In 2021, WhatsApp's user base in India amounts to approximately ****** million users. The number of WhatsApp users in India is projected to reach ****** million users by 2025. User figures have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to *** countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

India recorded about 200 million monthly active users in February 2017. With over 460 million internet users, India ranked second largest in the internet market worldwide. By 2023, it was estimated that this figure would surpass over 666 million internet users. Interestingly, amongst these users, over 390 million people accessed the web over their mobile phones.

The rise of digital India

With a mobile friendly approach to the internet, the use of social media applications was correspondingly high in India. By 2021, studies had found that around 29 percent of the total population would be active social media users. Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp were ranked among the most popular social networking sites in the country based on usage reach.

Social media transcends socio-economic boundaries

The high penetration of the mobile messaging application came as no surprise considering that the use of the messaging app had been increasing rapidly over the last few years. Although most WhatsApp users came from urban areas, rural areas recorded an increasing share of the app adoption. This adoption spread was also true across income groups. With increasing social media usage, there was also rising issues with the believability of information shared over these platforms, leading to the increase in fake news and cybercrime.

According to a survey on the usage of WhatsApp across India in 2018, almost half of the respondents aged between 18 and 25 years were active WhatsApp users. The share of active users of the app declined with an increase in the age group.

There are over *** million WhatsApp users in ***** alone, making it the leading country in terms of WhatsApp audience size. Second-ranked ****** had ***** million WhatsApp messenger users. ******** is one of the most used messaging services worldwide.

Based on the results of a survey about WhatsApp users across India in 2018, about ** percent of respondents who belonged to the poor economic class were active users of the messaging app. While this was about ** percent for upper middle class and rich respondents during the survey period.

High Frequency Indicator: The dataset contains year- and month-wise compiled data from the year 2021 to till date on the number of social media accounts which have been deleted and suspended and the chatrooms, edit profiles, comments and livestreams banned, together with reasons such as child sexual abuse, terrorism, etc., by significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs) such as Sharechat, Snapchat, Twitter and WhatsApp. The data compiled is based on the monthly transparency reports published by SSMIs in accordance with Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021)

Notes:

1. SSMI denotes to social media intermediary, with over 50,00,000 registered users in India, which primarily or solely enables online interaction between two or more users and allows them to create, upload, share, disseminate, modify or access information using its services

2. ShareChat enforces various bans spread across different time periods such as 360 days, 30 days, 7 days, 3 days, 1 day, hourly bans, together with other bans such as UGC, Edit Profile, Comment, Livstream, Chatroom bans, etc.

As per the results of a survey on WhatsApp usage in India in 2017 and 2018, it was found that there was a ten percent increase in the share of active WhatsApp users in rural India to reach around ** percent in 2018. This was about ** percent in urban areas during the survey period.

In 2023, the number of global consumers and companies using WhatsApp Business was estimated to surpass *** billion users. Asia and Europe, which include some of WhatsApp leading global markets such as India, were estimated to have the highest number of users on WhatsApp Business. Around *** million WhatsApp regular users and company accounts in Asia were estimated to have interacted on WhatsApp Business in 2023.Launched in 2018, WhatsApp Business allows companies to be easily found by users on the platform. Users on WhatsApp can initiate a conversation with companies holding a business profile in a seamless way, without the need to download an extra app or switch programs.

The global number of WhatsApp users in was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 76.3 million users (+8.29 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the WhatsApp user base is estimated to reach 996.58 million users and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the number of WhatsApp users of was continuously increasing over the past years.User figures, shown here regarding the platform whatsapp, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of WhatsApp users in countries like Asia and South America.

According to the results of a survey on rural India, 760 respondents were part of family whatsApp groups, while about 105 stated that they were part of local administration groups on WhatsApp. The highest number of respondents were part of groups with friends on the social networking app.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global Mobile Messaging Service market size will be USD 102584.2 million in 2024. It will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.20% from 2024 to 2031.

North America held the major market share for more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 41033.68 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4% from 2024 to 2031.
Europe accounted for a market share of over 30% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 30775.26 million.
Asia Pacific held a market share of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 23594.37 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2% from 2024 to 2031.
Latin America had a market share of more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 5129.21 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6% from 2024 to 2031.
Middle East and Africa had a market share of around 2% of the global revenue and was estimated at a market size of USD 2051.68 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.9% from 2024 to 2031.
The software category is the fastest growing segment of the Mobile Messaging Service industry

Market Dynamics of Mobile Messaging Service Market

Key Drivers for Mobile Messaging Service Market

Increased adoption of smartphones and mobile internet drives the market growth 

As more people around the world gain access to affordable smartphones and mobile data, they increasingly turn to mobile messaging apps (like WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, or Signal) for daily communication. These apps often offer free, instant, and multimedia-rich messaging, which is especially appealing in regions where traditional SMS or calling may be expensive or unreliable. For instance, in India, the rapid rise in smartphone usage and low-cost internet provided by companies like Reliance Jio led to an explosion in WhatsApp users. By 2023, WhatsApp had over 500 million users in India alone, becoming the country’s primary communication platform for personal, business, and even government messaging services.

The Global Proliferation of Smartphone Usage to Boost Market Growth

The market for mobile messaging services is expanding due in large part to the increase in smartphone adoption. Mobile messaging services are becoming more widely available to more people as cell phones are cheaper and easier to obtain, especially in developing nations. The increasing number of users on messaging apps like WeChat, Telegram, and WhatsApp is a result of their widespread acceptance, which raises user engagement. Additionally, smartphones have improved features like voice, video, and multimedia messaging, which boost communication in general. Furthermore, messaging apps are made more user-friendly and effective by the advancement of sophisticated smartphone technology like fast internet and potent CPUs. As a result, the market for mobile messaging is growing as a direct result of rising smartphone usage worldwide.

