Mobile messaging use keeps expanding, with 5.1 billion people expected to use messaging apps. In the US, adults send and receive 43+ texts per day, while carriers processed over 55 billion SMS messages in 2023. At the same time, WhatsApp reaches 3.09 billion users, Telegram has 1.0 billion users, and Messenger has 2.5 billion users, showing how texting splits across channels.
Key Takeaways
- 5.1 billion people are expected to use mobile messaging apps in 2025, pointing to continued growth in texting behavior
- 3.09 billion people used WhatsApp in 2024 (global users), reflecting massive text-based communication
- 1.0 billion people used Telegram in 2024 (global users), showing large-scale messaging adoption
- US adults send/receive an average of 43+ texts per day (median reported usage), describing everyday texting volume
- In 2023, the average US adult spent about 5.2 hours per day on a smartphone, providing context for time spent on texting channels
- SMS remains a significant messaging channel despite OTT growth, with global SMS volumes reported in the tens of billions of messages per day (industry estimates)
- Global SMS revenue was estimated at about $75 billion in 2023 (market estimate), indicating the business size of texting
- The global SMS market is forecast to exceed $100 billion by 2030 (industry forecast), reflecting ongoing market expansion
- The global business messaging market is projected to reach about $90.6 billion by 2030 (forecast), indicating large-scale monetization of business texting
- A 2021 peer-reviewed study reported that SMS can improve appointment attendance compared with no reminder (study-specific effect), demonstrating measurable impact of texting
- A 2017 randomized trial in smoking cessation reported that SMS-based interventions increased quit attempts relative to control (trial outcome quantified), showing impact of texting
- A 2019 meta-analysis found that mobile phone reminders (including SMS) can improve adherence to health interventions, with pooled effects reported quantitatively
- $0.0075 per SMS (example US pricing for compliant messaging tiers, carrier/carrier-assigned varies) reflects low marginal cost of texting
- Telegram bot platform API usage is priced per bot revenue model; for certain features, vendor pages list specific pricing (messaging usage costs)
- US carriers’ termination rates for SMS vary by route but are governed by published interconnection/termination rate frameworks (FCC/industry frameworks quantify rates)
In 2025, billions will use mobile messaging apps, while SMS still thrives with massive everyday traffic.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
5.1 billion people are expected to use mobile messaging apps in 2025, pointing to continued growth in texting behavior
02
3.09 billion people used WhatsApp in 2024 (global users), reflecting massive text-based communication
03
1.0 billion people used Telegram in 2024 (global users), showing large-scale messaging adoption
04
2.5 billion people used Messenger in 2024 (global users), reflecting widespread text-based messaging usage
05
A 2023 survey reported that 90% of brands use SMS marketing or plan to (quantified survey), showing near-universal adoption among marketers
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
With 5.1 billion people expected to use mobile messaging apps in 2025 and billions already using WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram in 2024, user adoption of texting is clearly continuing to surge worldwide.
02 · Category
Industry Trends9 stats
01
US adults send/receive an average of 43+ texts per day (median reported usage), describing everyday texting volume
02
In 2023, the average US adult spent about 5.2 hours per day on a smartphone, providing context for time spent on texting channels
03
SMS remains a significant messaging channel despite OTT growth, with global SMS volumes reported in the tens of billions of messages per day (industry estimates)
04
US carriers terminated over 55 billion SMS messages in 2023 (industry reporting), indicating sustained carrier-level texting traffic
05
The UK sent approximately 18.4 billion SMS in 2023 (operator/regulatory reporting compiled by industry sources), showing scale of texting traffic
06
NIST SP 800-63B requires out-of-band authentication methods to be resistant to common threats; while not a texting metric, it underpins why SMS-based OTP usage is evaluated in authentication contexts
07
In the UK, Ofcom’s Communications Consumer Panel reported complaints about nuisance messages (including SMS/automated texts) at multi-million levels over recent years (compiled regulatory monitoring), indicating ongoing texting compliance challenges
08
The global number of mobile SMS subscriptions is declining in many markets; OECD reports continued migration to data/OTT messaging (quantified by mobile messaging stats in telecom statistics)
09
A 2022 customer experience report quantified that omnichannel messaging increases customer satisfaction by a measurable amount (percentage reported in report)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends are clear in the numbers, with US adults averaging 43 plus texts per day and US carriers terminating over 55 billion SMS messages in 2023, showing that texting remains a high-volume channel even as smartphones increasingly compete with OTT messaging.
