GITNUXREPORT 2026

Messaging Industry Statistics

The global messaging industry is booming with billions of users and massive economic growth projected.

Min-ji Park

Research Analyst focused on sustainability and consumer trends.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking · Reputable sources · Regular updatesLearn more

Statistic 1

AI chatbots integration: WhatsApp 40%, Telegram 60%.

Statistic 2

Messaging app AI features users: 300 million in 2023.

Statistic 3

RCS universal profile adoption: 15 carriers in 2023.

Statistic 4

End-to-end encryption standard: 85% of top apps in 2023.

Statistic 5

Voice-to-text usage: 40% of messages transcribed.

Statistic 6

Cross-platform messaging trials: 20% user demand.

Statistic 7

Web3 messaging wallets: 50 million users in Telegram.

Statistic 8

AR filters in messaging: Snapchat leads with 300M daily.

Statistic 9

Conversational commerce: $142 billion GMV in 2023.

Statistic 10

Federated messaging protocols like Matrix: 50M users.

Statistic 11

Privacy-focused apps growth: 25% YoY for Signal/Telegram.

Statistic 12

NFT sharing in chats: 10M transactions via Discord.

Statistic 13

Multilingual AI translation: 70% accuracy in WhatsApp beta.

Statistic 14

Sustainable messaging: Carbon footprint reduced 30% by OTT.

Statistic 15

Metaverse chat rooms: 100M sessions in Horizon Worlds.

Statistic 16

Biometric login in apps: 60% adoption by 2025 proj.

Statistic 17

Quantum-resistant encryption trials: Signal leads.

Statistic 18

Haptic feedback messages: 15% engagement lift.

Statistic 19

Blockchain-based group chats: 5M users in Status app.

Statistic 20

Personalized avatars: 80% Snapchat users create daily.

Statistic 21

In 2023, the global messaging apps market size reached $12.5 billion, projected to grow to $28.4 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 12.4%.

Statistic 22

WhatsApp had 2.78 billion monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide as of Q4 2023.

Statistic 23

The messaging apps market in Asia-Pacific accounted for 45% of global revenue in 2022.

Statistic 24

Telegram reached 800 million MAUs in March 2023.

Statistic 25

Global instant messaging users totaled 3.78 billion in 2023.

Statistic 26

WeChat had 1.35 billion MAUs in Q3 2023.

Statistic 27

Facebook Messenger had 1.01 billion MAUs in 2023.

Statistic 28

Snapchat's daily active users (DAUs) hit 414 million in Q3 2023.

Statistic 29

iMessage users exceeded 1 billion in 2022 across Apple devices.

Statistic 30

Discord grew to 150 million MAUs in 2023.

Statistic 31

Signal had over 40 million MAUs in 2022 post-privacy surge.

Statistic 32

Line app reached 200 million MAUs primarily in Japan and Asia in 2023.

Statistic 33

KakaoTalk had 53 million MAUs in South Korea in 2023.

Statistic 34

Viber's global MAUs stood at 260 million in 2023.

Statistic 35

Zalo in Vietnam had 77 million MAUs in 2023.

Statistic 36

Global messaging app downloads hit 5.2 billion in 2022.

Statistic 37

RCS messaging adoption reached 1 billion users by end of 2023.

Statistic 38

OTT messaging traffic grew 25% YoY to 120 trillion messages in 2022.

Statistic 39

Enterprise messaging market valued at $8.7 billion in 2023.

Statistic 40

WhatsApp Business API users sent 100 billion messages monthly in 2023.

Statistic 41

Global SMS traffic was 5.9 trillion messages in 2022.

Statistic 42

Messaging apps captured 90% of mobile data traffic for communication in 2023.

Statistic 43

Cross-platform messaging market to reach $15 billion by 2028.

Statistic 44

Rich Communication Services (RCS) market size $6.2 billion in 2023.

Statistic 45

In-app messaging market projected to $11.5 billion by 2030.

Statistic 46

WhatsApp holds 25% global messaging market share by MAU.

Statistic 47

WeChat leads China with 1.3 billion MAUs vs QQ's 570 million.

Statistic 48

Telegram vs Signal: Telegram 800M MAUs, Signal 40M.

Statistic 49

Facebook Messenger vs iMessage: Messenger 1B MAUs, iMessage 1B.

Statistic 50

Snapchat DAUs 414M vs Instagram DMs 500M integrated.

Statistic 51

LINE vs KakaoTalk in Asia: LINE 200M, Kakao 53M regional.

