The most popular messaging apps in the world by country: Stats, user behavior, and more

How does the world communicate these days? It's not primarily through e-mail, phone, or social media anymore: it's via messaging apps! The latest 2024 internet statistics show that chat and messaging apps are now the most popular websites and application used. What are the trends in individual countries? What are the most popular messaging apps globally? We've put together a global overview of messaging apps usage statistics. 

What are the most popular messaging apps in the world? And how does that differ throughout various regions? What do people use messaging apps for? And are there any business opportunities in it? 

In this overview, we've compiled user demographics and usage statistics for different countries and regions to show you the most current developments. 

Global overview: The most popular messaging apps in the world

WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram are by far the most popular messaging apps, according to the latest 2024 Digital Growth report put together by we are social, Meltwater, and Datareportal. Together, they combine roughly five billion active monthly users.

As Meta is now reporting on user numbers of its entire "Family of apps", the last time WhatsApp announced its official user numbers was in 2020. According to this statement, the messaging app is actively used by over two billion people worldwide. This puts the green messaging app far ahead of all other messaging apps, such as Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber, Apple Messages, and Telegram, in terms of user numbers.

Overall, Meta's "family of apps" dominates the global social media scene.

Also interesting: WhatsApp is now delivering roughly 100 billion messages a day, according to the latest data delivered by the company’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. This goes beyond private use. Apparently, in June 2023, WhatsApp Business had reached 200 million monthly active users, as TechCrunch reported by quoting an analyst at AllianceBernstein. 

In terms of messenger apps, WhatsApp remains the number one OTT messaging app, followed by the Chinese messaging app WeChat with 1.3 billion users, and the Messenger by Meta. 

WhatsApp is also by far the social media app that has the biggest pull on users. Android users, on average, open their WhatsApp more than 900 times per month. With Instagram, it's only about 350 times per month, and YouTube gets opened around 200 times each month. 

The growth of Instagram is also remarkable, from 1.1 billion users in October 2020 to two billion users by the beginning of 2024. Speaking of impressive growth: as a relatively small player in the messenger world, Telegram is showing the strongest user growth, and increased the number of active users from 550 in 2020 to 800 million in 2023. 

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Instagram is the world's favorite social media app

Instagram has now surpassed WhatsApp as the world's favorite social media app among the 16 to 64 age group. According to the 2024 report, 16.5% stated that Instagram was their favorite social media platform (up 0.8% since October 2023). WhatsApp comes in second with 16.1% (down 0.5% since October 2023).

Interestingly, though, people spend more time on WhatsApp than they do on Instagram. 

The Meta dynasty

There are only 25 countries in the world where WhatsApp is not the market leader. Currently, WhatsApp has the highest distribution of all messaging apps worldwide. If you combine all the existing apps of the Meta universe, there are only a handful of countries in the world where Meta isn't the market leader. 

Chat and messaging account for top used sites and apps

With messaging apps growing in popularity among internet users, it's not surprising that chat and messaging apps account for the top used sites and apps in the world. 

This is reflected in the fact that "WhatsApp" is dominating the mobile app rankings. It's one of the apps with the most monthly active users and the most downloads. 

It's important to note that WhatsApp is also becoming increasingly relevant for business communication, as WhatsApp Business has become one of the top ten downloaded apps in the world. This shows the high potential for WhatsApp in customer communication.

While these statistics are reflected in the way people act online around the world, there are some differences, depending on the region or country. In the following, we take a closer look at the most popular messaging apps by region and country. 

Most popular messaging apps in Europe and the Middle East

In Europe and the Middle East, the two most popular messaging apps are WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger from Meta. However, Telegram has also gained popularity. And in certain countries iMessage (Apple Messages) is also a prominent messaging app. 

Most popular messaging apps in the UK

With 56.2 million social media users in 2024, the number has (slightly) declined from 57.1 million in 2023. People are also spending less time on social media platforms overall.

As social media platforms played an crucial role for the social life of many people in the UK during the pandemic, this decline probably has less to do with social media fatigue and more with the fact that after the pandemic, in-person meetings have replaced some of these digital platforms. Countries around the world show a very similar trend.

