WhatsApp Statistics 2026: Users, US Adoption, Spain, Teens and Revenue
WhatsApp has more than 3 billion monthly active users worldwide, according to Meta Platforms. More than 100 million of them are in the US, about 3.3% of the total by our calculation. 33% of US adults use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center, up from 20% in 2019. Use is far higher where WhatsApp is the default messenger. In Spain, 94.6% of weekly internet users use it habitually, according to the regulator CNMC. Meta does not report WhatsApp revenue on its own. The revenue line that includes WhatsApp paid messaging grew 59% in the third quarter of 2026.
Key statistics
- WhatsApp had more than 3 billion monthly active users worldwide in 2025, according to Meta Platforms.
- 33% of US adults said they ever use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
- 94.6% of weekly internet users in Spain said they habitually use WhatsApp for messaging in 2025, according to CNMC.
- The United States accounted for about 3.3% of WhatsApp monthly users worldwide in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Meta Platforms data.
- Hispanic adults in the US were 2.3 times as likely as White adults to use WhatsApp in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How many people use WhatsApp
Meta does not publish WhatsApp user numbers in its SEC filings. Its only recent WhatsApp-specific figures come from statements on its earnings calls. It reports a combined daily user count for all its apps.
WhatsApp has more than 3 billion monthly actives, Meta said on its April 2025 earnings call. Meta has not given a newer WhatsApp-only figure since. In October 2026 it said only that WhatsApp was hitting all-time highs in messaging.
More than 100 million people use WhatsApp in the US, according to Meta. By our calculation that is about 3.3% of its global base. On the same call Meta said WhatsApp is clearly not the main messaging app in the US, where iMessage leads. Most of WhatsApp's users are elsewhere.
Meta's audited filings only count people across its whole family of apps. That figure was 3.64 billion a day in September 2026, up 3% on a year earlier. It cannot be split by app. Meta also notes that encryption gives it fewer data signals from WhatsApp accounts when matching people across apps. For how WhatsApp fits alongside other platforms, see our social media statistics.
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WhatsApp had more than 3 billion monthly active users worldwide in 2025, according to Meta Platforms.
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WhatsApp had more than 100 million users in the United States in 2025, according to Meta Platforms.
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Meta's apps, including WhatsApp, were used by 3.64 billion people a day on average in September 2026, according to Meta Platforms.
| Measure | Figure | Scope | Date | Source document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp monthly actives | More than 3 billion | Worldwide | April 2025 | Q1 2025 earnings call |
| WhatsApp users in the US | More than 100 million | United States | April 2025 | Q1 2025 earnings call |
| US share of WhatsApp monthly users | About 3.3% | United States | 2025 | Calculated by StatisticsGlobal |
| Daily active people across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp | 3.64 billion | Worldwide | September 2026 average | Q3 2026 earnings release |
WhatsApp users in the US
Pew Research Center asks a national sample of US adults which platforms they ever use. It has tracked WhatsApp since 2018. Its 2026 survey covers 5,511 adults.
33% of US adults used WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center. That is up from 32% in 2025 and 20% in 2019. By our calculation use has risen 13 points, or 65%, since 2019. WhatsApp now ranks fifth of the 11 platforms Pew asked about, just ahead of LinkedIn at 31%.
Ethnicity shapes use more than age. 56% of Hispanic adults and 51% of Asian adults use WhatsApp, against 24% of White adults. By our calculation Hispanic adults are 2.3 times as likely as White adults to use it. Use is flat across ages 18 to 64, at 36% to 39%, and drops to 20% at 65 and over.
Place and education matter too. Urban adults are twice as likely as rural adults to use WhatsApp, at 44% against 22%. 43% of college graduates use it, against 26% of adults with a high school education or less. These patterns fit an app used to stay in touch with family and contacts abroad, though Pew does not ask why people use it.
Source: Pew Research Center. No survey in 2020 or 2022. Survey mode changed in 2023 and 2024.
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33% of US adults said they ever use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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32% of US adults said they ever use WhatsApp in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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20% of US adults said they used WhatsApp in 2019, according to Pew Research Center.
