How Many Users Does Telegram Have (2026)
By Ash Turner
Ash Turner
As CEO of BankMyCell.com since 2016 and UK buyback comparison sites from 2009-2015, Ash has been a pivotal figure in the mobile tech industry. With a background in managing Brightstar’s PhoneRecycleBank, he boasts extensive experience with global carriers and MVNOs like T-Mobile and O2, and leading manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung.
Updated on April 08, 2024
Telegram Active Users
How Many People Use Telegram? (2024)
Telegram is expected to reach 1.562 billion active users in 2024, an increase of 492 million users or 46.25% from last year’s estimated number of users. It is also worth noting that around 10% of the population worldwide are active users of Telegram monthly.
Telegram is a popular instant messaging application with a highly diverse user base. It has exciting features like multi-device usage ability and channels, allowing users to have free access on multiple devices and send multimedia messages and video and voice calls with other users like Facebook Messenger. It also offered end-to-end encryption, promoting a secure service for its users.
Nikolai and Pavel Durov are the founders of Telegram. Telegram FZ-LLC, a Dubai-based company, runs the Telegram smartphone app. Telegram’s parent company, Telegram Group Inc, located in the British Virgin Islands, can access users’ data to improve chat management and other services. At the same time, Telegram UK Holdings Ltd is in charge of the data protection regulations.
In February 2023, the Telegram mobile app was downloaded 33.52 million times worldwide. It decreased by 5.25 million or 13.54% compared to the previous month. According to Telegram statistics from 2019 to 2023, Telegram downloads peaked in January 2021 with 70.9 million downloads due to WhatsApp’s privacy policy update, wherein people became concerned about their privacy regarding messages.
Telegram Number of Users, by Year (2014-2025)
| Year | Active Users (in millions) |
|---|---|
| 2025* | 2,284 |
| 2024* | 1,562 |
| 2023* | 1,068 |
| 2022* | 731 |
| 2021 | 500 |
| 2020 | 400 |
| 2019 | 300 |
| 2018 | 200 |
| 2017 | 150 |
| 2016 | 80 |
| 2015 | 50 |
| 2014 | 35 |
Note: *Number of users was estimated using a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR 46.21% 2014-2021) based on data from BusinessofApps.
Telegram User Growth
According to Telegram statistics, Telegram’s user base grew by 46.25% in 2024 compared to last year. It is expected to grow by another 46.22% from 2024 to 2025, reaching 2.28 billion users. Launched in 2013 in Russia, Telegram achieved 35 million users the year after and more than 100 million users in just four years.
Telegram Daily Active Users (DAU)
Telegram has 196 million daily active users (DAU) on Android. Android users spent an average of 2.24 minutes on the messaging app daily. In January 2021, Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov reported that 8.33 million users joined Telegram daily.
Number of Telegram Paying Subscribers
Telegram messaging app is expected to reach more than one million paying subscribers worldwide in 2024. The freemium model, which means the app is free with a paid subscription to access other features, was introduced in June 2022.
Telegram makes money from this business model, with iOS users having the largest share of in-app revenue (IAP), accounting for 79% of the total IAP based on the Telegram revenue statistics.
Telegram Users in the US (2024)
Around 18.87% of the US population will have Telegram installed on their mobile devices in 2023. Telegram is the 10th most popular mobile device messaging app in the United States, with 3.47 million monthly active users in 2019. In the second quarter of 2022, there were 7.7 million Telegram app downloads in the United States.
Telegram Demographics (2024)
The majority of Telegram users are male, at 58.6% of users. The remaining 41.4% are female. The dominant age group of Telegram users is 25 to 34, accounting for 30.6%. An average Telegram user worldwide spends 3 hours a month on the app.
Most Popular Telegram Channel Category
The most popular Telegram channel category is News channels, with an 82% share of readers. This is because the majority of users access Telegram as they learn most news on the app.
Most Popular Telegram Channels (2024)
| Channel | Subscribers (in millions) |
|---|---|
| @TelegramTips | 8.92 |
| @telegram (Telegram News) | 6.32 |
| @ProxyMTProto (ProxyMTProto) | 6.11 |
| @zz_s5 | 5.89 |
| @ip_a6 | 4.93 |
Telegram Tips, Telegram News, and ProxyMTProto are among the most popular Telegram channels in 2024. Telegram Tips and Telegram News are channels where you can see new app features and updates. ProxyMTProto is a channel that provides proxies for Telegram.
Telegram FAQs
How Many Countries is Telegram Used in?
The Telegram app is available in 155 countries, and people with Android devices can download it from the Google Play Store. The app can also be downloaded from the Windows Store in 52 of the 109 countries where it is available.
Is Telegram big in Europe?
In the third quarter of 2022, Russia had the highest proportion of internet users aged between 16 and 64 who used Telegram, at more than 64% among European countries. Every internet user in Turkey was a Telegram user.