Global mobile advertising expenditure is projected to reach $362 billion, maintaining an 18.5% five-year CAGR, while daily user engagement on apps has surpassed five hours.
See it on page 12Non-gaming verticals showed resilience with 11% growth in downloads, 9% in spend, and 14% in time spent, contrasting with a 5% decline in gaming consumer spend despite nearly 90 billion downloads.
See it on page 15TikTok leads non-gaming monetization with over $3 billion in 2022 revenue and an ARPU of approximately $0.85, driven by high-price in-app purchases.
See it on page 55Gaming preferences are shifting toward creative sandbox titles like Roblox and Minecraft, which drove a 25% increase in global playtime, while battle-royale shooters experienced a 20% decline.
See it on page 25Emerging markets including Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia are key growth drivers, with specific regions exhibiting year-over-year download and spend growth between 15% and 34%.
See it on page 11Monetization strategies are diversifying, with social platforms increasingly relying on a mix of high-value in-app purchases and subscription models, such as those utilized by Snapchat.
See it on page 56Global mobile usage reached a record in 2023, with users spending an average of more than five hours per day on apps and total advertising expenditure projected at $362 billion, reflecting an 18.5 % five‑year CAGR. While overall consumer spend dipped slightly in 2022, non‑gaming verticals—utilities, productivity tools, and OTT services—experienced robust growth in downloads (11 %), spend (9 %) and time‑spent (14 %). Gaming, by contrast, saw a 5 % decline in spend despite a surge to nearly 90 billion downloads, with RPGs dominating in‑app purchase revenue and hypercasual titles leading download volume. Creative sandbox games such as Roblox and Minecraft drove a 25 % rise in global playtime, whereas battle‑royale shooters fell by roughly 20 %, indicating a shift toward casual, creative experiences and age‑segmented targeting.
Social platforms continued to shape consumer spending patterns. TikTok surpassed all other non‑gaming apps with over $3 billion in 2022, achieving a 17 % year‑over‑year increase in total time spent and leading ARPU at approximately $0.85 per user; its revenue model relies heavily on high‑price in‑app purchases, while Snapchat’s earnings are largely subscription‑based. In the travel sector, airline and transportation apps such as Uber and Moovit dominated downloads across iOS and Google Play, with steady growth in North America and emerging markets like Mexico and Brazil. Sports‑focused apps remained fragmented yet profitable, driven by live‑score trackers and fan engagement platforms that generate high‑frequency usage.
Geographically, the top ten markets—China, India, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia and others—contributed the majority of downloads and spend, with pockets such as Mexico, Hong Kong and Brazil exhibiting 15–34 % year‑over‑year growth. The data underscore a continued dominance of mobile advertising, resilience of non‑gaming verticals amid economic headwinds, and the importance of diversified monetization strategies across social and gaming segments.
