ChatGPT Statistics 2026: Weekly Users, Growth, Subscribers and Usage
More than 1.2 billion people used ChatGPT each week in October 2026, according to OpenAI. That is up from 700 million in September 2025, a rise of 71% by our calculation. In the US, 44% of adults used ChatGPT in 2026, up from 18% in 2023, according to Pew Research Center. Most use is personal. About 70% of consumer ChatGPT use was not related to work in 2025, according to OpenAI. ChatGPT had more than 50 million subscribers in March 2026.
Key statistics
- More than 1.2 billion people used ChatGPT each week in October 2026, according to OpenAI.
- ChatGPT weekly users grew 71% in about 13 months to October 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from OpenAI data.
- 44% of US adults used ChatGPT in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
- ChatGPT had more than 50 million subscribers in March 2026, according to OpenAI.
- About 70% of consumer ChatGPT use was not related to work in 2025, according to OpenAI.
ChatGPT weekly active users and growth over time
OpenAI is a private company. It publishes weekly user counts only in announcements, as rounded numbers. The table below logs each official figure we could fetch, with the date OpenAI gave it.
More than 1.2 billion people used ChatGPT each week in October 2026, according to OpenAI. In March 2025 the figure was 500 million. By our calculation the user base grew 2.4 times in about 18 months. That is about 39 million extra weekly users a month on average. Growth has not slowed in absolute terms. ChatGPT added roughly 500 million weekly users in the 13 months after September 2025.
The reach is global. An NBER working paper found that about 10% of the world's adults used ChatGPT by July 2025. OpenAI says adoption grew over 4 times faster in the lowest-income countries than in the richest ones by May 2025. In the UK, Ofcom counted 1.8 billion visits to ChatGPT in the first eight months of 2025, against 368 million a year earlier. By our calculation that is 4.9 times as many.
Treat the weekly figures with care. They are company statements, not audited filings. OpenAI chooses when to announce them, and most are lower bounds. No independent panel publishes a worldwide weekly user count. For how ChatGPT's share compares with rival chatbots, see our AI chatbot market share page.
Source: OpenAI announcements of 31 March 2025, 15 September 2025, 5 November 2025, 31 March 2026 and 7 October 2026.
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More than 1.2 billion people used ChatGPT each week in October 2026, according to OpenAI.
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ChatGPT had more than 900 million weekly active users in March 2026, according to OpenAI.
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ChatGPT had more than 800 million weekly users in November 2025, according to OpenAI.
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ChatGPT had 700 million weekly active users in September 2025, according to OpenAI.
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ChatGPT had 500 million weekly users in March 2025, according to OpenAI.
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ChatGPT weekly users grew 71% in about 13 months to October 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from OpenAI data.
How we calculated it: 1.2 billion weekly users (7 October 2026) / 700 million (15 September 2025) = 1.71, a rise of 71%. Both figures are rounded company statements; the later one is a lower bound ("more than").
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ChatGPT weekly users grew 2.4 times between March 2025 and October 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from OpenAI data.
How we calculated it: 1.2 billion weekly users (October 2026) / 500 million (March 2025) = 2.4.
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ChatGPT added about 39 million weekly users a month on average between March 2025 and October 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from OpenAI data.
How we calculated it: (1,200 million in October 2026 - 500 million in March 2025) / 18 months = 38.9 million a month.
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About 10% of the world's adult population used ChatGPT by July 2025, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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ChatGPT adoption grew over 4 times faster in the lowest-income countries than in the highest-income countries by May 2025, according to OpenAI.
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ChatGPT had 1.8 billion UK visits in January to August 2025, up from 368 million in the same period of 2024, according to Ofcom.
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UK visits to ChatGPT grew 4.9 times between January to August 2024 and the same months of 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Ofcom data.
