- By Alex David
- Wed, 23 Jul 2025 02:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Integrated within India’s expanding digital economy is Google Play and Android, which is positioned as one of the leading contributors to the emerging economy. According to an economic and policy research firm named Public First, the Android ecosystem is estimated to have generated ₹4 lakh crore in 2024, referring to the revenue from applications. This growth depicts not only the increase in the number of people leveraging mobile phones and cheap internet plans, but also the improvement of the Indian developer community, which is the second-largest developer community on Google Play.
India’s Expanding Digital Economy
India’s Android Ecosystem is one of the largest and fastest growing digital ecosystem. The report states that the Indian digital economy is one of the largest and fastest-growing in the world. The enabling factors include inexpensive data plans, low-priced mobile devices, and a massive pool of entrepreneurs and developers which allows millions of Indians to interact with digital platforms for work and entertainment and commerce.
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With the Android operating system leading the smart mobile ecosystem, the use of tablets, laptops, and any smart devices has significantly increased. Android remains the most widely used mobile operating system globally. Google Play is the main app distribution channel in India.
Key Figures from the Report
According to the Public First study, the Play Store and Android ecosystem:
Metric | Figure (2024) |
Revenue Generated | ₹4 lakh crore |
Jobs Created | 35+ lakh (direct, indirect & spillover) |
Active Developers (India) | 10 lakh+ |
App Downloads (Indian Developers) | 720 crore (600 crore domestic, 120 crore overseas) |
Developers with Overseas Users | 79% |
Developers Driving Global Impact
India is the second leading active contributor to the Google Play ecosystem in terms of workforce, with more than 10 Lakh people. Its noted that 79% of the developers based in India have users from outside India. Indian developers are said to have had their apps downloaded 720 Crore times in 2024, with 120 Crore downloads from abroad.
The Bigger Picture
It is clear that Google Play and Android are more than mere sources of leisure and utilities — they have transformed into powerful drivers of the economy. The system enabled publishers to access both regional and international markets, which in turn created more than 35 Lakh jobs, in addition to indirect ones in tech services, marketing, and digital commerce.