Statistic 52

Viber vs Zalo: Viber global 260M, Zalo Vietnam 77M.

Statistic 53

Discord gaming chat: 150M MAUs vs TeamSpeak 10M.

Statistic 54

WhatsApp vs Telegram retention: WhatsApp 70% D1, Telegram 55%.

Statistic 55

WeChat super app vs others: 1.3B vs fragmented markets.

Statistic 56

Snapchat ephemeral vs permanent: 80% prefer Snapchat style.

Statistic 57

RCS vs SMS open rates: RCS 38%, SMS 20%.

Statistic 58

Meta apps combined 3.8B MAUs vs ByteDance's 1B.

Statistic 59

Telegram channels: 1M+ subscribers vs Discord servers 20M.

Statistic 60

Signal privacy score 9.5/10 vs WhatsApp 7.5/10.

Statistic 61

KakaoTalk vs Naver Line in Korea: 90% vs 5% share.

Statistic 62

Viber sticker market: 10B sold vs LINE 5B.

Statistic 63

Global MAU leaders: WhatsApp 2.8B, WeChat 1.3B, FB Msg 1B.

Statistic 64

iMessage exclusive to iOS: 50% US iPhone share.

Statistic 65

Zalo vs Facebook Messenger Vietnam: 60% vs 30%.

Statistic 66

Global messaging revenue reached $7.6 billion in 2022.

Statistic 67

WhatsApp Business generated $1.5 billion in revenue for Meta in 2023.

Statistic 68

Telegram Premium subscribers: 5 million paying $4.99/month avg.

Statistic 69

Snapchat advertising revenue: $4.6 billion in 2023.

Statistic 70

Facebook Messenger commerce transactions: $10 billion annually.

Statistic 71

WeChat mini-programs revenue: $50 billion in 2023.

Statistic 72

LINE Pay transactions: 2 trillion JPY in 2023.

Statistic 73

Discord Nitro subscriptions: 20 million users at $9.99/month.

Statistic 74

Signal relies 100% on donations, raised $50 million in 2022.

Statistic 75

Viber Out calls revenue: $300 million annually.

Statistic 76

KakaoTalk ad revenue: 1.2 trillion KRW in 2023.

Statistic 77

Zalo OA monetization: 500 billion VND from ads.

Statistic 78

Global CPaaS messaging revenue: $10.4 billion in 2023.

Statistic 79

SMS gateway market: $9.5 billion in 2023.

Statistic 80

RCS Business Messaging revenue projected $2 billion by 2025.

Statistic 81

In-game chat monetization in Discord: $500 million.

Statistic 82

WhatsApp payments processed 10 billion transactions in India 2023.

Statistic 83

Meta's Reality Labs messaging AR revenue: $200 million.

Statistic 84

Telegram Stars in-app purchases: 1 million users.

Statistic 85

Snapchat AR lenses sponsored: $1 billion revenue share.

Statistic 86

55% of messaging revenue from ads, 30% subscriptions, 15% payments.

Statistic 87

Average daily time spent on messaging apps: 58 minutes globally in 2023.

Statistic 88

WhatsApp users send 100 billion messages daily worldwide.

Statistic 89

80% of mobile messages are sent via OTT apps, not SMS.

Statistic 90

Snapchatters send 4.25 billion Snaps daily in Q3 2023.

Statistic 91

Facebook Messenger daily conversations: 1 billion per day.

Statistic 92

Telegram users exchange 1 billion+ messages daily.

Statistic 93

WeChat moments shared daily: 450 million posts.

Statistic 94

Average WhatsApp user sends 1,000 messages per month.

Statistic 95

70% of WhatsApp messages are read within 5 minutes.

Statistic 96

Discord voice minutes: 19 billion per month in 2023.

Statistic 97

Signal end-to-end encrypted messages: 100 million daily.

Statistic 98

LINE stickers used in 70% of conversations in Japan.

Statistic 99

KakaoTalk group chats average 15 members per user.

Statistic 100

Viber calls: 500 million per month globally.

Statistic 101

Global daily messaging volume: 227 billion messages.

Statistic 102

45% of messaging is video/media content in 2023.

Statistic 103

RCS messages opened 4x higher than SMS.

Statistic 104

WhatsApp voice calls: 1 billion minutes daily.

Statistic 105

Snapchat Stories viewed 6 billion times daily.

Statistic 106

60% of Gen Z prefer voice notes over typing.

Statistic 107

Average response time on Telegram: 2 minutes.

Statistic 108

WeChat payments via chat: $17 trillion annually.

