Mobile App Statistics By Market Size And Usage (2026)

Introduction

Mobile App Statistics: It’s hard to remember when was the last time we could not use our smartphones in our everyday activities. Nowadays, it feels like, for any purpose from hunger to sorting out our budget, from a commuter who is interested in the latest news to a mother looking for educational games to entertain her children, all that is needed is only your smartphone and the internet.

Due to the introduction of the fifth-generation technology, the growing popularity of mobile apps driven by artificial intelligence, and increased investments in ads, 2026 might become a turning point for innovations in this sphere. Currently, it would seem that mobile apps are not just a nice tool but rather a must-have.

The whole sphere has expanded in terms of its popularity and profits. Let’s explore the current trends and statistics about mobile apps in 2026.

Editor’s Choice

1. In February 2024, close to 37,000 mobile apps were released in the Apple App Store.
2. Android is the leading operating system and commands a market share of 71.7% in 2024.
3. Around 52,000 mobile applications have been published in the Google Play Store in February 2024.
4. There are roughly 2,325,565 Android apps on Google Play.
5. There are 2.08 million apps in the Apple App Store that can be downloaded.
6. It is claimed that the mobile application market size is anticipated to witness a 11.5% increase from 2020 to 2027.
7. Every year, 255 billion mobile application downloads are recorded worldwide.
8. Google Play Store has been the platform used by people all over the world, containing more than 2.65 million Android apps and over 494,000 publishers up until the first quarter of 2022.
9. One of the top reasons users uninstall apps is that the apps are idle, constituting 39.9% of all uninstalls.

General Mobile App Statistics

• Android happens to be the leading operating system, accounting for 71.7% of the market share in 2024.
• The market revenue from AI applications is forecasted to grow from USD 1.8 billion in 2023 to USD 18.8 billion in 2028.
• In total, 233 million people use the AI application on their phones, with the majority using chatbots or editing pictures.
• In 2023 and 2024, there have been 209 million downloads of ChatGPT, making it the most downloaded chatbot application.
• From 2019 to 2022, there has been a 46% increase in time spent on mobile applications.
• From January 2024 to May 2024, Candy Crush Saga registered close to 46.9 million downloads worldwide through the App Store and Google Play platforms and became known as the most downloaded game app.
• The availability of apps available for download has increased by 82% between 2016 and 2024, on a global level.
• In February 2024, approximately 52,000 mobile apps were released through the Google Play Store.
• Globally, there were 257 billion mobile app downloads made in 2023, representing an increase of 1% annually.
• In February 2024, close to 37,000 mobile apps were released in the Apple App Store.
• The US was in the third position in terms of total mobile app downloads in 2023.
• China was the leading country in terms of mobile app spending, creating revenues of almost 52 billion US dollars in the year 2023.
• Asia-Pacific had the largest mobile gaming user base in the world, consisting of approximately 1.3 billion gamers, while Europe, Latin America, and North America followed.

Mobile App Market Size Statistics

• In 2020, global revenues from mobile applications were approximately USD 581.9 billion; forecasts predict they will exceed USD 613 billion by 2025.
• There are several reasons why the app market is developing rapidly. For example, more than half of the planet’s population, which equals 4.3 billion individuals, owns smartphones.
• During the period from 2016 to 2022, the number of applications downloaded grew from 140 to 255 billion. Unfortunately, in 2023, the number of downloaded applications amounted to only 257 billion, with just a 1% year-over-year increase.
• In 2023, daily expenditures on mobile advertising and app store purchases approached USD 1.5 billion. Specifically, USD 362 billion was invested in mobile advertisements, showing a 8% year-over-year increase driven by the surge in popularity of short video applications.
• According to Statista, the worldwide mobile application market will generate up to USD 756 billion by 2027, growing at a steady 8.58% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) between 2022 and 2027.

(Source: globalapptesting.com)

Mobile AI App Usage Statistics

• Android is the leading operating system and commands a market share of 71.7% in 2024.
• AI application markets recorded USD 1.8 billion worth of revenue in 2023, while expected revenues will reach USD 18.8 billion by 2028.
• About 233 million people accessed AI mobile applications, whereby the majority of them used chatbots or photo editors.
• ChatGPT saw 209 million installations between 2023 and 2024, making it the most downloaded chatbot application.
• From 2019 to 2022, there was a 46% growth in the usage of time for mobile applications across worldwide users.
• During the period between January to May 2024, Candy Crush Saga recorded almost 46.9 million downloads on both the App Store and Google Play globally. The game was the most downloaded gaming application.
• Mobile application availability to download has increased by 82% since 2016 throughout the globe.
• Around 52,000 mobile applications have been published in the Google Play Store in February 2024.
• During the year 2023, there was a growth of one percent in global downloads of mobile apps, which stood at 257 billion.
• Close to 37,000 mobile applications were launched through the Apple App Store in February 2024.
• The US ranks third in terms of total downloads from mobile applications for 2023.
• China was the leading country in terms of mobile applications in 2023. The nation made more than 52 billion US dollars from the mobile application.