How we calculated it: 1,800 million visits (January to August 2025) / 368 million (January to August 2024) = 4.89.
| Date of statement | Weekly users | OpenAI source |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2025 | 500 million | New funding to build towards AGI |
| 7 August 2025 | nearly 700 million | GPT-5 and the new era of work |
| 15 September 2025 | 700 million | How people are using ChatGPT |
| 5 November 2025 | more than 800 million | 1 million business customers |
| 27 February 2026 | more than 900 million | Scaling AI for everyone |
| 31 March 2026 | more than 900 million | OpenAI raises $122 billion |
| 7 October 2026 | more than 1.2 billion | GPT-6 rollout announcement |
ChatGPT subscribers, business users and revenue
Only a small share of ChatGPT users pay. OpenAI has given subscriber, business and revenue figures in funding and product announcements since 2025.
ChatGPT had more than 50 million subscribers in March 2026, according to OpenAI. Against 900 million weekly users, that is about 5.6% by our calculation. So roughly one weekly user in 18 pays for a consumer plan. The free tier is why OpenAI began testing ads. Its ads pilot passed $100 million in annual recurring revenue in under six weeks.
Business use is growing faster than the consumer base. Paying business users went from 5 million in August 2025 to more than 9 million in February 2026. By our calculation that is a rise of 80% in about seven months, while weekly users rose about 29% over a similar period, from nearly 700 million to more than 900 million. Enterprise customers made up more than 40% of OpenAI revenue in March 2026.
OpenAI said it was generating $2 billion in revenue a month in March 2026. That implies a run rate of about $24 billion a year. It is not the same as reported annual revenue. OpenAI does not publish audited accounts, so these figures cannot be checked against filings.
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ChatGPT had more than 50 million subscribers in March 2026, according to OpenAI.
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5 million paid users used ChatGPT business products in August 2025, according to OpenAI.
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ChatGPT had more than 7 million ChatGPT for Work seats in November 2025, according to OpenAI.
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More than 9 million paying business users used ChatGPT for work in February 2026, according to OpenAI.
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Paying ChatGPT business users rose 80% in about seven months to February 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from OpenAI data.
How we calculated it: 9 million paying business users (27 February 2026) / 5 million paid business users (7 August 2025) = 1.8, a rise of 80%. OpenAI worded the two counts slightly differently.
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More than 1 million business customers were using OpenAI products directly in November 2025, according to OpenAI.
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ChatGPT Enterprise seats grew 9 times year on year to November 2025, according to OpenAI.
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Weekly messages in ChatGPT Enterprise rose roughly 8 times in the year to December 2025, according to OpenAI.
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Workers at enterprises using ChatGPT reported saving 40 to 60 minutes a day in 2025, according to OpenAI.
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OpenAI generated $2 billion in revenue per month in March 2026, according to OpenAI.
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OpenAI revenue ran at about $24 billion a year in March 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from OpenAI data.
How we calculated it: $2 billion revenue per month x 12 months = $24 billion annualised run rate. This is a run rate, not reported annual revenue.
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Enterprise customers made up more than 40% of OpenAI revenue in March 2026, according to OpenAI.
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Search usage in ChatGPT nearly tripled in the year to March 2026, according to OpenAI.
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The ChatGPT ads pilot reached more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue in under six weeks in 2026, according to OpenAI.
| Metric | Figure | Date | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid users of ChatGPT business products | 5 million | August 2025 | n/a |
| ChatGPT for Work seats | more than 7 million | November 2025 | Enterprise seats up 9x year on year |
| Business customers using OpenAI directly | more than 1 million | November 2025 | n/a |
| Paying business users | more than 9 million | February 2026 | +80% since August 2025 (our calculation) |
| Consumer subscribers | more than 50 million | February to March 2026 | n/a |
| Revenue | $2 billion a month | March 2026 | about $24 billion a year run rate (our calculation) |
Share of US adults who use ChatGPT, by age
Pew Research Center has asked US adults about ChatGPT in every year since 2023. It is the longest independent series on ChatGPT adoption.
