India App Market Statistics (2024)

India is the second largest smartphone market in the world in terms of active users, and has been experiencing major growth in mobile apps due to increasing smartphone usage and greater affordability.

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated India’s transition to a mobile economy as businesses shifted to digital transactions. The Broadband India Forum has predicted that the app economy could be worth around 12 percent of India’s GDP by 2030, presuming the market’s expansion continues at four times the rate of the country’s wider economic growth.

Social media and communications apps have found particular popularity – WhatsApp has over 300 million users and a majority of Instagram downloads happen in India. Facebook and Snapchat are also massively popular in the country.

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Superapps like Grab or WeChat are proving popular in many parts of South East Asia, and there are signs of this model gaining traction in India. Truecaller, which screens calls from strangers and bots, also allows users to send messages, complete payments, and apply for loans. Jio and Flipkart (through PhonePe) are also attempting this superapp conversion.

Mobile gaming is one of the most popular sectors of the app market in India, with over 400 million gamers. This is estimated to grow by as much as 30 percent annually as smartphone access widens and network capacities expand. However, this could be impacted by the Indian government’s sanctions of Chinese mobile games over security concerns. The government has banned over 100 gaming, gambling, sports and other apps since 2020 over alleged weaknesses in data protection.

Overall, the future of the Indian market appears strong, with increased investment and new innovations. The country is in the process of rolling out 5G technology and 5G subscriptions are estimated to reach 700 million by the end of 2028. It should reach over 50 percent smartphone penetration by 2025.

We have collected data and statistics on the Indian mobile app market. Read on below to find out more.

Key India App Market Statistics

• The Indian app market earned $3.3 billion in revenue in 2023, up from $2.7 billion the previous year
• Apps were downloaded in India 26.4 billion times last year
• In 2022, India had 687 million smartphone users
• Free Fire Max was the top grossing app in India in 2022, earning $78 million
• India’s smartphone usage has grown to 48.1% of the population in 2023

India App Market Revenue

Revenue in the Indian app market has grown rapidly in recent years, from $900 million in 2018 to $3.3 billion in five years. However, consumer spend per user is relatively low, at just $5.

India app market annual revenue 2016 to 2023 ($bn)

India consumer spend per user 2017 to 2023 ($)

India App Market Revenue by App

Free Fire Max was the top grossing app in India in 2023 for the second year in a row, following the Indian government’s ban of the original Free Fire game.

India revenue by app 2023 ($mm)

Sources: AppMagic, Sensor Tower

India Smartphone Users

The number of Indian smartphone users has risen rapidly since 2020, with close to 250 million users added in the three years since.

Annual India smartphone users 2017 to 2023 (mm)

India Smartphone Population

Under half of the Indian population use smartphones at 48.1% in 2023.

India population smartphone usage 2017 to 2023 (%)

Time Spent on Apps in India

In 2023, Indian users spent almost 1.1 trillion hours on mobile apps, up from 800 billion the previous year.

Hours spent on mobile apps in India 2020 to 2023 (bn)

India App Market Downloads

The number of app downloads in India declined for the first time in 2023, dropping by two billion to 26.4 billion.

India app downloads 2016 to 2023 (bn)

India downloads per user 2020 to 2023

India Downloads by App

Instagram was by far the most downloaded app in India in 2023 with 245 million downloads.

India downloads by app 2023 (mm)

Sources: Appfigures, AppMagic