Countries with the most WhatsApp users: who leads the world in messaging?

The WhatsApp app began as an alternative to SMS and is now a free messaging service with more than 2 billion users in 180 countries . It belongs to the Meta Group, which also manages Facebook and Instagram , and has become a favorite among Argentinians: nearly 95% of the website's users use it.

Originally designed for mobile phones, a few years ago it introduced two very similar versions so the service can also work on PCs . This is very useful because there's no need to consult multiple devices to send or receive messages, documents, or photos.

Specifically, WhatsApp 's ability to send various types of content, in addition to audio, makes it competitive even with mobile devices. Furthermore, the ability to create groups, whether for work or those focused on common interests, makes it a kind of social network .

As for the ranking of countries with the most users , this depends, of course, on their population. This ranking is missing China, the world's most populous country, and the answer is simple: the service is blocked there, where people use WeChat .

According to the ranking prepared by World Population Review in 2024, based on the number of inhabitants , the seven countries with the most users of the messaging service were the following.

In 2024, 853.8 million people communicated via WhatsApp , up from 487.5 million in 2021. In India, the app is used more frequently than Facebook Messenger , which it surpasses by a staggering 732 million users. This may be because WhatsApp is tied to a phone number, while Messenger requires a Facebook account or login.

In the South American giant, 148 million people used this app in 2024, representing 98% of those who have it installed on their smartphones. The number of users also increased from the 118.5 million who used it to communicate in 2021. Instagram was the second most used app in 2024, and Facebook Messenger the third.

With 98 million registered users in 2024, the United States also shows an increase from 79.6 million in 2021. In the third quarter of 2024, 50% of Americans used it daily , 78% weekly, and 91% monthly. It appears to be most popular among the 26-35 age group , not only in the US but also in other countries around the world. These percentages appear to have remained stable over the past four years.

In this Southeast Asian country, 112 million people communicated with WhatsApp in 2024, a figure that increased from the total of 84.8 million people who used it in 2021. As elsewhere, it surpasses Facebook Messenger .

In 2024, according to figures from the World Population Review , 74 million people used WhatsApp in Mexico, which represents a notable increase compared to the 60 million in 2021. The country remains among the top six among those who use this messaging system.

Since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, WhatsApp has maintained its popularity, reaching over 66 million users in 2024. But the government has tightened usage rules and added WhatsApp to a list that requires platforms to store user data and hand it over to police . If WhatsApp fails to comply with these guidelines, it could be blocked in 2025.

In this neighboring country of India, WhatsApp was virtually ubiquitous in 2024, with around 52 million users . Pakistan even ranked third in the world for WhatsApp downloads that same year. While the app has experienced some issues during political protests, it remains the preferred app.