We continue our series of Chinese digital stat posts today by taking a look at some interesting WeChat statistics. WeChat (called Weixin in China) is China’s version of WhatsApp or LINE and has one of the largest user bases among the ever-growing number of chat apps and social media networks.

In less than a decade, WeChat has permeated virtually every aspect of Chinese life. Think about how prevalent Facebook is in Western culture and multiply that effect. WeChat is used in both personal and business settings and really has become the default means of Chinese person-to-person and person-to-business communications.

With a digital platform as big as WeChat, there are countless facets to measure its size and growth by. Here are a few of the more interesting WeChat statistics I’ve been able to dig up in my internet travels. I hope you find this data helpful..

WeChat Facts

WeChat website: wechat.com
Release date of WeChat: January 2011
WeChat headquarters: Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China
WeChat owner: Tencent
WeChat creator: Xiaolong Zhang

What is WeChat?

WeChat is a messaging and calling app that allows you to easily connect with family & friends across countries. It’s the all-in-one communications app for text (SMS/MMS), voice and video calls, Moments, photo sharing, and games. (source)

WeChat Statistics

How many people use WeChat?

WeChat Monthly Active Users Chart 2014-2018 (in millions)

2019: 1.132 billion monthly active users (Last updated 57/1/19)
2018: 1.097 billion MAU
2017: 988.6 million MAU
2016: 889.3 million MAU
2015: 697 million MAU
2014: 500 million MAU

Average number of WeChat daily active users:

902 million WeChat users

Last updated 3/5/18

Average number of messages sent on WeChat each day:

38 billion

Last updated 11/15/17

Average number of voice messages sent on WeChat each day:

6.1 billion

Last updated 11/20/17

Average amount of time WeChat users spend on it daily;

77 minutes

Last updated 8/1/19

Number of corporate WeChat accounts:

14 million

Last updated 11/29/17

Number of people that use WeChat Moments daily:

750 million

Last updated 3/18/19

Average number of times users check their Moments daily:

Last updated 3/18/19

Total number of times Moments are checked each day:

10 billion

Last updated 3/18/19

Percentage of corporate WeChat accounts that are active:

38%

Last updated 11/29/17

Number of WeChat users that access it on a smartphone:

639 million

Last updated 1/23/16

How many people use WeChat outside of China:

70 million

Last updated 4/16/16

Average number of calls connected on WeChat each day:

100 million

Last updated 12/29/17

Average number of times a day a Chinese user checks WeChat:

10 times

Last updated 8/19/16

Average number of friends for users on WeChat:

128 friends

Last updated 6/21/16

Percentage of Chinese people aged 50-80, that use WeChat:

98.5%

Last updated 3/27/18

Number of users for WeChat Pay:

800 million users

Last updated 3/1/18

Number of offline stores that accept WeChat Payment:

300,000 stores

Last updated 2/5/16

Number of countries WeChat Pay is available in:

40 countries

Last updated 8/22/18

Number of currencies WeChat Pay is available in:

13 currencies

Last updated 3/1/18

Percentage of internet users in China that use Wechat Moments:

84.3%

Last updated 9/5/17

Number of daily active WeChat mini-programs users:

230 million

Last updated 4/4/19

Number of WeChat mini programs with more than 1 million monthly active users:

883

Last updated 7/26/19

Number of WeChat mini programs with more than 1 million daily active users:

Last updated 7/1/19

Number of WeChat mini programs with more than 5 million monthly active users:

180

Last updated 7/26/19

Number of monthly active WeChat mini-programs users:

600 million

Last updated 8/15/18

Number of Mini Games available on WeChat:

500

Last updated 5/17/18

Number of Mini Programs available on WeChat:

1 million

Last updated 8/15/18

Number of daily active WeRun users:

115 million

Last updated 11/20/17

Percentage of China’s total data traffic that comes from WeChat:

34%

Last updated 5/7/18

Percentage of WeChat users that use it for work:

80%

Last updated 4/25/17

Percentage of WeChat users that use WeChat Pay:

92%

Last updated 4/25/17

Percentage of WeChat users that spend more than 4 hours a day on it:

34.6%

Last updated 4/23/17

Photo by Sinchen.Lin

Number of WeChat users that are 55 or older:

60 million

Last updated 10/31/18

Percentage of the top 500 enterprises in China that use WeChatWork:

80%

Last updated 3/21/19

WeChat total daily payment transaction volume in 2018:

1 billion

Percentage of WeChat mini-program users that are men:

