WhatsApp is a popular messaging application founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum, former employees of Yahoo! The app quickly gained popularity due to its simplicity, ease of use, and cross-platform compatibility.
In 2015, WhatsApp launched a web-based version called WhatsApp Web, allowing users to access their WhatsApp accounts on their computers. In 2016, WhatsApp implemented end-to-end encryption for all messages, ensuring that only the sender and recipient could access the content, making it more secure and private.
WhatsApp introduced the WhatsApp Business app and later the WhatsApp Business API, providing tools for businesses to communicate with their customers, automate messages, and provide customer support.
Let’s delve into WhatsApp’s usage and revenue statistics 2023, providing insights into its widespread popularity.
WhatsApp Overview
| Original Authors | Brian Acton, Jan Koum |
| Developers | Meta Platforms, Will Cathcart (Head of WhatsApp) |
| Initial release | January 2009 |
| Size | 178 MB (iOS), 33.85 MB (Android) |
| Available in | 40 languages (iOS), 60 languages (Android) |
WhatsApp Features
WhatsApp has consistently introduced new features and updates to enhance the user experience. Over the years, WhatsApp introduced several key features, including group messaging, voice messaging, read receipts, voice and video calling, end-to-end encryption, and the Status feature (similar to Stories on other platforms).
It also includes features like disappearing messages, payment services (in select regions), and additional privacy settings. It continues to evolve by introducing new features, improving performance, and expanding its capabilities to meet the communication needs of its users.
WhatsApp Statistics 2023
WhatsApp Key Statistics 2023
- Today, WhatsApp comprises 2 billion active users globally.
- WhatsApp is categorized as the most widely used messaging app in the world.
- Approximately 100 billion messages are being sent on WhatsApp daily.
- India is WhatsApp’s biggest market, with 487.5 million users.
- WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in over 100 countries.
WhatsApp Monthly Active Users
- WhatsApp has more than 2 billion active users on a monthly basis.
- By 2016, it had surpassed 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.
- In February 2014, Facebook announced its acquisition of WhatsApp for approximately $19 billion. Since Facebook bought WhatsApp, its user base increased by 365%.
WhatsApp Revenue Statistics
- WhatsApp generates almost all of its revenue from the WhatsApp for Business app.
- In 2022, WhatsApp Business generated $906 million.
Let’s find out the estimated revenue generation of WhatsApp from 2018-2022.
| Year | Revenue |
| 2018 | $443 million |
| 2019 | $507 million |
| 2020 | $632 million |
| 2021 | $790 million |
| 2022 | $906 million |
WhatsApp Message Statistics
- More than 100 billion messages are being sent on WhatsApp daily.
- Specifically, that’s around 4.2 billion messages per hour, 69 million per minute, and more than 1.1 million per second.
- Daily, over 15 billion minutes of voice and video calls are made on WhatsApp.
- In 9 years, the company has increased the number of messages sent from 1 billion to 100 billion, which means 100-fold.
WhatsApp Download Statistics
- WhatsApp App has been downloaded 39 million times in August 2021.
- 29 million downloads came from Google Play Store, while 10 million were from Apple App Store.
- In September 2021, WhatsApp was the 4th most downloaded app after TitkTok, Facebook and Instagram.
WhatsApp Business Statistics
- There are more than 5 million business users of WhatsApp Business App.
- WhatsApp Business was downloaded 18 million times across Google Play and App Store in September 2021.
- 16 million downloads came from Android users, while 2 million were from iOS users.
- WhatsApp Business platform receives around 175 million messages from users.
- Around 40 million users use WhatsApp Business monthly to check an organization’s background.
eCommerce businesses can send notifications to customers on WhatsApp using plugins like Shopify WhatsApp Notifications, WooCommerce WhatsApp Notifications, and Magento 2 WhatsApp Order Notifications.
USA-related WhatsApp Statistics
- The United States has around 79.6 million WhatsApp users, which is expected to reach 85.8 million by the end of 2023.
- 53% of users from the US use WhatsApp at least once a day, 78% use it once a week, and 91% use it on a monthly basis.
- Most WhatsApp downloads from the Apple app store come from the United States.
- Users between the age group 26-35 years make up the majority of Whatsapp users in the United States, while people over 56 years are the least common people.
- 1 out of 4 US adults use the WhatsApp messenger app.
WhatsApp Country-Wise User Statistics
- WhatsApp is available in more than 180 countries and 60 different languages.
Here are the top 10 countries with the most number of WhatsApp users
| Country | Number of WhatsApp Users |
| India | 487.5 Million |
| Brazil | 118.5 Million |
| Indonesia | 84.8 Million |
| United States | 79.6 Million |
| Russia | 67 Million |
| Mexico | 60 Million |
| Germany | 49.2 Million |
| Italy | 36.9 Million |
| Spain | 32.2 Million |
| Argentina | 26.5 Million |
WhatsApp User Demographics By Gender
- The WhatsApp user base comprises 46.1% female and 53.9% male users worldwide.
Time Spent on WhatsApp
- The average WhatsApp user spends 19.4 hours per month (38 minutes per day) on the app.
Conclusion:
WhatsApp’s usage and revenue statistics illustrate its immense popularity as a messaging platform. With a vast user base and billions of daily messages exchanged, WhatsApp has solidified its position as a primary communication tool worldwide.
Through its WhatsApp Business API and ongoing monetization experiments, the platform continues to explore avenues for revenue generation while providing businesses with valuable communication solutions. As WhatsApp evolves, it remains a key player in the messaging landscape, connecting people and businesses across the globe.
Sources
Backlinko – https://backlinko.com/whatsapp-users
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatsApp
BotSpace – https://www.bot.space/blog/whatsapp-usage-and-revenue-statistics-for-2022
BusinessofApps – https://www.businessofapps.com/data/whatsapp-statistics/
Oberlo – https://www.oberlo.com/blog/whatsapp-statistics
New Vision – https://www.newvisiontheatres.com/whatsapp-statistics
Demand Sage – https://www.demandsage.com/whatsapp-statistics/