Whatsapp is created in 2009 by two former Yahoo employees, Brian Acton and Jan Koum. WhatsApp is a messaging app for smartphones.
Jan Koum brainstormed the concept when he bought an iPhone in 2009 and found this concept via the Apple App Store to be successful, as Apple used to send push notifications to alert its users. They initially focused on statuses, later Koum said during the gym hours that he wanted to avoid missing important calls.
Fortunately, they found Igor Solomennikov through RentACoder.com (now freelancer.com) who then created the push notification feature app. When the app was launched, the users received a fruitful response that inspired them to add messaging features, and the rest is history.
WhatsApp was a big success as it allowed users to sign in using their phone number with this free messaging. They easily convinced a bunch of ex-Yahoo employees to finance $250,000 in the project, owing to their incredible performance.
WhatsApp later launched the messaging app for multimedia, and it was released on Android. This was WhatsApp’s turning point, as it ranked as the world’s top three most downloaded apps. WhatsApp reached the threshold of one billion messages a day in October 2011, though WhatsApp could count 200 million active users by 2013. WhatsApp’s monthly active users exceeded the 1.5-billion figure in late 2017.
With this wonderful result, they attracted Sequoia Capital to invest $8 million in April 2011 and a further $50 million in February 2013, according to which WhatsApp at the time valued $1.5 billion.
With such performance, in the future, Facebook considered WhatsApp as one of its main competitors, so Mark expressed an interest in acquiring WhatsApp and in February 2014, Facebook purchased WhatsApp for $19 billion, which was the biggest acquisition that period.
Later, both WhatsApp founders left the company because they had concerns about the data exchanged between the two firms, though they promised to encrypt the data.
Regarding the controversy, WhatsApp remains top in its sector as it has consistently launched the latest apps like video calling, voice calls, group calls, and WhatsApp Business.
Table of Contents
WhatsApp Key Statistics
WhatsApp has 1.5 billion users from 180 countries making it the world’s most popular instant messaging app. With 1.3 billion users Facebook Messenger is in second place.
- There are one billion active users daily.
- WhatsApp’s largest market in India with more than 200 million users. The figure is often 300 million around.
- There are 120 million WhatsApp users in Brazil.
- The U.S. market unexpectedly has smaller shareholdings with 23 million users.
- 450 million users left behind Snapchat posts, using the WhatsApp statuses.
- WhatsApp has three million users.
- Every minute 29 million messages were sent, and the average WhatsApp messages reached 65 billion.
- Video and voice calls from WhatsApp consume two billion minutes a day.
- The total number of daily video calls made on WhatsApp is 55 million that takes 340 minutes in total.
- A total of 85 billion hours were spent on WhatsApp during May – July 2018.
- In 2014, Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion.
Whatsapp user statistics
1. In Q2 2018 WhatsApp had 450 million daily active users
WhatsApp was very good in the second quarter of 2018 as the company had 450 million users who used the app on a regular basis. Over Q3 2017, the quarter saw a rise of over 150 million active users.
2. WhatsApp has 1.5 billion active users in more than 180 countries
WhatsApp’s 1.5 billion active users are spread worldwide. The app has a presence in 180 of the world’s 193 countries, making it the largest share of both messaging and social networks.
3. On WhatsApp, an average of 1 million people register daily
WhatsApp consumer numbers are a variable which is continuously increasing. Around one million new users see an average day on the messaging site. Skype has an average of 400,000 new users daily to equate it with the competition once again.
4. WhatsApp has 300 million active every day users around the world
There are 300 million WhatsApp users who use the app every day to chat. 1.5 billion users sign into their Facebook accounts every day to compete with WhatsApp’s parent company. By comparison, WhatsApp’s competition gets fewer visits every day. Viber, for example, has about 90 million active users daily.
5. The number of WhatsApp users in the US is expected to rise to 25.6 million by 2021.
Since 2015, the success of WhatsApp has been growing in America. The number of users in the US has continually increasing. Over the last four year’s the company has gained about 2 million users from this region. This rate is projected to continue for at least another three years, with by 2021 the number of people using WhatsApp from the states exceeding 25.6 million.
