GITNUXREPORT 2026

Text Message Statistics

Text messaging remains a dominant and highly effective global communication channel.

Gitnux Team

Expert team of market researchers and data analysts.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Statistic 1

In 2023, over 7 trillion SMS messages were sent globally

Statistic 2

The average American sends 2,087 text messages per month

Statistic 3

85% of consumers prefer texts over emails for promotions

Statistic 4

Text messaging volume grew 4% year-over-year in 2022

Statistic 5

95% of texts are read within 3 minutes of receipt

Statistic 6

Globally, 5.3 billion people use SMS in 2023

Statistic 7

US mobile users send/receive 47 texts per day on average

Statistic 8

81% of small businesses use SMS marketing

Statistic 9

SMS open rates average 98%

Statistic 10

Text messages account for 90% of mobile data traffic in some regions

Statistic 11

64% of consumers have scanned a QR code from a text

Statistic 12

Daily SMS volume in India exceeds 100 billion

Statistic 13

75% of millennials prefer texting over calling

Statistic 14

SMS usage in enterprises grew 25% in 2022

Statistic 15

90% of texts are opened within 3 minutes

Statistic 16

Global SMS revenue reached $80 billion in 2022

Statistic 17

58% of users check texts immediately upon notification

Statistic 18

Texting surpasses voice calls in daily communication

Statistic 19

96% of SMS messages are opened

Statistic 20

Over 2.4 billion active RCS users expected by 2024

Statistic 21

70% of Gen Z communicate primarily via text

Statistic 22

SMS market share in notifications is 60%

Statistic 23

Average response time to texts is 90 seconds

Statistic 24

83% of users opt-in for business texts

Statistic 25

Texts drive 30% higher engagement than email

Statistic 26

50 billion SMS sent daily worldwide

Statistic 27

SMS penetration rate is 98% globally

Statistic 28

40% increase in A2P SMS since 2020

Statistic 29

92% of adults own a smartphone for texting

Statistic 30

SMS handles 80% of 2FA authentications

Statistic 31

Women aged 18-24 send 100 texts per day on average

Statistic 32

89% of smartphone owners aged 18-29 use texting daily

Statistic 33

Men receive 20% more promotional texts than women

Statistic 34

Gen Z (18-24) prefers SMS for customer service at 65%

Statistic 35

75% of seniors over 65 use texting regularly

Statistic 36

Urban users send 30% more texts than rural

Statistic 37

62% of Hispanics use SMS for banking alerts

Statistic 38

Baby boomers text 25 times per day average

Statistic 39

95% of teens (13-17) text daily

Statistic 40

African Americans text 50% more than average

Statistic 41

70% of parents use SMS for family coordination

Statistic 42

Women respond to texts 15% faster than men

Statistic 43

55% of low-income users rely on SMS exclusively

Statistic 44

College students average 120 texts per day

Statistic 45

80% of LGBTQ+ youth use texting for support

Statistic 46

Rural millennials text 40 texts/day vs urban 60

Statistic 47

68% of employed adults use SMS for work

Statistic 48

Asians in US send 90 texts/day average

Statistic 49

45% of users over 50 ignore promotional texts

Statistic 50

High school students exchange 167 texts/day

Statistic 51

Single users text 25% more than married

Statistic 52

72% of teachers use SMS with students' parents

Statistic 53

Veterans prefer SMS for VA notifications at 78%

Statistic 54

60% of disabled users rely on voice-to-text SMS

Statistic 55

Users delete 70% of texts within 1 minute if promotional

Statistic 56

Average text length is 140 characters

Statistic 57

45% of texts contain emojis

Statistic 58

Response rate to business texts 45%

Statistic 59

64% reply to SMS surveys

Statistic 60

Peak texting hours 6-9 PM weekdays

Statistic 61

30% of texts are work-related

Statistic 62

Group texts average 5 participants

Statistic 63

82% unsubscribe from spam texts immediately

Statistic 64

Texts with personalization see 2x engagement

Statistic 65

55% share texts via screenshots

