21+ Exciting WeChat Statistics [2021 Edition]

If you are ever headed over to China, you will surely come across WeChat. It is known as Weixin over there.

WeChat is a social media app that was launched back in 2011 by Tencent. It started out just in the same way as WhatsApp and Facebook did: offering messaging and networking features.

Since 2011, though, the platform has grown from strength to strength, introducing new features that have made it indispensable!

We’ve prepared some  WeChat statistics to help you understand this phenomenon!

Let’s go!

Mind-Blowing WeChat Statistics

Let’s get this show on the road by understanding how massive WeChat actually is.

• 45 billion messages are sent daily by WeChat users.
• The average user spends 66 minutes a day on WeChat.
• 6.1 billion voice messages get sent daily.
• 205 million video messages are sent every day.
• Over 200 million bank cards used in China are linked to the WeChat Pay side of the app.
• People follow WeChat accounts because of news and promotions.

WeChat Usage Stats

We’re going to kick off our WeChat stats with some user stats.

These are going to go through some of the WeChat usage stats by country. We’ll finally look at the number of active users on WeChat.

Ready?

1. The number of active users per month on WeChat amounts to 1.24 billion.

(Source: Statista)

That figure has doubled since 2015.

In 2020, the app had around 1.2 billion monthly users. According to WeChat statistics, that has risen by about 400,000 in 2021.

The platform has continued to show consistent growth over the years. Going by the trend, it doesn’t look like it will slow down any time soon.

2. WeChat has grown so much that users would have over 100% more contacts since 2015!

(Source: China Internet Watch)

WeChat user trends have changed so much over the years that users can build a huge contact list fairly quickly nowadays. WeChat continues to build on the quality it is offering, which allows users to be more connected than ever.

Other sites are seeing stagnation, so this is fab news for WeChat users (and WeChat as a business)!

3. 45 billion messages are sent daily by WeChat users.

(Source: Harvard Business Review)

WeChat usage has been growing by 25% a year for a few years now.

It’s probably about time people got off their messaging apps and started having conversations face to face. Still, for Tencent – which owns WeChat – this is excellent news.

The more messages are sent, the more revenue and publicity they receive. It’s only going to grow!

4. In a world of video, WeChat users like to send 205 million every day.

(Source: China Daily)

205 million video messages per day?!

Well, WeChat video usage stats show how much users enjoy sending video messages.

WeChat is known for making better use of the improved bandwidth, which makes for easier communication for its users.

5. People spend 66 minutes every day on WeChat.

(Source: The Telegraph)

Compared to the 41 minutes spent on Facebook, WeChat users spend more time on WeChat. It just goes to show that the WeChat popularity ranks are way up!

6. Users open WeChat 10x a day, 60% of them confirm.

(Source: Apps That Deliver)

When it comes to engagement, WeChat ranks very highly. Over 60% of users open the app more than ten times a day. Another 21% use the app over 50 times a day.

Not bad of an engagement.

WeChat Audience Stats

So, now we know what users like to do with WeChat. Let’s continue by exploring the audience that uses WeChat every day.

They come from different age groups and backgrounds, so look for the WeChat statistics of 2019 most relevant to you!

7. WeChat user stats show 98.5% of users, aged 50-80, are in China.

(Source: Technode, China Daily)

Unlike other social networking apps, the app is popular among senior users in China. WeChat usage trends show that it’s become an integral piece of the lifestyle in China. But did you also know that…

8. Women dominate the WeChat e-commerce mini-program use – they are 67% of the audience.

(Source: Luxion Media)

WeChat has several mini-programs and women are the predominant audience.

Not only that, but the mini-programs have helped brand giants like Gucci and Michael Kors – now there’s a name drop for the audience!

9. WeChat is the 6th most popular social media network globally in terms of active users.

(Source: Statista, Data Reportal)

Collectively, there are 4.20 billion social media users. 

WeChat users stats show that it has attracted a sizable piece of the pie with about 1.2 billion users.

It’s ahead of popular apps like Telegram, TikTok, and Snapchat. The top three websites in this category are Facebook (2.7 billion), YouTube (2.3 billion), and WhatsApp (2.00 billion).

WeChat Download Stats

WeChat popularity is growing year on year, and the following trends prove that!

10. 34% of China’s data traffic comes from WeChat.

(Source: WeChat Impact Report)

There is so much that can be done on WeChat.

But when it comes to both work and leisure, WeChat keeps a large share of the data traffic.

It uses more data than Facebook does in North America, and that in itself is a big deal!

11. WeChat US has 19 million users.

(Source: EFF)

Do you remember former President Trump issuing executive orders to ban TikTok and WeChat in the US back in 2020?

Well, that didn’t work.

Today, the app is doing better than ever. It has 19 million users in the United States, according to  WeChat stats. Users are primarily Chinese diaspora who rely on the application to communicate with their loved ones back home.

12. The highest traffic for WeChat comes from China, with the US being second!

(Source: SimilarWeb)

WeChat user stats show China generates 24.28% of WeChat traffic. This is much more than the 15.8% that is generated from the US!

