WeChat allows users to message their loved ones, make payments, share work files, and more. It has been described as China’s app for everything.
Although immensely popular in China, it’s a global app with a pretty good portion of its users spread outside of China.
Its user base has grown tremendously over the past years. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, the user count jumped by 61 million.
Let’s take a detailed look at the facts and figures related to WeChat Statistics that will provide insights into its users, revenue, valuation, and more.
WeChat Statistics 2023: Top Picks
- WeChat has over 1.33 billion users worldwide and is predicted to have 1.4 billion by 2024.
- WeChat is the world’s biggest standalone app, with over 1 billion active users.
- WeChat generated $17.49 billion in revenue in 2021.
- WeChat in-app purchases crossed $50.3 million as of Q3 2023.
- WeChat transacted $400 billion in China last year.
How many people use WeChat?
The number of users has been steadily increasing yearly. This section looks at critical statistics regarding the platform’s user base.
1) 1.33 billion people worldwide use WeChat as of 2023
The number of WeChat users is increasing steadily. WeChat’s monthly active users grew from 1.31 billion in 2022 to 1.33 billion in 2023.
This is an increase of nearly 23 million users in just three quarters.
The app witnessed huge user growth in 2019 and 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic and the following lockdown fueled this growth.
Here are further details about the number of monthly active WeChat users recorded over the past years.
| Year | Number of monthly active WeChat users |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1.336 billion |
| 2022 | 1.313 billion |
| 2021 | 1.268 billion |
| 2020 | 1.225 billion |
| 2019 | 1.164 billion |
| 2018 | 1.097 billion |
| 2017 | 0.989 billion |
WeChat Users Demographics
Startupbonsai reports that WeChat is popular among the older population. In this section, we will explore the demographics of WeChat users.
2) 53.5% of the WeChat users are male, while 46.5% of users are female
WeChat, the Chinese messaging and social media application, has reached a user base of approximately two billion people worldwide.
The majority of WeChat users worldwide are male. However, there is no huge difference in the share of male and female users of WeChat.
Source: Statista.
3) 25% of the WeChat users in China are 25 to 30 years old
The largest share of WeChat users belongs to the age group of people less than 24 years old. 33.5% of the users belong to this age group.
At the same time, 13.8% of the users are aged between 31 and 35 years. On the other hand, users aged over 41 years are recorded to have 19.1% of the user share.
Source: Statista.
WeChat Revenue
Estimating WeChat’s revenue is challenging as it relies heavily on its supplementary services, such as WeChat Pay and mini-programs.
The following statistics represent Tencent’s social media revenue, where WeChat plays a significant role.
4) The annual revenue of WeChat was $17.49 billion in 2021
In 2021, $1.34 billion in revenue was increased than in 2020, which was $16.15 billion in 2020.
WeChats revenue increased significantly between 2019 and 2020. This increase in revenue was an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hence, most people have started using WeChat to communicate online with their loved ones as well as with their colleagues.
This table shows the annual revenue of WeChat over the years:
| Year | WeChat Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $17.49 billion |
| 2020 | $16.15 billion |
| 2019 | $12.28 billion |
| 2018 | $10.85 billion |
| 2017 | $8.37 billion |
| 2016 | $5.52 billion |
| 2015 | $3.6 billion |
Please note that this encompasses all of Tencent’s social media revenue.
WeChat In-app purchases
The in-app purchases on WeChat multiplied between 2020 and 2021. The purchase revenue grew by almost 48 million in just a year.
Let’s take a look at further figures related to WeChat In-app purchases in this section.
5) WeChat generated over 50 million IAP in 2023 So far
These in-app purchases are from mobile payment and e-commerce features available in the app.
The in-app purchase revenue jumped from $4.09 million in 2020 to $52.54 million in 2o21. This was an increase of over 48 million in the in-app revenue of WeChat.
Here are further details about the revenue generated by the in-app purchases made on WeChat.
| Year | WeChat IAP Revenue. |
|---|---|
| 2023 (Q3 2023) | $50.28 million |
| 2022 | $62.77 million |
| 2021 | $52.54 million |
| 2020 | $4.09 million |
| 2019 | $1.11 million |
Source: Statista.
WeChat Pay Stats
Merchants and ecommerce users mostly use WeChat Pay in China. Here are some of the latest facts and figures related to WeChat Pay.