(Reference: statista.com)

Android Mobile App Usage Statistics

• There are roughly 2,325,565 Android apps on Google Play.
• Amongst 2.26 million apps on the Google Play store, 244,917 Android apps are gaming applications, while 1,817,940 are non-gaming applications.
• The three most downloaded Android apps from the Google Play Store in 2023 are Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp by Meta.
• 4.0 is the user rating for all Android apps available on the Google Play Store.
• According to January 2024 statistics, almost 114 thousand apps in the Google Play store have user ratings of 4.5.
• Mobile application downloads from the Google Play Store are expected to reach 143 million in 2026.
• The number of Android app users is forecasted to grow to 7.49 billion by 2025.
• Android OS market share in the UK is 55.65% compared to iOS, which is 43.85%. The iOS and Android markets have continuously competed against each other since the first quarter of 2023.
• Almost 49% of women use gaming apps on the Google Play Store.

(Reference: statista.com)

iOS Mobile App Usage Statistics

• There are 2.08 million apps in the Apple App Store that can be downloaded.
• To date, almost 846,054 developers have developed applications on the App Store.
• Of the 234,874 iOS applications on the App Store, 1,777,738 are non-gaming apps, while the others are gaming apps.
• There are 9 million downloads of iOS applications by July 2024, and Move to iOS has been downloaded the most frequently.
• Over 8,000 applications are added to the Apple App Store weekly.
• Gaming is the category of applications that is most searched on the App Store.
• Cloud-based mobile applications are gaining prominence within the App Store.
• Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft Office 365 are the most famous among them.
• The approximate cost of downloading an iOS gaming application is 0.47 US dollars, while the average cost of both applications and games is 0.73 US dollars in January 2024.

(Source: demandsage.com)

Mobile App User Acquisition Statistics

• The typical worldwide CPI for Android applications is USD 0.53, whereas the typical CPI for iOS apps is USD 1.24. For all regions, platforms, and devices, the average worldwide CPI is USD 2.24.
• Facebook has a typical CPI of USD 2.66, while Instagram has a very high CPI of USD 7.43 (as of February 2024).
• It should be mentioned that CPI differs by area and type of application. In the United States, the average CPI is USD 5.11, whereas in LATAM, it is USD 0.30. Of all types of applications, fintech apps have the highest CPI at USD 6.91, followed by mobile games at USD 6.60, and shopping apps with an average CPI of USD 5.00.
• CR refers to the share of individuals who complete a certain action, such as buying or registering. On average, the worldwide app conversion rate is 27.1%.
• Customer acquisition expenses increased by 60% during the past five years because of numerous factors, including iOS 14.5, the demise of third-party cookies, and strict privacy regulations.

Mobile App Users’ Behavior Statistics

• A standard user of a phone spends an average of 3 hours and 10 minutes each day on the phone, while the time spent using applications accounts for 2 hours and 51 minutes, which translates to about 90% of phone use.
• While there are over 80 apps present on a standard phone, this does not mean that all of them are actively used.
• Average usage stands at 9 mobile applications per day and 30 per month for a person. On the other hand, even with the number of apps installed, almost 62% of them are never used.
• Indeed, an amazing statistic shows that one in four apps is opened once and then forgotten forever.
• On average, around 28% of people uninstall an application in the first month, which means that one-third of all those who downloaded your application had second thoughts.
• People aged between 45-54 years spend about 1 hour and 15 minutes using mobile applications per day. This figure is 27 minutes less compared to people from 25 to 34 years old. Interestingly, even people older than 65 years old spend close to an hour using mobile applications on a daily basis.
• Although the usage of smartphones has grown immensely and is now an integral part of our lives, only around one person out of ten thinks (10.3%) that their screen time has a positive effect on their mental health. On the contrary, 68.6% think that their screen time harms their mental state.

(Reference: globalapptesting.com)

Popular Mobile App Categories Statistics

• Based on the latest research findings, social network applications such as Facebook (59 million downloads) and Instagram (58 million downloads) are considered the most downloaded applications. They are followed by TikTok, a social media app based on videos (46 million downloads).
• Threads, the micro-blogging application of Meta, is another app that has been popular among many users, with 24 million downloads.
• The second most popular applications are messaging applications such as WhatsApp (42 million downloads) and Telegram (27 million downloads).
• YouTube emerged as the number one application in April 2024, accounting for 74% of audience reach.
• Gmail has also been widely used by a large section of people, as its reach rose to 65% of the audience.
• Temu has been found to be the most downloaded app in 2023 and gained popularity in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada.
• In 2022, the most popular apps were games, which accounted for 13.8% of all apps on the Play Store.
• Education and e-learning applications ranked second in terms of popularity with 10.47%.
• Another set of applications that are extremely popular are business productivity applications. Google Workspace Marketplace, for instance, has had more than 5 billion installations throughout its lifespan.
• Some of the top business productivity applications include Trello, Notion, and Evernote.
• Health and fitness applications are also extremely popular, with top applications including MyFitnessPal, Strava, and Peloton.

