40 App Usage Statistics For 2024 (Downloads, Revenue & Data)

App Usage Statistics - AnswerIQ

Mobile apps are part of our life, from waking us up in the morning by the alarm to falling asleep while listening to music at night. Our every activity is connected to mobile apps.

Half of the world’s population is using smartphones and accessing the internet as of 2024. Apps play an important role in our day-to-day life. 

So it is important for us to know the app usage statistics for us.  Here we have compiled some top statistics of app usage statistics from our top research.

Without wasting time, have a look at it.

App Usage Statistics: Top Picks (2024)

App Stats
  1.  3.8 billion internet users are in the world.
  2. People have installed an average of 40 apps on their mobile.
  3. 3.5 million apps are available on Google Play Store.
  4. In 2022, 255 billion apps were downloaded.
  5.  TikTok (672 million downloads) was the most downloaded app in 2022.
  6.  Most people use their mobile devices at home(91%).
  7. The age group of 18 to 24 is spending more time on mobile apps(2 hours and 6 minutes) monthly.
  8. In 2020, time spent on apps went to 200 billion hours monthly.
  9. At the end of 2023, The global mobile app revenue is projected to reach $490.80 billion.
  10. China is dominating in world revenue of mobile apps with $179.80 billion as of 2023.  

General App Usage Statistics

  1. 3.8 billion internet users are in the world.

The total population of the world is around 7.9 billion. We can say that almost half of the world’s population(50%) has smartphones. This number is expected to grow continuously in the future. 

  1. In 2022, the Most popular smartphone activity was sending messages(76%)

According to Statista, Among all smartphone activities, chatting or sending messages was the most popular in 2022.

Top 10 Smartphone Activities of Users

RankActivityShare of respondents
1.Chatting or sending messages76%
2.E-mailing71%
3.Listening to music61%
4.Online Banking61%
5.Watching Videos61%
6.Searching for products57%
7.Buying products56%
8.Uploading videos or photos56%
9.Reading news pages54%
10.Making Internet calls49%
  1. Among U.S. workers, E-mailing is the top smartphone activity(68%). 

The U.S. workers said they used their smartphones most for E-mailing. After that, they used their smartphone for Text/messaging clients (68%), Making phone calls(66%), Managing work calender(60%), etc.

  1. People have installed an average of 40 apps on their mobile.

People installed 40 apps on their smartphones but only used 18 apps daily. This number varies according to age groups. Millennials installed an average of 67 apps, and they only use 25 daily. 

  1. 3.5 million apps are available on Google Play Store.

More than 3.5 million apps are available on the Google Play Store as of 2024. 

Number of Apps Available in Top App Stores as of 2024 

Google Ios Amazon
RankApp StoreThe number of apps
1.Google Play Store3.55 million
2.Apple App Store1.64 million
3.Amazon App Store0.48 million
  1. Social Apps are used the most in all apps. 

In all app categories, people are using social apps(22.2%) the most. After social media apps, people used gaming apps(19.4%) the most.

Most Used App Categories

App CategoryPercentage of used
Social22.2%
Gaming19.4%
Communication16.4%
Entertainment11.2%
Mobile Browsers7.4%
Productivity3.2%
Music3.1%
Retail and E-commerce2.6%
Health and wellness2.2%
Travel1.8%
Map1.6%
Finance1.1%
Others7.4%
  1. People have spent only 19 minutes weekly on travel apps.

Most people spend more time on social apps (2 hours and 11 minutes) such as TikTok, Instagram, etc. 

Weekly Time Spent on Mobile App Categories

CategoryTotal time spent
Social2 hours and 11 minutes
Gaming1 hour and 56 minutes
Communication1 hour and 42 minutes
Entertainment1 hour and 7 minutes
Mobile Browsers46 minutes
Productivity35 minutes
Music1 hour 20 minutes
Retail and E-commerce1 hour 5 minutes
Health and wellness27 minutes
Travel19 minutes
Map25 minutes
Finance57 minutes
Others42 minutes

Source: Bank my cell, Statista, Simform

Apps Download Statistics

If we need an app, we go to any app store and download it. But have you ever thought about how many people have downloaded it before? Or which app is downloaded the most in the world? 

Then, we are here to give you the answers to these questions. Just scroll down and learn more about app download statistics. 