58%

Last updated 4/4/19

Percentage of WeChat mini-program users that are women:

42%

Last updated 4/4/19

Percentage of WeChat users that are between the ages 15-29:

60%

Last updated 6/21/16

Percentage of WeChat users that spend at least 90 minutes a day on it:

50%

Last updated 12/29/16

Average amount of time spent by users on WeChat in 2016:

66 minutes per day

Top country for Wechat usage (based on percentage of usage by online adults in each market):

China

Last updated Q1 2015

Percentage of internet users, age 16-65, in China that use WeChat:

68.6%

Last updated 12/1/15

WeChat year over year growth (2015-2016) in daily logged in users:

35%

Year over year (2015-2016) growth in messages sent on WeChat:

67%

Percentage of China social media users that used WeChat in 2015:

75.9%

Percentage of China social media users that used WeChat in 2014:

71.8%

Percentage of China social media users that used WeChat in 2013:

64.5%

Percentage of WeChat users in China that use it more than 30 times a day:

36%

Last updated 6/9/16

Percentage of WeChat users that access it daily:

90%

Last updated 6/9/16

Percentage of WeChat users in China that spend more than an hour a day on it:

54%

Last updated 6/9/16

Percentage of millennials that use WeChat globally:

60%

Last updated 2/11/15

Percentage of Wechat daily active users that are between 15-29 years old:

about 60%

Last updated 11/5/15

Average daily amount of audio chatting that takes place on Wechat:

280 million minutes

Last updated 11/5/15

Most active time of the day on Wechat:

10pm

Last updated 11/5/15

Male users spend 1.3x more time shopping on Wechat than female users.

Last updated 11/5/15

Percentage of Wechat users that play games on it daily:

70%

Last updated 11/5/15

Average number of times Wechat users visit it daily:

7.8 times

Last updated 9/30/15

Percentage of Wechat users that are students:

10.6%

Last updated 8/14/15

Percentage of Wechat posts that get censored:

1.5%

Last updated 7/20/15

Percentage of WeChat users that purchase products online:

83%

Last updated August 2015

Percentage of WeChat users that are “typical” users (born in the 80’s or 90’s):

65%

Last updated 12/29/16

Number of WeChat users that have credit cards attached to their accounts:

300 million

Last updated 12/30/16

Percentage of the population Tier 1 cities in China that use WeChat:

93%

Last updated 4/16/16

Percentage of the population Tier 2 cities in China that use WeChat:

69%

Last updated 6/21/16

Maximum number of friends that a WeChat personal account can have:

5,000

Last updated 5/23/14

Number of followers required before a business can advertise on WeChat:

100,000 followers

Last updated 7/7/14

Average amount of time Chinese adults spend on WeChat daily:

over 40 minutes

Last updated 4/23/15

Percentage of WeChat revenue in 2014 that came from mobile ad sales:

69%

Last updated 4/2/15

Percentage of WeChat users that open it more than 10 times a day:

55.2%

Last updated 1/27/15

Dollar amount of data that WeChat users consumed in 2014:

$15.3 billion US

Percentage of WeChat users that have 50 or more contacts:

62.7%

Last updated 1/27/15

Percentage of WeChat users that are male:

64.3%

Last updated 8/14/15

Percentage of WeChat users that are female:

35.7%

Last updated 8/14/15

Percentage of WeChat users that are between the ages of 18-36:

86.2%

Last updated 1/27/15

Percentage of WeChat users that have used WeChat stickers:

56.5%

Last updated 1/27/15

Percentage of WeChat apps that are free:

62.12%

(Tweet this stat)

Last updated 12/5/13

First major company to implement e-commerce on WeChat:

McDonalds

(Tweet this stats)

Amount of calling WeChat users do on it daily:

280 million minutes per day

Last updated 6/21/16

Number of WeChat public accounts:

8.5 million

Last updated 1/22/15

Daily growth in WeChat public accounts:

8,000

Last updated 6/23/14

Number of WeChat accounts that were shut down in June 2014 because they were linked to prostitution:

20 million

Number of WeChat accounts that were shut down in June 2014 because they were fake:

30,000

Number of apps connected to WeChat:

67,000

Last updated 8/1/14

Number of WeChat advertisers:

10,000

Last updated 8/1/14

Number of WeChat publishers:

1,000

Last updated 8/1/14

Number of WeChat app developers:

over 100,000

Last updated 8/1/14

Number of users for WeChat’s workplace version, Maimai:

800,000 registered users

Last updated 8/14/14

Percentage of Global internet users that use Wechat:

