It's no secret that messaging is the most commonly-used form of digital communication. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the current statistics, rankings, and usage of messaging apps in India.
Indians love smartphones, they love to communicate on messaging apps, and they certainly love WhatsApp! When it comes to digital growth and messaging app usage, India is definitely one of the most dynamic markets right now.
In this article, we'll take a look at the latest messaging user numbers in India, the current messaging trends, and at why Indians love WhatsApp so much.
Global leaders: 487.5 million people in India use WhatsApp in 2022
According to the latest broadband subscription numbers, India currently counts 825.3 million internet users. While this might sound like a lot in raw numbers, it means that only about 60% of India's total population of 1.38 billion is online. However, the growth rates are strong, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Digital India" campaign is showing results. In 2019, only 41% of the population had internet access.
Currently, on average, Indians between the age of 16 to 64 spend about seven hours online each day.
India has more WhatsApp users than social media users
So, what are the millions of Indians that are spending all this time on the internet actually doing online? They use social media! In 2022, the country has more than 467 million active social media users, that's up 4.2% compared to 2021.