15+ Must-Know Messaging App Statistics in 2023

In This Guide
In This Guide

Messaging apps have transformed communication between individuals. According to statistics, the messaging medium has over 3 billion users worldwide. This statistic placed the apps at the top of the most popular apps in 2022. Ultimately, the growth of messaging apps will continue, as mobile phone users are estimated at 7.5 billion by 2025.

This article explores 15 messaging apps, facts, and statistics. These stats are based on popularity, trend, user engagement, and industry growth. Let’s dive in without any ado.

Messaging App Usage Statistics

Currently, the use of smartphones is in high demand, and people download messaging apps every day. So, we’ll look at the most common messaging app statistics on usage.

1. In 2021, Over Three Billion People Used Messaging Apps.

An average adult has a smartphone and at least one messaging app, making it easier to contact loved ones, colleagues, and business customers, irrespective of distance. 

The figure of those who use messaging apps is growing, and it’s said to reach 7.49 billion users in 2025.

(Sources: Businessofapps & Statista)

2. 80% of Remote Workers Work With Instant Messaging Apps.

Instant messaging apps have become helpful to remote workers, and about 56% of them have work chat apps on their devices.

The number of remote workers has increased by 159% since 2009. Message apps have also increased remote workers by 75% to 80% from 2019 to 2021.

97.6% of remote workers say they’d prefer working remotely, even as a part-time job, for the rest of their careers.

Generally, 11% of Americans receive work messages every few minutes, 30% receive work messages every hour, 25% receive them every few hours, and 35% receive a few messages daily.

(Sources: Pumble & Preply)

3. 60% of Europeans and 51% of United States Respondents Prefer Messaging Apps to Communicate with Companies.

Messaging is a typical means of communicating with companies, as 60% of Europeans and 51% of United States respondents prefer messaging over phone calls or emails. They find it faster and more convenient.

In 2022, 34% of customers from the U.S. stated they would prefer companies to contact them through messaging apps.

A wrong messaging network can make companies respond slowly and decline sales, making 49% of Europeans and 51% of United States customers abandon their purchases.

(Sources: Spectrum & Statista)

4. 67% of Europeans and 52% of United States Respondents have Contacted Companies with Messaging Apps.

67% of Europeans and 52% of United States respondents say they’ve communicated with companies via messaging.

54% of United States and 67% of European respondents say they will patronize companies if they make messaging an option.

54% of Europeans say they will spend more if a company operates through messaging, while 39% of United States respondents say they will likely purchase products using chat apps.

(Source: Spectrum)

User Statistics on Messaging App

More people have affirmed relying on messaging apps for simple texts, business chats, and video conferencing. 

Here are statistics in line with how active users are on messaging apps compared to other platforms.

Research shows that 60% of people prefer using messaging apps, and the number of monthly active users is by 20%, overtaking the number of monthly active users for social media platforms.

The top Messaging apps primarily used in the world include:

WhatsApp, with over 2 billion monthly active users.
Weixin/WeChat, with over 1.3 billion monthly users.
Facebook Messenger, with 931 million monthly users.
Telegram, with 700 million monthly users.
Snapchat, with 635 million monthly users.
QQ, with 574 million monthly users.

Messaging app users prefer it to SMS due to the following limitations of SMS that include:

The tendency of text messages not to be delivered.
There’s a tracking difficulty for conversations.
There is an additional charge when the text message limit is exceeded.
It has a maximum of 160 characters per message.
No receipt of acknowledgment.

(Sources: Spectrum, Statista)

6. U.S. Messaging App Users Who Prefer Facebook Messenger are Over 64.43%.

Although WhatsApp has the highest number of active monthly users globally, users in the United States have their own preferred most-used messaging app according to this list:

Facebook Messenger, with 82%
FaceTime, with 35%
WhatsApp, with 29%
IMessage, with 28%
Zoom, with 22% 
Google Chat/Google Meet, with 15%
Discord, with 13%
Telegram, with 13%
Skype, with 12%
Microsoft Teams, with 11%
TextNow, with a 10%
WeChat, with over 4.94%
Signal, with around 0.5%

(Source: Statista)

7. Approximately 51.7% of U.S. and 48% of E.U. Respondents Do Not Care Whether They are Messaging a Human or a Chatbot.

Some messaging app users in the U.S., approximately 51.7%, and about 48% in the E.U., that connect with brands through messaging apps do not care whether they are messaging a human or a chatbot. In their opinion, they are satisfied as long as they will get the answers to their questions.

(Source: Spectrum)

8. India had Over 112 Million Messenger Users as of 2019.

Accounting for 8% of the country’s entire population, India had over 112 million Facebook messenger users in 2019.

Most of these users were men, which comprised 78.1%, leaving only 21.9% female messenger users. The age grades of these users who used the app for various purposes, including active business communication, were between 25 and 34.

(Source: NapoleonCat)

Industry Size Statistics on Messaging Apps

The industry size of messaging apps is continuously growing. In several countries, messaging apps dominate, especially the ones created specifically for that region. 

However, top messaging apps like Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger thrive in all locations and are available in preferred languages.

Here are informative statistics on the industry size of messaging apps worldwide.

9. Over 20 Billion Messages are Sent Between Messenger Users Monthly.

Facebook, a subsidiary of the Meta Group, stated via Social Media Today that as of 2019, over 20 billion messages were sent between users on the app.

Businesses were also involved in collating the estimate, and at that time, this statistic was exclusive to the 300,000 bots on the platform. 

Messenger ranked as the second most popular app on iOS, coming under the main app, Facebook. The default iMessage for Apple phones came in third.

