WeChat is a wildly popular chat and messaging app in China.
In this article, we will discuss what you need to know about this app by sharing WeChat statistics we found.
WeChat launched back in 2011 and has since reached wide popularity in China.
In fact, it was a matter of hours and days before this app became a huge hit in the country.
There have been no other messaging apps that have attained such fast growth in the world like WeChat has managed to do.
It’s become the most accepted and trusted messaging and communication app in China.
Let’s find out what makes it so popular, why people in China are using it, and other demographics and data.
Key Statistics
- WeChat has 1.671 billion monthly active users.
- 73.7% of china’s internet users frequently access WeChat.
- 330 million WeChat users in china used the app to make daily video calls.
- Tencent developed weixin and rebranded in 2012 to WeChat.
- As of march 2023, WeChat has a valuation of $50.2 billion.
- Total views on original content on WeChat channel grew by 350% YoY.
- In 2021, WeChat pay became the second most popular payment solution in china.
- Outside of mainland china, Hong Kong has a penetration rate of 53.1% in WeChat usage.
- WeChat is the fifth most used/popular social media app in the world.
- WeChat mini programs active users is expected to reach 764 million by 2025.
Top WeChat Statistics in 2024
1. WeChat Has 1.671 Billion Monthly Active Users (MAUs) as of 2023.
WeChat has an estimated 8.43% YoY (year-over-year) growth, which is why it’s been estimated that it will reach over 1.671 billion uses within the year.
As of now, it has 130 million more new users than it had in 2022.
In the first quarter of 2023, WeChat had 1.319 billion MAUs.
(Bank My Cell, Statista)
2. 73.7% of China’s internet Users Frequently Access WeChat.
If you wondered about how popular WeChat is among China’s connected population, that percentage is 73.7% as of 2022 data.
This is the percentage of people in the country frequently accessing the platform.
It’s used for a variety of purposes, so it’s become a part of their daily lives.
(NIH: Journal of Global Health 2022)
3. 330 Million WeChat users in China Used the App to Make Daily Video Calls.
Research revealed that 330 million WeChat users accessed the platform to make video calls daily in 2021.
Since this is the most recent data we could find and it’s been a couple of years, this figure may have risen.
However, due to the restrictions during the pandemic, this 2021 data could be related.
(NIH: Journal of Global Health 2022)
4. The Chinese Company, Tencent Developed Weixin and Rebranded in 2012 to WeChat.
In 2011, Tencent developed and launched Weixin, but by 2012, they had rebranded it to what is now known as the ever so popular WeChat.
By 2018, WeChat had surpassed the one billion milestone, which has grown since that time.
WeChat is now known as one of the world’s leading social outlets.
(Statista)
5. As of March 2023, WeChat Has a Valuation of $50.2 Billion.
In 2022, the WeChat revenue from China accounted for $55.97 million.
In the United States, $1.8 million and in Hong Kong, $1.01 million.
While this app is mostly used in China for people there to communicate inside and outside the country, it also gets its revenue from regions all over the globe.
Data from March 2023 shows that its current valuation is $50.2 billion overall, which is expected to reach $62 billion by 2023 year-end.
(Bank My Cell, Statista 2,TechJury)
6. Total Views on Original Content on WeChat Channel Grew by 350% YoY.
Data from 2022 disclosed that the total views on the WeChat Channel grew by 350% YoY.
Furthermore, in January 2023, it was found that the scale of the channel’s live broadcasts grew by 300%.
(China Internet Watch)
7. In 2021, WeChat Pay Became the Second Most Popular Payment Solution in China.
Statistics about WeChat from 2021 unveiled that there were 900 million active users of WeChat Pay, which made it the second most popular payment platform in China.
It was only slightly behind the AliPay platform, which is widely used in the country.
Growth in the use of WeChat Pay shows it has 470 more users than it did in 2016 (430 users).
(BusinessofApps)
8. Outside of Mainland China, Hong Kong Has a Penetration Rate of 53.1% in WeChat Usage.
We should make it clear that WeChat is available worldwide with few exceptions.
The main users reside in China, but outside of China in the Asia-Pacific regions, Hong Kong has a penetration rate in usage of the WeChat platform.
Likewise, we see that Singapore has a 33% penetration rate.
(99Firms, EnterpriseAppsToday)
9. WeChat Is the Fifth Most Used/popular Social Media App in The World.
China is where WeChat is used the most.
The United States is second behind China with 23% of users between 18 and 24 years old, but overall, 1.48 million people in the United States use the app.
(Statista 3, Statista 4, We Are Social)
10. WeChat Mini Programs Active Users Is Expected to Reach 764 Million by 2025.
WeChat Mini Programs are sub-apps within the WeChat environment.
It’s estimated that by the end of this year (2023), mini programs will have 614 million active users.
According to data, these users spend an average of 68.1 minutes on these Mini Programs.
In fact, they spend more time on these sub-apps than they do on gaming.
(Bank My Cell)
11. Statistics Show that 90% of Professionals in China Favor the WeChat App for Workplace Communications.
WeChat’s massive user base and wide range of features (and more in the works), it’s not surprising that 90% of Chinese professionals prefer this app for business and workplace communications.
According to a survey of over 200,000 internet users in China, it’s their go-to app for daily workplace communications.
Moreover, the Group Calls feature delivers a free, no-frills video conferencing experience.
(South China Morning Post)
12. 25% of WeChat Users Are Aged 25 to 30.
