39 Top WhatsApp Statistics For 2025: Users, Revenue, And Growth
Looking for the latest WhatsApp statistics? I’ve got you covered.
In this post, I’ll be sharing all the most important facts and figures about Meta’s flagship messaging app that you need to know this year.
These stats will reveal interesting insights about WhatsApp and the people who use it, including its revenue, growth over time, and more.
Top picks
- Over 2 billion people use WhatsApp monthly (Statista, WhatsApp)
- Over 200 million people use WhatsApp Business monthly (Statista4)
- WhatsApp is the number one most-used messenger app globally and in 63 countries (DataReportal, Similarweb)
- Over 100 million people now use WhatsApp in the US but it’s not the most popular messaging app in the country (WhatsApp2, Similarweb)
- WhatsApp handles 2 billion calls, 100 billion messages, and 7 billion voice messages daily (WhatsApp3, Meta, WhatsApp4)
- On average, users spend 17 hours, 6 minutes on WhatsApp per month (DataReportal)
- WhatsApp generated around $1.3 billion in annual revenue last year (Investopedia)
WhatsApp usage statistics
Let’s start by taking a look at some general WhatsApp usage statistics that reveal how many people use WhatsApp worldwide, and what that tells us about its place in the wider social media and messaging app market.
1. WhatsApp has at least 2 billion monthly active users…
That’s around a quarter of the global population. However, keep in mind that WhatsApp hasn’t updated its monthly active user figures in years.
It hit the 2 billion milestone in 2020, and it seems likely it has increased since then. Statista estimates that the true figure as of the end of 2024 is close to 2.9 billion.
Sources: Statista, WhatsApp
2. …making it the most-used messaging app in the world…
WhatsApp has significantly more users than any other messenger app. Its closest competitor is Chinese messaging service WeChat, which has 1.3 billion monthly active users.
| Top 5 most-used messengers globally | Monthly active users |
| 1. WhatsApp | 2 billion |
| 2. WeChat | 1.3 billion |
| 3. Facebook Messenger | 979 million |
| 4. Telegram | 800 million |
| 5. Snapchat | 750 million |
Source: DataReportal
3. …and the third most-used social media platform in the world
Not only is WhatsApp the most popular messenger in the world, but it’s also the third most popular social network. The only platforms with more monthly active users are Facebook (3.05 billion) and YouTube (2.49 billion).
| Top 5 most-used social networks globally | Monthly active users |
| 1. Facebook | 3.05 billion |
| 2. YouTube | 2.49 billion |
| 3. WhatsApp | 2 billion |
| 4. Instagram | 2 billion |
| 5. TikTok | 1.56 billion |
Source: Datareportal
4. There are 10x more WhatsApp users now than a decade ago
WhatsApp was first launched in 2009. Since then, it’s grown rapidly. Between 2013 and 2020, the number of monthly active WhatsApp users worldwide increased tenfold. The table below shows how user figures evolved over time.
| Date | Number of Whatsapp users |
| March 2020 | 2 billion |
| January 2017 | 1.2 billion |
| February 2016 | 1 billion |
| April 2015 | 800 million |
| April 2014 | 600 million |
| April 2013 | 200 million |
Source: Statista8
5. 16.1% of social media users say WhatsApp is their favorite social media platform…
A recent survey asked internet users which social media platforms they liked the most, and 16.1% pointed to WhatsApp.
Interestingly, older users were more likely to say WhatsApp is their favorite. For example, amongst women, only 12% of those aged 16 to 24 said WhatsApp compared to 19.8% of those aged 55 to 64.
Source: DataReportal
6. …making it the second most well-liked social media platform in the world
The only social media platform that more users said was their favorite is Instagram (16.5%).
This also means that WhatsApp is the number one most well-liked messaging app overall. Its closest competitor is WeChat (12.8%).
Source: DataReportal
7. Over 2 billion calls are made on WhatsApp every day
WhatsApp announced that they recently reached a new milestone. As of 2024, over 2 billion calls are made through WhatsApp daily.