44% of US adults used ChatGPT in 2026, according to Pew Research Center. In July 2023 the figure was 18%. By our calculation that is a rise of 26 points, or 2.4 times, in about two and a half years. The biggest single jump came between 2024 and 2025, when use rose 11 points.
Age is the clearest divide. 61% of adults aged 18 to 29 use ChatGPT, against 19% of those aged 65 and over, a gap of 42 points. But the gap is closing. Young adult use rose only 3 points between 2025 and 2026, while use among 30 to 49 year olds rose 14 points and use among people 65 and over nearly doubled. Pew found identical shares of men and women use ChatGPT.
Work use is growing fast. 28% of employed adults used ChatGPT for work in 2025, up from 8% in early 2023. Among all adults, 26% had used it for learning and 22% for entertainment. Among teens, 26% had used ChatGPT for schoolwork by late 2024, double the 2023 share. For a wider view of AI chatbot use in search, see our AI search statistics page.
Source: Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026, ChatGPT trend table, shown among all adults.
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44% of US adults used ChatGPT in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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34% of US adults had used ChatGPT in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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23% of US adults had used ChatGPT in early 2024, according to Pew Research Center.
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18% of US adults had used ChatGPT in July 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
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The share of US adults using ChatGPT rose 26 points between July 2023 and February 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 44% (17 to 23 February 2026) - 18% (17 to 23 July 2023) = 26 points. The question wording changed in 2026.
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The share of US adults using ChatGPT grew 2.4 times between 2023 and 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 44% in February 2026 / 18% in July 2023 = 2.44.
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79% of US adults had heard at least a little about ChatGPT in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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61% of US adults aged 18 to 29 used ChatGPT in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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19% of US adults aged 65 and over used ChatGPT in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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57% of US adults under 50 used ChatGPT in 2026, against 28% of those aged 50 and over, according to Pew Research Center.
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58% of US adults aged 18 to 29 had used ChatGPT in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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10% of US adults aged 65 and over had used ChatGPT in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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US adults aged 18 to 29 were 42 points more likely to use ChatGPT than those aged 65 and over in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 61% (ages 18 to 29) - 19% (ages 65 and over) = 42 points, February 2026.
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ChatGPT use among US adults aged 30 to 49 rose 14 points between 2025 and 2026, the largest rise of any age group, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 55% in 2026 (Pew age page) - 41% in 2025 (Pew June 2025 short read) = 14 points. Other groups: 18-29 +3 (58 to 61), 50-64 +12 (25 to 37), 65+ +9 (10 to 19). Question wording changed in 2026.
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ChatGPT use among US adults aged 65 and over grew 1.9 times between 2025 and 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 19% in February 2026 / 10% in February to March 2025 (Pew June 2025 short read) = 1.9.
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28% of employed US adults used ChatGPT for work in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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The share of employed US adults using ChatGPT for work grew 3.5 times between 2023 and 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 28% in February to March 2025 / 8% in early 2023 = 3.5.
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26% of US adults had used ChatGPT for learning in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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22% of US adults had used ChatGPT for entertainment in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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26% of US teens had used ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024, up from 13% in 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
| Age group | 2025 | 2026 | Change (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All US adults | 34% | 44% | +10 points |
| 18-29 | 58% | 61% | +3 points |
| 30-49 | 41% | 55% | +14 points |
| 50-64 | 25% | 37% | +12 points |
| 65+ | 10% | 19% | +9 points |
What people use ChatGPT for
Two studies built on the same OpenAI research classify what people ask ChatGPT. Both used automated classifiers on samples of consumer conversations, so no human read the messages.
Most ChatGPT use is personal. About 70% of consumer use was not related to work in 2025, according to OpenAI. The NBER paper shows the non-work share grew from about 53% to over 70%. Work and non-work use both grew in absolute terms. Personal use simply grew faster.
Asking is the biggest use. 49% of messages seek information or advice, 40% ask ChatGPT to do a task and 11% are personal expression. The two sources differ slightly on topics. OpenAI's summary says practical guidance, seeking information and writing make up three-quarters of conversations. The NBER abstract puts the same three at nearly 80%. Both describe the same 2025 data, rounded differently.
