The meditation app subsector has been growing rapidly globally, even before 2020 and the pandemic. The top ten meditation apps had revenues of US$195 million in 2019, up 52% from 2018’s US$128 million. (1) This was the fourth year of rapid growth. The revenues of the top ten meditation apps were estimated to be US$8 million in 2015, US$19 million in 2016 and US$55 million in 2017.
The dominant two apps with half the market are Calm and Headspace.
The former has been maintaining a market share around 33%, the latter around 16%. The third-place app has around a 6% market share followed by thousands of other apps. In 2019, Calm’s estimated revenues were US$92 million and Headspace’s US$56 million. In terms of paying subscribers, both Calm and Headspace claim to have over two million. This compares to many tens of millions of users who have downloaded the apps, but not become subscribers. In 2019, for example, Calm had 24 million first-time users, Headspace 13 million.
In Japan meditation apps are not yet popular
This could be because of the language barrier. Not just the navigation around the app needs to be in Japanese, but also the guided meditations. Guided meditation ranges from three minutes to thirty, and, in addition, live classes are being offered more frequently to help people feel connected.
Rather than a language barrier, a more likely explanation for the slow take-up rate in Japan is that meditation in the form of “focused attention” is already at the core of Japanese behavior.
Be it traditional customs such as flower arrangement (Ikebana), the tea ceremony (Sadou), calligraphy (Shodou) and cultivating miniature trees (Bonsai), or the Japanese martial arts (e.g., Aikido, Judo, Karate, Kendo, Jujutsu) or Shokunin (the continuously striving craftsman, e.g., Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2)) or the general attention to detail in all aspects of Japanese life, focused attention is practiced everywhere.
Traditional customs and martial arts remain on the curriculum of Japanese schools exposing all to the benefits of concentration and focus.
Unfortunately, Japanese schools have been impacted by the pandemic. Having closed during March-May 2020, restrictions on non-core activities have persisted after reopening. Club activities have been limited, events and trips cancelled, and talking during lunchtime forbidden. (3)
The latest online survey conducted by the National Center for Child Health and Development included questions on depressive symptoms, using international standards for measuring depression.
The results (4) indicate that in late 2020 a quarter of school children had moderate or higher symptoms of depression (table below).
As schools fail to deliver focused attention activities, perhaps meditation apps will become more popular in Japan.
Depressive symptoms (%) by age (years old) and severity
| 10-12 | 13-15 | 16-18 | |
| Severe | 1 | 8 | 6 |
| Somewhat severe | 7 | 4 | 9 |
| Moderate | 8 | 12 | 15 |
| Sum of above | 16 | 24 | 30 |
| Mild | 23 | 29 | 24 |
| None | 62 | 47 | 46 |
Notes: 10-12 years old (Shougakusei, 4-6 nen), 13-15 years old (Chuugakusei), 16-18 years old (kougakusei). Survey conducted online November/December 2020
Source: National Center for Child Health and Development, Conceptasia, March 2021
References:
- Top 10 meditation apps pulled in US$195 million in 2019, up 52% from 2018, by techcrunch.com, 31 January 2020. Underlying data from SensorTower.
- Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a 2011 Japanese-language American documentary film directed by David Gelb.
- Nippon.com: https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00943/?cx_recs_click=true
- National Center for Child Health and Development: http://www.ncchd.go.jp/center/activity/covid19_kodomo/report/CxC4_finalrepo_20210210.pdf
