Messaging apps have already overtaken social media networks regarding marketing and the overall number of users. Facebook Messenger started its journey in 2011 when Mark Zuckerberg declared private messaging as the future of Facebook.
In 2014, Zuckerberg acquired the world’s most popular messaging app WhatsApp when it became apparent it was a worthy rival to Facebook Messenger. However, Messenger is still the most used app for communication in the United States.
If you are still unaware of the real advertising power that messaging apps have, these numbers might just make you rethink everything you know about marketing.
Top Facebook Messenger Statistics: Editor’s Choice
- Facebook Messenger was downloaded 353 million times in 2021.
- Businesses and customers exchange over 20 billion messages on the app every month.
- There are 300,000 monthly active bots on Facebook Messenger at the moment.
- Facebook Messenger’s click-through rate stands at an astonishing 20%.
- Open rates on Facebook Messenger are 10–80 times higher than those of marketing emails.
- Facebook Messenger has 1.3 billion monthly active users.
- Males between the ages of 25 and 34 make about 19% of Messenger users globally.
- Messenger is viewed as a legitimate channel for companies by 73% of Latin American customers.
- In January 2021, The UK had 35.91 million Messenger users in 2021.
- Facebook Messenger is used by 54.7% of Canadian women.
General Facebook Messenger Numbers and Figures
Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging apps coming from the Facebook company, recently changed to Meta. Find out why in this compilation of the most fascinating figures in recent years.
1. Facebook Messenger is the second most-downloaded app of the past decade.
The combined App Store and Google Play data from 2010 to 2019 shows that Facebook Messenger was second only to the Facebook app itself when it comes to downloads.
These Facebook Messenger engagement statistics simultaneously put the app in front of today’s most powerful social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, as well as other messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Viber, and WeChat.
This impressive number of downloads is a testament to its ongoing value for advertisers and customers alike.
2. In 2021 alone, Facebook Messenger was downloaded more than 353 million times.
With the pandemic disrupting the way we communicate, people turned to apps. The top ten most downloaded applications prove it, as half of them were tools to reach others, including social media and messaging apps.
However, Facebook Messenger data prove that this figure has experienced a considerable drop over the past two years. In 2020, more than 507 million people downloaded the app on their devices.
Despite the lower number of downloads, Facebook Messenger is still one of the most used messaging apps globally.
3. Approximately 400 million people use the voice and video chat feature every month.
Facebook Messenger video chat was introduced in 2015 but limited to the US, Canada, UK, and 15 other countries, with other regions being added in the following months.
The latest Facebook Messenger user statistics show that it was received enthusiastically, with the ever-growing number of users that engage in it every month.
4. Facebook Messenger spends 260 MB of data after an hour of video calls.
On the other hand, WhatsApp uses around 25 MB of data for a single, 5-minute video call, resulting in about 300 MB for an hour call—roughly twice the amount used by FaceTime. While it is possible to reduce the data used by WhatsApp, it is not usually recommended because of decreased quality.
That said, a Facebook video call spends less data usage than WhatsApp. Moreover, Facebook provides a slightly higher quality, with no connectivity issues and smoother video resolution. In any case, it’s always better to seek a wifi connection instead of spending your own mobile data.
5. When the Messenger Rooms feature was announced, Zoom’s stock plummeted by almost 12%.
Messenger Room came in with some promising advantages, compared to rivals such as Zoom and Google Meet. It had no call duration limits, it could be attended by as many as 50 people (as opposed to Zoom’s maximum of 40), and it offered a fun 3600 background feature.
Facebook Messenger Marketing Statistics
The pandemic has deeply affected the way marketers build their strategies.
With communication and staying in touch being one of the main reasons people get online, it’s no wonder messaging apps are now an incredible opportunity for promoting a business.
6. Businesses and customers exchange over 20 billion messages every month.
At a conference held in 2015, Facebook revealed Messenger facilitates communication between businesses and customers in several ways, including tracking purchases and receiving notifications.
When it comes to Facebook Messenger customer service, statistics show that the number of exchanged messages has grown exponentially over the past years. An astonishing 64% of people prefer connecting with a business on the platform instead of calling or sending an email. Hence, it is crucial for companies to implement Facebook Messenger in their marketing strategy.
7. The number of monthly active chatbots on Facebook Messenger is 300,000.
Introduced in 2016, bots for businesses only grew in numbers and importance ever since. Being used to solve various issues, including product recommendation and customer service, statistics on Facebook Messenger reveal that chatbots are on the front end of successful business communication with clients worldwide.
The use of chatbots saved both customers and businesses many hassles, providing a fantastic customer experience as a result.
8. Facebook Messenger CTR stands at an almost incredible 20%.
Comparatively, email marketing gets around 1% of click-through rates on average. This means that only one of 1,000 emails sent gets a second click from customers.
