As smartphone penetration across the world increases, app downloads correspondingly surge to new heights, too.
According to a new report by App Annie, the authority on the matter, 2017 saw users download a record high of 175 billion apps. Also, $86 billion were spent on apps over the past year, which represents a growth of 105-percent over the last year alone.
China Leading
The Chinese market remained the biggest in terms of downloads, however, India (the second largest market) was clearly the fastest-growing one. Last year saw app downloads increase by a mammoth 215-percent in India, compared to 125-percent for China.
In terms of installs it still lags behind China, with 58 billion downloads compared to 65 billion. Brazil and Russia were the next big drivers of growth in the market. For developed markets, such as the US (negative growth of 5-percent), the download numbers actually decreased.
Time Spent and Apps Installed
China also ranks highest when it comes to the amount of money spent on apps, as well as total hours clocked. The market generates one-fourth of all revenue of the industry. Its users also collectively spent 200 billion hours on apps throughout the year, which pales the 50 billion figure achieved by Indian users.
The average user spends a total of 43 days per year on apps now, which is incredible. Users also downloaded an average of 80 apps per month, a figure which is dubiously high. China and Japan once again lead the way with a figure of 100.
Conflicting Figures
App Annie’s report contrasts with others announced by Sensor Tower, which noted a figure of 91.5 billion downloads throughout 2017. However, App Annie also recognizes third-party stores in its figures, which might account for the almost twice-as-high figure.