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The share of US adults using WhatsApp rose 13 percentage points, or 65%, between 2019 and 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 33% (2026) - 20% (2019) = 13 points. 13 / 20 = 65% relative rise. Pew changed survey mode in 2023 and 2024.
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WhatsApp ranked fifth of the 11 platforms Pew asked US adults about in 2026, behind YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: Ranking of 2026 shares: YouTube 84%, Facebook 70%, Instagram 51%, TikTok 37%, WhatsApp 33%, LinkedIn 31%, Snapchat 26%, Reddit 25%, X 18%, Nextdoor 18%, Truth Social 4%.
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56% of Hispanic adults in the US said they use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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51% of Asian adults in the US said they use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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40% of Black adults in the US said they use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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24% of White adults in the US said they use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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Hispanic adults in the US were 2.3 times as likely as White adults to use WhatsApp in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 56% of Hispanic adults / 24% of White adults = 2.33.
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39% of US adults aged 30 to 49 said they use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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20% of US adults aged 65 and over said they use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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44% of urban US adults said they use WhatsApp in 2026, against 22% of rural adults, according to Pew Research Center.
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Urban US adults were twice as likely as rural adults to use WhatsApp in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 44% urban / 22% rural = 2.0.
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43% of US college graduates said they use WhatsApp in 2026, against 26% of adults with a high school education or less, according to Pew Research Center.
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40% of US adults in households earning $100,000 or more said they use WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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39% of Democrats and Democratic leaners in the US said they use WhatsApp in 2026, against 26% of Republicans and leaners, according to Pew Research Center.
| Group | Use WhatsApp |
|---|---|
| All US adults | 33% |
| Ages 18 to 29 | 37% |
| Ages 30 to 49 | 39% |
| Ages 50 to 64 | 36% |
| Ages 65 and over | 20% |
| Men | 34% |
| Women | 33% |
| Hispanic | 56% |
| Asian (English speakers) | 51% |
| Black | 40% |
| White | 24% |
| College graduate | 43% |
| Some college | 30% |
| High school or less | 26% |
| Household income $100,000 or more | 40% |
| Household income under $30,000 | 25% |
| Urban | 44% |
| Suburban | 33% |
| Rural | 22% |
| Democrat or lean Democrat | 39% |
| Republican or lean Republican | 26% |
WhatsApp usage in Spain and Europe
In much of Europe WhatsApp is the default way to message. Spain's competition and markets regulator, CNMC, publishes WhatsApp use from a household survey of about 9,000 people.
94.6% of weekly internet users in Spain use WhatsApp habitually, according to CNMC. That is up from 93.8% a year earlier, a rise of 0.8 points by our calculation. Use is close to universal, so there is little room left to grow. WhatsApp has 5.4 times as many habitual messaging users as Telegram, by our calculation.
WhatsApp also leads for calls. 69.2% of weekly internet users in Spain used it for online voice and video calls in 2024. 83.8% of smartphone users sent messages through apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram several times a day in 2025. Messaging is the most frequent thing people in Spain do on their phones.
The gap with the US is wide. Spain's 94.6% and Pew's 33% for the US are not directly comparable, because CNMC counts weekly internet users and Pew counts all adults. But the difference is far too large to be explained by that alone. WhatsApp is a default in Spain and a niche app in the US.
Source: CNMC.
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94.6% of weekly internet users in Spain said they habitually use WhatsApp for messaging in 2025, according to CNMC.
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93.8% of weekly internet users in Spain said they habitually used WhatsApp for messaging in 2024, according to CNMC.
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Habitual WhatsApp use among weekly internet users in Spain rose 0.8 percentage points between 2024 and 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from CNMC data.
How we calculated it: 94.6% (Q4 2025 wave) - 93.8% (Q4 2024 wave) = 0.8 points. Both waves use the same universe; samples differ.
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17.4% of weekly internet users in Spain said they habitually use Telegram for messaging in 2025, against 27.6% for Instagram, according to CNMC.
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WhatsApp had 5.4 times as many habitual messaging users as Telegram in Spain in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from CNMC data.
How we calculated it: 94.6% WhatsApp / 17.4% Telegram = 5.44. Against Instagram messaging: 94.6% / 27.6% = 3.4.
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69.2% of weekly internet users in Spain said they habitually used WhatsApp for online calls and video calls in 2024, according to CNMC.