WhatsApp ranked first among most used social media platforms

WhatsApp is the most used social media platform in the UK with 79% of internet users aged 16 to 64 chatting on it. That's a decent increase from the 73.4% in 2022. Facebook Messenger is the third most used social media platform in the UK and Apple's iMessage has a solid user base with 38.3% of internet usage.

WhatsApp not only most used, but also most popular messaging app in UK

WhatsApp is not only the most used social media platform in the UK in 2024, it's also the most popular one. 

According to Datareportal, when asked about their favorite social media site, most UK users aged 16 to 64 name WhatsApp, followed by Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 

User base of Messenger from Meta across all age groups.

Messaging apps are used across all age groups in the UK. According to the Office of Communications, 98% of internet users are active on at least one messaging site or app. 

This is true for all age groups. In fact, some messaging apps are even more popular with older age groups, such as Facebook Messenger. 

While the majority of Messenger users are between 25 and 35 years old, there are more users that are 55 and older than users under 25. Especially when thinking about using Facebook Messenger as a company, this gives some interesting insights into target groups and purchase power. 

Compared to 2020, the number of Facebook Messenger users (18 and up) grew noticeably from 28 million to 38.5 million. 

Most popular messaging apps in Germany

Germany counts 67.8 social media users that, on average, spend one hour and 39 minutes on social platforms every day. (about two minutes less than 2023). 

Overall, the number of social media users has significantly declined over the past years. In 2023, there were 70.9 million social media users and in 2022 even 72.6 million. 

When it comes to the types of apps and websites that Germans use the most, chat and messaging apps rank at the top. Chatting and messaging is even more popular with web users than online shopping or searching the internet. Note that chat and messaging apps don't include social media networks like Instagram or Facebook. 

WhatsApp leads all social media platforms

Diving deeper into the messaging and chat apps, WhatsApp remains the most used social media platform in the country, with 84.7% of 16-64 year old Germans using the platform monthly.

As far as messaging apps are concerned, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Snapchat, and iMessage are the most important apps in Germany. 

Most popular messaging apps in Spain

The number of social media users in Spain has stayed relatively stable with 39.7 million users in 2024 (one million less than 2023) spending almost two hours daily on social media.

Some of the main reasons for using social media are to stay in touch with friends (50.4%), read news (43.2%), and to get shopping inspiration (30.7%).

WhatsApp is the most used and most popular social media platform

With a monthly user share of 91%, WhatsApp remains the most used social media platform in the country. However, in the past years, Telegram has shown the most growth, from 38.3% user share in 2022 to 41.3% in 2023 and now 43.9% in 2024. It's even outpaced Facebook Messenger. 

Most popular messaging apps in Italy

Overall, social media apps have become more relevant in Italy as a source of information about brands and products. 31.3% of Italian internet users visit a social media site to find inspiration for things to do or buy.  

By 2024, the number of people on social media in Italy has reached 42.8. That's the second year in a row of declining social media usage. On average, Italians spend one hour and 48 minutes on social media daily, and use an average of 5.9 social media platforms each month.

WhatsApp is the most popular and most used social media platform

Similar to Spain, WhatsApp is by far the most used social media platform in Italy. 90.3% of Italians use the app monthly. Facebook Messenger and Telegram are the second and third most used messaging apps in the country. 

And WhatsApp is also the most popular social media platform in Italy, with 40.7% of active social media users calling it their "favorite" platform. Interestingly, the second most favorite messaging app in Italy is Telegram. 

Most popular messaging apps in France

France currently counts 50.7 million social media users that use an average of 5.8 social platforms per month. On average, French internet users spend one hour and 48 minutes on social media each day. That's about six minutes less than the previous year.

When it comes to messaging apps, Facebook Messenger used to be the front-runner in France, but in the past few years WhatsApp has become the most used chat application in the country.

When asked about preferences, 13.8% said that WhatsApp was their favorite social media platform, making it the third most popular social network in France. Interestingly, even though it has fewer users, Snapchat is more popular than Facebook Messenger.

Most popular messaging apps in the U.A.E.

In 2024, the United Arab Emirates count roughly a population of 9.6 million people, 9.46 million internet users, and 10.73 million social media IDs, which means that users tend to have more than one social media profile online.

With an average of two hours and 58 minutes daily spent on social media and more than eight social media platforms used per month, Emiratis are heavy social media users.

