Telegram ranks as the seventh-largest social media and messaging platform globally, with over 1 billion monthly active users and 500 million daily active users in 2026.
Asia is Telegram’s largest market, with India leading the list of countries by app downloads. The platform also has a sizable base in the United States, where it has been downloaded over 38.16 million times.
Below is a detailed breakdown of Telegram’s user demographics, including statistics on monthly and daily active users, downloads by region and country, revenue, and the number of channels and groups.
This data will help businesses and marketers understand how Telegram operates and how its users behave.
Telegram Users Key Stats (2026)
Here are the headline numbers before the full breakdown.
- Telegram has over 1 billion monthly active users, a milestone it reached in March 2025.
- Telegram accounts for about 17.7% of the world’s social media user identities.
- Telegram had 15 million Premium subscribers as of May 2025.
- The app has been downloaded around 2 billion times across the App Store and Google Play Store.
- India has the largest Telegram user base of any single country.
- Telegram’s revenue reached $870 million in H1 2025, up 65% year over year.
- As of 2026, Telegram has recorded more than 1 billion downloads globally.
How Many Telegram Users Are There?
Telegram has more than 1 billion monthly active users (MAU) globally, a figure Pavel Durov announced in March 2025 and the most recent official number the company has published. That was a 50 million increase from the 950 million reported in July 2024. Telegram’s MAU count grew by 25% over two years and by 150% over five years.
The platform had just 35 million MAUs in March 2014. At 1 billion users, Telegram now reaches roughly 12% of the world’s population and about 17.7% of global social media user identities.
Here is the table to showcase Telegram’s MAUs over the years since 2014:
| Month – Year | Telegram MAU (Monthly Active Users) | Growth vs. Previous Figure |
|---|---|---|
| March 2014 | 35 Million | – |
| December 2014 | 50 Million | +42.86% |
| September 2015 | 60 Million | +20% |
| February 2016 | 100 Million | +66.67% |
| December 2017 | 180 Million | +80% |
| March 2018 | 200 Million | +11.11% |
| April 2020 | 400 Million | +100% |
| January 2021 | 500 Million | +25% |
| November 2022 | 700 Million | +40% |
| July 2023 | 800 Million | +14.29% |
| March 2024 | 900 Million | +12.50% |
| July 2024 | 950 Million | +5.56% |
| March 2025 | 1 Billion | +5.26% |
Source: Statista, Telegram (Durov)
Telegram Daily Active Users
Telegram has more than 500 million daily active users, which means around half of the monthly active users open the platform at least once a day.
Telegram added about 50 million monthly active users between July 2024 and March 2025, so daily engagement has grown alongside the total base.
The table below shows the reported daily active user figures. The 2023 number covers app-level measurement on iOS and Android only, so it is not directly comparable with the later platform-wide figures.
| Year | Telegram DAUs | Measurement Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 196 Million | iOS and Android app measurement only |
| 2024 | 450 Million | Platform-wide |
| 2025 – 2026 | 500 Million | Latest reported figure |
Source: Telegram, DataReportal
Telegram Monthly Active Users Vs. Other Social Media Platforms
Telegram’s MAU count has crossed the 1 billion mark. It is the seventh social platform to reach that scale, after Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and WeChat.
Facebook leads the chart with over 3.07 billion monthly active users, followed by WhatsApp and Instagram, which report 3 billion each.
The table below displays monthly active users for all major social media platforms as of the latest available reporting. Definitions vary by company, so these figures are best read as a scale comparison rather than a like-for-like ranking.
| Platform | Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| 3.07 billion | |
| 3 billion | |
| 3 billion | |
| YouTube | 2.7 billion |
| TikTok | 2 billion |
| 1.41 billion | |
| Telegram | 1 billion |
| Snapchat | 943 million |
| Douyin | 766 million |
| Kuaishou | 731 million |
| 588 million | |
| X (Twitter) | 586 million |
| 578 million | |
| 554 million |
Source: Statista
Telegram Users Across World Regions
Asia accounts for 38% of Telegram’s user base, which works out to roughly 380 million monthly active users. Europe and Latin America follow, at around 27% and 21% of the user base.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region accounts for 8% of the user base. The four regions below cover 94% of the total, with North America and the rest of the world making up the remainder.
Telegram also faces blocks and restrictions in several markets, which holds its global base below what open access would produce. China has blocked the app since 2015 and Iran since 2018. Russia banned Telegram between 2018 and 2020, lifted the ban, then began restricting the app again in August 2025 before moving to near-total blocking through spring 2026. India imposed a temporary nationwide block from June 16 to June 22, 2026. Nepal banned the app in July 2025.
