KARACHI
Pakistan has cemented its place as a burgeoning force in the digital world, ranking among the top 10 global markets for app downloads in 2024. According to data released by IT consultancy firm Data Darbar, the country recorded a staggering 3.56 billion installs, marking a significant 9.2% year-on-year (YoY) increase.
This robust growth propelled Pakistan to ninth worldwide in total app downloads and 12th in total hours spent on mobile applications, underscoring a deepening reliance on smartphones for daily activities.
Pakistani users logged 79.1 billion hours on mobile apps, a substantial 14.1% jump from the previous year. This escalating consumption is further reflected in rising data metrics: average mobile data usage climbed to 8.4 gigabytes per month per user, with total broadband consumption crossing 13,000 petabytes across 134.8 billion mobile broadband subscriptions.
Development Slows Despite Consumption Boom
Despite the explosive growth in consumption, app development within Pakistan experienced a notable slowdown. The number of active developers fell 26% to 1,400 in 2024, and Android app releases dropped 55% to 1,700. In total, 2,500 new applications were released during the year, including 1,053 games and 784 iOS applications.
TikTok maintained its dominance as the most downloaded app, recording 32.4 million installs, followed by CapCut (27.1 million), Facebook (24.3 million), and WhatsApp (22.7 million). WhatsApp Business also demonstrated strong market penetration with 20.9 million downloads. Among streaming services, local player Tamasha led with 10.2 million installs, ahead of international giants Netflix (3.7 million) and Tapmad (2.5 million).
Regional Leadership and Global Trends
Regionally, Pakistan demonstrated superior app download growth, outpacing key peers such as Indonesia (8.6%), the Philippines (1.2%), and Mexico (1.2%). In contrast, Vietnam and Egypt saw contractions of 13.6% and 1.7%, respectively.
Globally, the mobile ecosystem remains a powerhouse, with the report noting 136 billion app downloads worldwide, 4.2 trillion hours spent on apps, and $150 billion generated from in-app purchases. The burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) app category continued its ascent, registering 1.49 billion downloads and contributing $1.27 billion in revenue.