6. The average user checks WhatsApp more than 23 times daily
If you find your anxiety about incoming messages strange, you should be comforted by the fact an average WhatsApp user checks her phone 23 times a day to see if there are new messages.
7. 58% of users access WhatsApp several times daily
The users need to use the app at least once a month to be considered successful. WhatsApp users do meet this criteria for the most part. WhatsApp users also update the app many times a day. In a survey conducted in 2016, 58% of respondents said they used the messaging app many times a day.
8. In Italy 81% of iPhone users use WhatsApp
According to statistics from WhatsApp, Italian iPhone users are passionate about free messaging with 81% of them using WhatsApp as their primary messaging app.
9. In 2017, 44% of US users accessed WhatsApp several times a day
Back in 2017, 44% of WhatsApp users living inside the US downloaded the service multiple times a day. Data from successive years show this number to grow.
10. In Finland 7% of mobile users use WhatsApp
Users in Finland aren’t as passionate about WhatsApp as Italians. Just 17 percent of Finnish Android and iOS users use the app as their principal means of messaging.
11. WhatsApp is used by 31% of Ireland’s instant messaging users
WhatsApp is used by just under a third of Ireland’s social media users and prefer it to other applications that serves a similar function.
12. In Argentina, 84% of mobile internet users use WhatsApp
Sorting WhatsApp statistics by region, we can see that the population of Argentina is at the upper end of the spectrum when it comes to mobile internet users use. 84% of Argentines use WhatsApp as their main mobile messaging service.
13. Top country for whatsapp users is Brazil
Brazil tops the list of WhatsApp users, with 19.91% of this country’s total number of users. India is second with 7.61 percent of WhatsApp users, while Turkey is home to 5.62%.
WhatsApp Revenue and Finance Statistics
14. Facebook purchased WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion
Instagram, Chainspace, Oculus VR, One chat … the Facebook acquisition list only continues to expand. WhatsApp statistics improved after it was purchased by Facebook but one of the co-founders, Brian Acton, regretted his decision to sell the company. “I’ve sold the privacy of my users to a greater profit,” Acton told Forbes. “I made a decision and I made a compromise. And I live will day with that.
15. WhatsApp paid an annual subscription fee of $1
WhatsApp used to charge $1 a year in certain countries, only one year after joining. For some, just to download the software cost $1. The subscription model at its height had 700 million users globally, because most people didn’t mind spending a single dollar to get a decent app that they could use to the content of their hearts. However, personal statistics from WhatsApp indicate that usage actually began after the subscription model was dropped in 2016
16. By mid-2017 WhatsApp had created around $12 per user
WhatsApp statistics indicate that, in mid-2017, a single person made about $12 for WhatsApp. With 1.3 billion users and $15 billion in sales, this gave the company an upward direction and made it clear it will become extremely profitable.
17. WhatsApp has earned $250,000 as their first investment in 2009
Brian Acton has succeeded in convincing five friends and ex-Yahoo employees that the WhatsApp is a worthy cause. WhatsApp figures show that this just gave it enough to keep the project running even though at that point it did not produce a lot of revenue. Both five investors have had the company’s status as co-founders.
18. Sequoia Capital spent $8 m in WhatsApp in 2011
Sequoia Capital saw its potential before whatsApp became ever famous. In 2011, the company spent a huge amount of cash to help it get off the ground and they had a 15% share of the venture.
19. Sequoia Capital brought $50 million more into WhatsApp in 2014
Revenue and utilization figures from WhatsApp prove that Sequoia Capital’s investment paid off — so much that they wanted to invest again in 2014. Although this move’s ROI information isn’t publicly accessible, the New York Times estimated in 2014 that they will gain 50 times the money they spent
Whatsapp Usage Statistics 2020
20. Every day WhatsApp makes more than 2 billion minutes of voice and video calls.
Every day, more than 2 billion minutes of voice and video calls move through WhatsApp. In this respect, Skype, one of WhatsApp’s biggest rivals, is leading, as its users spend nearly 3 billion minutes a day making voice and video calls every day.
