Global Consumer Spending in Mobile Apps: 2020

The global mobile app market experienced record-breaking growth in 2020, driven by a shift in consumer behavior toward digital solutions for education, employment, and entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Total consumer spending across the Apple App Store and Google Play reached $111 billion, representing a 30 percent year-over-year increase from the $85.2 billion generated in 2019. This analysis utilizes preliminary Store Intelligence data to evaluate global revenue and download trends across both major mobile marketplaces.

Mobile games remained the primary driver of revenue, accounting for $79.5 billion, or 71.7 percent of total in-app spending. While gaming revenue grew 26 percent year-over-year, its overall share of total spending declined slightly as non-game categories, such as Entertainment and Social, saw significant gains. The Apple App Store maintained its lead in total revenue, generating $72.3 billion compared to $38.6 billion on Google Play. Both platforms experienced similar growth rates of approximately 30 percent.

First-time app installs also reached a new milestone, totaling nearly 143 billion downloads globally, a 23.7 percent increase from the previous year. Mobile games accounted for 56.2 billion of these installs, surging 33 percent year-over-year, with Google Play capturing the vast majority of this volume. Notable top-performing titles included Honor of Kings and Coin Master for revenue, while Among Us and Garena Free Fire led in download volume. These figures exclude mobile commerce, advertising, and local taxes, focusing specifically on in-app purchases, subscriptions, and premium app sales. The data suggests that the pandemic-induced surge in mobile engagement represents a significant and potentially permanent shift in global digital consumption patterns.