(Source: Facebook)

10. Facebook Messenger Marketing Delivers 10-80x Better Engagement.

By delivering marketing messages directly to customers via instant messaging, 10x to 80x engagement has been derived. 

Unlike email marketing, which could generate a rate of 5 to 10%, and social media reach, which is even lower at 0 to 1%, the Messenger app boasts an open rate of 70% to 80% within 60 minutes. 

Hence, it validates itself as a critical digital marketing channel where ads can be run effectively.

(Source: Search Engine Journal)

11. More Than 3 billion Active People are on Messaging Apps Globally.

Since 2020 and 2021, Facebook Messenger has seen an annual frequency of 5 billion downloads. The app has over 930 million users from various countries. In the same timeframe, WhatsApp remained the most popular messaging app.

It is worth noting that the two apps are owned by the same company, Meta. As of January 2023, Whatsapp, the famous green app, had over 2 billion users with frequent monthly registration.

(Sources: Business of Apps, Statista)

12. 91% of South Africans Use the Whatsapp Messaging App.

With these stats, it’s clear that South Africans use messaging apps more than social media platforms. 

The percentage of people who use social media platforms in the African country is 81%, about 10% short of the 91% usage of instant messaging apps daily. 

Whatsapp is the most popular platform in the region, harboring users aged 16-64 and up to 95.4% of their total internet users. 

The platform poses a severe attraction to its users due to the introduction of end-to-end encryption, stickers, and features that allow people to join and leave group chats at will. The video and phone call option also serves as a triple service app.

(Sources: Sinch Engage, Business Insider)

13. 40% of Internet Users from Ages 16 to 64 Use iMessage.

Generally, phones are built with native apps for different purposes. The native apps come with limited features but tend to serve the user’s needs over time. 

One such app is Apple’s iMessage. It is an instant messaging app customized for iPhone users and other Apple-related products. 

In the U.S., where most internet users have access to an Apple product, it is not surprising that over 40% use the iMessage feature. 

According to statistics, this usage is within the age range of 16 to 64, with adolescents occupying one-third of the total.

(Source: Sinch Engage)

14. WeChat Records 1.27 Billion Active Users Monthly.

The Asian market, unlike the global market, operates on different forms of communication. This significance in their system stretches further to mobile messaging applications. 

As Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger dominate the global market, WeChat and Weixin occupy the top positions in the Asian market.  

To provide a more concise look at the Asian messaging application, we’ll look at the common messaging apps growing actively in the continent.

WeChat and Weixin

WeChat and Weixin are messaging platforms developed by Tencent. WeChat is the international version, while Weixin is used within mainland China. They offer messaging, voice and video calls, social feeds, and features like WeChat Pay. 

WeChat/Weixin has become a comprehensive platform in China, integrating services like gaming, e-commerce, ride-hailing, and more.

It has transformed how people communicate, socialize, and conduct transactions, playing a pivotal role in China’s mobile internet landscape.

Based on statistics, an average of 1.27 billion people use WeChat monthly. This number solidifies their rank as the top one compared to any other.

Line 

This is another popular messaging app in Asia, with 178 million active users monthly. Line’s users are prominent in other parts of Asia like Japan (86 million users), Thailand (50 million users ), Taiwan (21 million users), and Indonesia (13 million users). 

KakaoTalk

This application is a market-leading messaging app with 53 million users in South Korea, where it originated and has a stronghold.

Zalo

The Zalo messaging app is also available in the Asian continent. However, it is Vietnam based and ranks as the number one based on usage in the country. It has a usage rate of 87%, with over 73 million active users.

(Sources: Statista, Fintech Singapore)

Messaging App Trend Statistics

With the constant updates in technology and digitalization, instant messaging apps now enhance features to better the user experience on the platforms. 

Features such as photo sharing, file uploading, and video conferencing are recently popular offerings on messaging apps. These improved features have seen businesses utilize messaging apps more to their advantage. 

Also, the option of data privacy has attracted more users to join the trend, and there are statistics to explain this trend.

15. 41% of Female Internet Users Use Mobile Devices to Make Calls.

Mobile video communication has grown prevalent through messaging apps regardless of age group or gender. 

In the fourth quarter of 2022, within an age group of 16-24, 41% of female internet users made video calls with their mobile phones.

Within that timeframe, there was no calculated record of the male gender aged 16-24. This shows how the trend spread faster among the female folk than the male. 

At large, the Philippines have the most people using mobile devices for video calls throughout the third quarter of 2022, recording over 52%.

 Following the Philippines are the South Africans, with a video call via mobile rate of at least 51%. 

During that timeframe, 34.9% of internet users worldwide attempted a video call once.

(Source: Statista)

16. 30% of Respondents were Skeptical About Using Messaging Apps for Security Concerns.

Messaging apps usually face data privacy as a concern for their usability. In a survey, over 30% of interviewees agreed that the issue is one of the primary reasons they don’t use messaging apps. 

Although some platforms have upgraded their systems to include encryption keys, others still have insecurities. Users can easily activate the option using Telegram, Whatsapp, and Facebook Messenger apps. iMessage, by default, provides encryption keys to be stored on their user’s device. 

These security concerns on data privacy may be valid now, but all messaging apps will soon be equipped with full encryption.

(Source: Userlike)

Conclusion

With the rise of messaging apps as a favored alternative to SMS, businesses now have a convenient way to connect with customers. At the same time, employers can effectively communicate and collaborate with their teams. There’s no doubt that these platforms excel in providing instant messaging capabilities remaining a vital tool for businesses to infuse their unique brand personality when engaging with customers. Additionally, users must be mindful of their privacy settings to protect personal information in this digital communication realm.

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