Statistic 109

92% of WhatsApp Business messages get responses.

Statistic 110

Discord screen shares: 5 billion minutes monthly.

Statistic 111

WhatsApp users in India exceeded 500 million in 2023.

Statistic 112

95% of smartphone users aged 18-24 use messaging apps daily worldwide.

Statistic 113

Brazil had 150 million WhatsApp users, 99% penetration among internet users in 2023.

Statistic 114

In the US, 81% of adults use texting/messaging apps weekly in 2023.

Statistic 115

Indonesia's Telegram users reached 100 million in 2023.

Statistic 116

68% of global consumers prefer messaging apps for customer service over calls.

Statistic 117

Snapchat adoption among Gen Z reached 62% in the US in 2023.

Statistic 118

WeChat penetration in China hit 93% among internet users in 2023.

Statistic 119

75% of Europeans use WhatsApp as primary messaging app in 2023.

Statistic 120

Discord's user base grew 30% YoY among gamers to 150 million MAUs.

Statistic 121

Signal downloads surged 4,200% in January 2021, stabilizing at 40 million users.

Statistic 122

Viber dominant in Eastern Europe with 50% market share in Ukraine 2023.

Statistic 123

87% of businesses in Asia use LINE for customer engagement.

Statistic 124

KakaoTalk used by 90% of South Koreans over age 10 in 2023.

Statistic 125

Zalo holds 60% market share in Vietnam's messaging sector.

Statistic 126

2.4 billion people use Meta's family of messaging apps daily.

Statistic 127

Messaging apps installed on 98% of smartphones globally in 2023.

Statistic 128

Women aged 18-29 in US: 96% use messaging apps daily.

Statistic 129

Africa’s WhatsApp adoption at 80% in urban areas 2023.

Statistic 130

Telegram's Russian user base dropped 30% post-2022 ban.

Statistic 131

55% of US teens use Snapchat as main messaging app.

Statistic 132

Global average messaging app users per smartphone: 3.2 apps.

Statistic 133

WhatsApp Business adopted by 175 million users monthly in 2023.

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From the billions of messages zipping across our screens every day to the staggering business revenues they generate, the messaging industry has evolved far beyond simple text into a dynamic global force that is reshaping communication, commerce, and culture.

Key Takeaways

In 2023, the global messaging apps market size reached $12.5 billion, projected to grow to $28.4 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 12.4%.
WhatsApp had 2.78 billion monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide as of Q4 2023.
The messaging apps market in Asia-Pacific accounted for 45% of global revenue in 2022.
WhatsApp users in India exceeded 500 million in 2023.
95% of smartphone users aged 18-24 use messaging apps daily worldwide.
Brazil had 150 million WhatsApp users, 99% penetration among internet users in 2023.
Average daily time spent on messaging apps: 58 minutes globally in 2023.
WhatsApp users send 100 billion messages daily worldwide.
80% of mobile messages are sent via OTT apps, not SMS.
Global messaging revenue reached $7.6 billion in 2022.
WhatsApp Business generated $1.5 billion in revenue for Meta in 2023.
Telegram Premium subscribers: 5 million paying $4.99/month avg.
WhatsApp holds 25% global messaging market share by MAU.
WeChat leads China with 1.3 billion MAUs vs QQ's 570 million.
Telegram vs Signal: Telegram 800M MAUs, Signal 40M.

The global messaging industry is booming with billions of users and massive economic growth projected.

Emerging Trends

AI chatbots integration: WhatsApp 40%, Telegram 60%.
Messaging app AI features users: 300 million in 2023.
RCS universal profile adoption: 15 carriers in 2023.
End-to-end encryption standard: 85% of top apps in 2023.
Voice-to-text usage: 40% of messages transcribed.
Cross-platform messaging trials: 20% user demand.
Web3 messaging wallets: 50 million users in Telegram.
AR filters in messaging: Snapchat leads with 300M daily.
Conversational commerce: $142 billion GMV in 2023.
Federated messaging protocols like Matrix: 50M users.
Privacy-focused apps growth: 25% YoY for Signal/Telegram.
NFT sharing in chats: 10M transactions via Discord.
Multilingual AI translation: 70% accuracy in WhatsApp beta.
Sustainable messaging: Carbon footprint reduced 30% by OTT.
Metaverse chat rooms: 100M sessions in Horizon Worlds.
Biometric login in apps: 60% adoption by 2025 proj.
Quantum-resistant encryption trials: Signal leads.
Haptic feedback messages: 15% engagement lift.
Blockchain-based group chats: 5M users in Status app.
Personalized avatars: 80% Snapchat users create daily.

