Ranked: The World’s Most Popular Apps by Downloads
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Ranked: The World’s Most Popular Apps by Downloads

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the most popular apps by downloads in 2022

Ranked: The World’s Most Popular Apps by Downloads

In our fast-paced, tech-centric world, mobile apps have become integral to our daily lives. The world’s most popular apps have transformed the way we work, interact with others, and entertain ourselves.

However, this ever-evolving digital world requires apps to stay on top of the latest trends to survive growing and often-changing competition. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic forced people indoors, leading to a rise in demand for online dating, fitness, and work-related apps.

In this treemap, Truman Du highlights the most popular apps in 2022 using download data tracked by Business of Apps.

The Most Popular Apps in 2022

TikTok was the most popular app worldwide by downloads in 2022, maintaining its title for the fourth consecutive year. The video platform had 672 million downloads in 2022, with the company also doubling its annual revenue to $9.4 billion according to Business of Apps.

RankAppTypeDownloads (2022)
1TikTokEntertainment672M
2InstagramSocial547M
3FacebookSocial449M
4WhatsAppSocial424M
5TelegramSocial310M
6Subway SurfersGames304M
7Stumble GuysGames254M
8SpotifyMusic238M
9SheinShopping229M
10MessengerSocial210M
11MeeshoShopping210M
12RobloxGames208M
13ShopeeShopping203M
14AmazonShopping195M
15NetflixEntertainment165M
16TwitterSocial159M
17YouTubeEntertainment154M
18Disney+Entertainment147M
19ShopsyShopping141M
20Candy Crush SagaGames138M
21Race Master 3DGames128M
22McDonaldsFood127M
23Amazon Prime VideoEntertainment123M
248Ball PoolGames120M
25FlipKartShopping115M
26Google MapsTravel113M
27Fifa MobileGames111M
28Merge & FightGames110M
29Garena Free FireGames109M
30Bridge RaceGames107M
31UberTravel107M
32DiscordSocial105M
33YouTube KidsEntertainment99M
34DuolingoEducation98M
35WeChatSocial96M
36StarMakerMusic96M
37PhonePeMoney Transfer94M
38PayPalMoney Transfer92M
39BeRealSocial91M
40PinterestSocial90M
41HBO MaxEntertainment87M
42Booking.comTravel80M
43PinduoduoShopping79M
44MX PlayerEntertainment74M
45Toca Life WorldEducation72M
46ShazamMusic71M
47Google PayMoney Transfer69M
48AlibabaShopping66M
49CashAppMoney Transfer66M
50YouTube MusicMusic65M
51HotstarEntertainment64M
52LazadaShopping64M
53TinderDating64M
54BinanceCrypto64M
55Pluto TVEntertainment61M
56RessoMusic61M
57Uber EatsFood60M
58PaytmMoney Transfer60M
59AliPayMoney Transfer59M
60Mercado LibreShopping58M
61AirbnbTravel52M
62Google EarthTravel51M
63SweatcoinHealth51M
64Blood pressureHealth51M
65SoundCloudMusic49M
66NuBankMoney Transfer49M
67Where is my TrainTravel46M
68Amazon MusicMusic44M
69Wynk MusicMusic43M
70Peduli LindungiHealth43M
71DoorDashFood42M
72PhotomathEducation42M
73DANA DompetMoney Transfer42M
74inDriveTravel41M
75Airtel ThanksMoney Transfer41M
76Crypto.comCrypto41M
77Google ClassroomEducation40M
78BrainlyEducation40M
79CoinbaseCrypto40M
80Caixa TemMoney Transfer38M
81AutoNaviTravel37M
82Beat Maker ProMusic36M
83BoltTravel36M
84Baby Panda's SupermarketEducation36M
85Music PlayerMusic35M
86StarbucksFood34M
87Home WorkoutHealth34M
88Toca KitchenEducation33M
89FloHealth33M
90GrabFood31M
91Coloring GamesEducation31M
92ZomatoFood29M
93Lucky StepHealth29M
94FlightRadar24Travel28M
95Baby Panda's ClubhouseEducation28M
96BumbleDating28M
97Da FitHealth28M
98Picture ThisEducation27M
99Six Pack in 30 DaysHealth27M
100BadooDating26M
101FitCoachHealth26M
102TantanDating24M
103ZeppHealth24M
104ele.meFood23M
105TooGoodToGoFood21M
106foodpandaFood20M
107SwiggyFood19M
108TrustCrypto16M
109GrindrDating14M
110HingeDating13M
111Plenty of FishDating11M
112HappnDating10M
113MOMODating9M
114JAUMODating9M
115eToroCrypto8M
116Coinbase WalletCrypto7M
117CoinMarketCapCrypto7M
118CoinSwitchCrypto7M
119VoyagerCrypto6M
120BtcTurkCrypto4M

Interestingly, TikTok is the only app from a Chinese company to see this level of success in international markets. And that’s despite being banned from countries including India and, for a short period, Pakistan.