6) WeChat Pay has 1.133 billion users as of 2023
WeChat Pay is China’s second most commonly used digital payment option, boasting 1.133 billion active users as of 2023.
It is a notable increase of 92 million users, or 8.83%, compared to the previous year.
Further, WeChat Pay users are expected to reach 1.318 million monthly active users by 2025.
This table shows the WeChat Pay users from 2016 to 2025.
| Year | Monthly Active Users of WeChat Pay |
|---|---|
| 2025* | 1,318 Million |
| 2024* | 1,225 Million |
| 2023 | 1,133 Million |
| 2022 | 1,041 Million |
| 2021 | 900 Million |
| 2020 | 865 Million |
| 2019 | 800 Million |
| 2018 | 720 Million |
| 2017 | 600 Million |
| 2016 | 430 Million |
WeChat Mini Programs Stats
WeChat Mini Programs are “mini-applications” built within the WeChat platform. These light versions of the app make it easy for WeChat users to use them.
This section highlights some of the latest figures related to WeChat Mini Programs.
7) The WeChat Mini program has 924 million monthly users
Chinese apps have found their own way to keep users engaged and make them stick around.
One of the core tactics is to build mini-applications within the core app.
WeChat gathered about 924 million monthly users of its mini-programs in China as of Q4 2023. This means over 90% of the WeChat users were using the mini services of WeChat.
Here are further details about the number of monthly active users recorded for WeChat Mini Programs over the years.
| Year | WeChat Mini Programs Users |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 924 million |
| 2022 | 921 million |
| 2021 | 921 million |
| 2020 | 832 million |
Source: Statista.
8) WeChat users spend an average of 68.1 minutes on mini-programs
The launch of Mini Programs has seen the company’s annual transactions rise by more than 600% in foreign business.
WeChat Mini Programs is a cloud-based sub-application within the WeChat ecosystem.
On average, WeChat users spend 68.1 minutes using Mini Programs, with those who use Mini Programs for mobile gaming spending even more time on the platform.
Source: Statista.
WeChat Work Stats
WeChat work is used by remote workers to communicate with each other and share documents and much more. Let’s take a look at the number of WeChat work users recorded over the years.
9) Around 2.5 million companies use WeChat work In 2023
Besides, WeChat Work has 102 million active users as of 2023.
WeChat Work has grown its user base to 102 million as of 2023, representing an 11.5 million increase or 12.70% growth from the previous year.
WeChat Work, also known as WeCom, is a remote working solution created by Tencent.
In 2021, the platform boasted 73.40 million active users, with its user base doubling as more people adapted to working from home setups.
This table shows WeChat Work’s active users from 2017 to 2025.
| Year | Monthly Active Users of WeChat Work |
|---|---|
| 2025* | 125 million |
| 2024* | 113.5 million |
| 2023 | 102 million |
| 2022 | 90.5 million |
| 2021 | 75 million |
| 2020 | 70 million |
| 2019 | 60 million |
| 2018 | 45 million |
| 2017 | 30 million |
Source: Bankmycell.
WeChat Users By Country
Approximately 48.47% of WeChat’s user base is located in China. This section will provide further information regarding WeChat users by country.
10) China has 827.2 million WeChat users
This is equivalent to 58.9% of the total population of the country. This means that more than half of China’s population uses WeChat at least once a month.
WeChat usage in China is projected to continue growing, with users expected to increase yearly from 2021 to 2025.
It is anticipated that by 2025, WeChat users in China will reach 864.8 million, accounting for 61.4% of the population.
This table shows the number of WeChat users in China from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | The Number of WeChat Users In China |
|---|---|
| 2025* | 864.8 million |
| 2024* | 845.4 million |
| 2023 | 827.2 million |
| 2022 | 811 million |
| 2021 | 785.8 million |
Source: Oberlo.
11) WeChat Users By Countries (Except China)
Malaysia has 12 million WeChat users. The country accounts for 16.8% of the WeChat users worldwide, while China is excluded from the share.
WeChat is still popular outside of China, and many people use the app in other parts of the world to communicate with loved ones and friends who reside in China.
India comes second in the list with 10 million WeChat users, followed by Russia, which has 9.5 million WeChat users.
