment will remain lucrative, driven by its higher average revenue per user. Similarly, while free apps maintain higher download numbers, the paid apps segment is poised for stronger revenue growth fueled by a willingness of users to pay for premium features and high-quality content. Geographical analysis reveals significant regional variations. North America and Europe currently hold substantial market share, but Asia-Pacific, particularly India and China, are predicted to exhibit the most rapid growth, as mobile penetration and app usage surge in these regions. Challenges such as app store regulations, security concerns around data privacy, and increasing competition among app developers will impact future growth.

As of August 2024, Android users were able to choose between 2.3 million apps, making Google Play the app store with the biggest number of available apps. The Apple App Store was the second-largest app store with roughly two million available apps for iOS. Whereas the exact number of apps may fluctuate as Apple and Google regularly remove low-quality content from their app stores, the number of apps has been increasing over the years. Average app price Applications generate revenue in several different ways, such as charging users a price for the download of an app, charging for access to premium features of an otherwise free app or simply selling ad space. As of January 2024, the average price of an app in the App Store amounts to 0.73 U.S. dollars per app.Google Play may have the bigger number of apps available for download, but the Apple App Store is doing a better job at monetizing its mobile content. In the third quarter of 2022, global consumer spending on mobile apps via the Apple App Store amounted to 21.2 billion U.S. dollars, absolutely crushing the still impressive 10.4 billion U.S. dollars of the Google Play platform. Other app stores Whereas Apple and Google dominate the conversation regarding downloads and spending, there as a few other players with various degrees of market success and relevance. The Amazon Appstore offers approximately 526,00 Android apps to worldwide audiences. The most popular app categories in the Amazon Appstore are gaming, education, and utilities apps. There are also several third-party Android app stores in China, including the Tencent Appstore with over 63,000 published mobile apps available to users in the market

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Mobile Application Market Size 2025-2029

The mobile application market size is forecast to increase by USD 2630 billion, at a CAGR of 31.1% between 2024 and 2029.

The market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing penetration of smartphones and the rising number of mobile apps for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This trend signifies a massive opportunity for businesses to engage with customers through personalized, on-demand services. However, the cost associated with mobile app development and operation poses a challenge for many organizations. To capitalize on this market, companies must effectively balance the investment in app development with the potential return on investment. The IoT sector, in particular, presents a lucrative opportunity, as the integration of mobile apps with connected devices enhances user experience and creates new revenue streams. Conversely, managing the cost of development, maintenance, and updates remains a critical challenge. To navigate this landscape, businesses must adopt efficient development methodologies, explore cost-effective solutions, and focus on delivering value-added services to their customers. In summary, the market is characterized by immense growth potential, driven by the proliferation of smartphones and IoT devices, but also presents challenges related to development costs. Companies seeking to capitalize on this market must strike a balance between investment and return, and adopt innovative strategies to deliver value to their customers.

What will be the Size of the Mobile Application Market during the forecast period?

Explore in-depth regional segment analysis with market size data - historical 2019-2023 and forecasts 2025-2029 - in the full report.
Request Free SampleThe market continues to evolve, with dynamic market activities unfolding across various sectors. Mobile app marketing strategies are constantly evolving to maximize user engagement, with social media integration and influencer marketing gaining traction. App ratings and reviews play a crucial role in shaping user perception, influencing downloads and retention rates. Native app development, utilizing languages like React Native, offers superior user experience and performance. Agile development methodologies, such as Scrum, enable quicker time-to-market and continuous improvement. Version control systems ensure seamless collaboration and effective project management. Advertising networks and mobile payment gateways facilitate monetization, while app loading speed, location services, and user authentication enhance user experience. Subscription models offer recurring revenue streams, and data security remains a top priority, with encryption, terms of service, and privacy policy playing essential roles. App development frameworks, such as those based on waterfall or agile methodologies, facilitate efficient development processes. Mobile app testing, quality assurance, and analytics provide valuable insights for continuous improvement. Cross-platform development caters to diverse user bases, while API integration and cloud integration enable seamless data exchange and scalability. App monetization strategies, including pay-per-click advertising, in-app purchases, and subscription models, adapt to evolving user preferences. Mobile app design, push notifications, and content marketing further engage users, fostering loyalty and repeat usage. Battery consumption and network usage remain ongoing concerns, necessitating optimization efforts. Security and privacy, app retention rate, and mobile app marketing are areas of continuous focus, with ongoing advancements shaping the mobile application landscape.