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83.8% of smartphone users in Spain used messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram several times a day in 2025, according to CNMC.
| App | Q4 2024 | Q4 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 93.8% | 94.6% | |
| Instagram (messaging) | 25.6% | 27.6% |
| Telegram | 17.6% | 17.4% |
WhatsApp Channels in the EU
WhatsApp Channels lets accounts broadcast updates to followers. Under the EU Digital Services Act, WhatsApp must publish how many people in the EU use Channels. Private messaging is outside the law's scope and is not counted.
WhatsApp Channels had about 39.7 million average monthly recipients in the EU in the first half of 2024, according to WhatsApp. That was up from about 31 million in the months after launch in 2023, a rise of 28.1% by our calculation. The first period is shorter, so the rise is a rough guide.
In January 2026 the European Commission designated WhatsApp a Very Large Online Platform, because Channels reached the threshold of at least 45 million EU users. That is at least 13.4% above the first-half 2024 figure. WhatsApp has published newer Channels counts in PDF reports, but we could not fetch them for this update.
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WhatsApp Channels had about 31 million average monthly active recipients in the EU from launch to December 2023, according to WhatsApp.
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WhatsApp Channels had about 39.7 million average monthly active recipients in the EU in January to June 2024, according to WhatsApp.
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WhatsApp Channels average monthly recipients in the EU rose 28.1% from late 2023 to the first half of 2024, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from WhatsApp data.
How we calculated it: 39.7 million (1 January to 30 June 2024) / 31 million (13 September to 31 December 2023) - 1 = 28.1%. The first period is shorter and starts at launch.
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WhatsApp Channels reached the threshold of at least 45 million EU users in 2026, when it was designated a Very Large Online Platform, according to the European Commission.
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The 45 million EU user threshold WhatsApp Channels reached by 2026 is 13.4% above its reported first-half 2024 audience, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from European Commission and WhatsApp data.
How we calculated it: 45 million (European Commission DSA threshold, January 2026) / 39.7 million (WhatsApp, January to June 2024) - 1 = 13.4%. A lower bound on growth, since the Commission gives the threshold, not the count.
| Period | Average monthly active recipients | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Launch (13 September 2023) to 31 December 2023 | About 31 million | WhatsApp DSA page |
| 1 January to 30 June 2024 | About 39.7 million | WhatsApp DSA page |
| Designation, January 2026 | At least 45 million (threshold) | European Commission |
WhatsApp usage among teens
Pew Research Center surveys US teens aged 13 to 17 about the platforms they use. Its latest survey ran in autumn 2025.
24% of US teens use WhatsApp, according to Pew Research Center. That is up from 17% in 2022, a rise of 7 points or 41% by our calculation. Pew says WhatsApp stands out for its growth among teens in recent years.
WhatsApp is still a minor app for US teens. It sits well behind YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, and below Facebook at 31%. Pew finds that Hispanic and Black teens use WhatsApp more than White teens, which matches the pattern among adults. For teen use of video apps, see our TikTok statistics.
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24% of US teens aged 13 to 17 said they use WhatsApp in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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17% of US teens aged 13 to 17 said they used WhatsApp in 2022, according to Pew Research Center.
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WhatsApp use among US teens rose 7 percentage points, or 41%, between 2022 and 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 24% (2025) - 17% (2022) = 7 points. 7 / 17 = 41% relative rise.
WhatsApp as a news source
Pew Research Center asks US adults whether they regularly get news on each platform. Only people who use a platform are asked about it.
5% of US adults regularly get news on WhatsApp, according to Pew Research Center. That is up from 3% in 2020. By our calculation WhatsApp ranks ninth of 12 platforms for news, far behind Facebook at 40% and YouTube at 34%.
Among people who use WhatsApp, 16% regularly get news there. That compares with 57% of Facebook users and 57% of X users. WhatsApp is used mainly for private chat, not news. News use is concentrated among Hispanic adults, 16% of whom regularly get news on WhatsApp, against 1% of White adults.
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5% of US adults said they regularly get news on WhatsApp in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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3% of US adults said they regularly got news on WhatsApp in 2020, according to Pew Research Center.