Mobile App Monetization And Revenue Statistics

• It is claimed that the mobile application market size is anticipated to witness a 11.5% increase from 2020 to 2027.
• Among the leading 20 mobile applications, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, 65% utilized the in-app purchase and ad revenue generation model in 2022.
• In 2023, annual app revenue generated 171 billion U.S. dollars.
• The amount spent on mobile ads exceeded 362 billion dollars in 2023, showing an increase by 7.7% compared to the previous year. At the same time, games were the largest consumers of consumer app spending, accounting for 60%, while iOS was the dominant platform with 66% of all expenditures.
• Gaming apps are expected to control 50% of in-app purchase revenues for better gamification opportunities in 2025.
• In Q1 2024, the total global consumer spend on mobile applications reached 35.28 billion dollars.
• Mobile application spending in 2026 is expected to reach 161 billion US dollars on the App Store, while the Google Play Store will earn 72 billion US dollars from users.
• By 2027, app store user spending on apps from the App Store will be USD 125 billion, while both the App Store and Google Play spending totals are expected to reach USD 186 billion.
• Average app store revenue per user is USD 1.86.
• In July 2024, the Google mobile app revenue is USD 338 million. This includes USD 194 million earned by iOS apps and USD 144 million by Android applications.
• Average app store revenue per user is USD 1.86.
• In July 2024, the Google mobile app revenue is USD 338 million. This includes USD 194 million earned by iOS apps and USD 144 million by Android applications.

(Reference: statista.com)

Mobile App Download Statistics

• Every year, 255 billion mobile application downloads are recorded worldwide.
• There is a growth of 82% annually in mobile application downloads from 2016 to 2022.
• Combined, the Google Play Store and Apple App Store register 35-36 billion downloads of apps quarterly.
• Amongst other applications, mobile games have become the favorite category with 98 billion downloads every year. Second to mobile games, mobile photo and video applications follow with about 20 billion annual downloads.
• In the US alone, one user downloads at least 10 to 12 applications monthly on average.
• More than 60% of all new mobile applications’ downloads are gaming and e-commerce apps.

Google Play Vs. App Store Download Statistics

• Google Play Store has been the platform used by people all over the world, containing more than 2.65 million Android apps and over 494,000 publishers up until the first quarter of 2022.
• Notwithstanding quality controls that have been put in place, there is still an increase of about 3,739 apps each day added to the store.
• This steady rise has made Google Play Store the biggest mobile app store globally, with current app downloads standing at around 111.3 billion, which indicates a 50% rise since 2016.
• The second-largest mobile app store after the Google Play Store is the Apple App Store, serving a large number of customers globally.
• It currently houses 2.11 million iOS mobile applications published by over 724,000 publishers, whereby games have 221,666 apps, while others are non-game applications.
• In June 2022 alone, the Apple App Store released around 36,000 iOS mobile applications.
• With a continuous rise in popularity, it is anticipated that the Apple App Store will earn close to USD 96 billion in 2023 as opposed to $88 billion during the first quarter of 2022.

Mobile App Features Statistics

• The UI design will increase the conversion rate by 200%, while the UX design will increase it by 400%.
• The ROI ratio is 9,900% and has been achieved through UX.
• Trends in UI/UX Design today involve creative gestures within the app, motion design (which 96% of users prefer), augmented reality (anticipated to have 1.73 billion users by 2024), and incorporating illustrations and characters.

Reasons People Uninstall Mobile Apps

• One of the top reasons users uninstall apps is that the apps are idle, constituting 39.9% of all uninstalls.
• Limited storage on the device accounts for 18.7% of app removals.
• Excessive ads are cited by 16.2% of users as a cause for uninstallation.
• 12.6% of users mention excessive notifications as the cause of uninstalling apps.
• 5.4% of users uninstall apps owing to confusion about the workings of the application.
• Also, 5.4% of users uninstall apps owing to problems such as glitches or crashes in the app itself.

(Reference: sqmagazine.co.uk)

Mobile App Recent Development Statistics

• Recent developments suggest that mobile app usage is increasing, fueled by social media, gaming, and entertainment; 70% of all online media usage in the US comes from apps.
• Google Play’s new transparency rule for ads requires advertisers to provide detailed information about data use, which came into effect in Q1 2025.
• Ventures that create AI-first mobile apps raised more than USD 8 billion in investment in the first half of 2025.

Conclusion

Mobile app usage is global and massive, involving billions of downloads and thousands of hours per day of usage, which in turn helps the creation of a multi-billion-dollar industry. It must therefore be said that applications are vital for existence in the modern world. Although they provide both utility and leisure time, mobile app stores have many applications, but many downloads never stick around.

New developments in the field of mobile application development, like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and data analysis, suggest even better future applications for mobile devices.

FAQ