21. The WhatsApp makes 100 million voice calls and 55 million video calls daily.
Through 100 million voice calls and 55 million video calls on WhatsApp every day, the 2 billion minutes of voice and video calls listed in the preceding paragraph are achieved.
22. More than 65 billion text messages are sent daily via WhatsApp.
WhatsApp statistics show that the apps use the messaging app to share over 65 billion messages daily. WhatsApp’s messaging operation now more than three times exceeds the global amount of SMS messaging, as 20 billion SMS messages are exchanged daily.
23. 75 billion messages were sent on New Year’s Eve, 2017, including 13 billion pictures and 5 billion videos
New Year’s Eve is a busy time for any company, no matter what sort of business it carries on. This was especially true for WhatsApp back in 2017, when the app hosted over 75 billion messages in a single night. During that joyous night, over 13 billion photos and 5 billion videos were sent out.
24. Users spend an average of 195 minutes on whatsapp weekly
An average Joe or Jane spends about 200 minutes per week on WhatsApp, communicating to friends, relatives, acquaintances and business partners.
Close to a third of all social media-shared selfies come from WhatsApp users. Consumers of the messaging app seem to really enjoy taking pictures of themselves and sharing them with friends.
26. More than 73% of the population in Saudi Arabia are successful users of WhatsApp
WhatsApp was regularly used by 73 percent of the population of Saudi Arabia during Q3 2017. Meanwhile, 68 percent of the population of Malaysia was also on WhatsApp, while 65 percent of Germans regularly used the app. Canadians didn’t want to install and use WhatsApp since just 19% of the population were active users at the time.
27. WhatsApp is the number-one news channel in many countries, such as Malaysia
WhatsApp is one of the leading news outlets in many countries around the world according to a survey conducted by Reuters in 2017. For example, 51 percent of the survey’s Malaysians said WhatsApp is their main source of information and news. Just 3 percent of respondents said they use WhatsApp to keep up with the news when it comes to the US.
28. WhatsApp revealed in 2017 that users will send 55 billion messages, 4.5 billion images and 1 billion videos every day
On 26 July 2017, the organization proudly revealed some WhatsApp numbers. Around the time, the app saw more than 55 billion text messages, 4.5 billion images, and a billion videos shared during a single day between users. Since then, those numbers have gradually rising
29. One billion groups are currently in use at WhatsApp
Depending on their interests, users can search and enter various groups on WhatsApp, from those selling cars to debating religious topics and video games. With more than one billion groups open, something is there for everyone
30. 200 million Indians use WhatsApp
India comes in top as country-by-country sorting of WhatsApp users. This country is one of WhatsApp’s largest markets, with the app employing over 200 million people. In comparison, WhatsApp is used by around 20 million Americans, with projections that this number will reach 24.6 million by 2020
31. Only 2 million Chinese people use WhatsApp
WhatsApp is certainly not popular with China, with only 2 million users in this country using the app. Nearly 1.4 billion people live in the country, so the 2 million WhatsApp users make up just over 0.14% of the Chinese population
32. On WhatsApp over 200 million pictures are trashed in a single day
WhatsApp users have the option to hide and trash the photos from their gallery. The quantity of photos being trashed every day is about 200 million.
33. WhatsApp sends more than 29 million messages a minute
WhatsApp users send and receive over 29 million messages within a single minute. The large number contains only text messages and excludes media such as image, video, and audio.
34. WhatsApp is installed on 94.8 percent of all Indian Android devices
Nearly 95% of Android users have WhatsApp built in India. The overwhelming majority of the Indian population is using this device as their primary means of communication, mainly because it is free as opposed to the SMS charges for mobile carriers.
35. 70 % WhatsApp users check the application daily
WhatsApp has one of the highest daily active user bases, as 70 percent of registered users use it without missing a day.