Source: WhatsApp3
8. Over 100 billion WhatsApp messages are sent every day
According to an earnings call from Q3 2020, WhatsApp users send a combined total of over 100 billion messages on the app daily. That figure is a few years old so it might be even higher now.
Source: Meta
9. Over 7 billion voice messages are sent on WhatsApp every day
Voice messages have grown increasingly popular over the last few years. According to an update from the company in 2022, WhatsApp now processes over 7 billion voice messages daily.
Source: WhatsApp4
10. WhatsApp is the 10th most-visited website in the world
According to website traffic data from Similarweb reported on DataReportal, WhatsApp averages over 2.93 billion website visits—and 360 million unique website visitors—each month.
This makes it the tenth most visited website in the world below Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a handful of other sites.
Source: DataReportal
11. WhatsApp is downloaded over 46 million times a month
According to data from Statista, there were around 46.38 million WhatsApp downloads across the iOS and Google Play Store in July 2024, making it the second most downloaded messenger app that month after Telegram (48.36 million). The WhatsApp Business app also had 23.67 million downloads that same month.
Source: Statista2
12. WhatsApp has been downloaded over 5 billion times in total to date
5.8 billion, to be specific. It’s one of less than 10 apps to reach that 5-billion milestone, according to estimates from Business of Apps.
Source: Business of Apps
13. Over 500 million people use WhatsApp Channels
WhatsApp Channels is a relatively new broadcasting feature that was introduced to WhatsApp in 2023. It allows users to broadcast and receive updates from the people and organizations they’re interested in.
Meta reported that Channels had over 500 million monthly active users at the end of last year, which was only a few months after launching.
Source: Meta3
Time spent on WhatsApp
Ever wondered how long people spend on WhatsApp and how often they open the app? Here are some WhatsApp statistics that shed light on those questions.
14. WhatsApp users spend 17 hours and 6 minutes on the app per month, on average…
That makes WhatsApp the #4 top social media platform by time spent on the app. The only networks that users spend more time on are TikTok (34 hours), YouTube (28 hours and 5 minutes), and Facebook (19 hours and 47 minutes).
It also makes WhatsApp the top messaging service by time spent on the app. Its closest competitor is Japanese messaging app Line (8 hours and 13 minutes).
Source: DataReportal
15. …and 1 minute, 6 seconds on the app per session
According to data reported on DataReportal, the average WhatsApp session duration on Android is 1 minute and 6 seconds. That’s how long users typically spend on the app after opening it in a single session.
Source: DataReportal
16. Argentinians spend the most time on WhatsApp
In Argentina, the average monthly time spent on WhatsApp is 28 hours and 59 minutes. That’s over +11 hours more than the global average.
| Top 5 countries by time spent | Average time spent on WhatsApp |
| 1. Argentina | 28 hours, 59 minutes |
| 2. Indonesia | 26 hours, 13 minutes |
| 3. Colombia | 24 hours, 27 minutes |
| 4. Brazil | 24 hours, 14 minutes |
| 5. South Africa | 23 hours, 50 minutes |
Source: DataReportal
17. Taiwanese people spend the least time on WhatsApp
In Taiwan, the average monthly time spent on WhatsApp is just 1 hour and 47 minutes, which is more than -15 hours less than the global average.
| Bottom 5 countries by time spent | Average time spent on WhatsApp |
| 1. Taiwan | 1 hour, 47 minutes |
| 2. Philippines | 2 hours, 29 minutes |
| 3. Japan | 2 hours, 40 minutes |
| 4. South Korea | 2 hours, 44 minutes |
| 5. Hungary | 2 hours, 55 minutes |
Source: DataReportal
18. WhatsApp users open the app 930 times a month on average
WhatsApp is the number one most-opened app by a huge margin. On average, users open WhatsApp 930 times a month. That’s almost 3x more than the second most-opened app Line (366). They’re followed by Instagram (348), TikTok (344), and Facebook (320).
Source: DataReportal
19. WhatsApp has an average daily open rate of 83.2%
The average monthly active WhatsApp user opens the app on 83.2% of all days in the year. That makes WhatsApp the #1 social media app by daily open rate. It’s followed by Facebook (64.1%), YouTube (63.7%), Line (62.9%), TikTok (61.7%).
