WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. Millions of people use it daily, and its influence cannot be overstated.
Below, you’ll find the most interesting facts about WhatsApp in 2022:
- WhatsApp is the 1st social media platform to make its own original film – “Naija Odyssey“
- India is the country with the most WhatsApp users, with over 390 million
- WhatsApp is the 3rd most used social platform in the world and the most popular messaging app, with a bit over 2 billion daily users
- 46.1% of total WhatsApp users are female, and 53.9% are male
- Over 1 billion messages are being sent daily on WhatsApp
- On average, a WhatsApp user spends 18.6 hours/month on the messaging app
- 27% of WhatsApp’s US userbase is aged between 26-25
- Russia has seen a 17% increase in WhatsApp users over the last year
- WhatsApp has achieved 5 billion installs worldwide
- On May 2022, WhatsApp increased the maximum video file size you could share from 16 MB to a whopping 2 GB
- By 2023, it is estimated that the WhatsApp Chatbot will save businesses 2.5 billion hours in customer support
- WhatsApp voice calls are blocked in 5 countries – Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates
- The WhatsApp Business app has over 50 million users worldwide
- 5 countries have banned WhatsApp – Syria, Qatar, the UAE, China, and North Korea
- WhatsApp is being used in over 180 countries worldwide
Summary: WhatsApp is the 3rd most used social platform globally, with over 2 billion daily users. India has the most users, and the app is available in over 180 countries. The platform's chatbot is estimated to save businesses 2.5 billion hours in customer support by 2023. WhatsApp has seen incredible growth, doubling its user base from 1 billion in 2016 to 2 billion in 2020. With features like increased video file sharing size and the WhatsApp Business app, it continues to be a major player in the messaging world.
User Statistics
WhatsApp’s user base is as diverse as it is loyal to the popular messaging app. We’ve found some interesting facts about WhatsApp’s users that paint a fascinating picture of the platform:
- WhatsApp is used by over 69% of all internet users all over the world
- Approximately 73% of mobile WhatsApp users are Android users
- Over 1 billion messages are being sent daily on WhatsApp
- 95% of Mexico’s social media users are using WhatsApp (this is also known as a market penetration rate)
- WhatsApp is the no.1 most used app in Germany
- During the health crisis, it was estimated that WhatsApp users logged 15 billion minutes worth of calls to their friends and relatives every day
- WhatsApp is the 3rd most used app as of January 2022, with every user spending 18.6 hours per month. By comparison, YouTube, the most used app in the world, clocks at 23.7 hours per month
- In Q3 2020, it was estimated that 78% of all American WhatsApp users checked the app at least once a week
- At the end of 2021, it was estimated that Nigeria had a 78.8% increase in users downloading WhatsApp compared to last year, making this the fastest-growing WhatsApp market in the world
- Currently, WhatsApp for Android has 166,649,133 million reviews, with an average rating of 4.4 stars
- In 2022, WhatsApp Messenger for Android will have over 5 billion total downloads
- Currently, more than 500 million people have downloaded WhatsApp Business on the Play Store
- WhatsApp Business has 9,541,759 million reviews for Android at the time of writing this article, with an average rating of 4.4 stars
WhatsApp Monthly Active Users
WhatsApp has seen astounding growth in monthly active users throughout the years, with the 2016-2021 period seeing a 100% increase in users. From 1 billion users in February 2016, WhatsApp doubled this number in February 2020.
You can see WhatsApp’s entire user base history in the table below!
| Date | Number of active users |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| July 2021 | 2 billion |
WhatsApp Usage Among US Internet Users
According to the most recent data, WhatsApp is the most downloaded messaging app in the US. From 15-year-olds to seniors over 50, WhatsApp is present in the lives of many Americans.