36. 6.2 Percent of Android WhatsApp users uninstalled after installation
If we didn’t have any bad ones it wouldn’t be a comprehensive list of WhatsApp stats. Just 6.2 percent of Android users installing WhatsApp changed their minds and uninstalled the program. It makes WhatsApp the least-uninstalled app ever for Ios. On this aspect, there are basically no other well-known apps on the list which come close to WhatsApp.
37. Indians sent greetings to each other over 20 billion New Year’s Eve 2018 through the WhatsApp
The use of WhatsApp is so popular in India that over 20 billion messages were exchanged among the country’s users during the final night of 2017. Even though Brazil beats India when it comes to the percentage of users, the message traffic numbers generated by the Indian user base can’t come anywhere near.
38. WhatsApp supports over 80% of India and Brazil’s small businesses
WhatsApp’s impact on the Indian and Brazilian markets is expanding beyond personal use. More than 80% of small businesses in these regions have agreed to enter the program and through it provide customer service.
39. 84% of SMBs agree that WhatsApp helps them connect with clients
According to marketing figures from WhatsApp, 2020 would be the turning point for most businesses who have started using the app. A vast majority of small and medium- agree that WhatsApp is a significant part of their business and client relations. The 84% of those selling small and medium-sized products and services find that the direct contact they achieve via the app is an important part of their success.
WhatsApp groups have a capacity for up to 256 participants. They can share messages, photos, and videos between themselves, without any restrictions.
41. WhatsApp claims an average user accesses the app at least 23 times a day
Official statistics reveal that the app is opened 23 times or more a day by an average WhatsApp user, approximately once an hour.
42. WhatsApp is world’s third-most downloaded app
WhatsApp statistics show the free messaging app is close to top of the list of all time’s most downloaded devices. WhatsApp keeps the proud fifth-third as the world’s most downloaded app as of July 2019. Facebook and Twitter are in the offing, for now at least.
Whatsapp Business:
In January 2018, WhatsApp initially launched its Business Edition in five key markets: the USA, Great Britain, Indonesia, Mexico, and Italy. Amazingly, 3 million businesses signed up for a business account within four months of its launch. WhatsApp Business aimed to promote small and medium-sized business owners and provide them with improved connectivity tools with their customers. WhatsApp Company allows users to build profiles with useful information and some advanced messaging features including routing and message sorting. In addition, it encrypts messages sent via WhatsApp Company.
WhatsApp didn’t stop here and in August 2018 released the WhatsApp Business API, which allowed businesses to respond to customer messages. When using the API, companies will be able to respond free of charge within 24 hours of receiving the request, after which they would have to pay a fixed cost per response. It is WhatsApp’s first ever revenue-generating enterprise product.
The API also has several useful features which include reminders, confirmations, and tickets. One thing to remember here is that WhatsApp Business is still free to use but WhatsApp aims to monetize it in the foreseeable future, they would most likely charge bigger businesses.
WhatsApp Facts
1. WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by the former Yahoo employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum
Brian Acton and Jan Koum agreed to take a break after leaving Yahoo in 2007, and move to South America. Returning from the tour, the duo realized the potential that the app store for iPhone had for new messaging applications that would require some customization. They brought in an iOS developer, Igor Solomennikov, and on 24 February 2009 formed WhatsApp Inc. in California.
2. Jan Koum keeps Brian’s note taped to his desk which reads “No Ads! No Games at all! No Gimmicks!
WhatsApp’s founding pair both wanted to create a straightforward app based on one main feature, with no needless gimmicks that would detract from the main purpose. That is why Jan Koum keeps the note from Brian Acton which reads “No Advertising! No Plays at all! No Gimmicks on this! “To date, on his desk.
3. WhatsApp has spent zero cash on publicity, public relations, and customer growth
The animosity of Jan Koum and Brian Acton for advertisements is best illustrated by the fact that their firm has not spent a dime in advertising since its inception. The business doesn’t even have marketing and PR staff. WhatsApp has also focused on the ease and convenience of bringing in new users.
4. WhatsApp hires 55 staff and 50 engineers;
Most people would expect a company with more than 1 billion users to have thousands of employees, but WhatsApp once again shocks us. It has managed to create a communications empire behind the scenes with only 55 workers and 50 engineers. The organization does not hire any marketing or PR staff, as stated above.