Statistic 66

Average daily texts per user 59

Statistic 67

40% use GIFs in texts weekly

Statistic 68

Opt-out rates for SMS 1.5%

Statistic 69

70% prefer SMS reminders over email

Statistic 70

Texts influence 26% of purchases

Statistic 71

62% engage more with multimedia SMS

Statistic 72

Weekend texting volume 20% higher

Statistic 73

35% report text fatigue from over-messaging

Statistic 74

Average conversation length 5 exchanges

Statistic 75

78% read texts aloud in public

Statistic 76

50% multitask while texting

Statistic 77

Voice notes in texts up 300% since 2020

Statistic 78

65% ignore texts from unknown numbers

Statistic 79

Reaction emojis used in 60% of group chats

Statistic 80

42% send location via text weekly

Statistic 81

SMS phishing click rate 11%

Statistic 82

90% of people text while driving despite risks

Statistic 83

25% of texts are apologies or corrections

Statistic 84

Night owls text 50% more after 10 PM

Statistic 85

Global SMS revenue was $74.6 billion in 2022

Statistic 86

A2P SMS market to reach $100 billion by 2026

Statistic 87

US SMS revenue $5.2 billion in 2023

Statistic 88

RCS messaging market projected at $75 billion by 2028

Statistic 89

SMS marketing ROI averages 6:1

Statistic 90

Enterprise SMS spending up 18% YoY

Statistic 91

CPaaS market for SMS $40 billion in 2023

Statistic 92

India A2P SMS revenue $4 billion annually

Statistic 93

SMS gateways market $2.5 billion by 2027

Statistic 94

Retail SMS drives $0.32 per message revenue

Statistic 95

Banking SMS sector $15 billion globally

Statistic 96

Healthcare SMS market $8 billion in 2023

Statistic 97

Travel industry SMS revenue $2.1 billion

Statistic 98

35% SMS profit margin for carriers

Statistic 99

E-commerce SMS conversion value $1.2 billion US

Statistic 100

Global P2P SMS declining 5% YoY

Statistic 101

OTT apps erode 20% of SMS revenue

Statistic 102

SMS fraud losses $1.7 billion in 2022

Statistic 103

Latin America A2P growth 22% to $3B

Statistic 104

45% of SMS revenue from alerts/notifications

Statistic 105

SMS click-through rates yield 19% revenue lift

Statistic 106

Average cart recovery via SMS $12 per user

Statistic 107

Telecom SMS ARPU $1.50 monthly

Statistic 108

28% increase in SMS marketing spend 2023

Statistic 109

SMS opt-in rates boost revenue 40%

Statistic 110

98% open rate translates to 45% CTR revenue

Statistic 111

55% of RCS users send rich media daily

Statistic 112

5G boosts SMS speeds by 40%

Statistic 113

End-to-end encryption in RCS adopted by 70%

Statistic 114

SMS two-factor auth compromised in 15% attacks

Statistic 115

AI spam filters block 95% malicious texts

Statistic 116

SIM swap attacks rose 30% in 2023

Statistic 117

RCS to replace SMS by 2025 in 50% markets

Statistic 118

Blockchain SMS verification pilots in 20 countries

Statistic 119

Quantum threats to SMS encryption by 2030

Statistic 120

80% decline in P2P SMS by 2030 predicted

Statistic 121

Biometric SMS auth trials show 99% accuracy

Statistic 122

Global SMS scam reports 2.5 million in 2023

Statistic 123

OTT integration with SMS up 60%

Statistic 124

4G LTE SMS latency under 100ms average

Statistic 125

Privacy regs reduce SMS data sharing 25%

Statistic 126

AI-generated phishing texts up 400%

Statistic 127

Cross-platform RCS federation in EU 2024

Statistic 128

SMS carbon footprint 0.014g CO2 per message

Statistic 129

6G SMS prototypes achieve 1ms latency

Statistic 130

Zero-rating SMS in 40% emerging markets

Statistic 131

Malware via MMS detected in 1% texts

Statistic 132

Federated learning improves SMS spam AI 20%

Statistic 133

SMS fallback for VoLTE failures 5%

1/133

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With a staggering 7 trillion SMS messages sent worldwide last year, text messaging is the undeniable and preferred heartbeat of global communication, connecting over 5.3 billion people in conversations that are read within minutes and favored for everything from family check-ins to critical business alerts.