Here are further details about the number of WeChat users recorded in different countries worldwide, except China.
| Top Country | The Number of WeChat Users | Percentage of WeChat Users |
|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 12 million | 16.8% |
| India | 10 million | 14% |
| Russia | 9.5 million | 13.3% |
| Japan | 5.5 million | 7.7% |
| South Korea | 5 million | 7% |
| The United States | 4 million | 5.6% |
| Indonesia | 3 million | 4.2% |
| Mexico | 2.5 million | 3.5% |
| Thailand | 2.5 million | 3.5% |
| Brazil | 2 million | 2.8% |
Source: World Population Review.
WeChat Official Account Statistics
WeChat Official Accounts are verified accounts that businesses and organizations can use to interact with customers. These accounts are also known as public accounts.
Let’s take a look at some of the latest statistics related to WeChat official accounts.
12) There are 20 million active WeChat Official accounts
WeChat official accounts help brands promote content, attract followers, and connect the account to a mini-site hosted within WeChat.
As the number of WeChat users in China who access the platform as the main information source increases, more and more brands are starting to leverage WeChat for business.
Source: WeChat Wiki.
13) 54% of WeChat users spend up to 30 minutes following Official Accounts
Almost 50% of WeChat users follow 10-20 Official WeChat Accounts. While 24% follow less than ten accounts, and 19.7% follow 20 to 30 accounts.
News and promotions are the major reasons people follow WeChat’s official accounts.
74.2% of users said the primary reason they follow any Official Account is for news, while 41.9% do so for promotions.
Source: Statista, Walk the Chat, 99firms.
WeChat Business Statistics
WeChat Business is a professional tool that allows businesses to set up their presence on the platform. Further, businesses can set up WeChat stores and directly sell their products directly to Chinese consumers.
Here are the latest facts and figures about WeChat businesses.
14) 90% of businesses use WeChat for workplace communication in China
WeChat’s user base continues to grow, and its features increasingly support work-related tasks.
According to WeChat’s statistics, the app is blurring the line between personal and professional life, with almost 90% of the 20,000 surveyed web users in China considering it their top choice for daily work communication.
Today, 70% of businesses in China use WeChat for workplace communications instead of email.
It’s important to note that Chinese users may not check their email accounts frequently but often read their messages on WeChat.
WeChat User Behaviour
WeChat is primarily utilized in China for financial transactions. In this section, we will explore the various important uses of WeChat worldwide.
15) 45 billion messages are sent by WeChat users daily
WeChat users are now sending an average of 45 billion messages per day.
Additionally, the platform facilitates approximately 410 million audio and video calls daily. These figures indicate that WeChat’s usage has increased sixfold compared to 2016.
16) 68 million videos are uploaded daily by WeChat users worldwide
The application has become a significant rival to Snapchat and YouTube.
Although it still has a way to match YouTube’s 300 hours of uploaded video content per minute (as YouTube does not disclose such data), video content has undoubtedly become one of the platform’s most popular offerings among its diverse services.
Note: For more statistics related to YouTube, please check out this article.
17) WeChat users use the app 9 to 11 times per day
60% of users use WeChat almost ten times a day.
WeChat has impressive engagement rates, with over 60% of its users opening the app more than ten times daily.
According to WeChat statistics, 21% of users open the app more than 50 times daily.
18) Utilizing WeChat has decreased hospital wait times by an average of 43.6 minutes
China’s healthcare system has been criticized for its inefficiencies, but modern technology is helping to alleviate some of these issues.
Currently, 40% of health institutions in China are utilizing WeChat in some capacity, such as communicating news and updates with patients, making online appointments, and sharing the availability of doctors.
Additionally, the app is also used for online appointments and fee payments.
How Does WeChat Stand Among Other Social Media?
WeChat is the 5th most popular social media network as of 2023.
As of January 2023, WeChat ranked fifth among the most popular social media networks, with 1.309 billion monthly active users.
Facebook held the top position with 2.958 billion users.
This table shows the top social media networks by monthly active users.
| Social Media Network | Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| 3.03 billion | |
| 2.7 billion | |
| YouTube | 2.7 billion |
| 2.5 billion | |
| 1.67 billion | |
| Facebook Messanger | 931 million |
| TikTok | 1.67 billion |
| Facebook Messenger | 988 million |
| Snapchat | 750 million |