Moreover, even organic posts on the Facebook News Feed do not work anymore—they give marketers low visibility and engagement rates than Facebook Messenger marketing.
Overall, these fascinating Facebook Messenger CTR stats show just how beneficial the platform is for businesses.
9. 85% of Facebook users expect businesses to respond within six hours.
On average, businesses on Facebook take around a day and four hours to reply back to clients. Yet, the vast majority of customers expect quick feedback, especially when it comes to solving an issue or responding to a complaint.
Facebook shows its users how fast a company takes to respond, so it’s essential to deliver a thoughtful and efficient response in a reasonable time. As Facebook Messenger users are more demanding, Facebook rewards companies that respond to comments within five minutes 90% of the time with a badge on their profile. This way, customers will most certainly do business with you in the future.
10. Only 1.5% of Facebook non-advertising revenue comes from Messenger and WhatsApp.
Meta Platforms Inc., previously known as Facebook Inc., gets most of its revenue from the two social media platforms—Facebook and Instagram. Combined, they bring in 98.5% of the total earnings for the enterprise.
WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger’s part of ad revenue are almost dismissable in that sense.
11. The open rate for Facebook Messenger is 10–80 times higher than email marketing.
With email open rates being relatively low, this is an enormous potential advantage to businesses that decide to transfer their communication with customers to Facebook Messenger.
With email open rates only standing at 5–10%, it’s not surprising that Facebook Messenger marketing is much more influential for businesses. In comparison, the latest stats prove how Facebook Messenger open rates can reach up to 80% at times.
12. Facebook claims there are 40 million active businesses on its Messenger platform every month.
This number isn’t that surprising considering the various features and tools Facebook has been developing in recent years.
Its goal is to facilitate business-to-user communication and gain more ground in the advertising world. This is a clear sign that the number of businesses on the platform will only grow in the future, as the latest Facebook advertising statistics suggest.
Facebook Messenger Users in 2022 by the Numbers
Who uses Facebook Messenger? Millennials or Baby Boomers? Men or women? Read on to find out what demographics are the best bet to target on the platform.
13. In 2021, Facebook Messenger registered 1.3 billion monthly active users.
According to Facebook’s recent report, the number of Messenger users is significantly over one billion every month. This makes it the second most used messaging app globally, only behind Facebook’s other app—the worldwide popular WhatsApp.
Given its popularity, it’s no wonder that Facebook Messenger’s monthly active users for 2022 will most likely see an increase.
14. As of December 2021, 24.2% of Messenger users in the United States are 25–34.
Millennials are the most passionate Messenger users in the US. However, people aged 18–24 only account for 10.8%. The least percentage comes from the youngest generation, which rather turns to other messaging apps.
Messenger usage among the older generations has seen a considerable increase over the past years, according to the same Facebook Messenger demographics. In fact, people aged 65 and over make up a good 12.9% of the overall US population.
15. 19% of worldwide Messenger users are males in the 25–34 age group.
As of October 2021, Statista revealed men generally use Facebook Messenger more than women. Only females in the older age groups surpass men in the platform’s usage. For instance, the number of women aged 55–64 on Messenger accounts for 3.4% against the 3.2% of men.
Even though the difference between the two genders is not as substantial, these global statistics on people using Facebook Messenger show that the platform is still male-dominated.
16. 55.9% of Messenger users in the US are female.
There isn’t much gender disparity when it comes to Messenger users, as the percentage is pretty leveled.
While the global scene is male-dominated, that is not the same for the US. The number of female users has grown by 0.2% since the latest previous report.
Facebook Messenger Users By Country
When comparing Messenger to other communication tools, who has the most significant market share globally?
The platform is doing exceptionally well in the States, but the figures are somewhat different overseas.
17. Facebook Messenger is the leading messaging app in the United States.
While WhatsApp is more often an app of choice globally, in the United States, Facebook Messenger is still the number one messaging option.
The total number of users is reported to be 133 million in 2020, according to Facebook Messenger facts. While Statista forecast 135.9 million, the figure is expected to reach a whopping 138.1 million in 2022.
18. Facebook Messenger is the leading messaging app in the US in monthly active users.
Not only is Messenger beating out the competition, but how it’s doing it is even more impressive. Before the pandemic, Facebook Messenger surpassed the 100 million milestone of monthly users. Moreover, Facebook Messenger makes up the highest percentage of mobile audience reach, standing at 57%.
If we’re to believe these Facebook Messenger stats, monthly active users are outperforming the second-placed Snapchat by 116%. The Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp is in third place, with 25.58 million monthly users.
19. Although not a global leader, Facebook Messenger is still the top messaging app in 42 countries.
The top spot belongs to its sister platform, WhatsApp, with over 90 countries using the messaging platform. Some East European countries use Viber the most, China adopts WeChat, while South Korea’s leading app is KakaoTalk. Unfortunately, there’s only one country with no available data.