Otherwise, social media apps fill the remaining four of the top five most-downloaded spots. Meta is the most prominent there with Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, while Facebook Messenger tied with the shopping app Meeshu for 10th place.

Meanwhile, Telegram, the cloud-based instant messaging service created with the intent of challenging Facebook Messenger, placed 5th with 310 million downloads.

AI Apps Are Gaining Popularity, Fast

In 2020 and 2021, many essential business apps including Zoom and Microsoft Teams grew quickly and saw massive success.

While downloads for these apps fell in 2022, many other travel, food, and shopping-centered apps including Google Maps, McDonald’s, and Shein helped fill the void.

However, it was artificial intelligence apps including Lensa AI and ChatGPT were the ones that saw the greatest spike towards the end of last year. Could these same AI-infused apps help lead the pack in terms of downloads for the most popular apps of 2023?

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Culture

Ranked: The Most-Watched Netflix Shows of All Time

While English shows dominate, Korean series Squid Game is the most-watched show of all time.

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This infographic ranks the most-watched Netflix shows of all time, including both English and non-English language shows.

Ranked: The Most Watched Netflix Shows of All Time

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

With over 300 million paid subscribers from more than 190 countries, Netflix is the biggest streaming platform worldwide, with thousands of content titles to choose from.

However, only a handful of shows and movies go on to attract viewership from all over the globe, entering Netflix’s prestigious most-watched list.

This infographic ranks the 10 most-watched shows of all time on Netflix based on global views within the first 91 days of release. The data comes from Netflix’s official reporting, which calculates views by dividing total hours watched by the show’s runtime.

Netflix’s Top 10 Most Popular Shows

The most-watched shows on Netflix reflect how globalized online entertainment is, with Korean show Squid Game topping the charts and garnering over 265 million views in its first 91 days.

In fact, three of the top 10 shows are non-English, as shown in the table below:

RankShowNumber of Views (first 91 days)Language
1Squid Game (Season 1)265.2MKorean
2Wednesday (Season 1)252.1MEnglish
3Squid Game (Season 2)192.1MKorean
4Stranger Things (Season 4)140.7MEnglish
5Adolescence*134.0MEnglish
6DAHMER115.6MEnglish
7Bridgerton (Season 1)113.3MEnglish
8The Queen's Gambit112.8MEnglish
9Bridgerton (Season 3)106.0MEnglish
10Money Heist (Season 4)106.0MSpanish

Squid Game’s first season premiered in September 2021, supported by ballooning media consumption during COVID lockdowns. However, its second season was also highly popular, with over 190 million views in its first 91 days.

Alongside Squid Game, Spanish original Money Heist also makes the top 10 list with 106 million views of its fourth season.

English-Language Shows Still Rule

While international content is on the rise, English shows still dominate the top 10. Wednesday (Season 1)—named after the show’s mysterious and sarcastic protagonist—ranks second on the all-time list with over 252 million views.

Sci-fi mystery and horror show Stranger Things ranks fourth with over 140 million views for its latest season. Set in 1980s Indiana, the show keeps viewers hooked with edge-of-the-seat suspense from its supernatural elements.

Adolescence, which premiered in March 2025, is the most recent entry into the top 10 list with 134 million views in just 60 days. The limited edition show is particularly acclaimed for its direction, with each episode filmed as a single shot without any cuts.

Chess-based show The Queen’s Gambit is the only other limited edition (single-season) show on the list.

Looking at genres, most shows among the top 10 fall into the mystery, suspense, and thriller umbrellas. English drama Bridgerton stands out as the only romance series, with not one but two of its seasons making the most-watched list.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed this infographic, check out this graphic on U.S. TV Viewing by Platform, on the Voronoi app.

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