Here are the most interesting WhatsApp statistics and facts I have dug up over the years. It should give you a snapshot off what exactly Zuck and crew dished out all that money for. As always, I'll be adding and updating as new statistics pop up along the way.

One stat post that I have been meaning to put together for quite some time is WhatsApp. The chat app has only been around for a few years, but has certainly racked up some staggering usage statistics and download totals.

WhatsApp began by a couple of ex-Yahoo! employees, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, who couldn't get a job at Facebook. They decided to develop a simple messaging app for the new iPhone ecosystem and named it WhatsApp. Ironically, in 2014, WhatsApp was purchased for $19 billion by the same Facebook that wouldn't hire Koum and Acton.

WhatsApp's user base and popularity has grown exponentially since those early days of the iPhone. The app is now available on all major mobile and desktop platforms and has over 1 billion users. With so many users, there are countless interesting facts about WhatsApp worth noting. Here you go....

WhatsApp Facts

• WhatsApp Website: whatsapp.com
• WhatsApp Launch Year: 2009
• WhatsApp Founders: Brian Acton and Jan Koum
• WhatsApp Headquarters: Mountain View, CA
• WhatsApp CEO: Chris Daniels
• WhatsApp Parent Company: Facebook
• WhatsApp Apps: iOS | Android | Windows | Mac OS X
• Number of WhatsApp Employees: 120 employees (Last updated 1/18/16)

What is WhatsApp?

WhatsApp History

• 2009 - WhatApp is incorporated and launched
• 2010 - WhatsApp launches for Android
• 2013 - Voice messaging added to WhatsApp
• 2014 - Facebook acquires WhatsApp
• 2016 - WhatsApp ditches the $1 subscription fee and becomes a free app
• 2016 - WhatsApp desktop launches

WhatsApp Statistics

How many people use WhatsApp?

2 billion WhatsApp users

Last updated 2/12/20

How many people use WhatsApp Status:

450 million daily active users

Last updated 5/1/18

Average number of daily voice calls made on WhatsApp:

100 million voice calls on WhatsApp per day

Last updated 6/23/16

Amount time spent by WhatsApp users making calls on it each day:

2 billion minutes per day

Last updated 3/19/20

Average number of WhatsApp video calls made daily:

over 55 million calls per day

Last updated 5/9/17

Average number of WhatsApp video call minutes used per day:

2 billion minutes per day

Last updated 5/1/18

Percentage of monthly WhatsApp users that use it daily:

70%

(Tweet this stat)

Last updated 2/20/14

Number of daily active WhatsApp users:

1 billion daily active WhatsApp users

Last updated 7/26/17

Number of messages sent via WhatsApp daily:

65 billion messages per day

Last updated 5/18/18

Total number of WhatsApp groups:

1 billion WhatsApp groups

Last updated 2/1/16

Number of languages supported by WhatsApp:

60 languages

Last updated 7/26/17

Percentage of WhatsApp Android app installs that are uninstalled:

6.2% (Least uninstalled Android app)

Last updated 3/7/16

Number of video messages sent via WhatsApp daily:

1 billion video messages per day

Last updated 7/26/17

Number of photos shared via WhatsApp daily:

4.5 billion photos per day

Last updated 7/26/17

Amount that Facebook bought WhatsApp for:

$19 billion

(Tweet this)

Amount that Google reportedly offered to buy WhatsApp for:

$10 billion

(Tweet this)

Estimated number of WhatsApp users in China:

2 million WhatsApp users in China

Last updated 7/19/17

Number of WhatsApp users in Brazil:

120 million users

Last updated 4/4/19

Number of WhatsApp users in India:

400 million WhatsApp users in India

Last updated 7/25/19

Number of WhatsApp users in Indonesia:

59.9 million

Last updated August 2019

Number of WhatsApp users in Mexico:

57.2 million

Last updated August 2019

Number of WhatsApp users in Russia:

54.1 million

Last updated August 2019

Number of WhatsApp users in Germany:

43.9 million

Last updated August 2019

Number of WhatsApp users in Italy:

32.9 million

Last updated August 2019

Number of WhatsApp users in Spain:

30.5 million

Last updated August 2019

Number of WhatsApp users in the UK:

27.6 million

Last updated August 2019

Top country for WhatsApp video calling usage:

India

Last updated 5/9/17

Average amount of time Indians collectively spend making WhatsApp video calls daily:

50 million minutes per day

Last updated 5/9/17

Number of WhatsApp active users when Facebook acquired them:

450 million monthly active users

WhatsApp's busiest day ever:

New Year's Ever 2016 (63 billion messages)

Last updated 1/7/17

Number of WhatsApp messages sent on New Years Eve 2017:

75 billion messages

Number of countries that WhatsApp is banned in:

12 countries

Last updated 1/5/17

Number of countries WhatsApp is used in:

180 countries

Last updated 2/3/18

Number of companies using WhatsApp for Business:

5 million companies

Last updated 11/7/19

Number of WhatsApp users in the Netherlands:

10.9 million

Last updated 2/27/17

Percentage of all WhatsApp users that rely on it for news:

15%

Last updated 6/25/17

Percentage of WhatsApp users in Brazil that rely on it for news:

46%

Last updated 6/25/17

Percentage of WhatsApp users in Hong Kong that rely on it for news:

36%

Last updated 6/25/17

Average number of fake accounts WhatsApp bans per month:

2 million

Last updated 2/6/19