29%

Last updated 10/9/15

Percentage of mobile internet users in the US that use WeChat monthly:

Last updated 10/20/14

Percentage of mobile internet users in India that use WeChat monthly:

21%

Last updated 10/20/14

Percentage of internet users in China that use WeChat:

69%<

Last updated 10/9/15

Number of WeChat users in South Africa:

5 million

Last updated 2/5/16

Percentage of WeChat users that follow media accounts:

41.5%

Last updated May 2014

Percentage of WeChat users that follow celebrity accounts:

26.3%

Last updated May 2014

Percentage of WeChat users that use it for voice messaging:

84.5%

Last updated May 2014

Percentage of WeChat users that use it for text messaging:

83.3%

Last updated May 2014

Percentage of WeChat users that log onto it more than once a day:

31.4%

Last updated 11/13/14

Percentage of global adult internet users that use WeChat monthly:

23%

Last updated 11/20/14

Percentage of APAC adult internet users that use WeChat monthly:

39%

Last updated 11/20/14

Percentage of WeChat users that are aged 16-24:

33%

Last updated 11/20/14

Percentage of WeChat users that are aged 25-34:

40%

Last updated 11/20/14

Percentage of WeChat users that are aged 35-44:

19%

Last updated 11/20/14

Percentage of WeChat users that are aged 45-54:

Last updated 11/20/14

Percentage of WeChat users that are aged 55-64:

Last updated 11/20/14

Average number of WeChat articles read daily by users:

5.86 articles

Last updated 1/6/15

Number of different languages WeChat is available in:

Last updated 1/22/15

Number of countries WeChat has users in:

200

Last updated 1/22/15

Number of WeChat investment fund users:

10 million

Last updated 1/16/15

WeChat Friends’ share of total Chinese social sharing in 2013:

25.6%

(Tweet this stat)

WeChat Moment’s share of total Chinese social sharing in 2013:

23.4%

(Tweet this stat)

Number of WeChat messages that were processed in a single minute on Lunar New Year’s eve:

10 million messages

(Tweet this stat)

Number of cities in China that WeChat Moments local ads support:

over 300 cities

Last updated 9/22/16

Number of business districts in China that WeChat Moments local ads support:

4,000

Last updated 9/22/16

Estimated value of WeChat:

$83.6 billion

Last updated 2015

Number of Chinese office workers that use WeChat enterprise accounts:

20 million

Last updated 8/19/16

Percentage of total messages sent on WeChat that are sent by “typical” users:

80%

Year over year (2015-2016) growth in calls connected on WeChat:

180%

Amount of free calls WeChat users made on Lunar New Year 2017:

2.1 billion minutes worth

Number of red packets WeChat users exchanged on Lunar New Year 2017:

46 billion

Number of stickers WeChat users sent on Lunar New Year 2017:

16 billion

Number of WeChat users in Malaysia:

20 million

Last updated 11/20/17

Average number of monthly voice or video calls a WeChat user makes using it:

Last updated 11/20/17

Average amount of monthly voice or video calls a WeChat user makes using it:

139 minutes

Last updated 11/20/17

Amount of consumption WeChat drove in China in 2017:

RMB 333.9 billion

Percentage of WeChat users that use Official Accounts:

80%

Last updated 8/1/19

Percentage of WeChat users that follow less than 20 Official Accounts:

73%

Last updated 8/1/19

Get the Industry Report

This report is available in an annual industry report. Some of the data in industry reports include:

Company stats
User stats
Activity stats
WeChat Payments Stats
WeChat Moments Stats
WeChat Enterprise Stats
Etc.-all in one place

I try to go through each and every stat regularly and update as much as possible, but we all know that some stats are easier to track down than others. As always, every stat is linked to its original source and has the source date listed.

To get your copy of the report, click on the button below to purchase it.

Report 1: Messaging App Company Report (Apple, Facebook Messenger, Kik, LINE, QQ, Skype, Snapchat, Viber, WeChat and WhatsApp).

Report 2: China Digital Companies Report (Alibaba, Alipay, Baidu, Ctrip, JD.com, QQ, YY, Tmall, Taobao, WeChat and Weibo).

Report 3: Tencent Properties Report (Wechat and QQ).

Craig Smith

https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/about-dmr/

DMR Publisher. Director of Marketing by day and I run this little site at night. Other interests include Disney, Sports, 80’s Nostalgia, LEGO, Star Wars and Tech Gadgets. Other sites include DisneyNews.us and VideoGamesStats.com.

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