UPDATE
25 May 2022
New research highlights job growth, success of European small businesses and entrepreneurs on the
App Store
Over 1,000 European developers have participated in the App Store Foundations Program, helping them grow and thrive
In their research, “Spotlight on Small Business & App Creators on the App Store,” economists from Analysis Group examine how entrepreneurs in the iOS app economy have continued to innovate and grow. In total, the research paints a picture of a thriving and dynamic app ecosystem where opportunities and innovations have flourished.
In 2021, thousands of small business and new app creators joined the App Store from all around the world. Of this set of new developers, approximately 24 percent came from Europe, 23 percent from China, 14 percent from the US, 4.3 percent from Japan, and 34 percent from other regions including Korea, India, and Brazil. And over the last two years, the number of smaller and emerging developers joining the App Store has grown — for instance, in the UK, the number of small developers new to the App Store grew by almost 40 percent since 2019, and, in Germany, it grew by over 25 percent.
As these developers take advantage of the App Store’s capabilities that make it easy to distribute apps in 175 global markets, about 40 percent of all downloads of apps from small businesses and emerging app creators came from users outside of the developers’ home countries in 2021.
The research also finds the App Store has helped entrepreneurs start new apps and rapidly scale their businesses. To analyse the paths to growth of developers that earned more than $1 million on the App Store in 2021, the economists looked back at a longer time period and found that 45 percent of today’s large developers were either not on the App Store, or had less than $10,000 in earnings, just five years ago.
Apple has supported over 1,000 emerging developers from across Europe through the App Store Foundations Program, first launched in 2018, which provides chosen developers with additional support to help create even better apps. Developers learn how best to grow their business and expand the reach of their apps, use Apple’s innovative technology and APIs, strengthen their editorial to resonate with users, and optimise their presence on the App Store.
The full Analysis Group research on small business developers and app creators on the App Store is now available.
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