Key Takeaways

In 2023, over 7 trillion SMS messages were sent globally
The average American sends 2,087 text messages per month
85% of consumers prefer texts over emails for promotions
Women aged 18-24 send 100 texts per day on average
89% of smartphone owners aged 18-29 use texting daily
Men receive 20% more promotional texts than women
Global SMS revenue was $74.6 billion in 2022
A2P SMS market to reach $100 billion by 2026
US SMS revenue $5.2 billion in 2023
Users delete 70% of texts within 1 minute if promotional
Average text length is 140 characters
45% of texts contain emojis
55% of RCS users send rich media daily
5G boosts SMS speeds by 40%
End-to-end encryption in RCS adopted by 70%

Text messaging remains a dominant and highly effective global communication channel.

Adoption and Usage

In 2023, over 7 trillion SMS messages were sent globally
The average American sends 2,087 text messages per month
85% of consumers prefer texts over emails for promotions
Text messaging volume grew 4% year-over-year in 2022
95% of texts are read within 3 minutes of receipt
Globally, 5.3 billion people use SMS in 2023
US mobile users send/receive 47 texts per day on average
81% of small businesses use SMS marketing
SMS open rates average 98%
Text messages account for 90% of mobile data traffic in some regions
64% of consumers have scanned a QR code from a text
Daily SMS volume in India exceeds 100 billion
75% of millennials prefer texting over calling
SMS usage in enterprises grew 25% in 2022
90% of texts are opened within 3 minutes
Global SMS revenue reached $80 billion in 2022
58% of users check texts immediately upon notification
Texting surpasses voice calls in daily communication
96% of SMS messages are opened
Over 2.4 billion active RCS users expected by 2024
70% of Gen Z communicate primarily via text
SMS market share in notifications is 60%
Average response time to texts is 90 seconds
83% of users opt-in for business texts
Texts drive 30% higher engagement than email
50 billion SMS sent daily worldwide
SMS penetration rate is 98% globally
40% increase in A2P SMS since 2020
92% of adults own a smartphone for texting
SMS handles 80% of 2FA authentications

Adoption and Usage Interpretation

The humble text message has become the relentless pulse of modern communication, where gossip and boardroom deals alike travel on the same preferred thread that everyone actually reads.

Demographics

Women aged 18-24 send 100 texts per day on average
89% of smartphone owners aged 18-29 use texting daily
Men receive 20% more promotional texts than women
Gen Z (18-24) prefers SMS for customer service at 65%
75% of seniors over 65 use texting regularly
Urban users send 30% more texts than rural
62% of Hispanics use SMS for banking alerts
Baby boomers text 25 times per day average
95% of teens (13-17) text daily
African Americans text 50% more than average
70% of parents use SMS for family coordination
Women respond to texts 15% faster than men
55% of low-income users rely on SMS exclusively
College students average 120 texts per day
80% of LGBTQ+ youth use texting for support
Rural millennials text 40 texts/day vs urban 60
68% of employed adults use SMS for work
Asians in US send 90 texts/day average
45% of users over 50 ignore promotional texts
High school students exchange 167 texts/day
Single users text 25% more than married
72% of teachers use SMS with students' parents
Veterans prefer SMS for VA notifications at 78%
60% of disabled users rely on voice-to-text SMS

Demographics Interpretation

While teens text like it's their job and seniors prove it's not just a youthful fad, the humble text message has democratized communication, becoming the indispensable, sometimes overwhelming, digital thread stitching together every facet of modern life from banking and breakups to support groups and shopping carts.

