App Download and Revenue Statistics (2023)

The basic arcade game “Snake”, which was included as a built-in version on the Nokia 6110 in 1997, is considered by many to be the first mobile app. However, when examining the history of mobile apps, it is often stated that Steve Jobs envisioned the App Store in 1983 as a place where software could be purchased over phone lines. Since Apple launched the App Store with 500 apps in 2008, millions of mobile apps have appeared in multiple app stores.

Today, mobile apps are one of the first digital solutions we apply for almost every subject, from health to dating, from personal finance management to gaming so mobile app downloads have increased significantly in recent years. In this article, we have gathered the most up-to-date app download statistics for the ones who want to keep up to date with the mobile app business. 

Also Read: Google Play Store Download and Revenue Statistics

App Download Statistics

• Global app downloads reached 142 billion in 2022, a decrease of 0.9% year-over-over. While iOS apps generated 32.2 billion installs, a 0.5% gain, Android app downloads declined 1.4% to 109.9 billion. Meanwhile, overall Google Play and App Store downloads totaled 35.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, down from 36.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021.

• TikTok became the most downloaded app in 2022, with 672 million new installations worldwide.

• Hypercasual game downloads decreased by 24% year-over-year to 2.7 billion in the last quarter of 2022. But still, Hypercasual was the No.1 genre of 2022 by downloads, followed by Arcade (5.9B), Simulation, Puzzle (4.5B) and Lifestyle (3B) respectively, all of which also rounded out the Top 5 in 2021.
• In 2022, 49% of Android apps were removed within 30 days of download, with 49% occurring within the first 24 hours.
• Global app downloads hit 36.1 billion in the forth quarter of 2021, an increase of 2.7% from the previous year.
• In both the App Store and Google Play, app downloads fell 1.9% from 36.4 billion in the third quarter of 2021 to 35.7 billion. In Q3 2021, first-time app installs fell 1.2% from 8.2 billion to 8.1 billion on Apple’s App Store, according to Sensor Tower data. The Google Play Store saw a 2.1% year-on-year decline from 28.2 billion to 27.6 billion.
• Global mobile app downloads surpassed 36.6 billion in the first quarter of 2021 with an 8.7% YOY increase. The popular short-video app TikTok was the top mobile app by global downloads in Q1 2021.
• During the first quarter of 2021, 1 billion mobile games were downloaded every week across Google Play and the App Store.
• Usage of mobile video conferencing apps including Zoom grew 150% in the first half of 2021, according to Sensor Tower. When indexed against monthly active users in March 2020, Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams apps saw more than 3.5 times more users engage with them in June 2021.
• Travel app downloads increased by 123% year-over-year and surpassed 24.7 million in May 2021. In the first half of 2021, travel app installs in the United States are expected to surpass 124.7 million. That’s up 35% year-over-year from 92.6 million generated in H1 2020.
• Audio chat apps, including Clubhouse, Stereo and Spoon, generated more than 20 million global mobile app downloads in 2021.
• Top U.S. streaming mobile app downloads hit 81 million in the first quarter of 2021, with a 13% year-over-year growth.
• Google became the highest-ranking publisher worldwide in the first month of 2021 generating approximately 250 million global mobile app downloads across both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
• Twitch’s mobile app generated 22 million new downloads in the first quarter of 2021, up 62% from the same quarter of 2020 when it hit 13.6 million downloads.
• Following its 29% year-over-year growth in 2020, the number of mobile payment app users in the United States is expected to surpass 100 million in 2021.
• In 2020, mobile app downloads reached 218 billion, up from 140.7 billion app downloads in 2016.
• In 2020, Apple rejected over 150,000 mobile apps for being copycat and misleading.
• 59% of global App Store downloads came from Search in 2020.
• Mobile adblock users surpassed 586 million in 2020, up 10% as compared to the previous year.
• India was the fastest-growing market globally for both mobile apps and games in 2020 while Argentina holds the highest growth rate in gaming.
• In 2020,  the Hypercasual market accounted for 31% of global mobile app downloads with top titles in the genre accumulated over 6.3 billion downloads across both App Store and Play Store.

App Revenue Statistics (2023)

Mobile apps have started to be one of the first smart solutions that come to our mind when we look for a tool in our daily lives, from personal finance to health. In parallel with this, the mobile app revenues in almost every category have begun to multiply. In this part, we’ve gathered the most up-to-date mobile app and app category revenue statistics from the most trusted sources.

P.S. The “mobile app revenue” definition we’re talking about in this article includes in-app purchases and paid mobile app downloads, not in-app advertising revenue. 

Global consumer spending on mobile apps decreased by 2% to $167 billion in 2022.

• After rising 19% year-over-year to $170 billion in 2021, global consumer spending on mobile apps dropped 2% to $167 billion in 2022. While spending on mobile games fell 5% to $110 billion, non-game apps grew 6% to $58 billion.
• In 2022, 1419 apps and games made more than $10 million in sales, 224 made $100 million, and ten made $1 billion. While games accounted for far more than non-game apps last year, declining consumer spending caused the number of apps exceeding $10 million, $100 million, and $1 billion to plummet 1%, 4%, and 33% year on year, respectively.
• U.S. spending on dating and social discovery apps hit $1.4 billion in 2022.
• Advertisers in Google Play and App Store climbed from 60,000 in 2019 to more than 120,000 in 2022.
• According to Statista, in 2025, mobile apps are projected to generate around 613 billion U.S. dollars in revenues via paid downloads and in-app advertising.

• Global app revenue reached $64.9 billion across the App Store and Google Play in the first half of 2021, according to Sensor Tower, up 24.8 percent  as compared to the $52 billion generated by both stores in the same period in 2020.

• In the first half of 2021, TikTok was the highest grossing non-game app worldwide, with a projected customer spent of $920 million, up 74% as compared to the first half of 2020. YouTube maintained its spot as the second highest grossing non-game app, with an estimated revenue of $564.7 million. 
• Consumer spending on in-app purchases across both Google Play Store and App Store reached $32 billion in the first quarter of 2021 with a 40% YOY growth, making it the biggest quarter ever since records began.
• Weekly global consumer spending in mobile games on Play Store and App Store surpassed $1.7 billion in Q1 2021. That’s 40% higher than the pre-pandemic levels.
• Dealmaking activity in the video games industry reached $25 billion total deal value across 249 transactions in the first quarter of 2021, up 2x as compared to the first half of 2020FY.
• Customer spending in mobile apps across Google Play and the App Store worldwide is expected to reach $270 billion by 2025, up 2.5x as compared to 2020.
• Apple’s App Store facilitated $643 billion in billings and sales in 2020, up 24% from last year when the App Store facilitated $519 billion. 
• Dealmaking activity in the video game industry reached $33.6 billion total deal value across 664 transactions in 2020.
• Global consumer spending in in-app purchases, app subscriptions and premium apps reached approximately $111 billion in 2020, 30% up from 2019 when mobile user spending hit $85.2 billion.