New research commissioned by Apple and carried out by the third-party research firm Analysis Group sought to measure the total global economic impact of the App Store for the first time. Released on Monday, the study found that apps led to over $519 billion in sales in 2019.
The Analysis Group's approach was to measure how people use, consume and engage with apps and not where they are paid for. The study aimed to capture sales made outside the App Store, but that involved using apps on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch.
Of the $519 billion pinpointed in the study, 80% of those sales were physical goods, 12% digital goods and 9% advertising. (The numbers don't add up to 100% because of rounding.)
In terms of geography, the Analysis Group found that China represented 47% of the total sales, US 27%, Europe 10%, Japan 7% and the rest of the world 8%.
Keep in mind that this was before COVID-19, which has driven a surge in entertainment, education, food and grocery delivery, home and fitness apps, video conferencing and mobile orders with physical pickups. But the coronavirus pandemic has also negatively effected apps because of a drop in advertising and the closure of businesses.