WhatsApp was launched in 2009 for iOS users and in 2010 for Android users, which led to a significant increase in user growth. In 2014, Facebook (now Meta) acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion U.S. dollars when it already had over 450 million monthly active users.
Today, WhatsApp has over 2.7 billion global users, making it the most-used instant messaging app with 1.03 billion more users than the second-place holder, ‘We Chat.’
It has become an integral part of its users’ lives. So much so that people are exchanging 140 billion messages on the platform every day.
This post will shed light on Whatsapp’s Current state in terms of users, revenue, features, and more.
WhatsApp Statistics In a Nutshell
How Many People Use WhatsApp?
- As per the latest data, WhatsApp has over 2.7 billion monthly active users in over 180 countries. It is predicted that this number will reach 3.14 billion by 2025.
How Many Messages Are Sent On Whatsapp Every Day?
- 140 billion messages are exchanged on WhatsApp every day. This number was 100 billion in 2022
Which Country Has The Most WhatsApp Users?
- India has the most WhatsApp users with a headcount of 535.8 million. Brazil (148 million) and Indonesia (112 million) make it to the top 3.
Whatsapp Gender Demographics (Global)
- WhatsApp’s worldwide user base consists of 46.1% females and 53.9% males.
Whatsapp Gender Demographics (United States)
- WhatsApp’s user base in the United States consists of 46.5% females and 53.5% males.
Miscellaneous WhatsApp Statistics
- WhatsApp is the most popular messenger in the world.
- WhatsApp has been downloaded more than 5 billion times from the Google play store.
- WhatsApp is owned by Meta, Facebook’s parent company. Whatsapp was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion. It remains Meta’s biggest acquisition to date.
- WhatsApp was founded by a couple of former Yahoo! employees in February 2009 named Brian Acton and Jan Koum.
Whatsapp Statistics In-Depth
In this section, we discuss all the important WhatsApp-related statistics in a more in-depth manner. Let’s get into it, shall we?
How Many People Use WhatsApp?
As per the latest data, Whatsapp has over 2.7 billion active users. The projection is that this number will grow by 18% from 2023 to 2025. This means WhatsApp will have around 3.14 billion active users by 2025.
Whatsapp boomed in popularity and added 1 billion monthly active users from 2016 to 2020.
After becoming Meta’s property, Whatsapp has shown exponential growth in its active users. The user count has grown by over 3500% since 2014.
Below is the breakdown of WhatsApp’s monthly active users since 2010
| Date | Whatsapp MAUs |
|---|---|
| October 2010 | 10 million |
| December 2011 | 50 million |
| July 2012 | 75 million |
| October 2012 | 100 million |
| January 2013 | 133 million |
| March 2013 | 166 million |
| April 2013 | 200 million |
| June 2013 | 250 million |
| August 2013 | 300 million |
| October 2013 | 350 million |
| December 2013 | 400 million |
| January 2014 | 430 million |
| February 2014 | 465 million |
| April 2014 | 500 million |
| August 2014 | 600 million |
| January 2015 | 700 million |
| April 2015 | 800 million |
| September 2015 | 900 million |
| February 2016 | 1 billion |
| January 2017 | 1.2 billion |
| July 2017 | 1.3 billion |
| December 2017 | 1.5 billion |
| February 2020 | 2 billion |
| September 2021 | 2.16 billion |
| April 2022 | 2.24 billion |
| July 2023 | 2.7 billion |
Related Reads: Global Internet User Statistics 2023
Whatsapp Users by Country
There are more than 535.8 million Whatsapp users in India making it the country with the most users.
WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in India for several reasons. Firstly, it is very affordable to use since it only requires a basic mobile data plan. Secondly, it is simple and easy to use, even for people who are not familiar with smartphones. Lastly, the majority of smartphone users in India use an Android device, making it the preferred messenger.
Brazil and Indonesia make it to the top 3 with 148 and 112 million active users respectively.
Below is a table showing the top 10 countries with the most WhatsApp users.
| Country | Number of Users |
|---|---|
| India | 535.8 million |
| Brazil | 148 million |
| Indonesia | 112 million |
| United States | 98 million |
| Phillipines | 88 million |
| Mexico | 77 million |
| Russia | 66.7 million |
| Turkey | 60 million |
| Egypt | 56 million |
| Pakistan | 52 million |
Whatsapp Revenue Statistics
Since WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook (now Meta), its revenue details haven’t been disclosed. The below figures are estimates.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2012 | $3.82 Million |
| 2013 | $10.21 Million |
| 2014 | $15.29 Million |
| 2016 | $200 Million |
| 2018 | $1.3 Billion |
| 2020 | $5.5 Billion |
However, we do know how much “Meta” earns through its family of apps. This family of apps consists of Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp.
- Meta registered a revenue of $28,306 (28.30 billion) in the first quarter of 2023.