  1. In 2022, 255 billion apps were downloaded.

This number is much higher than the apps downloaded in 2021(230 million).  Thirty-one billion new apps were downloaded in the Q1 of 2020 alone. 

Total Number of Apps Downloaded from 2016 to 2021 

YearApps downloaded
2016140.68 billion
2017175 billion
2018192.45 billion
2019204 billion
2020218 billion
2021230 billion
2022255 billion
  1. TikTok (672 million downloads) was the most downloaded app in 2022.

A short-video-sharing app TikTok is the most downloaded app in the world. After TikTok, a social media app Instagram was the most downloaded app in 2022. 

Top 10 most Downloaded Apps Worldwide in 2024

apps overview
RankAppApp Downloads
1.TikTok672 million
2.Instagram548 million
3.WhatsApp424 million
4.CapCut357 million
5.Snapchat330 million
6.Telegram310 million
7.Subway Surfers304 million
8.Facebook298 million
9.Stumble Guys254 million
10.Spotify238 million
  1. China is on top of downloading apps.

In 2021, 230 billion apps were downloaded globally. Out of this 98.3 billion apps were downloaded only in China. 

Total Number of Apps Downloaded in 2023 by Country

RankCountryApps Downloaded
1.China98.3 billion
2.India26.6 billion
3.United States12.1 billion
4.Brazil10.3 billion
5.Indonesia7.3 billion
6.Russia5.5 billion
7.Mexico4.8 billion
8.Turkey3.5 billion
9.Vietnam3.3 billion
10.Philippines3.0 billion
11.Pakistan2.6 billion
12.Egypt2.6 billion
13.Japan2.5 billion
14.Thailand2.4 billion
15.Germany2.2 billion
16.UK2.2 billion
  1. The total number of game apps downloaded in 2023 was 55.3 billion.

Game downloads slightly declined in 2021. But in 2020, there was a 33% increase in game downloads (This could be due to the pandemic).

Annual Game Downloads from 2015 to 2021

YearNumber of Downloads
201524.3 billion
201627.9 billion
201734.7 billion
201838.4 billion
201942.1 billion
202056.1 billion
202155.3 billion
  1. 8.6 billion game downloads came from iOS App Store in 2021.

                 46.7 billion game downloads came from Google Play Stores in 2021.

Total Number of iOS Apps Store Game Downloads from 2019 to 2021

YearTotal number of downloads
20199.2 billion
202010.1 billion
20218.6 billion

Total Number of Google Play Store Game Downloads from 2019 to 2021

Year Total number of downloads
201932.9 billion
202046 billion
202146.7 billion

Source: TechCrunch, App Annie, Bugsnag, Statista

Apps Usage by Demography Statistics

Every day we interact with apps. But do you know how much time you spend on apps? Or who is spending maximum/minimum time on apps?

If your answer is ‘No,’ we are here to answer this question. 

In this section, we have gathered our top research about app usage by demography. Please go through it. 

  1. Most people use their mobile devices at home(91%).

People access their devices from home(91%), at work(72%), etc. 

When and Where People are Using their Mobile Devices

Activity/PlaceShare of Respondents
At Home91%
While in the washroom83%
While having dinner73%
At work72%
When with family/Friends79%
Waiting in lines of waiting for appointments71%
While Shopping63%
While watching TV78%
During the commute to work62%
During miscellaneous downtime throughout the day74%
  1. The age group of 18 to 24 is spending more time on mobile apps(2 hours and 6 minutes) monthly.

Gen Z is spending more time using mobile apps than any other. Boomers II+ are spending less time on mobile apps than all. 

Average Monthly Hours per Mobile App User by Age

Age GroupTime spent
18 to 242 hours and 6 minutes
25 to 341 hour and  42 minutes
35 to 441 hour and 33 minutes
45 to 541 hour and 15 minutes
55 to 641 hour and 9 minutes
65+51 minutes
  1. According to Statista, females used mobile apps more than males in every age group.

If we consider overall age groups, females use mobile apps for 20.4 minutes daily, and males use mobile apps for 17.2 minutes daily

Males’ and Females’ Daily Time Spent on Mobile Apps

Age GroupsMaleFemale
0 to 19 years19.3 minutes15.9 minutes
20 to 24 years16.9 minutes12.8 minutes
25 to 29 years 20.8  minutes16.7 minutes
30-34 years21.7 minutes18.3 minutes
35 to 39 years21.6 minutes19.7 minutes
40 to 44 years22.1 minutes20.1 minutes
45 to 49 years23.4 minutes19.8 minutes
Above 50 years22.0 minutes20.5 minutes

Source: Simform, Statista

App Usage During the Pandemic

The pandemic outbreak increased massive spending time on the internet, App usage and app downloading in 2020. 

