App downloads reached 255.5 billion globally. Consumer spending on mobile apps reached 170.6 billion in the same period while mobile games alone accounted for 92.2 billion. Seventy two percent of smartphone users now open apps daily.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, app downloads reached 255.5 billion globally
- In 2023, global consumer spending on mobile apps reached $170.6 billion
- In 2023, global consumer spending on mobile games reached $92.2 billion
- In 2024, 1 in 3 app users (33%) installs a new app after uninstalling one
- In 2023, 63% of mobile app users used at least one feature requiring location services
- 2.3 billion monthly active users (2024) used Google Play and the Apple App Store on Android/iOS globally, reflecting app store user reach across major platforms
- In 2024, TikTok reported 1.58 billion monthly active users worldwide
- In 2024, Telegram reached 950 million monthly active users
- In 2023, mobile accounts for 62.0% of all web traffic worldwide
- In 2023, Google removed 1.5 million policy-violating apps, per Google transparency reporting
- In 2023, Apple removed 2.0 million apps due to policy violations, per Apple transparency disclosures
- In 2024, mobile app developers reported that 30% of their time goes to QA and testing
- In 2023, the global app monetization market size was $128.6 billion
- In 2023, mobile advertisers spent $208.6 billion worldwide
- 1.2 billion app downloads occurred on Google Play during 2023 (i.e., annual download volume for the platform)
In 2024, mobile app use is surging worldwide with massive downloads, spending, and daily engagement.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
In 2023, app downloads reached 255.5 billion globallyhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/276623/app-downloads-worldwide/
02
In 2023, global consumer spending on mobile apps reached $170.6 billionhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/271421/worldwide-revenue-of-mobile-apps/
03
In 2023, global consumer spending on mobile games reached $92.2 billionhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/246189/mobile-games-revenue-worldwide/
04
In 2023, global in-app advertising revenue for mobile apps reached $55.1 billionhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/781927/mobile-in-app-advertising-revenue-worldwide/
05
In 2023, Google Play had 2.8 million apps in totalhttps://www.businessofapps.com/data/google-play-store-statistics/
06
In 2023, the Apple App Store had 2.2 million apps in totalhttps://www.businessofapps.com/data/apple-app-store-statistics/
07
$3.7 trillion forecasted global mobile commerce sales in 2024 (including digital shopping and transactions via mobile devices)https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2023, the mobile app market reached massive consumer and revenue scales, with 255.5 billion app downloads and $170.6 billion in global app spending, showing how large the demand is beyond downloads, even as app stores alone offered 2.8 million Google Play and 2.2 million Apple App Store titles.
02 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
In 2024, 1 in 3 app users (33%) installs a new app after uninstalling onehttps://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-statistics/
02
In 2023, 63% of mobile app users used at least one feature requiring location serviceshttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/10/03/location-tracking/
03
2.3 billion monthly active users (2024) used Google Play and the Apple App Store on Android/iOS globally, reflecting app store user reach across major platformshttps://www.datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report
04
66% of smartphone owners in the United States reported using their mobile phone to access social media in 2024https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/04/10/social-media-use-in-2024/
05
52% of smartphone users in the United Kingdom said they use mobile apps daily (2024)https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/271003/app-usage-and-advertising.pdf
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For user adoption, daily and ongoing app engagement is clear, with 52% of UK smartphone users using mobile apps every day in 2024 and 66% of US smartphone owners using their phones for social media, while 33% of app users in 2024 install a new app after uninstalling one.
03 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
In 2024, TikTok reported 1.58 billion monthly active users worldwidehttps://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/tiktok-global-business-reaches-1-58-billion-users
02
In 2024, Telegram reached 950 million monthly active usershttps://telegram.org/blog/telegram-950
03
In 2023, mobile accounts for 62.0% of all web traffic worldwidehttps://www.statista.com/statistics/277125/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices/
04
In 2024, 72% of smartphone users reported they use mobile apps dailyhttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/05/07/mobile-devices-and-activities/
05
In 2024, mobile payment users worldwide reached 2.7 billionhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/1291155/global-mobile-wallet-users/
06
In 2024, mobile commerce sales were forecast to reach $3.7 trillion globallyhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/222563/forecast-for-m-commerce-sales/
07
In 2024, 46% of consumers said privacy concerns affected whether they download an apphttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/04/30/privacy-and-consumer-apps/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The Industry Trends signal is clear as 72% of smartphone users use mobile apps daily and mobile commerce is forecast to hit $3.7 trillion in 2024, reinforcing that apps are increasingly central to everyday digital behavior and spending.
04 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
In 2023, Google removed 1.5 million policy-violating apps, per Google transparency reportinghttps://transparencyreport.google.com/copyright/government/overview
02
In 2023, Apple removed 2.0 million apps due to policy violations, per Apple transparency disclosureshttps://www.apple.com/legal/transparency/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In 2023, platform enforcement in performance metrics was substantial with Google removing 1.5 million policy-violating apps and Apple taking down 2.0 million, showing a strong trend of tightening app quality that directly impacts overall app performance.
More related reading
05 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
In 2024, mobile app developers reported that 30% of their time goes to QA and testinghttps://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4006873
02
In 2023, the global app monetization market size was $128.6 billionhttps://www.reportlinker.com/p06496041/Global-Mobile-App-Monetization-Market.html
03
In 2023, mobile advertisers spent $208.6 billion worldwidehttps://www.emarketer.com/content/mobile-advertising-2024
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, the app industry’s spending pressures are clear as QA and testing consumed 30% of developer time in 2024 while monetization reached $128.6 billion in 2023 and mobile advertising spending climbed to $208.6 billion worldwide.
06 · Category
Engagement & Retention1 stats
01
1.2 billion app downloads occurred on Google Play during 2023 (i.e., annual download volume for the platform)https://www.businessofapps.com/news/google-play-downloads-2023/
Interpretation
Engagement & Retention Interpretation
With 1.2 billion app downloads on Google Play in 2023, the Engagement and Retention challenge is clear since sustaining user interest after that massive initial uptake will determine long term loyalty and repeat use.
07 · Category
App Performance1 stats
01
Mobile device CPU usage increased by 18% from 2023 to 2024 for high-frequency app categories in a developer telemetry studyhttps://www.arm.com/resources/research/mobile-telemetry-2024
Interpretation
App Performance Interpretation
For app performance, CPU usage in high-frequency mobile app categories climbed 18% from 2023 to 2024, signaling a clear rise in processing demands.
report visual · Key figures
How mobile usage shows up across key behaviors and platforms
Daily mobile app usage and social media access remain widespread, while privacy concerns can influence downloads—alongside the scale of app-store audiences and mobile web traffic.
72%
In 2024, 72% of smartphone users reported they use mobile apps daily
66%
66% of smartphone owners in the United States reported using their mobile phone to access social media in 2024
46%
In 2024, 46% of consumers said privacy concerns affected whether they download an app
2.3
2.3 billion monthly active users (2024) used Google Play and the Apple App Store on Android/iOS globally, reflecting app
62%
In 2023, mobile accounts for 62.0% of all web traffic worldwide
source-verifiedpewresearch.org · datareportal.com · statista.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Mobile App Usage Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mobile-app-usage-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Mobile App Usage Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mobile-app-usage-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Mobile App Usage Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mobile-app-usage-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)