India App Market Statistics (2024)

Louise Wylie

Updated: November 5, 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.

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