Source: DataReportal
WhatsApp users by country
Next, let’s look at some stats that reveal how popular WhatsApp is in different countries and regions around the world.
20. WhatsApp is the #1 most-used messaging app in 63 countries…
Out of 100 countries analyzed by Similarweb, WhatsApp was found to be the most popular messaging app in 63 of them. That’s almost two-thirds.
The countries that WhatsApp dominates include the UK, India, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Mexico, France, Germany, and many more.
Source: Similarweb
21. …but the United States isn’t one of them (yet)
While WhatsApp is the most used messaging app worldwide, it underperforms in the United States. Facebook Messenger is the most-used messaging app in the US, as well as in 16 other countries.
What’s more, 58% of surveyed Americans said they regularly use Facebook Messenger, while only 19% said they regularly use WhatsApp.
Sources: Statista9, Similarweb
22. India has more WhatsApp users than any other country
According to data from eMarketer, India had 532.3 million monthly active WhatsApp users—that’s more than any other country.
| Top 5 countries by WhatsApp usage | Number of WhatsApp users |
| India | 532.3 million |
| Brazil | 124 million |
| Indonesia | 94.3 million |
| Russia | 72 million |
| Mexico | 65 million |
Note: The US is absent from this list despite having 100 million users. That’s because this dataset is from July 2022 (the latest figures we could find) and is now somewhat outdated—the US only recently reached 100 million users.
Source: eMarketer
23. WhatsApp recently reached 100 million users in the United States
In July 2024, WhatsApp announced on its company blog that WhatsApp had reached the 100 million user milestone in the US—that’s a little under a third of the population.
This suggests that WhatsApp is finally making inroads into the all-important US market, where it has historically underperformed.
Source: WhatsApp2
WhatsApp user demographics
The WhatsApp statistics below reveal insights into the different demographics that make up WhatsApp’s user base.
24. 52.3% of WhatsApp users are male
WhatsApp leans slightly more male than female (like most social networks), but only very slightly. 52.3% of WhatsApp users are men while 47.6% are women.
Source: DataReportal
25. 31% of US WhatsApp users are 18 to 34 years old
In the US, WhatsApp seems to be more popular amongst younger users. 31% of its user base is between the ages of 18 and 34—that’s higher than any other age bracket.
| Age range | % of WhatsApp users (US) |
| 18-34 | 31% |
| 35-44 | 27% |
| 45-64 | 20% |
| 65+ | 11% |
Source: Statista5
WhatsApp Business statistics
WhatsApp Business is a version of WhatsApp built for businesses that comes with tools to make it easier for them to interact with customers at scale. Here are some statistics specifically about WhatsApp Business.
26. WhatsApp Business has over 200 million monthly active users
Over 200 million companies now use WhatsApp Business each month. That’s up from just 50 million monthly active users in 2020.
Source: Statista4
27. Around 1.54 billion people interact on WhatsApp Business
According to estimates modeled by Statista, the total number of companies and consumers that interact via WhatsApp Business is around 1.54 billion.
Of those, around half (748 million) are in Asia. A further 334 million are in Europe, 182 million are in Central, South America, and the Caribbean, 135 million are in Africa, 130 million are in North America, and 8.3 million are in Australia & Oceania.
Source: Statista6
28. 57% of WhatsApp users have communicated with a brand on the app
This is according to a recent survey. What’s more, around half of all WhatsApp users have messaged a brand 1-10 times.
Source: Spectrm
29. 66% of WhatsApp users have gone on to make a purchase after messaging a brand
That’s within the past year, according to a recent survey. This is even higher in regions like Latin America (89%) and Asia Pacific (78%).
Source: Spectrum
30. 69.9% of users say messaging companies on WhatsApp improved their perception of the company
Most consumers like brands that interact with them on WhatsApp. 69.9% of those surveyed said messaging a company on WhatsApp had a positive impact on their perception of the brand. 25% said it had no impact, and only 5.1% said it had a negative impact.
