Apple on Monday released a new study conducted by Professor Viswanath Pingali from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, on the economic impact of its App Store ecosystem in India. According to Apple, the App Store in India facilitated Rs 44,447 crores ($5.31 billion) in developer billings and sales. Notably, over 94 per cent of that revenue went directly to developers and businesses of all sizes, without any commission paid to Apple.
“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. This study underlines the power of India’s incredibly vibrant app economy. And we’re committed to continuing to invest in the success of developers of all sizes as they build apps that make an important impact and enrich people’s lives,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.
According to the study titled “The Apple Ecosystem in India: Its Value to Developers and Users,” since the launch of the App Store 15 years ago, developers in India have found more ways to monetise their apps across categories such as games, health and fitness, lifestyle, and utilities, fuelling a dynamic and healthy ecosystem.
The report also highlights that nearly 80 per cent of India-based developers’ earnings in 2024 came from users outside India, and 87 per cent of Indian developers were active on multiple storefronts. Apps from Indian developers were downloaded more than 755 million times in 2024 –– double the number from five years ago — and Indian-developed apps ranked among the top 100 most-downloaded apps in 70 storefronts outside India.
Similarly, the total App Store earnings of small developers grew by 74 per cent between 2021 and 2024 in India, with initiatives like the App Store Small Business Program offering reduced commission rates to help small developers scale.
To further boost this momentum, Apple has set up a Developer Center in Bengaluru to provide hands-on support, training, and access to over 250,000 APIs through frameworks like HealthKit, Metal, and Core ML. Between 2020 and 2023, Apple prevented over $7 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions, including $1.8 billion in 2023 alone. Apple also rejected more than 1.7 million app submissions for failing to meet its high privacy, security, and quality standards.
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