Emerging Trends Interpretation

While the messaging world is flirting with quantum-safe secrets and metaverse meetups, the real revolution is happening in our pockets where chatbots are becoming the new shopkeepers, encrypted whispers are the norm, and your avatar is probably more stylish than you are.

Market Size and Growth

In 2023, the global messaging apps market size reached $12.5 billion, projected to grow to $28.4 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 12.4%.
WhatsApp had 2.78 billion monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide as of Q4 2023.
The messaging apps market in Asia-Pacific accounted for 45% of global revenue in 2022.
Telegram reached 800 million MAUs in March 2023.
Global instant messaging users totaled 3.78 billion in 2023.
WeChat had 1.35 billion MAUs in Q3 2023.
Facebook Messenger had 1.01 billion MAUs in 2023.
Snapchat's daily active users (DAUs) hit 414 million in Q3 2023.
iMessage users exceeded 1 billion in 2022 across Apple devices.
Discord grew to 150 million MAUs in 2023.
Signal had over 40 million MAUs in 2022 post-privacy surge.
Line app reached 200 million MAUs primarily in Japan and Asia in 2023.
KakaoTalk had 53 million MAUs in South Korea in 2023.
Viber's global MAUs stood at 260 million in 2023.
Zalo in Vietnam had 77 million MAUs in 2023.
Global messaging app downloads hit 5.2 billion in 2022.
RCS messaging adoption reached 1 billion users by end of 2023.
OTT messaging traffic grew 25% YoY to 120 trillion messages in 2022.
Enterprise messaging market valued at $8.7 billion in 2023.
WhatsApp Business API users sent 100 billion messages monthly in 2023.
Global SMS traffic was 5.9 trillion messages in 2022.
Messaging apps captured 90% of mobile data traffic for communication in 2023.
Cross-platform messaging market to reach $15 billion by 2028.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) market size $6.2 billion in 2023.
In-app messaging market projected to $11.5 billion by 2030.

Market Size and Growth Interpretation

Despite WhatsApp’s colossal 2.78 billion users flooding the planet with 100 billion monthly business messages, the global messaging arena is proving it's far from a mature market, as the explosive growth in Asia-Pacific revenue, relentless downloads, and the surging enterprise sector reveal we're still just learning how to monetize the art of the chat.

Platform Comparisons

WhatsApp holds 25% global messaging market share by MAU.
WeChat leads China with 1.3 billion MAUs vs QQ's 570 million.
Telegram vs Signal: Telegram 800M MAUs, Signal 40M.
Facebook Messenger vs iMessage: Messenger 1B MAUs, iMessage 1B.
Snapchat DAUs 414M vs Instagram DMs 500M integrated.
LINE vs KakaoTalk in Asia: LINE 200M, Kakao 53M regional.
Viber vs Zalo: Viber global 260M, Zalo Vietnam 77M.
Discord gaming chat: 150M MAUs vs TeamSpeak 10M.
WhatsApp vs Telegram retention: WhatsApp 70% D1, Telegram 55%.
WeChat super app vs others: 1.3B vs fragmented markets.
Snapchat ephemeral vs permanent: 80% prefer Snapchat style.
RCS vs SMS open rates: RCS 38%, SMS 20%.
Meta apps combined 3.8B MAUs vs ByteDance's 1B.
Telegram channels: 1M+ subscribers vs Discord servers 20M.
Signal privacy score 9.5/10 vs WhatsApp 7.5/10.
KakaoTalk vs Naver Line in Korea: 90% vs 5% share.
Viber sticker market: 10B sold vs LINE 5B.
Global MAU leaders: WhatsApp 2.8B, WeChat 1.3B, FB Msg 1B.
iMessage exclusive to iOS: 50% US iPhone share.
Zalo vs Facebook Messenger Vietnam: 60% vs 30%.

Platform Comparisons Interpretation

WhatsApp's global dominance proves we're all gossips at heart, yet WeChat reminds us that in China, one super-app reigns supreme while the rest of the world fragments into a chaotic, sticker-filled bazaar of privacy concerns, regional loyalties, and the eternal struggle between disappearing messages and open rates.

