App research specialist VisionMobile has published the latest version of its Developer Economics report, providing insights into mobile application development worldwide.
It estimates that 2.3 million people were mobile app developers in 2013, with 760,000 (32.9%) of them living in Asia and 680,000 (29.7%) in Europe.
Overall, Android was the most popular platform - 71% of mobile developers were developing for Android - but Apple’s iOS generated the most loyalty, with 59% of developers prioritising iOS as their first choice. 37% developed for Android as their main platform, while 32% chose iOS and 14% worked on HTML5.
37% used HTML5 as a platform to develop mobile websites or web apps, with an additional 15% using HTML5 ‘beyond the browser’ via hybrid apps or HTML5-to-native tools.
Tablets were popular with app developers but not as a primary device; just 12% of app developers targeted tablets above other devices.
When it comes to money, 60% of developers were described as being below the ‘app poverty line’ of earning less than $500 (£305) per app per month. More than half (56%) of the $68 billion earned by mobile app developers in 2013 came from being commissioned or contracted to create apps. It’s currently the most popular revenue model, with 26% of app developers developing apps on commission.
The survey contacted over 7,000 app developers in 127 countries between October and November 2013.
[Developer Economics report]