Australia App Market Statistics (2023)

Compared to its population size, Australia has a strong app market, consistently ranking in data.ai’s top 20 markets globally. Revenue has grown by $1 billion in the past four years, with a user base of just over 20 million.

Mobile games were the top genre of app downloads in Australia in the first half of 2023. There were almost 180 million downloads of game apps in the time period; entertainment apps were second with 31.6 million downloads.

Time spent on mobile apps has continued to grow following the end of coronavirus pandemic-related restrictions. In the first quarter of 2022, users spent a daily average of 4.6 hours on apps, an increase of an hour from two years prior. While downloads have fallen slightly from their peak during the pandemic, they remain above pre-coronavirus levels.

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The app market can be expected to further consolidate over the next few years. Telecom company Telstra has plans to extend 5G coverage to 95 percent of Australia by 2026, including a potential rollout of a 6G network.

This rollout may have a substantial impact on smartphone usage in the country. Around 11 percent of Australians, 2.8 million people, are currently “highly excluded” from digital services and either do not have access to affordable internet or don’t know how to use it. First Nations communities are particularly affected by poor digital inclusion.

The Australian government has plans to make all of its services available online by 2025 and identity service myGovID was the most downloaded app in 2022, so internet access may become crucial for day-to-day living.

We have collected data and statistics on the Australian mobile app market. Read on below to find out more.

Key Australia App Market Statistics

• The Australian app market generated $2.4 billion in 2022, up from $2.3 billion the previous year
• Top-grossing app Lightning Link Casino Slots earned $40.4 million in 2022
• Australia had 21.6 million active smartphone users in January 2023
• There were 790 million app downloads in Australia in 2022, a fall of 50 million from the year before
• Government identity app myGovID was the most downloaded app in Australia in 2022 with 4.5 million downloads

Australia App Market Revenue

The Australian app market has experienced steady growth in the past few years, rising from $1.4 billion in 2019 to $2.4 billion in 2022. This represents an average user spend of $111.10.

Australia app market annual revenue 2019 to 2022 ($bn)

Australia consumer spend per user 2019 to 2022 ($)

Australia App Market Revenue by App

Gambling game Lightning Link Casino Slots was the top-grossing app in Australia in 2022, earning $40.4 million. Disney+ was second, at $36.9 million, followed by Kayo Sports’ $36 million.

Australia revenue by app 2022 ($mm)

Source: AppFigures

Australia Smartphone Users

The number of active smartphone users in Australia has risen each year since 2018, reaching 21.6 million in January 2023. This is an increase of 1.3 million from the previous year.

Annual Australia smartphone users 2015 to 2023 (mm)

Australia Smartphone Population

Over four-fifths of the Australian population are active smartphone users, with a usage rate of 82.2% in January 2023. This has risen from 74% in 2019.

Australia population smartphone usage 2015 to 2023 (%)

Australia App Market Downloads

The number of apps downloaded in Australia peaked in 2021 at 840 million. This fell slightly to 790 million the following year.

Australia app downloads 2020 to 2022 (mm)

Australia downloads per user 2020 to 2022

Australia App Market Downloads by App

Government identity app myGovID was the most downloaded app in Australia in 2022, with 4.5 million downloads. TikTok followed with 2.9 million.

Australia downloads by app 2022 (mm)

Source: AppFigures