Growing Need for Instant Communication to Drive Market Growth

The mobile messaging service market is growing due in large part to consumer demand for instant communication. A growing number of people and businesses are turning to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram because they need rapid, effective, and real-time communication solutions in today's hectic world. Instantaneous phone or video calls, message exchanges, and material sharing are all made possible by these technologies, which improve communication efficiency and speed. Instant messaging is being used more and more by organizations as a flexible means of communication since it offers an efficient avenue for teamwork, marketing, and customer service. More market expansion for mobile messaging services is being driven by consumers' desire for instant communication and the ease of being able to access them on their phones.

Restraint Factor for the Mobile Messaging Service Market

Data Privacy and Security Concerns Will Limit Market Growth

The market for mobile messaging services is being held back by serious worries about security and privacy. Users are becoming more and more concerned about data breaches, unlawful access, and the exploitation of their data as messaging platforms handle sensitive personal and corporate ...

Which county has the most Facebook users? There are more than 383 million Facebook users in India alone, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size. To put this into context, if India’s Facebook audience were a country, then it would be ranked third in terms of largest population worldwide. Apart from India, there are several other markets with more than 100 million Facebook users each: The United States, Indonesia, and Brazil with 196.9 million, 122.3 million, and 111.65 million Facebook users respectively. Facebook – the most used social media Meta, the company that was previously called Facebook, owns four of the most popular social media platforms worldwide, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram. As of the third quarter of 2021, there were around 3.5 billion cumulative monthly users of the company’s products worldwide. With around 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most popular social media worldwide. With an audience of this scale, it is no surprise that the vast majority of Facebook’s revenue is generated through advertising. Facebook usage by device As of July 2021, it was found that 98.5 percent of active users accessed their Facebook account from mobile devices. In fact, almost 81.8 percent of Facebook audiences worldwide access the platform only via mobile phone. Facebook is not only available through mobile browser as the company has published several mobile apps for users to access their products and services. As of the third quarter 2021, the four core Meta products were leading the ranking of most downloaded mobile apps worldwide, with WhatsApp amassing approximately six billion downloads.

In a survey conducted by Local Circles in January 2021, around ** percent of the participants in India considered reducing WhatsApp usage drastically by either switching to alternative applications or by using other services such as e-mail or SMS. On the contrary, ** percent of the respondents intended to move away from the app completely.

WhatsApp Pay is a feature that users in the markets of Brazil and India can use to transfer money to their contacts or receive money in their bank accounts. In February 2018, WhatsApp Payr was released as a beta version in India, with an addressable market of one million users. In November 2020, the platform received permission to launch the service to 20 million Indian users in total. In April 2022, WhatsApp pay was allowed by the country's regulator to reach a total of 100 million users.

As of April 2022, Brazil presented the highest share of WhatsApp users, with around nine in 10 messaging app users in the country engaging with the social and instant messaging app. WhatsApp had a penetration rate of approximately 97 percent among messaging and chat app users in India and Italy. Phone messaging users in Australia presented the lowest usage share of WhatsApp, with only 33 percent of mobile phone messaging app users reporting engaging with the Meta-owned app.

As per the results of a survey regarding WhatsApp usage by rural Indians in 2018, it was found that more than ** percent of respondents spent between one and two hours on a daily basis using the messaging app. At the same time, **** percent of the respondents spent over ***** hours daily using the app.

According to a survey conducted by LocalCircles, ** percent of the respondents across India answered that they had received an average of at least *** to ***** spam or promotional messages on WhatsApp as of February 2023. The source revealed that WhatsApp users had noticed a rise in receiving spam messages on the instant messaging app compared to the previous year.

Growing digitalization efforts combined with low data prices enabled a significant number of people to use the internet actively across India. Of these, about *** million were active social media users. WhatsApp and Instagram accounted for the largest penetration, at over ** percent and over nearly ** percent respectively in the third quarter of 2024. The rise of Facebook in India  Hyderabad became the first Asian Facebook office registered under “Facebook India Online Services Private Limited” in 2010. The steady growth of the social network did not come without controversies. One of the most opposed collaborations that Facebook founded was internet.org, especially in India. The partnership with Reliance communications in 2015 caused controversy and was banned later that year. In recent years, the rise of fake news and its impact on politics has brought responsibility and content moderation to the forefront.   YouTube – the video-sharing social platform counterpart  YouTube was largely inspired by two events according to one of its founders – one of which was the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The idea was the make sharing and finding videos easily available. YouTube consumption in India sky-rocketed with the Indian Premier League match streaming in 2010 with over *** billion views per day. Of course, this doubled with each season of the IPL thereafter. Furthermore, music videos were highly popular in the country. The evidence lies in the subscription growth of the music record label T-Series’ YouTube channel.

WhatsApp emerged as the most used social media app in India, with users spending an average of ** hours per month on the instant messaging platform in 2021. Facebook followed ******* with users spending just under ** hours on average on it per month. The government-imposed ban on TikTok contributed to higher engagement on Meta Platforms, especially Facebook and Instagram, among Indian users between 2020 and 2021.

As per the results of a survey on WhatsApp usage by rural Indians in 2018, it was found that more than ** percent of respondents spent between ****** and ** texts on a daily basis using Whatsapp. At the same time, around ** percent of the respondents used the mobile app to exchange between ** to ** texts daily.