Telegram, a privacy-focused messaging app, has recorded meteoric growth since its launch in 2013. According to statistics, Telegram ranks among the top 10 global social media apps with multiple services, including messages, video, and voice calls.
After accumulating 2.5 million users daily at its early stage, the platform now boasts over 800 million monthly active users. Its popularity is almost on par with that of Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and others. This article reveals outstanding Telegram statistics covering its growth, usage, and revenue. Also, we’ll explore some key trends and facts about the free messaging app.
Key Statistics
Telegram App Statistics
1. Telegram launched several features in 2014, including a standalone desktop, voice messages, a web app, and usernames.
2. In 2015, Telegram introduced new features, which include stickers, a photo editor, and its Bot API.
3. The Telegram app is functional in 58 languages, with about 20,000 stickers.
4. The app boasts about 55.2 million daily active users on iOS and Android. This value reflects a significant growth compared to 15 million daily users as of March 2014.
5. Telegram is more popular on Android Smartphones, with about 500 million downloads in 2020.
6. The app saw an addition of 350 million users within the past three and a half years.
Telegram Download Statistics
7. As of 2020, Telegram emerged among the top downloaded social media apps in over 20 countries.
8. Telegram hit a milestone in usage and number of downloads in 2023. The instant messaging app was downloaded over 34.8 million times globally in July 2023.
9. The app’s downloads hit 113.52 million in the third quarter of 2023, a 24.05% year-over-year increase.
10. The app downloads climbed to 310.94 million within the first nine months of 2023.
11. Telegram was the fifth most downloaded app in November 2023, with 27 million downloads. It followed WhatsApp, which ranked fourth with 34 million downloads.
12. India is Telegram’s leading market in terms of app downloads by country. Between January and December 2023, users in India downloaded the messaging app almost 84 million times. Russia and the US occupied the second and third positions with more than 35 million and 30 million downloads, respectively.
13. Brazil leads in the number of Telegram app downloads among Latin American countries. It has over 15.8 million monthly active users.
Telegram Usage Statistics
14. Telegram’s monthly active users rose to over 800 million as of January 2024, representing about 8.7% of the global population. The value indicates a slight drop in the app’s monthly active users as of 2023, which made up 9.9% of the world’s total population.
15. The male gender accounts for most app users, 58.6% of the total, while the female population only represents 41.4%. Data indicates a gradual closing of the gender gap over the years. The number of women using the app reached 33% and 39% in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
16. Since its inception in 2013, Telegram has recorded a 40% year-over-year (YoY) growth in its user base. Moreover, the app’s user count has surged by over 175% since 2018.
17. While Facebook and Instagram were down on Oct. 4, 2021, Telegram’s number of users spiked to 70 million.
18. The app indicated that 1.5 million new users join Telegram each day, and its user base continues to increase.
19. 30% of Telegram users are between 25 and 34 years old, representing the largest age group that uses the app. Other age group users include 17 and below, representing 6%; 18 to 24, representing 19%; 34 to 44, representing 24%; and 45 and above, representing 22%.
20. As of 2023, most Telegram users work in the IT and internet sectors. This accounts for about 21% of the total app users. Moreover, 12% of app users work in marketing and PR, while 4% are in finance. Workers in Production, Trade, and Education account for 7% of Telegram users, respectively. On the other hand, the Media and Services sectors each account for 5% of Telegram users.
Telegram Usage Statistics By Country
26. India has the largest number of Telegram app installations globally. As of January 2021, the country accounted for 24% of downloads of the Telegram messaging app.
27. Indonesia recorded 10% of the app’s total downloads during the same period.
28. About 10 million users in the US use Telegram every month.
29. 23% of Brazilians use Telegram every day, but just 3% of the country’s population confirmed they have never used the app.
30. Conversely, just 32% of Italians, 25% of Spanish citizens, and 3% of the UK use Telegram. Also, about 5% of Canadian residents use Telegram, 11% of Austrian residents use the app, and Finland users account for 6% of Telegram users
21. About 62% of Telegram users have a higher education certificate. Up to 9% have or are receiving a Master’s Degree, and 7% didn’t complete higher education. Also, while 6% are still studying, 4% have a secondary education.
22. A Telegram user spends an average of 2.9 hours monthly on the app.
23. According to DataReportal, between April and June 2022, an average Android Telegram user spent almost 3 hours and 50 minutes on the app each month.
24. Telegram Premium users reached 4 million in early January 2024. As of July 2023, the app had only 2 million subscribers to this premium version.
25. As of 2016, the app revealed a delivery of more than 15 billion messages daily among its users within just two and a half years of launch. Telegram hit about 100 million monthly active users during the period, with over 350,000 new additions daily.
Telegram Channels Statistics
31. The total audience of the fifty largest Telegram channels is 102 million subscribers.
32. Telegram Tips is the largest channel on the messaging platform, with up to 8.7 million subscribers. Telegram News follows closely with about 6.4 million subscribers. Proxy MTProto takes the third position with 5.99 million subscribers.
