New Study Finds Apple App Store In India Facilitated Rs 44,447 Crore In Billings, Sales In 2024

Apple on Monday released a new study that the App Store ecosystem in India facilitated Rs 44,447 crore (USD 5.31 billion) in developer billings and sales in 2024. The study -- conducted by Professor Viswanath Pingali from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad -- showed that more than 94 per cent of that revenue accrued solely to developers and businesses, without any commission paid to Apple. The study showed that over the last five years, the global earnings of India-based developers have tripled, highlighting the tremendous business opportunity and global reach the App Store provides.

"The App Store has been an economic miracle for developers in India and all around the world, and we're thrilled to support their work," Tim Cook, Apple's CEO said in a release. This study underlines the power of India's incredibly vibrant app economy, he added. "And we're committed to keep investing in the success of developers of all sizes as they build apps that make an important impact and enrich people's lives," according to him.

The study from Professor Pingali took a close look at the key drivers shaping the App Store ecosystem in India, including increased app usage in sectors like food delivery, travel, gaming, and entertainment. In 2024 alone, it found that App Store developers generated Rs 38,906 crore (USD 4.65 billion) in total billings and sales from the sale of physical goods and services, Rs 3,014 crore (USD 352.9 million) from in-app advertising, and Rs 2,527 crore (USD 302 million) from digital goods and services.

Since its launch more than fifteen years ago, developers have more ways than ever to monetise their apps and build successful businesses on the App Store, resulting in a healthy and dynamic ecosystem. In 2024, developers active in India have been successful across a diverse range of app categories such as games, health, and fitness, lifestyle and utilities, as per the study. The App Store's ecosystem of innovation provides Apple developers around the world with a global distribution platform across 175 storefronts. In 2024, close to 80 per cent of India-based developers' App Store earnings came from users outside of the country, and 87 per cent of developers were active on multiple storefronts.

Moreover, throughout the same year, users from all over the world downloaded apps from developers in India more than 755 million times through the App Store, twice as many as five years ago. Many apps from India-based developers have also appeared on the most downloaded app charts in storefronts outside of India, and apps from India-based developers were in the top 100 most downloaded apps in 70 storefronts outside of India. In addition to building global businesses on the App Store, developers continue to reach local audiences across India.

In the last five years, downloads from Indian users have more than tripled, and earnings from these users have increased more than fivefold. Notably, India-based developers have also designed popular apps targeted at India's growing quick commerce and gig economy industries. Small developers, in particular, have been supported by Apple's ecosystem.

The total App store earnings of small developers increased by 74 per cent between 2021 and 2024. The company said it is committed to helping developers across India build their app businesses. In order to create even more opportunities, Apple has worked closely with developers and aspiring coders to help them build the skills they need to become world-class app creators.

This includes the Apple Developer Center in Bengaluru, where Apple engineers work with developers from across India to help them create impactful apps and take advantage of developer tools, including more than 250,000 APIs as part of frameworks such as HealthKit, Metal, and Core ML. From 2020 through 2023, Apple prevented a combined total of over USD 7 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions, including more than USD 1.8 billion in 2023. The App Store also rejected more than 1.7 million app submissions for failing to meet privacy, security, and quality standards.

(PTI)