Below, you’ll find a WhatsApp usage table for the US based on the users’ age group!
| Age group | WhatsApp usage among internet users |
|---|---|
| 15-25 years | 19% |
| 26-35 years | 27% |
| 36-45 years | 20% |
| 46-55 years | 17% |
| 56+ years | 13% |
From the available data, we can see that young adults between 26 and 35 are the most prominent user category in the US. It’s not surprising that 15-25-year-olds are in the minority because WhatsApp is mainly a messaging app, not a social media platform like Facebook.
Top 10 Fastest Growing WhatsApp Markets
WhatsApp has seen some extraordinary market growth over the years but nothing compares to its user base growth in India.
The country currently sits at 487.5 million WhatsApp users (as of July 2022) and it’s estimated that it will grow past 500 million in the coming months or the next year. See the table below for a top 10 of the fastest-growing WhatsApp markets in the world!
| Country | Number of WhatsApp Users |
|---|---|
| India | 487.5 million |
| Brazil | 1118.5 million |
| Indonesia | 84.5 million |
| United States | 79.6 million |
| Russia | 67 million |
| Mexico | 60 million |
| Germany | 49.2 million |
| Italy | 36.9 million |
| Spain | 32.2 million |
| UK | 26.5 million |
Below, you’ll find the 10 countries that had the biggest percentage increases in WhatsApp users during the last year. Russia takes first place with a 17% increase in WhatsApp users, reaching 67 million users at the moment of writing this article.
| Country | % 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% |
Financial Statistics
WhatsApp’s financial exploits are quickly becoming legendary, whether, in terms of yearly revenue, spending, or deals closed with partners. Take a look:
- WhatsApp had an estimated revenue of $8.7 billion in 2021, most of which came from its Business App
- Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014 for $19.6 billion, making it one of the biggest acquisitions in the tech industry
- The WhatsApp Business API costs between $49 to $499 per month
- WhatsApp had a net loss of $232.5 million in the first half of 2014 after Facebook acquired it, generating just $10 million in revenue for the whole year
- WhatsApp’s business model has a conversion rate of 45-60% as opposed to 2-5% through email/SMS, with many business owners using WhatsApp over traditional communication channels with their clients
- It is estimated that many sectors like retail, healthcare, and banking will save $11 billion thanks to the WhatsApp Chatbot
- By 2023, it is estimated that the WhatsApp Chatbot will save businesses 2.5 billion hours in customer support
- 19% of US WhatsApp users earn between $50,000 and $74,999, and 29% of all US users make over $75,000 per year
- More than 50 million businesses use the WhatsApp Business Application
Features Facts
Over the years, WhatsApp has had its fair share of mixed reactions over its implemented features. Here are some interesting facts about that:
- In 2020, WhatsApp introduced a digital payment service in Brazil. Currently, the service is available in Brazil, India, and some users in the US
- A few months ago, WhatsApp added the possibility to transfer your chat history between Android and iOS devices
- WhatsApp Web has a new Drawing feature that lets users edit photos, add stickers, text, and more
- WhatsApp’s famous end-to-end encryption was implemented in 2014 when Open Whisper Systems partnered with WhatsApp. By 2016, WhatsApp announced that every communication channel on the platform was end-to-end encrypted
- WhatsApp added the option of accepting, or declining group invites in 2019. Before that, users had no control over who added them to chat groups
- WhatsApp supports over 60 languages on Android and more than 40 on iOS
- WhatsApp supports 11 languages that are local to India, including Tamil, Bangla, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, English, Punjabi, Marathi, Urdu, and Gujarati
- On May 5th, 2022, WhatsApp announced that it would double the limit of group members from 256 to 512
- On May 2022, WhatsApp increased the maximum video file size you could share from 16 MB to a whopping 2 GB
- WhatsApp is working on three new drawing tools (a blur tool and two pencils) for iOS users, and they’re about to launch them in beta. The update is also coming for Android users sometime in the future
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that WhatsApp is a very popular messaging app, the most popular one based on current statistics.
But will it overtake Facebook and YouTube? That remains to be seen. Stay tuned for more articles and guides about your favorite social media platforms!