33. Russia boasts the largest Telegram channels and chat audience, with 2.47 billion subscribers. Iran, Uzbekistan, and India follow behind with 1.2 billion, 651 million, and 609 million subscribers, respectively.
34. Up to 70% of channel administrators on the app made profits by placing adverts on the platform as of 2023.
Telegram Revenue Statistics
35. Telegram got $0 revenue at its launch in 2013.
36. Parel Durov, Telegram’s CEO, sold his stake in VK for $400 million. He used the money to fund Telegram between 2013 and 2016.
38. As of 2022, Telegram accumulated $45 million, mainly via its Premium services.
39. The app raised $68.8 million as total revenue in 2023. This reflected a 52.9% increase from its 2022 revenue.
40. Telegram’s revenue as of 2021 stood at $9.4 million.
41. The app has monetized its Premium features to generate revenue while maintaining user privacy. Notably, the regular version is free and allows users access to all features. However, Telegram Premium comes with additional features and cost implications.
42. Telegram has an ad platform for large public channels to facilitate traffic flux and cover subscription costs.
43. In July 2023, Telegram generated about $2.4 million in monthly in-app revenue from the Apple App Store. The instant messaging app raised about $588,000 from the Google Play Store during the same period.
44. Overall, Telegram’s in-app revenue increased by a whopping 6x between June and December 2022, from $250,000 to $1.5 million.
45. Between June 2022 and July 2023, the messaging app generated up to $14 million in revenue from the App Store.
46. Telegram generated over $1 billion through 5-year pre-IPO convertible bond sales in 2021. The major investors include Mubadala and Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners, which invested $150 million in the funding round.
Telegram Availability Statistics
47. The Telegram app is only available in 175 countries in the iOS App Store in all countries where the app market is operational.
48. Out of 141 countries where Google Play is functional, Telegram is available for Android users to download in 133 countries.
49. Windows users in 107 countries can access the Telegram app out of 109 countries where the Windows Store operates.
Facts on Reasons for Using Telegram
A study by Statista in 2023 showed different popular channel categories and reasons for using Telegram.
50. As many as 85% of Telegram users source new channels on the app.
51. About 29% of users download movies and music using the app.
52. About 17% of users use the app to create stickers.
53. As much as 58% of Telegram users focus on educational channels on the app.
54. About 50% of Telegram users source political channels on the app.
Telegram Engagement Statistics
55. DataReportal’s research in January 2024 revealed that several active users of Telegram also engage on other social media platforms. According to the study, 85.2% and 83.7% of Telegram users also use WhatsApp and Instagram, respectively. Moreover, 82%, 77.9%, and 55.6% of the app users also use YouTube, Facebook, and X, respectively.
56. 2.4% of active social media users between 16 and 64 years old picked Telegram as their favorite platform. According to the highlights, Telegram stood as the eighth most favored social media app.
57. Between April and June 2023, Telegram Android users check the messaging app at least 38.6% of the time. This indicated that active users of the Telegram Android app had an average of 167 sessions per month during the period.
58. Chinese goods were Telegram’s highest-selling product category worldwide in 2020, with sales of over $12 million. Other prominent categories on the app during the period include Digital equipment, which sold for $5.5 million; Consumer loans, which sold for $3.1 million; and Apparel and Shoes, which sold for $2.1 million.
59. As of 2022, 27% of adults in the US were aware of Telegram. Just 2% noted that they use the app mainly for news.
60. As of February 2024, Telegram occupied the sixth position in the social networking category on the App Store. The app garnered a 4-star rating through more than 184,000 reviews.
Conclusion
Telegram has paved its route as one of the fastest-growing social messaging platforms. With over 800 million monthly active users, the app keeps seeing more engagement time. Moreover, the team is committed to the app as it rolls out more exciting features. Also, it has grown its revenue to over $68 million in 2023 through Telegram Premium, which requires a subscription.
FAQs
About 1.5 million new users join Telegram daily. As of early 2024, the app boasts over 800 million monthly active users. Moreover, the app has recorded more than 40% growth annually over the past ten years.
India is Telegram’s largest market, accounting for over 20% of its total user base. According to Statista, Indian users downloaded the Telegram app up to 84 million times in 2023.
Telegram uses end-to-end encryption for all messages and content on the platform, highlighting its security. Moreover, the app tracks or shares a minimum of users’ personal. So, it has captivated many WhatsApp users, boosting its overall user base over the years.
On average, Telegram users send more than 15 billion messages daily on the app. An average user spends at least 2.9 hours on the app monthly, indicating its high usage rate.
People can make money on Telegram by selling products and services directly on the platform. You can post images of your products/services with included text and payment methods on your channel. Moreover, the platform can serve as a means of advertisement for most marketers.