That’s a lot of other countries to take note of here. And while it’s important where the traffic is coming from, the distribution by age groups is also significant. For example, did you know that…

13. In the US, 23% of users are in the 18-24 bracket.

(Source: We Are Flint)

The main findings have shown that the 18-24 age group is the highest among those who have adopted WeChat in the US. The numbers change with age and decrease progressively.

In the UK, the highest use comes from the 25-34 age group.

14. 17% of men use WeChat in the US.

(Source: We Are Flint)

In the US, there is a big difference between the share of male and female users on WeChat. While 17% of US men use WeChat, only 6% of women do so.

WeChat Revenue Stats

Money, money, money! It’s all about revenue for a lot of companies.

But.

WeChat is about the community too.

Let’s a look at the WeChat revenue statistics and see how they relate to the community:

15. You can donate to charity on WeChat – like 40.3% of people do.

(Source: Technode)

It’s always nice when a company cares about those in need.

WeChat is clearly about more than consumption. WeChat pay statistics show that users are often donating to charity using the platform.

Back in 2015, this figure was around the 20% mark. It was doubled by 2017.

Imagine what it would be like by the end of 2020!

16. Statistics show that 333.9 billion RMB was driven in Chinese currency which covered travel/food/tourism.

(Source: WeChat Impact Report 2018)

The social impact of WeChat is huge, with $50 billion driven in domestic consumption. WeChat also helped in the employment of 20.3 million in 2017 alone!

The more money WeChat earns, the more it can help cut costs.

How would that affect WeChat’s marketing statistics, in your opinion?

17. Just over 34% of WeChat Official Account owners agree that the app helps to cut costs – by more than 30%!

(Source: Technode)

WeChat Official Accounts are beneficial to the enterprise owners who run them. There’s a reduction in operational costs, and 32% of businesses have sold products via these accounts.

40% of businesses have used them to buy services from others.

Isn’t that a great way to use WeChat?

18. When it comes to proximity mobile payments, China has more than 60% of the global user base.

(Source: Technode)

There are so many different ways to pay via mobile: Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, and Android Pay are just three. WeChat’s advertising statistics also benefit from that, by the way.

Anyway, China remains a global leader when it comes to the adoption rates of contactless mobile payment. Speaking of WeChat Pay…

19. 93% of consumers who engage in offline purchases use WeChat Pay.

(Source: Penguin Intelligence, Technode)

As a digital wallet service, WeChat Pay has had a remarkable breakthrough in the urban market. Almost 45% of users prefer to use WeChat Pay over carrying cash!

WeChat for Business

WeChat is not just for general consumers, but for businesses too. Most people in the workplace use WeChat and use it successfully.

It’s no wonder it’s competing against Apple Pay and the other big players!

Let’s look at some stats in this area:

20. When it comes to workplace communications, 90% of Chinese professionals choose WeChat.

(Source: South China Morning Post)

As the user base is growing, more features than ever are there to enable work-related tasks. WeChat can blur the line between personal and professional with ease.

20,000 users were surveyed, and almost 90% of them named WeChat as a top choice for their daily communication. For example, when it comes to email…

21. 88% of US companies that have partnered with Tencent and utilize WeChat use it to communicate with their workers.

(Source: Statista)

Nearly 90% of companies that partner with Tencent and use WeChat do so to reach their employees. Most of these profiles belong to American companies operating in China.

That’s not all.

77.6% of them use it to market to Chinese consumers. A further 76.8% uses WeChat to liaise with the country’s government officials.

22. 70% of users in China prefer WeChat for work, compared to email!

(Source: MarketingToChina)

Email may not be as big in China as other methods of communication, but 70% of users in China use WeChat instead – and that’s a big deal!

The platform helps them organize work and read the professional information that counts in their business.

It’s even been used as a way for people to generate new business leads!

Now.

We’ve covered the important stats. Time to have some fun:

Wechat Fun Facts

WeChat statistics can be fun, too! For example, did you know that…

23. The two main reasons for using WeChat Official Accounts are news and promotions.

(Source: Statista)

74.2% of WeChat Official Account users use it to get news and promote their business. Entrepreneurs and businesses use WeChat to earn money, and the Official Accounts are a great way to do it.

24. Hospital wait times have reduced by 43.6 minutes when using WeChat.

(Source: Forbes)

This may surprise some out there, but Chinese hospitals are well known for being inefficient. However, with the rise of technology, health institutions in China have caught on. Over 40% of them are now using WeChat in some way or form.

This includes updating patients with news and sharing doctor information. It also means patients can book appointments online, pay bills, and pay registration fees using the platform! It’s a great way to use technology, it makes the WeChat stock price shoot up, and it helps people too!

Wrap Up

A lot of social networking sites face a slowdown at some point, as is the natural way of things.

As it is apparent from these WeChat stats, the app’s popularity is growing daily. Sure, it may only be Chinese users that currently use it, but that’s just for now!

WeChat is constantly updating to offer new ways for people to engage and the service is starting to get into other markets. It’s becoming a threat (the good kind) to other players in the social media networking market.

Would you use WeChat?