Revenue and Monetization

Global messaging revenue reached $7.6 billion in 2022.
WhatsApp Business generated $1.5 billion in revenue for Meta in 2023.
Telegram Premium subscribers: 5 million paying $4.99/month avg.
Snapchat advertising revenue: $4.6 billion in 2023.
Facebook Messenger commerce transactions: $10 billion annually.
WeChat mini-programs revenue: $50 billion in 2023.
LINE Pay transactions: 2 trillion JPY in 2023.
Discord Nitro subscriptions: 20 million users at $9.99/month.
Signal relies 100% on donations, raised $50 million in 2022.
Viber Out calls revenue: $300 million annually.
KakaoTalk ad revenue: 1.2 trillion KRW in 2023.
Zalo OA monetization: 500 billion VND from ads.
Global CPaaS messaging revenue: $10.4 billion in 2023.
SMS gateway market: $9.5 billion in 2023.
RCS Business Messaging revenue projected $2 billion by 2025.
In-game chat monetization in Discord: $500 million.
WhatsApp payments processed 10 billion transactions in India 2023.
Meta's Reality Labs messaging AR revenue: $200 million.
Telegram Stars in-app purchases: 1 million users.
Snapchat AR lenses sponsored: $1 billion revenue share.
55% of messaging revenue from ads, 30% subscriptions, 15% payments.

Revenue and Monetization Interpretation

While our conversations are often free, the business of messaging us is a global gold rush, with revenue streams spanning ads, subscriptions, and payments proving that our digital chit-chat is far from priceless.

Usage Patterns

Average daily time spent on messaging apps: 58 minutes globally in 2023.
WhatsApp users send 100 billion messages daily worldwide.
80% of mobile messages are sent via OTT apps, not SMS.
Snapchatters send 4.25 billion Snaps daily in Q3 2023.
Facebook Messenger daily conversations: 1 billion per day.
Telegram users exchange 1 billion+ messages daily.
WeChat moments shared daily: 450 million posts.
Average WhatsApp user sends 1,000 messages per month.
70% of WhatsApp messages are read within 5 minutes.
Discord voice minutes: 19 billion per month in 2023.
Signal end-to-end encrypted messages: 100 million daily.
LINE stickers used in 70% of conversations in Japan.
KakaoTalk group chats average 15 members per user.
Viber calls: 500 million per month globally.
Global daily messaging volume: 227 billion messages.
45% of messaging is video/media content in 2023.
RCS messages opened 4x higher than SMS.
WhatsApp voice calls: 1 billion minutes daily.
Snapchat Stories viewed 6 billion times daily.
60% of Gen Z prefer voice notes over typing.
Average response time on Telegram: 2 minutes.
WeChat payments via chat: $17 trillion annually.
92% of WhatsApp Business messages get responses.
Discord screen shares: 5 billion minutes monthly.

Usage Patterns Interpretation

While we collectively spend nearly an hour a day tapping out our digital lives across global channels, from encrypted whispers to animated outbursts, this 227-billion-message daily deluge proves we're not just chatting; we're conducting the serious, sprawling business of human connection in real time.

User Base and Adoption

WhatsApp users in India exceeded 500 million in 2023.
95% of smartphone users aged 18-24 use messaging apps daily worldwide.
Brazil had 150 million WhatsApp users, 99% penetration among internet users in 2023.
In the US, 81% of adults use texting/messaging apps weekly in 2023.
Indonesia's Telegram users reached 100 million in 2023.
68% of global consumers prefer messaging apps for customer service over calls.
Snapchat adoption among Gen Z reached 62% in the US in 2023.
WeChat penetration in China hit 93% among internet users in 2023.
75% of Europeans use WhatsApp as primary messaging app in 2023.
Discord's user base grew 30% YoY among gamers to 150 million MAUs.
Signal downloads surged 4,200% in January 2021, stabilizing at 40 million users.
Viber dominant in Eastern Europe with 50% market share in Ukraine 2023.
87% of businesses in Asia use LINE for customer engagement.
KakaoTalk used by 90% of South Koreans over age 10 in 2023.
Zalo holds 60% market share in Vietnam's messaging sector.
2.4 billion people use Meta's family of messaging apps daily.
Messaging apps installed on 98% of smartphones globally in 2023.
Women aged 18-29 in US: 96% use messaging apps daily.
Africa’s WhatsApp adoption at 80% in urban areas 2023.
Telegram's Russian user base dropped 30% post-2022 ban.
55% of US teens use Snapchat as main messaging app.
Global average messaging app users per smartphone: 3.2 apps.
WhatsApp Business adopted by 175 million users monthly in 2023.

User Base and Adoption Interpretation

It is no longer an overstatement to say that the global town square has been rebuilt in our pockets, running on notifications, with regional dialects defined by whether you ping on WhatsApp, WeChat, or LINE.

Sources & References

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