Source: Spectrm
31. The main reason users message brands on WhatsApp is to ask product- and service-related questions (39%)
That’s followed by brand-related questions (11%), customer service complaints (11%), shopping and delivery questions (11%) and technical issues (9%).
Source: Spectrm
32. 46% of WhatsApp conversations between brands and customers start with a Contact Us
46% of WhatsApp brand-customer interactions begin with the customer clicking a ‘contact us on WhatsApp’ button on the company website.
A further 21% start with a click-to-WhatsApp ad click on Facebook or Instagram, 8% start with a call-to-action on a social media post, and 7% come from links in email content.
Source: Spectrm
33. 11.2% of customers on WhatsApp expect instant responses from the companies they message
A good chunk of the customers that businesses interact with on WhatsApp (11.2%) say they expect a response instantly. And over half expect not to wait longer than six minutes.
| Length of time customers say they expect a WhatsApp response within | % of customers |
| Instantly (0 minutes) | 11.2% |
| 1-2 minutes | 18.8% |
| 3-4 minutes | 15.3% |
| 5-6 minutes | 14.3% |
| 10 minutes | 13.3% |
| 20 minutes | 7% |
| Don’t care as long as they get a reply eventually | 19.8% |
Source: Spectrm
34. The number one reason for negative customer experiences on WhatsApp is a slow response rate (43%).
When asked why they had a negative experience with brands on WhatsApp, 43% said the brand responded too slowly, making this the top reason for negative experiences.
A further 27% said their negative experience was because the person they spoke to wasn’t able to answer their question, 18% said it was because no one ever replied, and 12% said it was because they didn’t receive relevant offers or recommendations.
Source: Spectrm
WhatsApp financial statistics
Finally, let’s look at some WhatsApp statistics that tell us more about the company’s finances and revenues.
35. WhatsApp was estimated to earn around $1.3 billion in annual revenue last year
Unfortunately, Meta doesn’t break down its financial data by product, so there aren’t any official publicly available figures that tell us how much revenue WhatsApp generated.
The best we have to go off is estimates based on the data we do have. According to those estimates, WhatsApp earned around $1.3 billion in annual revenue last year. That’s less than 1% of Meta’s total yearly revenue.
Source: Investopedia
36. WhatsApp Business global ARPU is $0.25
WhatsApp Business has a global ARPU (average revenue per user) of just $0.25 according to industry estimations.
Its ARPU is highest in Australia & Oceania ($0.72) where it’s almost 3x the global average, and lowest in Asia ($0.21).
Source: Statista7
37. WhatsApp’s paid messaging ARR has surpassed $1 billion
In Meta’s Q1 2024 earnings follow-up call, Meta’s Chad Heaton confirmed that they monetize WhatsApp through both click-to-messaging ads and paid messaging services. He pointed out that paid messaging has now surpassed a $1 billion annual revenue run rate (ARR) and is growing at a strong pace.
Source: Meta2
38. Click-to-WhatsApp ads are estimated to have generated around $10 billion this year
Investopedia reported that click-to-WhatsApp ads are estimated to generate around $10 billion in revenue for Meta this year.
These ads are Meta’s fastest-growing ad format and allow users to initiate WhatsApp conversations with businesses directly through ads on Facebook and Instagram.
Source: Investopedia
39. Facebook (Meta) acquired WhatsApp for $19.6 billion
In 2014, Meta agreed to pay $19.6 billion to acquire WhatsApp. At the time, WhatsApp wasn’t even profitable. In fact, it hardly generated any revenue and was making a net loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. Despite this, Meta saw huge potential for user growth and felt it was a worthwhile acquisition.
Source: Investopedia2
Final thoughts
That concludes this roundup of WhatsApp statistics.
As these stats show, WhatsApp continues to be the world’s most-used messaging service.
It’s gaining popularity in the United States and is also becoming more profitable thanks to the widespread adoption of the WhatsApp Business API.
Looking for more data? Check out these Facebook Messenger statistics, and take a look at my data-driven roundup of the top social media platforms.
You might also want to take a look at my guide to building a social media strategy, as well as these social media contest apps that can help you grow your audience fast.