Although Emiratis spend more time on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, WhatsApp is still the most used social media platform. In terms of pure instant messaging apps, Facebook Messenger is the second most use app, followed by Telegram.

Messaging apps and usage statistics in the Americas

The usage of messaging apps in the Americas varies greatly by country. In Mexico or Brazil, WhatsApp dominates the market, and in the US and Canada people prefer Facebook Messenger and iMessage. 

Social media usage in the US

The numbers for 2024 show that almost 94% of people in the US (318.66 million) use the internet, and 70% (239 million) have a social media profile. Interestingly, in 2024, there are more cell phone connections than people. 

In terms of social media usage, with a little over two hours, the average daily time spent on social media platforms is relatively low, compared to other countries.

On average, Americans use 6.7 social media platforms a month. A 2024 Pew Research survey shows that Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are the most used networks among adults in the US. However, with a significant number of Americans saying they use WhatsApp (29%), Snapchat (27%), and Reddit (22%), there's a lot of diversity in used networks.

Most notable is WhatsApp's strong growth in the US in the past few years. It went from one of the least used social networks in the country to now showing one of the strongest growth rates. According to Pew Research, it's most popular among Hispanic, Asian and Black Americans.

However, there's a significant difference in age when it comes to who uses which platform. Younger users tend to use more social media platforms than older users, and certain platforms like Instagram or Snapchat have a wider age gap than Facebook. 

Most popular messaging apps in the US

When focusing only on messaging apps, the Messenger by Meta stands out, with 60.3% of users reporting using the messenger app regularly. The second most used messaging app is iMessage followed by Snapchat.

Interestingly, when asked about their favorite social media platforms, more Americans prefer iMessage over Facebook Messenger, and even WhatsApp ranks among the top ten social media platforms in the US. Especially when thinking about integrating messaging apps into your customer communication, this is a good indication of user-friendliness and adaptation.

iMessage: growing user base

Communication apps like WhatsApp are available on any device, regardless of their operating system,  whereas native apps like Apple's iMessage are limited to one provider.

However, the user base for iPhone is constantly growing in the US. And there are also some very interesting business use cases. The American Automobile Association, for example, uses iMessage to enable roadside assistance even when there's no cell phone signal via satellite. 

Other companies leverage Apple Messages for marketing and conversational commerce, given the high spending power of Apple users. 

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Most popular messaging apps in Mexico

As of 2024, Mexicans spend an average of three hours and 14 minutes on social media each day. Social networks and chat and messaging apps are the top sites and apps Mexicans visit online.

The social media use makes up almost 50% of the time online, which highlights the importance of the networks in Mexico. On average, Mexicans use 7.7 different platforms per month. 

WhatsApp not the most used social media platform anymore

WhatsApp used to be the dominant social media platform in Mexico, however, since 2023 it's fallen slightly behind Facebook. Instagram and Facebook Messenger rank on position four and five, so overall, Meta dominates the social media landscape in Mexico. 

Comparing only messaging apps, WhatsApp is number one in Mexico, followed by Meta's Messenger and Telegram. 

According to the most recent study published by the Mexican Internet Association, 95.6% of the 96.87 million Mexican internet users have a WhatsApp profile, bringing the number up to 92.6 million WhatsApp users in Mexico. 

The app has gone beyond just being a convenient way to keep in touch with friends and family in Mexico. It's used for video calls (even more than Zoom!), ordering food, and even medical consultations. 

Most popular messaging apps in Brazil

Besides growing numbers in mobile connections and internet users, a fast-growing interest in social media platforms in Brazil is apparent. As of 2024, 187.9 million Brazilians use the internet (6.1 million more than 2023) spending nine hours and 13 minutes online each day. About half of that time is spent on social media platforms. 

And with an average of 8 different used platforms per month, Brazilians are active on a variety of social media sites and apps. 

When looking at the demographic profile of Meta's ad audience in Brazil, there are more female than male users throughout all age groups. The most active age group on Meta networks is between 25 and 35 years old, which is relevant to know for running ads on Facebook or Instagram.