Health is a large niche. More than 5% of all ChatGPT messages were about healthcare in January 2026, according to OpenAI. One in four of its 800 million regular users asked a health question each week. By our calculation that is about 200 million people. The user base is also more balanced than at launch. Users with typically feminine names rose from 37% in January 2024 to 52% in July 2025.
Source: OpenAI, How people are using ChatGPT.
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About 70% of consumer ChatGPT use was not related to work in 2025, according to OpenAI.
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Non-work messages grew from about 53% to over 70% of consumer ChatGPT use by July 2025, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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49% of consumer ChatGPT messages were requests for information or advice ("Asking") in 2025, according to OpenAI.
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40% of consumer ChatGPT use was task work such as drafting, planning or programming ("Doing") in 2025, according to OpenAI.
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11% of consumer ChatGPT use was personal reflection, exploration and play ("Expressing") in 2025, according to OpenAI.
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Practical guidance, seeking information and writing made up nearly 80% of ChatGPT conversations in 2025, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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52% of ChatGPT users with classifiable names had typically feminine names in July 2025, up from 37% in January 2024, according to OpenAI.
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More than 5% of all ChatGPT messages worldwide were about healthcare in January 2026, according to OpenAI.
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More than 40 million people asked ChatGPT healthcare questions every day in January 2026, according to OpenAI.
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About 200 million ChatGPT users asked a healthcare question each week in January 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from OpenAI data.
How we calculated it: 800 million regular users x one in four who submit a healthcare prompt every week = 200 million. OpenAI gives 800 million as a lower bound.
| Intent | What it covers | Share of use |
|---|---|---|
| Asking | Seeking information or advice | 49% |
| Doing | Drafting text, planning, programming | 40% |
| Expressing | Personal reflection, exploration and play | 11% |
ChatGPT vs other AI chatbots usage
Pew asked US adults in February 2026 which chatbots they ever use. ChatGPT led in every age group.
ChatGPT reached 44% of US adults in 2026. Google Gemini was second at 24%. By our calculation ChatGPT reaches 1.8 times as many adults as Gemini and 7.3 times as many as Claude. Copilot (17%) and Meta AI (14%) sit between them.
The lead is widest among young adults. 61% of 18 to 29 year olds use ChatGPT against 30% for Gemini, about twice as many. OpenAI makes a similar claim worldwide. It says ChatGPT has 6 times the monthly web visits and mobile sessions of the next largest AI app. That is OpenAI's own comparison, and it does not name the data provider. For worldwide traffic share by chatbot, see our AI chatbot market share page, and for the wider market see generative AI statistics.
Source: Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026.
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24% of US adults used Google Gemini in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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17% of US adults used Microsoft Copilot in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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14% of US adults used Meta AI in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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8% of US adults used Grok in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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6% of US adults used Claude in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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ChatGPT reached 1.8 times as many US adults as Google Gemini in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 44% use ChatGPT / 24% use Gemini = 1.83, February 2026.
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ChatGPT reached 7.3 times as many US adults as Claude in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 44% use ChatGPT / 6% use Claude = 7.33, February 2026.
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US adults aged 18 to 29 were twice as likely to use ChatGPT as Gemini in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 61% of 18 to 29 year olds use ChatGPT / 30% use Gemini = 2.03, February 2026.
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ChatGPT had 6 times the monthly web visits and mobile sessions of the next largest AI app in 2026, according to OpenAI.
| Chatbot | All adults | 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 44% | 61% | 55% | 37% | 19% |
| Gemini | 24% | 30% | 34% | 20% | 11% |
| Copilot | 17% | 17% | 22% | 19% | 10% |
| Meta AI | 14% | 14% | 17% | 13% | 10% |
| Grok | 8% | 9% | 10% | 7% | 3% |
| Claude | 6% | 10% | 9% | 4% | 1% |
| Character.ai | 3% | 7% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
How ChatGPT usage is measured, and its limits
The numbers on this page come from three kinds of source. Each measures something different.