5. WhatsApp’s worth more than some countries ‘Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The market value of WhatsApp is double the GDP of various countries around the world. Most of them come as no surprise, like the Balkan countries, but WhatsApp also seems to be more competitive than some of the countries that top life satisfaction lists, like Iceland. Japan is just another example of a nation with a lower GDP than the value of WhatsApp.
6. Twitter and Facebook had the opportunity to recruit Brian Acton, WhatsApp founder
Brian Acton applied for work openings on both Facebook and Twitter before choosing to take a year off but was denied. He and Jan Koum then decided to take their around $400,000 savings and fly to Latin America.
7. In 2014 Google agreed to purchase WhatsApp for $10 billion
WhatsApp agreed back in 2014 to reject Google’s bid for acquisitions. The search giant bid $10 billion to buy WhatsApp but, thankfully, declined. Only a few months later, the company was sold to Facebook for almost twice what Google offered.
8. On 19 February 2014 Facebook announced its $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp, its biggest purchase to date
On 19 February 2014, WhatsApp was purchased by Facebook. The corporation invested $19billion on the messaging app, making its biggest acquisition so far.
9. WhatsApp joined Facebook in 2014 but still operates as a separate app
Facebook decided to keep WhatsApp independent, which proved to be the best move possible, especially given that some users expressed concerns about Facebook that could interfere with the company and ruin their experience with WhatsApp so far. Fortunately, the WhatsApp turnover has only increased for them, as has the app’s success.
10. In January 2018, WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Service for small business use
WhatsApp needed something to come up with to make profit. The logical move was to run advertisements on the website, but the founders were strictly against that as we have already known. The next logical move was to include business users in some way, which was achieved early in 2018.
11. WhatsApp lets its users delete messages sent by mistake within 7 minutes
WhatsApp users have the option to change their minds about a message being sent and delete it within 7 minutes after it is received. This feature is useful for those who make common spelling errors or have the habit of writing the wrong people. Many of us are sorry to be sending drunk texts so the app is certainly helpful.
12. WhatsApp generated revenue of only $15 million and was losing $232.5 million in 2014.
WhatsApp’s revenue has always been a curious subject that means at first glance the business is not doing that well. It made a loss of more than $230 million in 2014, raking in just $15 million, owing to the company’s strategy to avoid advertising. Nowadays, after introducing the option to let businesses respond to customers using the app, the company is making a profit.
13. WhatsApp’s banned in 12 countries
Users from 12 countries around the world don’t have access to WhatsApp because of complaints about the program from their respective Government. WhatsApp is currently the world’s most illegal app while Facebook is blocked in seven countries. In seven countries around the world, Twitter is not available, and users from six countries can not watch videos on YouTube. The list of countries that banned whatsapp includes Bangladesh, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, UAE, and others.
14. In January 2015, WhatsApp launched their Web Application
In early 2015, WhatsApp agreed to allow its users to use desktop computers to access the app. The app’s desktop version has the same features as the mobile one which allows users to submit text, images, videos, and voice calls.
15. Whatsapp supports 60 languages on Android phones
Loaded on Ios devices, WhatsApp is available in 60 languages to satisfy the global public’s instant messaging needs.
Final Thoughts:
WhatsApp is definitely one of the most successful apps because it is filled with such features that conventional SMS messaging can’t achieve.
Today, data protection is the main issue for many, as Facebook does not have a strong record in this regard.
It looks like, purchasing WhatsApp was Facebook’s best decision as it might be the social networking giant’s greatest competitor.
WhatsApp will become a bigger part of business in the near future, as WhatsApp focuses on Mobile Payments and WhatsApp Service. Their target market India has shown great interest in payments which means that in the near future we will be witnessing more in this regard.
WhatsApp is really the most innovative tool that has changed the way of communicating and has become the mobile network substitute in the markets where they charge so much.
At present, it is impossible to imagine a world without WhatsApp and Facebook.