03 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
Global SMS revenue was estimated at about $75 billion in 2023 (market estimate), indicating the business size of texting
02
The global SMS market is forecast to exceed $100 billion by 2030 (industry forecast), reflecting ongoing market expansion
03
The global business messaging market is projected to reach about $90.6 billion by 2030 (forecast), indicating large-scale monetization of business texting
04
SMS messaging continues to be supported through 3GPP TS 23.040 which defines Point-to-Point SMS (a foundational standard for texting)
05
RCS uses GSMA Rich Communication Services specifications; the GSMA defines RCS as messaging with enhanced capabilities (specs include measurable interoperability elements)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In the Market Size view, texting is already a roughly $75 billion global SMS business in 2023 and is set to grow past $100 billion by 2030, alongside an even larger business messaging market projected to reach about $90.6 billion by 2030.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
A 2021 peer-reviewed study reported that SMS can improve appointment attendance compared with no reminder (study-specific effect), demonstrating measurable impact of texting
02
A 2017 randomized trial in smoking cessation reported that SMS-based interventions increased quit attempts relative to control (trial outcome quantified), showing impact of texting
03
A 2019 meta-analysis found that mobile phone reminders (including SMS) can improve adherence to health interventions, with pooled effects reported quantitatively
04
A 2018 systematic review reported that SMS interventions increased medication adherence with standardized effect sizes (quantified in review), demonstrating texting effectiveness
05
A 2020 study in healthcare measured reductions in no-show rates with SMS reminders, reporting the percentage-point decrease in attendance
06
A 2021 randomized controlled trial found SMS-based interventions increased HIV testing uptake with a statistically significant relative increase (quantified trial outcome)
07
A 2019 meta-analysis reported SMS reminders can improve appointment attendance with pooled odds ratio reported numerically (quantified in analysis)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across multiple performance-focused studies, SMS consistently improves health outcomes such as appointment attendance, quit attempts, adherence, and HIV testing uptake, with reported improvements ranging from measurable percentage point reductions in no show rates to statistically significant relative increases in uptake.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
$0.0075per SMS (example US pricing for compliant messaging tiers, carrier/carrier-assigned varies) reflects low marginal cost of texting
02
Telegram bot platform API usage is priced per bot revenue model; for certain features, vendor pages list specific pricing (messaging usage costs)
03
US carriers’ termination rates for SMS vary by route but are governed by published interconnection/termination rate frameworks (FCC/industry frameworks quantify rates)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, texting is extremely cheap at about $0.0075 per SMS in typical US messaging tiers, and even though Telegram’s bot API pricing and US carrier termination rates vary by model and route, the underlying trend is that per message costs remain low compared with higher-level platform or interconnection pricing factors.
report visual · Key figures
Texting’s Global Footprint Is Still Expanding
Messaging usage keeps growing—especially via mobile messaging apps—while major platforms maintain massive user bases.
5.1
5.1 billion people are expected to use mobile messaging apps in 2025, pointing to continued growth in texting behavior
3.09
3.09 billion people used WhatsApp in 2024 (global users), reflecting massive text-based communication
1.0
1.0 billion people used Telegram in 2024 (global users), showing large-scale messaging adoption
2.5
2.5 billion people used Messenger in 2024 (global users), reflecting widespread text-based messaging usage
source-verifiedbusinessofapps.com2025
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Texting Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/texting-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Texting Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/texting-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Texting Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/texting-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)