Over 71% of app revenue generated by the Apple App Store and Google Play comes from games, according to a new survey from MEF and Distimo. The two specialist mobile organisations have released a joint report that looks at app trends across 16 countries.

It’s Apple that leads in terms of revenue - 65% of global app revenue comes from its App Store - although Google has been increasing its share quickly in the past six months.

Freemium apps (a free download with the option of in-app purchases) are the dominant business model for both the Apple App Store (86% of its revenue) and Google Play (94% of its revenue). Just 7% of App Store revenue and 4% of Google Play revenue comes from ‘pay once’ apps, with 7% of Apple App Store and 2% Google Play revenue being generated by paid-for iOS and Android applications that also incorporate in-app purchases.

36% of all downloads are games (which generate 71% of revenue in the Apple App Store and 89% of Google Play revenue), followed by entertainment apps (8% of downloads and 2% of revenue).

Rimma Perelmuter, MEF’s CEO, said “The global mobile ecosystem continues to expand into new markets and vertical sectors. Understanding the prevailing business models and regional variances that underpin this growth is essential to helping mobile businesses identify new opportunities across growth markets. MEF will address these trends in San Francisco next month at MEF Global Forum where we will gather and engage the industry’s foremost thought leaders.”

MEF is a global trade association established in 2000 for organisations involved with mobile content and mobile commerce. Distimo provides app store analytics for developers and app store data that tracks over 250,000 applications worldwide.

[Distimo/MEF report]