Telegram Statistics 2026: Users, Premium Subscribers, Downloads & Key Facts

Last Updated on: February 24th, 2026

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Telegram statistics and facts 2026

Telegram is a cloud-based messaging and communications platform launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov. It supports text messaging, voice and video calls, media sharing, channels, bots, and large group communities. Telegram is available on iOS, Android, desktop operating systems, and the web.

This page compiles verified Telegram statistics and facts, with source links for each figure. The goal is to provide a clean reference page with confirmed data points and historical context.

Telegram key statistics (2026)

Telegram users (historical benchmark) 700 million users globally (2022)
Telegram active users (current app listing claim) Over 1 billion active users (Google Play listing)
Telegram Premium subscribers 1 million subscribers (2022)
Android downloads (Google Play) 1 billion downloads (2021)
Telegram Android installs (earlier milestone) 500 million installs (2020)

How many people use Telegram?

Telegram was reported at 700 million users globally in 2022. Telegram’s Google Play app listing also describes the app as having over 1 billion active users.

Telegram subscriber and download statistics

Telegram usage and growth statistics

Telegram surge events and regional milestones

  • Reported number of new Telegram downloads in the few days following Facebook’s WhatsApp acquisition: 8 million downloads
  • Reported number of new Telegram users added during the Facebook outage of March 2019: 3 million
  • Number of Telegram users in Hong Kong: 1.7 million (2019)
  • Number of new Telegram users in the 24 hours after Brazil temporarily banned WhatsApp: 5.7 million new users

Telegram facts

  • Telegram launched in 2013.
  • Telegram was founded by Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov.
  • Telegram supports public channels, bots, and large communities.
  • Telegram offers end-to-end encryption for Secret Chats (not all chats by default).
  • Telegram is available on mobile, desktop, and web platforms.

FAQ

What is Telegram?

Telegram is a cloud-based messaging and communications platform that supports chat, calls, media sharing, channels, bots, and community features across multiple devices.

How many users does Telegram have?

Telegram was reported at 700 million users globally in 2022, and its Google Play listing describes Telegram as having over 1 billion active users.

How many Telegram Premium subscribers are there?

Telegram Premium surpassed 1 million subscribers in 2022.

How many Telegram downloads are there on Android?

Telegram reached 1 billion Google Play downloads (2021 milestone).

Sources / references



Please note that some of these numbers are easier to find than others. Most of these fun facts come from internet reports and may not be official tallies. No information contained on DMR should be relied upon to make investment decisions. Basically, this is the best I can find and I don’t guarantee anything to be 100%.