Here is a small table to represent the distribution of Telegram’s user base by region:
| Region | Share of Telegram’s User Base |
|---|---|
| Asia | 38% |
| Europe | 27% |
| Latin America | 21% |
| MENA (Middle East and North Africa) | 8% |
Sources: World Population Review, Censorship of Telegram
Telegram Users by Country
India has an estimated 104.04 million Telegram users, making it the leading country by user count. Russia, the platform’s birthplace, is second at 34.4 million.
Indonesia and the United States follow with 27.21 million and 26.85 million users respectively. These are third-party app analytics estimates rather than company-reported figures, and country-level counts vary widely between measurement firms. Mediascope, for example, put Telegram’s Russian audience at over 94 million in Q1 2026, far above the estimate below.
The table below lists the leading countries by estimated Telegram users:
| Country | Telegram Users |
|---|---|
| India | 104.04 million |
| Russia | 34.40 million |
| Indonesia | 27.21 million |
| United States | 26.85 million |
| Brazil | 21.94 million |
| Egypt | 14.85 million |
Sources: Statista, OSW (Mediascope data)
Telegram Users in the United States
There are an estimated 26.85 million Telegram users in the United States, which is about 8% of the country’s population.
Telegram remains a second-tier messaging app in the US market, where iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger hold far larger shares.
Source: Statista
Telegram Users Age Group Demographics
About 54% of Telegram’s adult audience is aged 18 to 34. The 25 to 34 bracket is the largest single group at 30.29%, followed by 18 to 24 year olds at 23.84%.
The remaining 45.87% of users are 35 or older, with the 35 to 44 group making up about 19.48% of the audience. The dataset covers users aged 18 and over, so it excludes minors.
Here is the complete breakdown of Telegram’s user base by age group:
| Age Group | Share of Telegram User Base |
|---|---|
| 18 to 24 years | 23.84% |
| 25 to 34 years | 30.29% |
| 35 to 44 years | 19.48% |
| 45 to 54 years | 12.27% |
| 55 to 64 years | 8.95% |
| 65+ years | 5.17% |
Source: Similarweb
Telegram Users by Gender
Telegram’s audience is 59.79% male and 40.21% female. Other measurement firms put the male share lower, in the 57% to 59% range, so the exact split depends on the data source. Every major estimate agrees the platform skews male.
Telegram User Distribution by Gender
| Male | Female |
|---|---|
| 59.79% | 40.21% |
Source: Similarweb
Telegram App Statistics in 2026
Telegram is among the most downloaded messaging apps in the world. The app has been downloaded around 2 billion times across the App Store and Play Store combined, and India is its largest download market.
In the following section, you will find a detailed report on Telegram Premium subscribers and app downloads by year, region, and country.
Number of Telegram Premium Subscribers
Telegram passed 15 million Premium subscribers in May 2025, when Pavel Durov announced the milestone. That is a 50% increase from 10 million in September 2024. No newer official figure has been published since.
Telegram Premium launched on June 19, 2022 with exclusive features including 4 GB file uploads, faster downloads, doubled limits such as following up to 1,000 channels, voice-to-text conversion, unique stickers and reactions, and animated profile pictures.
Here is the table showing the growth of Telegram’s paid subscriber base since launch:
| Month Year | Number of Telegram Premium users |
|---|---|
| July 2022 | 0.15 million |
| August 2022 | 0.26 million |
| December 2022 | 1 million |
| July 2023 | 2 million |
| December 2023 | 4 million |
| September 2024 | 10 million |
| December 2024 | 12 million |
| May 2025 | 15 million |
Despite that growth, paid subscribers account for only about 1.5% of Telegram’s monthly active users. The large majority of the base stays on the free version.
Sources: Telegram, Durov’s Channel, Statista
Telegram App Downloads
Telegram was downloaded 27.63 million times worldwide in January 2025 across the App Store and Play Store combined.
Between January 2024 and January 2025, average monthly downloads fell by about 0.15%, a broadly flat trend over the year.
On an annual basis, Telegram recorded 471.21 million downloads in 2024, which was 73.29 million or 18.41% more than 2023. Statista projects 589.01 million downloads for 2025 and 736.26 million for 2026.