Due to the pandemic situation, people started using most educational, remote work apps. 

Here we have gathered some important statistics on app usage during the pandemic. Please go through it.

  1. In 2020, time spent on apps went to 200 billion hours monthly.

During the pandemic, people started using mobile more and more. Their daily mobile usage also increased by 40%.

Highest Increased Daily Mobile Hours by Country

CountryHighest increased mobile hours
Russia40%
Canada39%
India37%

Minimum Increased Daily Mobile Hours by Country

CountryMinimum increased mobile hours
South Korea5%
Germany10%
United States10%
  1. The remote work app downloading rate increased by 1457% in the U.S.

In the U.S., the rate of downloading remote work apps(1457%), Educational Apps(1087%), Grocery Delivery apps(322%), and Ridesharing Apps(46%) increased during the pandemic.

  1. Use of Children’s education apps increased by 56%.

The Increase in App Usage by Category

CategoryIncreased rate
Children’s Education56%
Film and Series Streaming54%
Short Video Streaming51%
Social Media43%
Messaging42%
Music Streaming37%
General Apps36%
Online learning Platforms31

Source: Financeonline

Popular Applications and App Publisher

To learn about the world’s popular apps, continue reading this article. You will get to know all about popular apps and app publishers.

  1. 35% of the 18-34 age group said that amazon is the essential app of all. 

According to Gen Z and millennials, After amazon, Gmail is the essential app for their day-to-day life. 

Essential Apps According to Millennials 

google amazon and facebook
AppsShare of Respondents
Amazon35%
Gmail30%
Facebook Messenger29%
YouTube18%
Google Maps16%
  1. TikTok is the most popular app among all social apps.

Popular Apps According to their Category

CategoryPopular AppNumber of downloads
Most Popular Game AppSubway Surfer191 million
Most popular Social AppTikTok656 million
Most Pupolar Communication AppWhatsApp480 million
Most Popular Entertainment AppNetflix173 million
Most Popular Music and Audio AppSpotify203 million
Most Popular Shopping AppShopee203 million
Most popular Food and Drink AppMcDonalds116 million
Most Popular Travel AppGoogle Maps106 million
Most Popular Education AppGoogle Classroom75 million
Most Popular dating AppTinder67 million
Most popular Health and Fitness appFlo35 million
Most popular money transfer appPayPal106 million
Most popular cryptocurrency appBinance64 million
  1. TikTok remains the most popular app in the U.S.

TikTok is popular globally and also holds the top place in the U.S. When we talk about the top 10 popular apps in the U.S., this list varies from the list of popular apps worldwide.

Top 10 Popular Apps in the U.S.

RankAppsNumber of Downloads
1.TikTok94 million
2.Instagram64 million
3.Snapchat56 million
4.Cash App56 million
5.Zoom52 million
6.Messenger51 million
7.Facebook47 million
8.WhatsApp47 million
9.YouTube47 million
10.HBO Max45 million
  1. Roblox Corporation publisher is at the top position by its revenue.

In the iOS App store, Roblox corporation is on top with a revenue of $20.56 million. They are followed by King($12.97 million).

In the Google Play Store, King is on the top with a revenue of $4.98 million. They are followed by Scopely($4.78 million) and others.

Top Publisher of the iOS App Store and Google Play Store

RankiOS App StoreGoogle Play Store
1.Roblox Corporation($20.56 million)King($4.98 million)
2.King($12.97 million)Scopely($4.78 million)
3.Playrix($12.77 million)IGG.COM($4.59 million)
4.Niantic($10.7 million)Zynga(4.39 million)

Source: Zippia, Businessofapps

Consumer Spending on App

The majority of apps on the app store are free apps. But, many people are using paid apps. Stay tuned to this section to learn more about people’s spending on apps.

  1. Consumers spent the most in Q4 2020($49.6 billion) on mobile applications globally.

Consumers spent the least on mobile applications globally in Q1 2020(23.4 billion). Overall in 2020, people spent $49.6 billion on the mobile application.

