Report · January 1, 2025

The Mobile App Growth Report: 2025 Edition

Published by Adjust

Summary

Global mobile app growth remains resilient in 2025, characterized by an 11% year-over-year increase in installs and a 10% rise in user sessions. This expansion is increasingly defined by a shift from pure volume-based acquisition toward a value-driven model that balances cost efficiency, engagement, and long-term retention. The Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the primary engine of this global momentum, achieving the highest regional growth score of 45, with India specifically leading all individual nations with a score of 49. While established markets like North America show more modest growth metrics, they remain critical hubs for high-value user monetization and sophisticated optimization strategies. Gaming continues to be the dominant vertical worldwide, particularly within the hyper-casual and hybrid-casual subgenres. This sector is especially potent in emerging markets; India’s gaming growth score of 52.2 underscores its status as a premier expansion target, while the Latin American and Middle Eastern markets are projected to reach significant revenue milestones of $35.9 billion and $3.73 billion respectively by 2030. Beyond gaming, the publications and utilities sectors have demonstrated consistent strength across Western markets, indicating a diversified landscape where functional and content-driven apps maintain high engagement levels. The current mobile ecosystem requires a strategic pivot toward sophisticated analytics and retention-focused operations. In regions like North America, where user acquisition costs are higher, success depends on maximizing average revenue per user and leveraging artificial intelligence to refine marketing spend. Meanwhile, specific regional opportunities, such as the rise of card and arcade games in Türkiye, highlight the importance of localized content strategies. Ultimately, the global market is transitioning into a phase where sustainable growth is achieved through the integration of high-quality user experiences and data-driven efficiency rather than simple install volume.

From the report

Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................3 Part 2: Spotlight on mobile gaming ................................................................21 Methodology: Τhe brand new Adjust Growth Score ....................................5 Global Growth Scores ..........................................................................................23 Τhe global growth map .......................................................................................6 APAC Growth Scores ...........................................................................................25 Country scores ...................................................................................................... 7 Europe Growth Scores .........................................................................................25 Global app vertical scores ...................................................................................8 LATAM Growth Scores .........................................................................................27 MENAT Growth Scores ........................................................................................29 Part 1: Growth by region ....................................................................................10 North America Growth Scores ...........................................................................31 Focus on APAC: Country and vertical scores .............

.......................29 Part 1: Growth by region ....................................................................................10 North America Growth Scores ...........................................................................31 Focus on APAC: Country and vertical scores .................................................11 Focus on Europe: Country and vertical scores ............................................13 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 33 Focus on LATAM: Countries and verticals ...................................................... Focus on MENAT: Countries and verticals .....................................................17 Focus on North America: Countries and verticals .......................................19 edition 2025 report: growth app mobile The

INΤRODUCΤION Mapping the future of mobile app growth Global app growth is stable in 2025 so far, with installs up 11% year-over-year (YoY) and sessions up 10% YoY in the first half of the year. With acquisition and engagement rising in tandem, it’s an exciting time to ignite growth and scale strategically in markets offering the most potential for each app vertical and business model. Since 2019, Adjust’s Mobile app growth report has helped marketers In line with the industry shifts, the Adjust Growth identify these opportunities, comparing potential across regions, Score has been reworked to take more factors into countries, and verticals. Each edition has evolved alongside the industry’s account. In addition to installs and cost efficiency, transformation—from new privacy frameworks to changing platform it now incorporates sessions per user per day and a policies and user behavior. composite retention score, which are clearer indicators of user quality and downstream value. With this update, Today, acquisition costs are higher, user journeys are more fragmented, the mobile app growth report 2025 builds on Adjust’s and competition for attention is intensifying. Yet, this challenging mission to give marketers clarity in a fast-moving landscape, period is also marked by progress and innovation. Marketers are rapidly helping them prioritize investment, navigate uncertainty, embracing next-generation technologies and strategies, including AI- and uncover the markets where acquisition can deliver driven analysis and optimization.

g landscape, period is also marked by progress and innovation. Marketers are rapidly helping them prioritize investment, navigate uncertainty, embracing next-generation technologies and strategies, including AI- and uncover the markets where acquisition can deliver driven analysis and optimization. They are also advancing in contextual fast wins and long-term app growth. and hyper-personalized targeting while complementing attribution data with marketing mix modeling (MMM) and incrementality to enable faster, smarter decision-making. edition 2025 report: growth app mobile The

“Τhe challenge for marketers today isn’t a lack of data, it’s knowing which signals matter most. With engagement and retention just as critical as install volume and cost efficiency, the Growth Score encapsulates the metrics that truly reflect holistic opportunities in 2025. By translating complex performance dynamics into a single, comparable score, it provides the clarity marketers need to prioritize investments, capture opportunities, and sustain growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.” Tiahn Wetzler Director, Content & Insights

MΕΤHODOLOGY Τhe brand new Adjust Growth Score The Adjust Growth Score is designed to installs at 40%, cost efficiency at 20%, Finally, all values were scaled to a range benchmark the performance and potential engagement at 20%, and retention at 20%. of 0–100. Regional scores may appear of apps across a wide variety of markets. Because install volumes vary dramatically, higher than individual country scores, since For the 2025 edition, we analyzed Adjust’s from thousands in smaller markets to they aggregate larger install volumes and dataset of the top 5000 apps and their millions in larger ones, all values were broader user behavior. This makes regional performance in the first half of the year. normalized to ensure fair comparisons. scores useful for high-level benchmarking, This makes it possible to compare while country-level scores highlight more The score is built on four inputs: countries, regions, and verticals on a specific opportunities. • Installs, capturing acquisition volume. level playing field. • Cost efficiency (inverse CPI), showing how effectively those installs In the previous editions, lifetime value are achieved. (LTV) was included in the score. In • Εngagement (sessions per user 2025, LTV was replaced by retention per day), representing activity beyond and engagement, which provide earlier the download. and more reliable signals of user quality, # • Retention, a composite measure of how monetization potential, and downstream 1 long users stay active. conversion. Together, these inputs balance scale, GROWTH efficiency, and quality. Each metric is SCORE weighted to underscore its importance:

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