data.ai: Health and fitness apps will be downloaded 500 million times in 2021

The second quarter of 2020 will go down in history as the most prosperous period for the mobile economy. People downloaded apps in droves while they were isolated at home. With gyms closed in many countries, health and fitness app downloads surged from 565 million to 811 million in the quarter (Q2 2020). After a huge surge in the early days of lockdown, health and fitness app downloads gradually stabilized last year.

Under the influence of the epidemic, 2020 has become a special year. As we enter 2022, this category of applications still has a trend of continued growth. According to data.ai's "2022 Mobile Market Report", the total downloads of this category in 2019 were 1.97 billion times. By 2021, this number reached 2.48 billion.

It’s all in your head: meditation apps reach new heights

Health and fitness apps have performed well this year, and one of the biggest factors is the success of meditation apps. During the epidemic, people paid great attention to mental health, which drove interest in apps such as Calm, Headspace, Meditopia, and InsightTimer. According to data.ai's "2022 Mobile Market Report", the top three apps in terms of downloads dominated the market, attracting a total of 37 million downloads in 2021.

In terms of user usage behavior, among the top ten meditation apps in the world in 2021, InsightTimer users have the highest average number of opens on Android phones, which is more than 40% higher than the second highest meditation app. In addition, they are also the first in terms of average usage time per user. This means that people not only spend more time on InsightTimer than other major users in this subcategory, but also use the app more frequently overall.

In terms of app store spending, the top five meditation apps grew 25% year-on-year. In 2021, the two meditation apps with the highest user spending, Calm and Headspace, generated a total of $205 million in revenue. However, it is worth noting that this is not the only way to monetize on mobile devices. Some apps also use in-app advertising, corporate partnerships, or complement mobile e-commerce.

And both companies are now focused on the next phase of growth. Calm has raised $217 million to expand, and Headspace has already started spending money — it acquired AI-driven mental health and wellness company Sayana in January 2022.

Age factor: Millennials download more than any other age group in every country

Health and Fitness Apps

The 2022 Mobile Market Report also reveals differences in user characteristics in the field of health and fitness apps. Generally speaking, this is an app category centered on millennials. In 2021, they are most inclined to health and fitness apps compared to the total population of Generation Z or Generation X and Baby Boomers. For example, in South Korea, the average index for millennials in the top 20 health and fitness apps by monthly active users last year was 120. This means that in South Korea, millennials are 20% more likely to use health and fitness apps than the overall population on average (at least this is the case for the top 20 apps in terms of monthly active users).

In terms of app product selection, Generation X and Baby Boomers show a preference for self-quantification apps. They prefer pedometers, weight loss, walking and hiking apps. On the other hand, Generation Z prefers health and women's health apps.

FloPeriod & Ovulation Tracker stands out in the “Feminist Tech” subcategory. This UK-developed app ranks first or second in terms of monthly active users among Generation Z in seven of the eight countries specifically analyzed. This is probably one of the reasons why the company is currently valued at around €675 million.

In the near future, Generation Z will be an age group to watch, as they seem to be more willing to try out innovative health and fitness app concepts, such as the AI-driven mood journal app Reflectly, which provides specific feedback based on the user's records and daily feelings. They are most likely to lead trends in the health and fitness sub-category in the next few years.