Telegram’s annual downloads grew at a compound rate of about 31% between 2015 and 2024. Download counts differ sharply between trackers, and some app intelligence providers put 2024 closer to 272 million, so treat the totals below as one dataset rather than a settled figure.
The table below shows Telegram app downloads from 2015 onward, with projected years marked:
| Year | Total Yearly Downloads |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 40.25 million |
| 2016 | 53.49 million |
| 2017 | 67.65 million |
| 2018 | 86.87 million |
| 2019 | 141.31 million |
| 2020 | 325.84 million |
| 2021 | 354.35 million |
| 2022 | 381.18 million |
| 2023 | 397.92 million |
| 2024 | 471.21 million |
| 2025 | 589.01 million |
| 2026 | 1 Billion |
| 2027* | 1.3 Billion* |
| 2028* | 1.4 billion* |
| 2029* | 1.8 billion* |
Source: Statista. *Projected figures.
Telegram App Downloads by Regions
Asia Pacific (APAC) was Telegram’s largest download region in 2024, with around 182.31 million downloads. Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) followed closely with about 177.23 million.
The North America and Latin America (NALA) region recorded the lowest total at 95.5 million.
Between 2020 and 2024, downloads grew at a compound annual rate of about 4% in APAC, 12.6% in EMEA, and 13% in NALA.
If those trends hold, EMEA is projected to pass 200 million downloads and overtake APAC, which is projected at about 190 million. NALA is projected to grow steadily to about 110.64 million.
The table below shows regional downloads, with projected years marked:
| Year | Total Downloads in APAC | Total Downloads in EMEA | Total Downloads in NALA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 155.74 million | 110.25 million | 58.51 million |
| 2021 | 162.72 million | 123.08 million | 90.42 million |
| 2022 | 150.1 million | 131.57 million | 71.3 million |
| 2023 | 156.24 million | 152.58 million | 88.77 million |
| 2024 | 182.31 million | 177.23 million | 95.5 million |
| 2025 | 190.04 million | 204.18 million | 110.64 million |
| 2026* | 198.12 million* | 235.16 million* | 128.34 million* |
| 2027* | 206.54 million* | 270.72 million* | 148.85 million* |
Source: Statista. *Projected figures.
Telegram App Downloads by Countries
As of 2026, more than 1 billion downloads have been recorded. India leads all countries for Telegram app downloads with over 100 million. Russia and the United States follow with 38.44 million and 38.16 million respectively.
Other Asian markets also contribute heavily, with Indonesia at 31.17 million and Pakistan at 24.34 million.
Here is the complete breakdown of Telegram app downloads by country, based on Statista’s most recent country-level dataset:
| Countries | Total Downloads of the Telegram App |
|---|---|
| India | 100.02 million |
| Russia | 38.44 million |
| United States | 38.16 million |
| Indonesia | 31.17 million |
| Pakistan | 24.34 million |
| Brazil | 16.81 million |
| Vietnam | 14.86 million |
| Mexico | 12.86 million |
| Ukraine | 8.51 million |
| France | 7.94 million |
| Germany | 7.29 million |
| Saudi Arabia | 7.08 million |
| United Kingdom | 5.96 million |
Source: Statista
Average Time Spent on Telegram
Telegram users spend an average of 4 hours and 25 minutes per month, or around 9 minutes a day, in the Android app. That is well below other large social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
Telegram’s own figures are much higher. Pavel Durov has said users open the app about 21 times a day and spend roughly 41 minutes in it, which counts total session time across all devices rather than Android app time alone. The two numbers measure different things.
Users spend over 34 hours and 15 minutes every month, or 69 minutes per day, on TikTok. An average YouTube user spends around 29 hours monthly watching shorts and videos.
Here is the table comparing average time spent on Telegram against similar apps:
| Platform | Average time spent per month | Average time spent per day |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 34 hours 15 minutes | 69 minutes |
| YouTube | 29 hours 21 minutes | 59 minutes |
| 18 hours 44 minutes | 37 minutes | |
| 16 hours 52 minutes | 34 minutes | |
| 16 hours 49 minutes | 34 minutes | |
| Line | 7 hours 25 minutes | 15 minutes |
| X (Twitter) | 5 hours 19 minutes | 11 minutes |
| Telegram | 4 hours 25 minutes | 9 minutes |
| Discord | 3 hours 43 minutes | 7 minutes |
| Snapchat | 3 hours 34 minutes | 7 minutes |
Source: DataReportal, Durov’s Channel
Telegram Revenue Statistics
Telegram turned its first annual profit in 2024, reporting $540 million in net profit on $1.4 billion in revenue. That reversed a $173 million loss on $342 million in revenue in 2023.
