Apple App Store in India facilitated $5.3 billion in developer billings, sales in 2024

Nearly Rs 44,447 crore ($5.31 billion) went through the Apple App Store ecosystem in India in developer billings and sales in 2024, as per a study by Apple, a copy of which has been seen by ET.

The study also found that more than 94% of that commerce accrued solely to developers and businesses of all sizes, without any commission paid to Apple. Further, over the past five years, the global earnings of India-based developers has tripled. This is the first instance where Apple has shared these numbers publicly.

"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," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.

"This study underlines the power of India's incredibly vibrant app economy. 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."


In 2024 alone, App Store developers generated Rs 38,906 crore ($4.65 billion) in total billings and sales from the sale of physical goods and services, Rs 3,014 crore ($352.9 million) from in-app advertising and Rs 2,527 crore ($302 million) from digital goods and services.

In 2024, nearly 80% of India-based developers' App Store earnings came from users outside of the country, and 87% of developers were active on multiple storefronts. Moreover, throughout the year, users from across the world downloaded apps from developers in India more than 755 million times through the App Store - twice as many as five years ago. The study, which was conducted by Viswanath Pingali from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, identifies the key drivers shaping the App Store ecosystem in India, including increased app usage in sectors such as food delivery, travel, gaming and entertainment.

It also found that many apps from India-based developers 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. The study further found that the total App Store earnings of small developers increased 74% between 2021 and 2024. Initiatives like the App Store Small Business Program, designed to support small developers, provide a reduced commission rate to these developers.