10 surprising mobile app stats
Mobile apps have changed how we live, shop, and connect. These 10 surprising stats reveal the app economy’s growth, user trends, and why understanding them is key for your mobile strategy.
It’s no surprise that the number of smartphones in use is rising year after year. These devices, and the apps that have been developed for them, have transformed the lives of billions around the world. Mobile app stats are a fascinating window into the way we use our phones and the internet, and they reflect the state of the world at the time they are generated.
- There are 3.8 billion smartphone users in the world – With a global population of 7.8 billion people, that means that nearly half the world’s population uses a smartphone. Five years ago, there were only 2.5 billion smartphone users, so the adoption rate is increasing rapidly.
- There were 218 billion app downloads in 2020 – This number includes both free and paid apps.
- 98% of app revenue comes from free-to-download apps – Users are much more likely to download a free app that generates revenue through advertising than a paid-for app.
- The most popular apps of 2020 were TikTok and Zoom – TikTok saw a surge in popularity and was the most downloaded app in 2020. Zoom was second, reflecting the need for people to stay in touch and work remotely during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
- 70% of users churn within 90 days – These are important metrics when tracking app performance. The churn rate is the percentage of users who uninstall or stop engaging with the app over time, while the retention rate shows how loyal the user base is. According to the statistics, 70% of users churn within 90 days of downloading an app, so it is important to figure out ways to keep users coming back.
- 55% of website views are mobile – Just over half of all website views in January 2021 came from mobile devices. 91% of all internet users worldwide are mobile internet users.
- 88% of time online is done via an app – People spend more time using the internet on their phones than on PCs or laptops, and 88% of that time is spent in mobile apps rather than a browser. This highlights the importance of companies optimising their websites for mobile, as well as creating responsive apps.
- Most used category is social media – Of the most-used apps, 39% are social media apps, 10% are games, 10% are communication apps and 7% are retail-related apps.
- Number of developers – There are over 724 000 app developers who have released an app through the Google Play Store and over 494 000 through Apple’s App Store.
- More than 5 million apps in the Google and Apple app stores combined – In order to succeed with this much competition, it takes a good idea executed well, and good marketing.
If you are thinking about developing a mobile app for your business, whether for the public or in-house, Android or Apple, the experts at Netgen can help. Get in touch today.
