No longer allowed to be face-to-face with each other due to social distancing and lockdown measures, many of us turned to apps to keep up and in touch with our friends, loved ones and acquaintances. It’s probably why the average time we spend on our phones skyrocketed 20% in the last year, landing at 4 hours and 10 minutes in 2020. Unfortunately, analysis by Carphone Warehouse has found that all this time on apps might not lead to much happiness.
These are the top 10 app markets in the world
A global look at top apps in the world finds that the United States leads the pack in terms of both production and consumer spend – but it’s users in India and Brazil who are the happiest on apps:
- United States ($32.63/£23.66 billion in consumer spend)
- Creating 6% of all apps (a whopping 174.63 apps created in the last year), the US boasted a total consumer spend of 32.63 billion in 2020.
- People in the US spend an average of 3 hours per day on their phones, but only rate apps an average of 3 out of 5.
- 14% of apps in the US are games, while the top app in the country is the Google Play app.
- India ($0.5/£0.36 billion)
- Hot on the heels of the US, India is responsible for 5% of apps in the global market.
- India’s users spend a lot of time on their phones – averaging 4.8 hours per day – and rate their apps an average of 3.7 out of 5.
- In India, 12% of apps are games, with their top app being Video Status 2020.
- Brazil ($0.92/£0.67 billion)
- Having created approximately 56 apps in 2020, Brazil is responsible for 2% of the world’s apps.
- Brazil’s users spend 4.8 hours per day on their phones, rating apps an average of 3.7 out of 5.
- Disney+ wins top app status in Brazil, where 9% of apps created are games.
- Indonesia ($0.48/£0.35 billion)
- Indonesia’s app developers are responsible for 2% of apps in the global market.
- The country’s users spend a whopping 6 hours a day on their mobiles, scoring their apps an average of 3.6 out of 5.
- Overall, 12% of Indonesia’s apps are games, with the top app in the country being WeTV.
The countries below are responsible for 1% of apps in the global market, although the number of apps each country created varies slightly. As the short rundown below demonstrates, while Germany creates more apps than the countries below it, Japan’s consumer spend in billions vastly exceeds all other countries in the list:
- Germany ($3.12/£2.26 billion in consumer spend)
- Out of its 44.58k apps created in 2020, 14% of Germany’s apps are games, with their top app being the Corona-Warn-App.
- Users in Germany spend an average of 2.4 hours per day on their phones, and rate apps an average of 3.3 out of 5.
- United Kingdom ($3.35/£2.43 billion)
- In the UK, its app developers were responsible for 38.38k apps in the last year, with 22% of these being games.
- The top app in the UK is the Shopify app, and mobile usage in the country is an average of 2.8 hours per day.
- Users in the UK rate their apps an average of 3 out of 5.
- Russia ($1.33/£0.96 billion)
- Russia’s app developers created an average of 37.35k apps in 2020, and 22% of them were games.
- Its users spend an average of 3.5 hours per day on apps, rate their apps an average of 2.8 out of 5, and their top app is TikTok.
- Japan ($20.2/£14.65 billion)
- Despite a high consumer spend, Japan’s users rate their apps an average of 2.8 out of 5.
- Users in Japan spend an average of 3.6 hours per day on apps, with the top app in the country being the ARASHI Widget.
- 22% of Japan’s apps are games, with its developers creating an average of 33.99k apps in the last year.
- South Korea ($5.64/£4.09 billion)
- South Korea created an average of 33.61k apps, with 25% of them being games.
- South Korean mobile phone users spend an average of 3.9 hours per day on apps, scoring their apps an average of 3.3 out of 5, with their top app being Zoom.
- France ($2.06/£1.49 billion)
- Rounding off the top 10, France’s app developers were responsible for 26.48k apps on average.
- The country’s users spend an average of 2.7 hours per day on apps, rating them 3.2 out of 5.
- 18% of France’s apps are games, although its top app last year was TousAntiCovid.