OpenAI's weekly user counts are self-reported. They are rounded, announced at times OpenAI chooses and often given as "more than". No auditor checks them. We could not open OpenAI's October 2026 announcement pages directly in this update. The 1.2 billion figure comes from OpenAI's own product announcement posted on the OpenAI Developer Community the same day. Subscriber, business and revenue figures come from funding announcements and carry the same limits.
Pew Research Center measures something else. It asks a representative panel of US adults whether they use ChatGPT. That counts people who use it at all, not weekly users, and covers only the US. In 2026 Pew changed the question from "Have you ever used ChatGPT?" to which chatbots people "ever use". Earlier years were asked only of people who had heard of ChatGPT, then shown among all adults. Small year-on-year changes should be read with that in mind.
The usage studies from OpenAI and the NBER classify samples of consumer conversations with automated tools. They exclude business plans, so they understate work use. Ofcom's UK visit counts are panel estimates of website visits, not people, and exclude app use. Where sources differ, we show each with its own scope and date.
Frequently asked questions
How many people use ChatGPT in 2026?
More than 1.2 billion people used ChatGPT each week in October 2026, according to OpenAI. In March 2026 OpenAI said ChatGPT had more than 900 million weekly active users. These are company figures and are not audited.
How fast is ChatGPT growing compared with last year?
Weekly users grew 71% in about 13 months, from 700 million in September 2025 to more than 1.2 billion in October 2026, by our calculation from OpenAI data. In the US, the share of adults using ChatGPT rose from 34% in 2025 to 44% in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
How many people pay for ChatGPT?
ChatGPT had more than 50 million subscribers in March 2026, according to OpenAI. That is about 5.6% of its 900 million weekly users at the time. More than 9 million paying business users also used ChatGPT for work in February 2026.
What percentage of Americans use ChatGPT, by age?
44% of US adults used ChatGPT in 2026, according to Pew Research Center. Use was 61% among 18 to 29 year olds, 55% among 30 to 49 year olds, 37% among 50 to 64 year olds and 19% among people 65 and over.
What do people mostly use ChatGPT for?
About 70% of consumer use was not related to work in 2025, according to OpenAI. 49% of messages asked for information or advice, 40% asked ChatGPT to do a task such as writing or planning, and 11% were personal expression.
Is ChatGPT more popular than Gemini?
Yes, in the US. 44% of adults used ChatGPT in 2026, against 24% for Google Gemini, according to Pew Research Center. By our calculation ChatGPT reaches 1.8 times as many US adults.
Sources
- OpenAI, GPT-6 is now rolling out to all ChatGPT users (OpenAI Developer Community announcement), 7 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact (full report PDF), 17 June 2026, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- OpenAI, OpenAI raises $122 billion to accelerate the next phase of AI, 31 March 2026, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- OpenAI, How people are using ChatGPT, 15 September 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- OpenAI, 1 million business customers: the fastest-growing business platform in history, 5 November 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- OpenAI, New funding to build towards AGI, 31 March 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- National Bureau of Economic Research, How People Use ChatGPT (Working Paper 34255), September 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Ofcom, From apps to AI search: how the UK goes online in 2025, 10 December 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- OpenAI, GPT-5 and the new era of work, 7 August 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- OpenAI, Scaling AI for everyone, 27 February 2026, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- OpenAI, The state of enterprise AI, 8 December 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023, 25 June 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, How Americans' opinions and use of AI differ by age, 17 June 2026, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, About a quarter of U.S. teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork, double the share in 2023, 15 January 2025, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- OpenAI, AI as a Healthcare Ally: How Americans are navigating the system with ChatGPT, January 2026, accessed 1 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : Page published with OpenAI user, subscriber, business and revenue statements from March 2025 to October 2026, OpenAI and NBER usage research, Pew Research Center surveys from 2023 to 2026 and Ofcom UK visit data.