Spending on Mobile Apps Globally from Q1 2020 to Q1 2021

YearTotal Spending
2020 (Q1)$23.4 billion
2020 (Q2)$27 billion
2020 (Q3)$28 billion
2020 (Q4)$49.6 billion
2021 (Q1)$32 billion

Source: Financeonline 

Mobile App Revenue Statistics

The global mobile app market is vast. It is growing continue year by year. It is essential to know about the revenue of the mobile app market. 

Just have a look…!

  1. At the end of 2023, The global mobile app revenue is projected to reach $490.80 billion.

The global mobile app revenue is anticipated to reach $1115 billion at the end of 2033. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.4%.

  1. The global In-App purchase market is anticipated to reach $176.63 billion at the end of 2023.

The global Inn-app purchase market is projected to reach $419.87 billion at the end of 2027. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.2%.

  1. The gaming segment was the main contributor to the revenue of the mobile app market in the past years. 

At the end of 2023, $307.20 billion revenue will come from the gaming segment. In 2022, this revenue was $267 billion. After the gaming segment, Social Networking’s revenue was $43.39 billion in 2022.

Top 10 Segments of Mobile Apps Which Will Contribute to Revenue in 2024

RankSegmentRevenue
1.Gaming$307.20 billion
2.Social Networking$48.55 billion
3.Entertainment$32.88 billion
4.Photos and Videos$19.93 billion
5.Lifestyle$11.83 billion
6.Music$11.47 billion
7.Productivity$10.29 billion
8.Book and Reference$9.51 billion
9.Education$8.03 billion
10.Health and Fitness$7.86 billion
  1. According to Statista, the total global mobile app revenue was $430.90 billion in 2022.

The revenue of global mobile apps is continuously increasing from 2017 to 2023. It is projected to reach $614.40 by 2026.

Global Mobile App Revenue from 2017 to 2026

YearRevenue
2017$176.60 billion
2018$215.90 billion 
2019$253.10 billion
2020$316.60 billion 
2021$397.90 billion
2022$430.90 billion
2023$490.80 billion
2024*$543.80 billion
2025*$582.30 billion
2026*$614.40 billion

*Forecast

  1. Most of the revenue came from advertising ($220.80 billion) in 2022.

Revenue by Type from 2017 to 2026

YearRevenue by advertisingRevenue by In-App PurchaseRevenue by Paid App
2017$100.20 billion$74.14 billion$2.28 billion
2018$121.70 billion$91.56 billion$2.60 billion
2019$140.20 billion$109.80 billion$3.02 billion
2020$163.00 billion$149.70 billion$3.90 billion
2021$208.10 billion$185.10 billion$4.74 billion
2022$220.80 billion$204.90 billion$5.25 billion
2023$254.00 billion$231.00 billion$5.80 billion
2024*283.40 billion254.10 billion6.29 billion
2025*304.60 billion271.00 billion6.69 billion
2026*322.30 billion285.10 billion7.02 billion

*Forecast

  1. $62.8 billion revenue was contributed by Apple Store in 2022.

There are only two major stores in the mobile app market. Apple is leading in it. Google contributed $37.2 billion in 2022. But in the forecast year, Apple Store’s revenue is projected to go down to $62.6 billion in 2026. Google stores’ revenue is anticipated to grow to $37.4 billion in 2026.

  1. China is dominating in world revenue of mobile apps with $179.80 billion as of 2023

Top 5 Countries Contributing More to the Global Mobile App Revenue as of 2024

RankCountryRevenue
1.China$179.80 billion
2.United States$121.70 billion
3.Japan$83.79 billion
4.South Korea$21.62 billion
5.United Kingdom$10.41 billion

Source: Persistence Market Research, The Business Research Company, Statista

Conclusion: App Usage Statistics (2024)

The total revenue of the mobile app industry is $490.80 billion as of 2023. This industry is growing year by year continue. 

All age groups are using mobile apps. But Gen Z and millennials are using mobile apps more than all. 

TikTok is the most popular app amongs the all. In 2022, 255 billion apps were downloaded; out of that, 672 million times TikTok were downloaded.

The pandemic was the boosting factor for this industry.  Due to the pandemic, people started using more apps and spending more time on them.

This was the updated statistics of app usage statistics as of now. We will be updating you with new statistics in the coming days. 

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