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16% of US WhatsApp users said they regularly get news there in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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16% of Hispanic adults in the US said they regularly get news on WhatsApp in 2026, against 1% of White adults, according to Pew Research Center.
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WhatsApp ranked ninth of 12 social platforms as a regular news source for US adults in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: Ranking of 2026 shares of US adults who regularly get news on each site: Facebook 40%, YouTube 34%, Instagram 23%, TikTok 20%, X 10%, Reddit 9%, Nextdoor 8%, LinkedIn 6%, WhatsApp 5%, Rumble 2%, Truth Social 2%, Bluesky 1%.
| Year | Share of all US adults | Share of WhatsApp users |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3% | 13% |
| 2021 | 3% | 14% |
| 2022 | 3% | 10% |
| 2023 | 3% | 12% |
| 2024 | 5% | 16% |
| 2025 | 5% | 15% |
| 2026 | 5% | 16% |
WhatsApp revenue
Meta does not report WhatsApp revenue as a separate line. WhatsApp paid messaging sits inside "other revenue" in its Family of Apps segment, alongside Meta Verified subscriptions and developer payment fees.
Meta's Family of Apps other revenue was $1,097 million in the third quarter of 2026, up 59%. Meta said WhatsApp paid messaging and subscriptions drove the growth. In the first nine months of 2026 the line grew 67.4% by our calculation. It had already passed the full-year 2025 total of $2,584 million by September.
The line has grown fast from a small base. It rose from $1,058 million in 2023 to $2,584 million in 2025, a compound rate of 56.3% a year by our calculation. Even so, it was only 1.7% of Family of Apps revenue in the third quarter of 2026. Advertising made up the rest.
These figures overstate WhatsApp's own revenue, because the line also includes Meta Verified and other sources. Meta does not split it. Meta also sells business messaging ad products, which it counts as advertising, not other revenue.
Source: Meta Platforms. 2026 covers nine months only.
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Meta's Family of Apps other revenue, led by WhatsApp paid messaging, was $1,097 million in the third quarter of 2026, according to Meta Platforms.
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Meta's Family of Apps other revenue grew 59% year on year in the third quarter of 2026, driven primarily by WhatsApp paid messaging, according to Meta Platforms.
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Meta's Family of Apps other revenue grew 67.4% in the first nine months of 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Meta Platforms data.
How we calculated it: $2,987 million (nine months to September 2026) / $1,784 million (nine months to September 2025) - 1 = 67.4%.
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Meta's Family of Apps other revenue for January to September 2026 was already 15.6% above the full-year 2025 total, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Meta Platforms data.
How we calculated it: $2,987 million (nine months to September 2026, Q3 2026 earnings release) / $2,584 million (full year 2025, Form 10-K) - 1 = 15.6%.
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Meta's Family of Apps other revenue, mostly WhatsApp paid messaging and Meta Verified, was $2,584 million in 2025, up 50%, according to Meta Platforms.
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Meta's Family of Apps other revenue was $1,722 million in 2024, up 63% on 2023, according to Meta Platforms.
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Meta's Family of Apps other revenue was $1,058 million in 2023, according to Meta Platforms.
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Meta's Family of Apps other revenue grew at a compound rate of 56.3% a year from 2023 to 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Meta Platforms data.
How we calculated it: ($2,584 million in 2025 / $1,058 million in 2023) ^ (1/2) - 1 = 56.3% a year.
| Period | Other revenue, $ million | Change on prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,058 | n/a |
| 2024 | 1,722 | +63% |
| 2025 | 2,584 | +50% |
| January to September 2025 | 1,784 | n/a |
| January to September 2026 | 2,987 | +67.4% |
| Q3 2026 | 1,097 | +59% |
How the sources measure WhatsApp
The figures on this page come from five publishers. Each counts something different, so they should not be mixed without care.
Meta's WhatsApp numbers are spoken statements, not audited figures, and they are rounded ("more than 3 billion"). Meta's audited user metric counts people across all its apps and cannot be split by app. Its revenue figures are audited, but WhatsApp revenue is mixed with Meta Verified and other items.