Revenue reached $870 million in the first half of 2025, up 65% from $525 million a year earlier. About a third of that, roughly $300 million, came from exclusivity agreements tied to the Toncoin ecosystem.
Telegram still posted a net loss of more than $220 million in H1 2025 after writing down the value of its Toncoin holdings, which fell about 69% during the year. The company had targeted $2 billion in full-year 2025 revenue.
The table below summarizes Telegram’s reported financials:
| Period | Revenue | Net Profit or Loss |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $342 million | -$173 million |
| 2024 | $1.4 billion | +$540 million |
| H1 2024 | $525 million | +$334 million |
| H1 2025 | $870 million | -$220 million |
Telegram raised $1.7 billion through a convertible bond in May 2025, backed by investors including BlackRock and Mubadala. It has not set an IPO date, citing the ongoing French investigation into Pavel Durov.
Sources: Financial Times via Cointelegraph, CoinDesk (WSJ report)
Telegram Channel Statistics
Telegram hosts millions of channels, some with tens of millions of subscribers. Channels with over 1,000 subscribers can be monetized, and owners receive 50% of the ad revenue their channel generates, withdrawable through the Fragment platform. The sections below cover the most popular channels and channel categories.
Most Popular Telegram Channel Categories
News is the most followed channel category. In a survey of Telegram users in Russia, 85% said they follow news channels. Entertainment came second at 62%, followed by education at 58%.
Respondents could select more than one category, so the shares total well above 100%. They describe what users follow, not how many channels exist in each category. Darknet channels ranked lowest at 4%, behind adult channels at 13% and job channels at 14%.
The table below shows the share of surveyed users following each category:
| Channel Category | Share of Surveyed Users Who Follow It |
|---|---|
| News channels | 85% |
| Entertainment channels | 62% |
| Educational channels | 58% |
| Political channels | 50% |
| News from own industry | 48% |
| Personal channels of friends | 45% |
| Channels for the special military operation | 36% |
| Channels of bloggers and celebrities | 31% |
| Internal channels of companies | 19% |
| Channels of brands/companies | 17% |
| Channels for products and discounts | 16% |
| Channels with job offers | 14% |
| Channels for adults | 13% |
| Darknet channels | 4% |
Source: Statista
Most Subscribed Telegram Channels in 2026
@hamster_kombat is still the largest channel on Telegram with about 22.57 million subscribers as of July 2026. It is the announcement channel for Hamster Kombat, a Telegram-based clicker game built on the TON blockchain.
@blumcrypto and @majors follow with about 16.16 million and 12.48 million subscribers.
Subscriber counts in this list have fallen sharply since early 2025, when Hamster Kombat sat above 43 million. The tap-to-earn crypto games that drove those numbers have lost most of their audience, and Telegram’s own channels now rank among the top ten.
Here are the top 10 Telegram channels as of July 30, 2026:
| Telegram Channel | Number of Subscribers |
|---|---|
| @hamster_kombat | 22.57 million |
| @blumcrypto | 16.16 million |
| @majors | 12.48 million |
| @proxymtproto | 11.96 million |
| @durov | 11.42 million |
| @telegramtips | 11.29 million |
| @tapswapai | 11.19 million |
| @telegram | 9.96 million |
| @notcoin | 9.27 million |
| @seedupdates | 9.20 million |
Source: TelegramChannels.me ranking, Statista
Number of Telegram Channels by Country
Russia leads the list with over 1.54 million indexed channels and about 124,000 groups. Uzbekistan is second with roughly 195,000 channels, followed by Iran at 122,000.
Ukraine ranks fourth with about 105,000 channels and 13,600 groups. These counts come from TGStat’s public catalog, so they cover indexed public channels only and understate the real totals.
Here is the ranking of the top countries by Telegram channels and groups:
| Country | Channels | Groups |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | 1.54 million | 124,000 |
| Uzbekistan | 195,000 | 37,700 |
| Iran | 122,000 | 4,300 |
| Ukraine | 105,000 | 13,600 |
| India | 58,000 | 9,700 |
| China | 46,000 | 10,800 |
| Kazakhstan | 18,000 | 2,500 |
| Belarus | 15,000 | 3,000 |
| Ethiopia | 14,000 | 1,900 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 5,000 | 1,100 |
Source: TGStat