Whatsapp Message Statistics
Whether it be a short good morning message or a wholesome reply to a story, Whatsapp is accessed by billions of people daily, and they exchange a lot of messages along with media on the platform. Let us look at the statistics associated with it.
How Many Messages are Sent on Whatsapp Per Day
140 billion messages are sent on WhatsApp every day.
This figure was 100 billion back in 2020.
The number of messages exchanged through WhatsApp has increased by over 50 folds since 2018.
Below is the breakdown of the number of messages exchanged on WhatsApp since 2011.
| Date | Number of Messages Exchanged on WhatsApp |
|---|---|
| October 2011 | 1 billion |
| January 2015 | 30 billion |
| February 2016 | 42 billion |
| July 2017 | 55 billion |
| March 2018 | 65 billion |
| October 2020 | 100 billion |
| 2021 | No Data Available |
| 2022 | No Data Available |
| July 2023 | 140 billion |
How Much Time Do Users Spend on Whatsapp?
Users spend around 18.6 hours on Whatsapp each month.
If we break down this stat further, it is equivalent to spending around 37 minutes each day.
This number was 19.4 minutes in 2020. Whatsapp usage boomed during the Pandemic. The silver lining is that the usage hasn’t gone down drastically even after the pandemic has ended.
Time spent on Whatsapp (Region Wise)
Let us look at how much time users are spending on Whatsapp worldwide.
Users in Brazil spend around 29 hours on average on Whatsapp each month. Indonesia’s usage is also similar to that of Brazil.
Users in Argentina Spend 28 hours, and Users in India spend 21 hours.
USA-based users spend around 7.6 hours on Whatsapp each month.
Australian users are among the lower usage category, with each user spending less than 6 hours on the platform each month.
United States Specific Whatsapp Statistics
Here, we discuss Whatsapp statistics associated with the United States of America. Let us dive right into them.
Whatsapp Users in the USA
There are 98 million active WhatsApp users in the United States as of 2023.
People in the United States prefer iMessage or Facebook Messenger over Whatsapp.
Whatsapp Usage Frequency in the USA
50% of Whatsapp users in the States access the platform every day.
78% of American users access the platform at least once a week.
Below is the breakdown of user frequency in the United States for Whatsapp
| Duration | Share of Users |
|---|---|
| Daily | 50% |
| Weekly | 78% |
Whatsapp Gender Demographics in the USA
Users aged between 26 to 35 make up the majority of Whatsapp users in the United States. They form 27% of the user base.
Whatsapp is the least common in people over 56 years of age in the USA. This group makes up only 13% of Whatsapp’s total user base in the United States.
Below is the complete breakdown of the same
| Age group | Share of Users |
|---|---|
| 15-25 | 19% |
| 26-35 | 27% |
| 36-45 | 20% |
| 46-55 | 17% |
| 56+ | 13% |
Whatsapp Gender Demographics Worldwide
WhatsApp’s worldwide user base consists of 46.1% females and 53.9% males.
| Gender | Share Of Users |
|---|---|
| Males | 53.9% |
| Females | 46.1% |
Whatsapp Growth In Countries
Russia has shown a growth rate of 17%.
Other markets showing growth for Whatsapp are
- India (+16.6%)
- France (+16.6%)
- Indonesia (+15.1%)
Below is the list of countries that have the highest Whatsapp user growth rate.
| Country | Growth Rate (percent change) |
|---|---|
| Russia | 17.0% |
| India | 16.6% |
| France | 16.6% |
| Indonesia | 15.1% |
| US | 10.0% |
| Argentina | 10.0% |
| Brazil | 9.1% |
| Italy | 7.7% |
| Finland | 7.5% |
| Austria | 7.3% |
Whatsapp Download Statistics
Whatsapp has been downloaded more than 5 billion times from the google play store.
WhatsApp was downloaded 39 million times in August 2021 alone.
Whatsapp ranked 4th globally in terms of downloads in September 2021.
Let us have a look at more WhatsApp downloads facts and figures that will make the scene more clear.
Number of WhatsApp downloads from the Google Play Store (By Region)
India has the most number of WhatsApp downloads on the Google Play store as of Q2 2022. Mexico and Brazil are in the second and third spots respectively.
Here is a table showing the number of WhatsApp downloads from the Google Play Store as of Q2 2022:
| Country | Number Of Downloads |
|---|---|
| India | 5.81 Million |
| Mexico | 4.99 Million |
| Brazil | 4.53 Million |
| Indonesia | 4.49 Million |
| United States | 3.72 Million |
| Nigeria | 2.41 Million |
| Russia | 2.1 Million |
| Pakistan | 1.95 Million |
| Colombia | 1.66 Million |
| Turkey | 1.59 Million |
Number of WhatsApp downloads from the Apple App Store by region
The United States has the most number of WhatsApp downloads on the Apple App Store as of Q2 2022. Mexico and India are on the second and third positions respectively.
