European Mobile App Consumer Spending Grew 31% in 2020 to Nearly $15 Billion

European mobile app consumer spending experienced significant growth in 2020, reaching $14.8 billion, a 31 percent year-over-year increase. This surge, which accounted for 13.3 percent of global mobile app revenue, was largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, which accelerated consumer reliance on mobile devices for entertainment, communication, and remote work. The analysis covers the European market across the Apple App Store and Google Play, utilizing store intelligence data to track revenue and download trends throughout the 2020 calendar year.

The App Store generated $8 billion in revenue, representing 54 percent of total European spending, while Google Play accounted for $6.8 billion. Conversely, Google Play dominated the volume of activity, capturing 74 percent of the 28.4 billion total app downloads in the region. The United Kingdom led the market in total consumer spending at $2.9 billion, followed closely by Germany at $2.8 billion. Russia emerged as the leader in download volume, recording 6 billion installs.

Mobile gaming remained a primary revenue driver, contributing $9.6 billion—or 64.8 percent—of total app spending, despite a slight decrease in its overall market share compared to the previous year. Gaming downloads grew by 20.2 percent to 12.5 billion. While non-gaming apps like Tinder, TikTok, and Zoom saw substantial success in revenue and engagement, titles such as Coin Master and Among Us led the gaming sector in revenue and downloads, respectively. The findings suggest that the pandemic solidified mobile devices as a central component of daily life for European consumers, establishing new digital habits that persisted beyond the initial period of social restrictions.