WhatsApp usage in selected countries 2023

As of the third of 2023, Nigeria saw approximately 95.1 percent of the country's digital population engaging with mobile social messaging platform WhatsApp on a monthly basis. Approximately 93.9 percent of internet users in South Africa reported using WhatsApp every month, while Brazil saw 93.4 percent of its internet users engaging with the platform. By comparison, 63.7 internet users in France reported using the messaging app, while Denmark had the lowest WhatsApp usage rate among the examined markets.

WhatsApp usage worldwide

As of July 2021, WhatsApp counted roughly two billion global monthly active users. The Facebook-owned mobile messaging service is particularly popular in mobile-first countries, with more than 18 million downloads during the first quarter of 2021 in India alone. However, after the app’s 2021 controversial privacy update, 36 percent of users in the country have intended to drastically reduce their WhatsApp usage and start using other communication channels, like SMS, e-mails, or migrate to WhatsApp competitors Telegram and Signal.

WhatsApp privacy update woes

WhatsApp’s latest major privacy policy update, which was announced on January 4, 2021, was not well received by users worldwide. The most controversial aspect of the update saw WhatsApp requesting users to give permission to share data like mobile phone numbers and locations with its parent company Facebook or stop using the app altogether. As a result, WhatsApp is facing a 267 million U.S. dollars fine from the Data Protection Commission for not respecting Europe’s GDPR, as well as a 197,000 euros fine in Turkey for privacy rules violations.

Subsequently, many users chose to migrate towards competing messaging platforms like Telegram and Signal. During the first quarter of 2021, Telegram downloads worldwide spiked, reaching 64.24 million downloads in the Asia-Pacific region. Similarly, Signal reached 51 million installs in January 2021, up by more than 4100 percent compared to the previous month.

WhatsApp monthly usage in selected markets worldwide as of 3rd quarter 2023

Characteristic	Share of internet users
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-
-	-

Download

Source

Show detailed source information?

Already a member?

Sources

Use Ask Statista Research Service

Release date

February 2024

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

Q3 2023

Age group

16 to 64 years

Special properties

internet users

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

Data was collected from several publications by the source.
Digital 2024: Germany, Denmark, Australia, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, page 59
Digital 2024: Indonesia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Netherlands, Romania, page 60
Digital 2024: India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, page 58
Digital 2024: Nigeria, Kenya, Page 51
Digital 2024: The Russian Federation, page 55

Citation formats