The largest age demographic using WeChat is among those aged 25 to 30.
Therefore, some Gen Z and Millennials are using the app.
The age demographic that comes in second is the over 41 crowd, which includes some Millennials and some Gen Xers, accounting for 19.1%.
People between 31 and 35 years have a WeChat usage share of 13.8%.
The age group that belongs to those between 36 and 40 accounts for 8.6%, which is the lowest age demographic.
(EnterpriseAppsToday)
13. As of 2023, WeChat’s Mini Games Have More than 400 Million MAUs.
Mobile gaming is a feature on WeChat, which are called mini games.
The most recent data on how many people are playing mini games on WeChat shows that it has over 400 million MAUs (monthly active users).
The feature on WeChat is thriving.
(BusinessofApps 2)
14. Over 45 Billion Messages Are Sent Through WeChat Every Day.
Since WeChat has a large Chinese base of users, it’s likely that this is where most of the over 45 billion daily messages sent through app occur.
It’s such a popular app that Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg wants to imitate it.
Not only do people send messages through WeChat, but they also use it to book reservations at restaurants, get movie tickets, and get a cab.
(Harvard Business Review)
15. According to Research, 76.4% of Survey Respondents Said They Use WeChat Moments.
The statistics show that 76.4% of survey respondents who use WeChat said that they use WeChat Moments to catch up with, stay in touch with, and to share special moments and memories with loved ones and friends.
Moments is similar to Facebook’s feed/wall.
(Statista 5)
16. 52.9% of WeChat Users Are Male.
Is there a wide gender gap between users on WeChat?
While there is a slight gap between women and men who use WeChat, there’s not a significant “gender gap”.
Males users account for 52.9% of its users while women account for 47.1%. That’s not a large gap.
(Bank My Cell)
17. 68 Million Videos Are Uploaded to WeChat Daily.
WeChat is becoming a competitor to YouTube and SnapChat in terms of how many videos are uploaded daily.
Recent statistics show that 68 million videos are uploaded to the WeChat platform each day.
While it has yet to get close to YouTube’s 300 watch hours on videos, WeChat is growing and evolving every day.
(InTheBlack)
18. In 2018, WeChat Morning Commuters Used up Around 46TB of Data.
In our research, we discovered that morning commuters love to use WeChat since it easily integrates with public transport networks all over China.
We also found that about 250,000 people access the app during their morning commute on the metros and busses.
In fact, they use up around 46TB of data during this time.
(TechNode)
19. 60% of WeChat Users Access the App Over 10 Times Daily.
WeChat is so popular that its users can hardly stay off it.
In fact, 60% of its users access the app at least 10 times a day.
Moreover, 21% access it 50 times per day.
If you stack that on top of its daily usage time of 66 minutes, they are spending an average of four-plus hours on the app each day.
(The Financial Brand)
20. WeChat’s Official Accounts Are Used by 80% of Its Users.
A whopping 80% of all WeChat users have official accounts.
About 73% of its users follow official accounts, and 10% follow less than 10.
That said, users do spend about 10 to 30 minutes scrolling and exploring official accounts.
Moreover, 41% of users follow official accounts after recommendations from friends/contacts.
(China Internet Watch)
FAQs
What is WeChat?
As mentioned early in the article, WeChat is a messaging and chat app developed by Tencent, a giant tech company in China.
It’s mostly popular in China because of bans on other social media platforms like Facebook.
Therefore, this is China’s premier chat and messaging app.
You should know that it has no encryption and Tencent does share its user data with the government.
It’s worth mentioning that this platform is free internationally to send and receive messages and communications.
In some circles, it’s referred to as a super app or the app for everything due to its wide range of features and functions provided completely free.
What Can You Do on WeChat?
For perspective, WeChat is somewhat like SnapChat in terms of messaging, video calling, gaming, location sharing, video sharing, hold-to-talk voice messaging, and broadcasting a message to multiple users.
However, it’s much more.
Here is the list of features on WeChat that make it so popular in China:
• Text Messaging
• Voice and Video Calling
• Group Calling and Messaging
• WeChat Pay allows you to send and receive money (think Apple Pay meets Venmo), send money via the app, and use it wherever it’s accepted.
• WeChat Moments are like scrolling through the Facebook feed where users share images, photos, and thoughts.
• Membership Cards and Coupons through its Card Wallet feature
• Translation Services
• Mini Programs
What is WeChat’s Compatibility?
WeChat is compatible with Web browsers, Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS.
Therefore, anyone using devices with these formats on them can install and use the app.
The app has very few limits.
What Does WeChat’s Future Hold?
It’s believed that WeChat will remain strong and keep growing in China.
It’s possible that its usage will grow in the world’s western countries as well.
Europe is expected to be WeChat’s targeted area of growth in the future.
Even though its usage penetration rates will likely see an increase, it’s not apt to become a major player in other sectors.
Conclusion
The information in this article is valuable whether you’re an app user, marketer, brand, or a curious person.
Also, whether you use WeChat or not.
We have discovered that WeChat has been called a super app and an app for everything due to its wide variety of features and functions.
That explains a lot about why it’s so popular, doesn’t it?
We know it’s mostly used in China, but that it’s free to use all over the planet.
China has the most users, but outside of the mainland, Hong Kong and Singapore have solid usage penetration rates.
Finally, we know that it’s compatible with virtually every operating system and device, which is very convenient for its users.
We hope you have learned more about this platform from the WeChat statistics we found and shared with you in this article.