Here is a table showing the number of WhatsApp downloads from the Apple App Store as of Q2 2022:
| Country | Number of Downloads |
|---|---|
| United States | 6.6 million |
| Mexico | 1.46 million |
| India | 1.26 million |
| United Kingdom | 1.21 million |
| Indonesia | 0.95 million |
| France | 0.93 million |
| Brazil | 0.93 million |
| Turkey | 0.88 million |
| Germany | 0.87 million |
| Canada | 0.6 million |
Rise in WhatsApp Downloads on the Apple app store by region
Hong Kong experienced around 94% more Whatsapp downloads in 2021 than in 2020. Singapore was the second-fastest in download growth as Whatsapp downloads increased 93% during the same period. Malaysia ranked 3rd with an 86.5% growth.
We have broken down the rise in Whatsapp downloads as of Q4 2021 below:
| Country | Growth of Whatsapp Downloads (From the Apple App Store) |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 93.9% |
| Singapore | 93% |
| Malaysia | 86.5% |
| UAE | 49.3% |
| Uruguay | 42.6% |
| Saudi Arabia | 41.5% |
| Egypt | 41.2% |
| Italy | 34.2% |
| China | 30.8% |
| Canada | 21.8% |
Whatsapp Ratings
Whatsapp has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 across 3.5 million reviews on the Apple app store.
If we talk about the Google Play store, Whatsapp has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 across 106 million reviews.
Sources: Google, Apple.
Whatsapp Web Statistics
WhatsApp Web is a web-based version of the popular messaging app WhatsApp. It allows you to use WhatsApp on your computer, without having to install any software.
Let us look at some of its statistics in this section.
- Whatsapp Web received a traffic of 2.3 billion in July 2023.
| Time | Traffic |
|---|---|
| July 2023 | 2.4 billion |
| June 2023 | 2.3 billion |
| May 2023 | 2.5 billion |
| April 2023 | 2.2 billion |
- Whatsapp Web’s average visit duration is around 22 minutes 40 seconds with a bounce rate of 37.86%
- Brazil sends the most traffic to Whatsapp Web (15.80%)
| Country | Share Of Traffic |
|---|---|
| Brazil | 15.80% |
| India | 10.33% |
| Mexico | 7.14% |
| Indonesia | 5.80% |
| Colombia | 4.74% |
| Others | 56.18% |
Sources: SimilarWeb.
Whatsapp Business Statistics
So, people who want to use Whatsapp as a business platform can do so my
WhatsApp Business allows you to have a commercial presence and communicate and connect better with your customers. Your profile gets a “business” tag, and you get a variety of custom options that you don’t get in the plain messenger app.
Whatsapp business also has over 5 billion downloads globally and has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 on the Google play store.
On the Apple app store, Whatsapp business has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 across 394.6k reviews.
- More than 200 million people send messages to business accounts on WhatsApp each day.
- By 2024, the total spending on WhatsApp’s business platform is expected to amount to $3.6 billion.
Countries With The Most Whatsapp Business Downloads
Whatsapp business has been downloaded over 350 million times in 2023 so far.
With 291.58 million downloads, India is the country with the most WhatsApp Business downloads.
Here is a table showing the top 10 countries with the most WhatsApp Business downloads:
| Country | Downloads |
|---|---|
| India | 291.58 million |
| Indonesia | 73.12 million |
| Brazil | 69.5 million |
| Pakistan | 48.16 million |
| Nigeria | 22.37 million |
| Egypt | 16.15 million |
| Russia | 15.46 million |
| Mexico | 14.88 million |
| United States | 12.22 million |
| Colombia | 10.9 million |
Whatsapp Features Statistics
Meta is always improving Whatsapp. From encrypted messages to high-quality and private video calls. We get to see something new every once in a while.
Let us take a look at some facts and figures associated with Whatsapp features in this section.
Users can create a WhatsApp group with up to 1024 participants.
- WhatsApp is the largest platform to provide a fully end-to-end encrypted messaging experience that allows cross-platform communication.
- Users can now host group video calls with up to 8 people and audio calls with up to 32 people.
- Users can now edit their messages on WhatsApp for up to 15 minutes after they’ve been sent.
- Whatsapp now has the ability to record and share voice messages of up to 30 seconds on status.
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Conclusion: Whatsapp Statistics (2023)
That is it from our side, folks.
Whatsapp was a terrific startup, and after being acquired by Meta, it has become a beast. With 2 billion users accessing it, 26% of the world population uses Whatsapp.
Crazy if you think about it. The future for Whatsapp is looking bright as it shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Everyone needs an instant messenger, right? As the world population grows, the popularity of Whatsapp will grow too. Use the platform to your advantage and make the most of it.
This set of updated statistics will help you make informed decisions while you are on it. Check this space for more such articles.
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