The six-year-old Apple App Store in numbers

Apple’s App Store has reached the ripe old age of six, and as of right now contains some 1,252,777 apps.

A further 578,000 will be added in the next 12 months, too.

That’s according to Adjust’s Birth, Life and Death of an App report, which reckons that there were 453,902 apps released in 2013, although around 15 per cent of the portal’s apps were pulled in the same period – either due to developer removals or App Store violations.

Since its inception a total of 1,601,413 apps have been uploaded to the store, meaning that one in five are no longer available. Of these ‘dead apps’, the highest percentage are books (27%) followed by entertainment (25%) and utilities (24.9%).

Saying that, games have the absolute highest number of dead apps and are twice as likely to be pulled.

The report also touches on so-called ‘zombie apps’, too – ones that attract so little attention so as to not rank with typical metrics. Amazingly, around 79.6 per cent of the store’s apps can be classed as zombie apps.

As the App Store and the apps within it mature, more than ever it becomes essential for marketers to look at new techniques to re-engage existing users and get ROI,” Adjust co-founder Christian Henschel said.

The report that we’ve released today shows the development of the App Store and highlights the critical need for marketers to engage key audiences for ensuring the longevity and visibility of their app.”