New Data Behind the Middle East's 5x Faster App Growth

The Middle East’s mobile app economy is not just catching up to the world. It is outperforming it.

The 2025 Middle East App Growth Report by Bidease and Sensor Tower, combines insights from 425 app marketers across the region with Sensor Tower’s market data to show how the region’s app economy is expanding and how marketers are adapting in an increasingly competitive landscape. 

The report shows that the region outperforms global benchmarks in downloads, engagement, and revenue. That momentum rewards app marketers who move fast, combining stronger user acquisition fundamentals, quicker creative cycles with quicker creative cycles and sharper measurement of what drives results.

👉 Read the full report: https://info.bidease.com/the-2025-middle-east-app-growth-report

1. Market Context: GCC Growth Outpaces Global Benchmarks

The Gulf region remains one of the most dynamic mobile markets globally. In Q2 2025, downloads grew 2.6% year over year, compared with a 0.5% increase worldwide, while in-app purchases reached $ 700 million (a 20% year-over-year increase). The UAE led with 26% revenue growth, and total time spent in apps exceeded 20 billion hours in the first half of the year.

This steady expansion reflects the impact of mobile-first commerce, digital payments, and super apps that have become central to daily life across the region.

“With the rise in mobile-first businesses and super apps shifting consumer behavior in the GCC, it’s no surprise we’ve seen strong growth,” said Anthony Bartolacci, Chief Strategy Officer at Sensor Tower.

2. Competitive Pressure: Saturation Demands Diversification

As markets such as the UAE and KSA mature, marketers are facing stronger competition. Global entrants, including Temu, SHEIN, and Alibaba.com, are expanding aggressively, while built-in-region apps continue to gain share, particularly in Saudi Arabia’s shopping category.

More than half of respondents (52%) identify saturation in KSA and UAE as a key challenge. To sustain performance, teams are diversifying beyond major social platforms and leaning into programmatic buying. The report shows 80 percent of marketers now use programmatic DSPs, and only 11% plan to reduce budgets, indicating that programmatic channels are now part of the region’s core mix.

“User acquisition remains the engine,” said Shy Rahimi, Managing Director, MENA at Bidease. “Scale now comes from creative rigor, AI in the loop, and faster moves from test to insight to budget. The next edge is diversification.”

3. Strategic Shift: AI, Creative Velocity, and Smarter Budgeting

AI has become a standard part of marketing operations across the region. Teams use it to generate ad creatives (64%), personalize experiences (53%), allocate budgets (47%), and optimize campaigns (40%). Nearly eight in ten marketers refresh creatives weekly or more, enabled by automation and generative AI tools.

This combination of AI-driven speed and data-led decision-making is reshaping how marketing teams plan and execute campaigns.

“AI is the most powerful force reshaping marketing teams today,” said Dennis Mink, Chief Marketing Officer at Bidease. “It changes how we hire, how we produce, and how we scale. The next wave of leaders will be the ones who treat AI not as a tool, but as a teammate.”

The 2025 report shows a region entering its next phase of growth: solid fundamentals, rising competition, and a shift toward more efficient execution. Teams that combine creative velocity, AI adoption, and budget agility are already setting a higher benchmark for performance.

The Middle East’s app marketers are not simply adapting to new conditions. They are shaping what comes next.

👉 Read the full report for complete data, charts, and practitioner insights.