Engagement and Behavior

Users delete 70% of texts within 1 minute if promotional
Average text length is 140 characters
45% of texts contain emojis
Response rate to business texts 45%
64% reply to SMS surveys
Peak texting hours 6-9 PM weekdays
30% of texts are work-related
Group texts average 5 participants
82% unsubscribe from spam texts immediately
Texts with personalization see 2x engagement
55% share texts via screenshots
Average daily texts per user 59
40% use GIFs in texts weekly
Opt-out rates for SMS 1.5%
70% prefer SMS reminders over email
Texts influence 26% of purchases
62% engage more with multimedia SMS
Weekend texting volume 20% higher
35% report text fatigue from over-messaging
Average conversation length 5 exchanges
78% read texts aloud in public
50% multitask while texting
Voice notes in texts up 300% since 2020
65% ignore texts from unknown numbers
Reaction emojis used in 60% of group chats
42% send location via text weekly
SMS phishing click rate 11%
90% of people text while driving despite risks
25% of texts are apologies or corrections
Night owls text 50% more after 10 PM

Engagement and Behavior Interpretation

Our digital inbox is a fickle, crowded theater where a personalized text might earn a two-minute encore, but a promotional blurb gets booed offstage in sixty seconds, proving that even in our pocket-sized lives, relevance is the only currency that spends.

Revenue and Market

Global SMS revenue was $74.6 billion in 2022
A2P SMS market to reach $100 billion by 2026
US SMS revenue $5.2 billion in 2023
RCS messaging market projected at $75 billion by 2028
SMS marketing ROI averages 6:1
Enterprise SMS spending up 18% YoY
CPaaS market for SMS $40 billion in 2023
India A2P SMS revenue $4 billion annually
SMS gateways market $2.5 billion by 2027
Retail SMS drives $0.32 per message revenue
Banking SMS sector $15 billion globally
Healthcare SMS market $8 billion in 2023
Travel industry SMS revenue $2.1 billion
35% SMS profit margin for carriers
E-commerce SMS conversion value $1.2 billion US
Global P2P SMS declining 5% YoY
OTT apps erode 20% of SMS revenue
SMS fraud losses $1.7 billion in 2022
Latin America A2P growth 22% to $3B
45% of SMS revenue from alerts/notifications
SMS click-through rates yield 19% revenue lift
Average cart recovery via SMS $12 per user
Telecom SMS ARPU $1.50 monthly
28% increase in SMS marketing spend 2023
SMS opt-in rates boost revenue 40%
98% open rate translates to 45% CTR revenue

Revenue and Market Interpretation

Despite being declared dead by naysayers, SMS is actually a cash cow that's quietly minting billions through alerts, marketing, and enterprise services while still fighting off trendy apps and fraudsters.

Security and Trends

55% of RCS users send rich media daily
5G boosts SMS speeds by 40%
End-to-end encryption in RCS adopted by 70%
SMS two-factor auth compromised in 15% attacks
AI spam filters block 95% malicious texts
SIM swap attacks rose 30% in 2023
RCS to replace SMS by 2025 in 50% markets
Blockchain SMS verification pilots in 20 countries
Quantum threats to SMS encryption by 2030
80% decline in P2P SMS by 2030 predicted
Biometric SMS auth trials show 99% accuracy
Global SMS scam reports 2.5 million in 2023
OTT integration with SMS up 60%
4G LTE SMS latency under 100ms average
Privacy regs reduce SMS data sharing 25%
AI-generated phishing texts up 400%
Cross-platform RCS federation in EU 2024
SMS carbon footprint 0.014g CO2 per message
6G SMS prototypes achieve 1ms latency
Zero-rating SMS in 40% emerging markets
Malware via MMS detected in 1% texts
Federated learning improves SMS spam AI 20%
SMS fallback for VoLTE failures 5%

Security and Trends Interpretation

While SMS clings on like a stubborn ghost, haunted by scams and quantum threats, its upgraded successor RCS is busy flexing with daily media, robust encryption, and a federation plan, proving that even in messaging, evolution favors the rich and secure.

Sources & References

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