Pew's surveys are designed to represent all US adults or teens. Pew changed survey modes in 2023 and 2024 and warns this may affect trends. Its figures for Asian adults cover English speakers only. CNMC surveys households in Spain twice a year and counts weekly internet users, not all adults. WhatsApp's EU Channels counts are self-reported under the Digital Services Act and exclude private chats. We could not fetch Ofcom's UK report or the Reuters Institute Digital News Report in this update, so the page has no UK or multi-country figures yet.
| Source | Population | Measure | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta earnings calls | WhatsApp accounts worldwide and in the US | Monthly actives, rounded lower bounds | April 2025 |
| Meta 10-K and 8-K filings | Meta as a business | Revenue in US dollars; daily people across all Meta apps | 2023 to Q3 2026 |
| Pew Research Center | 5,511 US adults; 1,458 US teens; 5,166 US adults | Share who ever use WhatsApp; share who regularly get news there | 2018 to 2026 |
| CNMC Panel de Hogares | About 9,000 individuals in Spain | Share of weekly internet users who use WhatsApp habitually | Q4 2024 and Q4 2025 |
| WhatsApp DSA pages and European Commission | EU users of WhatsApp Channels | Average monthly active recipients; DSA threshold | 2023 to January 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
How many people use WhatsApp in 2026?
WhatsApp has more than 3 billion monthly active users, according to Meta Platforms. Meta gave that figure in April 2025 and has not published a newer WhatsApp-only count. Across all its apps, Meta reached 3.64 billion people a day in September 2026.
How many people use WhatsApp in the US?
More than 100 million people use WhatsApp in the US, according to Meta. Pew Research Center finds 33% of US adults use it in 2026. Use is highest among Hispanic adults (56%) and Asian adults (51%).
Which country uses WhatsApp the most?
Meta does not publish users by country. National surveys show use is near universal in parts of Europe. In Spain, 94.6% of weekly internet users use WhatsApp habitually, according to CNMC. In the US the figure is 33% of adults, according to Pew Research Center.
Is WhatsApp growing compared with last year?
In the US, yes, slowly. 33% of adults used it in 2026, against 32% in 2025. In Spain, habitual use rose from 93.8% to 94.6%. Meta's other revenue line, which includes WhatsApp paid messaging, grew 59% in the third quarter of 2026.
Why do more people use WhatsApp outside the US?
In the US, Meta says iMessage is the main messaging app, and Pew finds only 33% of adults use WhatsApp. In countries such as Spain, WhatsApp became the default messenger, and 94.6% of weekly internet users use it. US users skew towards Hispanic, Asian and urban adults.
How does WhatsApp make money?
Mainly by charging businesses to message customers. Meta reports this inside Family of Apps other revenue, which was $2,584 million in 2025 and $1,097 million in the third quarter of 2026. Meta does not split out WhatsApp's share.
Sources
- Meta Platforms, First Quarter 2025 Results Conference Call (transcript), 30 April 2025. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, Americans' Use of Social Media in 2026 (fact sheet), 19 October 2026, accessed 11 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- CNMC, Instagram y TikTok, las redes sociales que más crecieron en España en 2025 (Panel de Hogares, Q4 2025), 22 May 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Meta Platforms, Meta Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1), October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- CNMC, Instagram y TikTok, las redes sociales que más crecieron en el último año en España (Panel de Hogares, Q4 2024), 30 May 2025. Link · Saved data copy
- WhatsApp, Digital Services Act: WhatsApp Channels average monthly active recipients in the EU (launch to December 2023), rolling page, accessed 11 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- WhatsApp, Digital Services Act: WhatsApp Channels average monthly active recipients in the EU (January to June 2024), 14 August 2024. Link · Saved data copy
- European Commission, Commission designates WhatsApp as Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act, 26 January 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025, 9 December 2025. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, Social Media and News Fact Sheet, 19 October 2026, accessed 11 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Meta Platforms, Third Quarter 2026 Results Conference Call (transcript), October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Meta Platforms, Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025, January 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : Page published with Meta's Q1 2025 and Q3 2026 earnings calls, its Q3 2026 earnings release and 2025 Form 10-K, Pew Research Center's 2026 social media and news fact sheets and 2025 teens report, CNMC's Panel de Hogares for 2024 and 2025, WhatsApp's DSA pages and the European Commission's January 2026 designation.