How is this Mobile Application Industry segmented?

The mobile application industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments. PlatformAndroid marketiOS marketOthersTypeGamingMusic and entertainmentHealth and fitnessSocial networkingOthersGeographyNorth AmericaUSCanadaEuropeFranceGermanyUKMiddle East and AfricaUAEAPACChinaIndiaJapanSouth AmericaBrazilRest of World (ROW).

By Platform Insights

The android market segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.In the dynamic world of mobile applications, the Android operating system holds a prominent position in the global market. With over 3.95 million apps available on the Google Play Store as of 2023, platforms like Google Drive and Tinder continue to top the charts. The preference for Android as a mobile app development platform is on the rise due to the widespread use of Android smartphones worldwide. This trend is further fueled by the latest Android 10 OS, as demonstrated by devices such as the OnePlus 8 Pro. Network usage and battery co

Keeping track of your health is, for many people, a continuous task. Monitoring what you eat, how often you exercise and how much water you drink can be time-consuming, fortunately there are tens of...

In 2024, TikTok was still the most downloaded mobile app worldwide. The short-video sharing app generated 825.5 million downloads during the same year. The social video app Instagram followed with 817 million downloads. Fast-fashion app Temu ranked in fifth, with over 516 million downloads for global users in the last examined year, while ByteDance-published video editing app CapCut had around 410 million downloads. TikTok Owned by the Beijing-based tech company ByteDance and launched in 2017, TikTok quickly gained popularity after the acquisition of Musical.ly in 2018. In 2025, the number of TikTok users worldwide was expected to exceed 955 million, with the United States being one of the leading markets. In 2024, TikTok engaged the largest audience from Indonesia, with over 157 million consumers from the region using the app. United States, and Brazil followed with 120.5 and 105.2 users, respectively. Meta Platforms In October 2021, Facebook was renamed and rebranded as Meta, with the CEO Mark Zuckerberg aiming to be associated with the metaverse. Meta’s products include Facebook, Messager, Instagram, and WhatsApp, also known as Meta’s Family of Apps (FoA), generating most of Meta’s revenue. Moreover, these are among the most popular social networks worldwide. As part of its rebranding, Meta’s Reality Labs business segment develops a series of virtual reality (VR) headsets, the Meta Quest - one of the leading VR devices on the market.

Mobile games make up the majority of video games released each year, with thousands of new additions to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store every year. By the mid-2010s, mobile games had...

The number of WhatsApp users in Finland was forecast to continuously decrease between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.02 million users. The WhatsApp user base is estimated to amount to 4.19 million users in 2029. Notably, the number of WhatsApp users of was continuously increasing over the past years.User figures, shown here regarding the platform whatsapp, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of WhatsApp users in countries like Norway and Denmark.