WhatsApp is most used and most popular social media platform in Brazil 

The most used social media platform in Brazil is WhatsApp, with 93.4% of internet users aged 16 to 64 years chatting monthly on the green app. In terms of pure chat apps, WhatsApp is, followed by the Messenger from Meta (65.1%) and Telegram (56.5%).

Similar to user behavior in Mexico, WhatsApp is a significant part of everyday life in Brazil, from scheduling a doctor's appointment to signing up for a class to checking a bank statement. 

As an interesting development, however, Instagram has for the first time surpassed WhatsApp in terms of popularity in Brazil. Nevertheless, aside from the video platform TikTok, WhatsApp is the social media app Brazilians spend most of their time on. 

Most popular messaging apps in Asia and the Pacific region

The four leading social apps in Asia and the Pacific region are WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber, and LINE. Aside from apps that are popular around the world, there are also several local apps that are hugely popular in the region. 

Most popular messaging apps in India

With increasing urbanization and steadily increasing internet usage, the Indian market offers huge potential for digitalization. It currently has (as of 2024) 752 million internet users and 462 million social media users. 

With a total population of 1.44 billion, this corresponds to an internet penetration rate of 52%. While this seems low overall, India's digitalization rate is growing rapidly. Compared to 2023, it has grown by almost 4%. 

In terms of most used social media platforms, WhatsApp remains number one in India, followed by Instagram and India. Telegram is gaining more traction in India and has become the fourth most popular social media platform in the country. 

Also note that more users (37.9%) say that Instagram is their favorite social media platform, while only 26.2% name WhatsApp as their favorite social media network.

Messenger from Meta: Potential audience for ads in India is 121.6 million users

Meta reports that the number of potential Messenger users in India available for ads over the platform adds up to 121.6 million (roughly four million more than 2023).

Most popular messaging apps in China

The social media use in China grew to 1.06 billion users in 2024, a slight increase from 1.03 billion users in 2023. 

While the Chinese spend almost two hours on social media each day, they are using an average of 6.5 platforms every month.

WeChat still on top of social media platforms in China in 2022

Unsurprisingly, the Chinese app WeChat still is the most used and the favorite social media platform in China in 2024. Compared to 81.6% of internet users that were active on WeChat monthly in 2023, this number has now gone up to 87.3%. 

Even though WeChat's use is mostly limited to Chinese users (in the country and abroad), according to Tencent (WeChat's parent company), the app has now 1.3 billion monthly active users, which makes it the second most used messaging app in the world, after WhatsApp. 

Most popular messaging apps in Australia

With 25.21 million internet users, 94.9% of Australians are online. And most of them are also active on social media. Australians spend an average of one hour and 51 minutes on social media platforms every day and use an average of 6.1 platforms.

Australians name "keeping in touch with friends and family", "filling spare time", and "finding content" as their main activities on social media. 

Unlike many other countries in the region that heavily use WhatsApp or Instagram, Australia is a Facebook country. Facebook and the Facebook Messenger are the most used social media networks in the country. However, with almost 45% of internet users that say they use WhatsApp every month, Meta's green messaging app is gaining some traction.

Messaging apps and usage statistics in Africa

Even though the home internet infrastructure in many African countries is lacking, mobile internet usage is widely spread. This makes the continent especially interesting for messaging apps who are designed for mobile communication. One of the fastest growing messaging markets is South Africa.

Most popular messaging apps in South Africa

In South Africa, the percentage of internet user compared to the total population is around 74.7%, and has been steadily growing over the past years. 98.7% of users are accessing the internet through a mobile device.

There are 26 million social media user profiles as of January 2024, five percent less compared to the previous quarter. South Africans spend three hours and 41 minutes online per day and are active on 7.8 social platforms per month. 

WhatsApp dominant social media platform in the country

When it comes to the most used social media platforms, WhatsApp is the leading site in South Africa, followed by Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

36.2% of social media users also named WhatsApp as their favorite social media app. South Africans open WhatsApp more than 1,000 times per month, which breaks down to 33 sessions per day! For comparison, Facebook counts only 279 sessions per month and TikTok 220.

Potential of messaging apps around the world

As these user statistics from around the world show, people increasingly use WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, and other chat-based apps to talk to friends and family, but also to businesses.

In many countries, WhatsApp is becoming a one-stop platform that's used for everything. This has been a trend for the past years, and will most likely continue.

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