We have collected data and statistics on iOS and Android app downloads. What these new apps will contain is anyone’s guess, with Meta Platforms believing the future is in the metaverse and others, like developer of TikTok, ByteDance, seeing a future in algorithm curated news, music, and videos. In 2021, more than 100 billion apps were downloaded for the first time, and that is expected to reach 200 billion by 2025. These figures are growing every year, and along with it, the market for mobile apps. It is expected that in the next five years many of these markets will reach similar maturity levels to Europe and North America. Brazil and South Africa already log penetration levels of 60%, while India’s lower figure of 24% still represents hundreds of millions of users. In South Korea, 95% of adults own a smartphone.Įmerging economies are catching up. These devices are approaching ubiquity in advanced economies, among which median penetration levels stand at 76% of adults. Some of the most popular apps in the world, such as Facebook and YouTube, have more users than China has people. It is estimated that there are over six billion smartphone users worldwide, and about five billion of those have access to the internet. The market for these apps is about as big as they come.
