Apple's App Store drives massive Rs 44,447 crore revenue in India

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Apple has published a new study by IIM Ahmedabad’s Professor Viswanath Pingali, revealing that the App Store ecosystem in India generated Rs 44,447 crores ($5.31 billion) in developer billings and sales in 2024.

Notably, developers received more than 94% of this income directly, with no fee paid to Apple. Additionally, the survey notes that over the last five years, the global revenues of developers headquartered in India have quadrupled.

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, reaffirmed Apple's dedication to fostering creativity by referring to the App Store as a "economic miracle" for Indian developers. The survey found that apps performed well in areas including entertainment, gaming, travel, and food delivery.

With applications downloaded over 755 million times worldwide—double the amount five years ago—and 80% of their App Store revenue now coming from outside India, Indian developers are flourishing on a global scale. Thanks to Apple's developer assistance programs like the Developer Center in Bengaluru, Indian developers are finding success all over the world with apps like Raja Vijayaraman's Lumy and Fluid Touch's Noteshelf.

Due to the growth of gig economy and rapid commerce applications, Indian app downloads have quadrupled and incomes have increased fivefold in the last five years. Apple's Small Business Program, which gives lower fees, helped small developers in particular saw a 74% increase in App Store revenues between 2021 and 2024.

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

Additionally, Apple emphasized the App Store's safety and security, stressing that features like App Review, fraud prevention, and privacy safeguards not only keep customers safe but also provide a reliable ecosystem that helps developers. 

Apple stopped more than $7 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions between 2020 and 2023, including more than $1.8 billion in 2023. Additionally, over 1.7 million app applications were turned down by the App Store because they didn't adhere to quality, security, and privacy criteria. Users now have even more control over how their applications utilize their data thanks to features like Privacy Nutrition Labels and App Tracking Transparency.

Apple will keep funding its long-standing pledge to safeguard the App Store's quality and security while providing developers and consumers with the greatest possible experience by utilizing a wide range of tools, features, and technologies.