According to Facebook Messenger data usage stats, it’s important to remember that Messenger holds its ground in some of the world’s most important markets, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
20. 73% of Latin American consumers view Facebook Messenger as a proper channel to businesses.
It is no secret that messaging has been the customers’ preferred communication method with businesses for many years now. 83% of Hispanic users use WhatsApp as a form of communicating with companies.
Over 70% of users from Latin America say the same for Facebook Messenger, the most recent statistics show. So, if you’re looking to build a successful brand in the Latin American region, make sure to offer customer service on instant messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
21. As of January 2021, the United Kingdom accounted for 35.91 million Messenger users.
While at the start of 2021, Facebook Messenger reached the highest point over the past five years. This figure resulted in an increase of about 7 million UK users in a span of only two years.
Facebook Messenger stats for the UK demonstrate that the figure stayed balanced throughout the whole year, reaching 35.71 million users in December 2021. It’s not a secret that Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging apps in the country.
22. The most popular messaging service in France is Facebook Messenger, with a reach of 51%.
In most European countries, WhatsApp is the leading messaging app. However, this is not the case for France. Facebook Messenger is still the most preferred instant messaging platform for French users.
The same Facebook Messenger app usage stats state that only 54% of Italians reported they actively use it, compared to 84% of WhatsApp users. The difference is even more drastic in Spain, with only 43% of surveyed people saying they use Facebook Messenger.
23. The number of Brazilians using Facebook Messenger amount to 120.1 million.
As of June 2021, Statista gathered the number of people using Messenger in Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite the global rising of WhatsApp and many other messaging apps, these Facebook Messenger user stats prove how Hispanic users still love this platform.
While Brazil is the country with the highest number of Messenger users in the Latin American region, Mexico is a close second with 91.5 million individuals using the platform. Colombia ranks third, with approximately 35 million users. These countries also account for the top three Facebook users in the region.
24. 54.7% of Canadian women use Facebook Messenger.
As of July 2021, more than 50% of Canadian users are female. On the other hand, males constitute 45.3%.
According to Statista’s Facebook Messenger stats, the age demographic is similar to the one registered in the US. Messenger is not as popular with Canadians aged 18–24, with 10.2% of all users being Generation Z. The generation aged 13–17 makes up for the least percentage of Canadian users, sitting at only 0.9%.
Facebook Messenger Statistics: The Takeaway
So what can we learn from this infinite vertigo of numbers and statistics? The most important figures and facts that we summarized above carry a crucial point: messaging apps are too big to be ignored, especially in advertising. With much of the world population spending time online and chatting, placing your business in front of them through the apps they use seems like the only logical step.
A space as personal as a private chat makes more sense in terms of communication with businesses and disclosing sensitive information. With all the privacy breaches happening in recent years, an end-to-end encrypted channel is the safest way to purchase a service or product successfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much data does Facebook Messenger use?
Data usage statistics show that the app falls on a cheaper side of the messaging spectrum. The voice calls tend to use only 333 KB per minute, which places them just behind WhatsApp when it comes to cost-friendliness.
When we talk about Facebook video call data usage, it’s reported that using Messenger is more cost-efficient than WhatsApp, taking up around 22 MB of data for a single, 5-minute call.
How many people use Facebook Messenger?
According to the latest reports, there are 1.3 billion active users per month. The official numbers of one of Facebook’s 2019 quarterly reports show that the company’s family of apps has over 2.9 billion active users per month. For some more perspective, this puts it on the way to becoming a go-to communication service for half of the people in the world.
Is there a limit to how many people can be on a group chat?
According to recent Facebook Messenger group chat statistics, there is a limit of 250 people in a single group chat. This is a particularly welcome feature for Facebook Groups. They can now create big, intergroup chats, discuss anything, from poetry to cricket, and make plans about the eventual meetups.
The best part of this is that certain people inside one single group can carry conversations that may not be relevant for everyone without unnecessarily bothering others.
How many Facebook messages are sent per day?
In June 2009, Facebook announced that its chat reached one billion messages sent per day. Fast forward to 2018, and, according to Facebook Messenger statistics, there is a daily average of 20 billion messages being exchanged between businesses and customers alone.
As messaging became not only a preferable means of communication but more of a social norm, businesses turned their advertising, customer service, and user experience efforts to the world of messaging apps, and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Sources
App Annie, Apps2Data, Better Marketing, Colibri, Conversocial, Eager Nomad, HootSuite, Messenger People, Mobile Monkey, Robinhood, Social Stamina, Spectrm, Statista, Statista, Statista, Statista, Statista, Statista, Statista, Statista, Statista, Statista, Stock Analysis, ZDNet