As of May 2025, nearly 97 percent of apps in the Google Play app store were freely available. The number of free apps on the Google Play Store and the Apple Store alike has been consistently higher than the number of paid apps. By comparison, free Android apps on Amazon Appstore were roughly 81 percent, while paid apps accounted for a share of 19 percent of the total apps available in the store. Mobile apps and consumer spending Mobile apps have become integral to our daily routine, offering convenience and entertainment. In the second quarter of 2024, the total value of the global consumer spending on mobile apps was almost 35 billion U.S. dollars, highlighting the significant role that mobile apps play in the digital economy. As of the third quarter of 2023, consumers spent an average of 5.05 U.S. dollars on mobile apps per smartphone, which underlines the high demand for these digital solutions. App stores commission rates under scrutiny As of August 2023, the standard commission rates on revenues generated from apps hosted on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store were set at 30 percent. However, between the end of 2020 and mid-2021, both Apple and Google were forced to address the criticism of their app store policies. In 2020, the European Union drafted the Digital Market Act, with the purpose of ensuring a healthy degree of competition in the tech environment. In December 2022, Apple was reported to start planning to allow sideloading and the presence of alternative app stores on its devices. In August 2021, the United States Senate presented the Open Apps Market Act to reduce tech giants‘ control over the digital app market. As regulations are expected to promote competition in the tech and mobile environment, in March 2023, Microsoft was reported to preparing to launch a new mobile gaming store, which will compete with the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.In 2026, mobile app spending is forecasted to reach 161 billion U.S. dollars and 72 billion U.S. dollars on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, respectively. While both Google and Apple started applying some changes in their app store policies in 2021, like lowering commission fees for small publishers generating less than 1 million U.S. dollars in yearly revenues, the two tech giants might face additional restrictions and limitations in all their major markets. In the case of Apple, in 2021, the company updated its App Store policies, allowing developers to offer alternative payment methods. In 2022, Apple updated its review guidelines, requiring developers to share more information about collecting and using data, including disclosing the types of collected data and how it's used.

In the last quarter of 2024, meditation app Headspace saw around one million downloads worldwide, down by roughly 40 percent compared to the 1.7 million downloads recorded in the first quarter in 2023. Headspace, which launched in 2012, is a meditation and mindfulness app popular for its recognizable animations. In 2020, the app maintained an average of three million for its quarterly downloads. In the same year, meditation apps experienced an increase in popularity due to the global outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, which for many has signified the worsening of anxiety and stress symptoms.

In July 2024, Shazam: Find Music & Concerts was the most popular app published by Apple, generating approximately 4.6 million downloads from iOS and Google Play Store users during the month. Second-ranked Move to iOS was downloaded three million times from global users. Developer-specific app TestFlight, which allows app publishers to test beta versions of their product to publish on the Apple App Store was the third most popular app published by Apple, with 1.66 million downloads

Truth Social, the social media platform launched by U.S. President Donald Trump, has seen fluctuating download numbers since its inception in February 2022. In March 2025, Truth Social recorded approximately ******* Apple App Store downloads and ******* downloads from the and Google Play Store in the United States. User adoption and brand awareness Despite its high-profile launch, Truth Social has struggled to gain widespread adoption. A May 2022 survey found that only ***** percent of U.S. respondents were registered users of the platform, with a slight gender disparity showing **** percent of male respondents having accounts compared to *** percent of female respondents. Brand awareness, however, was higher, with ** percent of U.S. social media users recognizing Truth Social when presented with its logo and name. Generational difference Truth Social's reception varies significantly across age groups and political affiliations. An October 2024 survey revealed that millennials had the most positive opinion of the platform, with **** percent viewing it favorably, followed by **** percent of Generation X and **** percent of Baby Boomers.

The number of WhatsApp users in Norway was forecast to continuously decrease between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.02 million users. The WhatsApp user base is estimated to amount to 0.76 million users in 2029. User figures, shown here regarding the platform whatsapp, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of WhatsApp users in countries like Denmark and Finland.

The global number of KakaoTalk users in was forecast to decrease between 2024 and 2028 by in total 0.7 million users. This overall decrease does not happen continuously, notably not in 2026 and 2027. The KakaoTalk user base is estimated to amount to 48.7 million users in 2028. Notably, the number of KakaoTalk users of was continuously increasing over the past years.User figures, here concerning the platform kakaoTalk, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period and count multiple accounts by persons only once.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

In 2021, WhatsApp's user base in Sweden amounts to approximately 2.59 million users. The number of WhatsApp users in Sweden is projected to reach 2.54 million users by 2025. User figures have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

The number of WhatsApp users in Denmark was forecast to continuously decrease between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.02 million users. The WhatsApp user base is estimated to amount to 0.8 million users in 2029. User figures, shown here regarding the platform whatsapp, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of WhatsApp users in countries like Finland and Norway.