Telegram statistics for 2026 show that it has more than 1 billion monthly active users and about 500 million daily users.
Telegram crossed 1 billion users in March 2025, has 15 million paying Premium subscribers, and earned $870 million in revenue in the first half of 2025, up 65% from a year earlier.
In this blog, we share the latest Telegram statistics on users, countries, demographics, downloads, revenue, funding, channels, features, and legal challenges.
What Are the Key Telegram Statistics in 2026?
Telegram has more than 1 billion monthly users in 2026, about 500 million daily users, and 15 million Premium subscribers.
Here are the most important Telegram statistics for 2026.
| Statistic | Latest Telegram figure | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly active users | 1 billion+ | Mar 2025 |
| Daily active users | ~500 million | 2026 |
| New users per day | ~2.5 million | 2026 |
| Premium subscribers | 15 million | Mid-2025 |
| Revenue (H1 2025) | $870 million (+65%) | Jan 2026 |
| Revenue (2024) | $1.4 billion | 2025 |
| Net profit (2024) | $540 million (first ever) | 2025 |
| Total funding raised | $5 billion+ | 2026 |
| App downloads (2025) | 340 million | 2025 |
| Largest market | India | 2026 |
| Users aged 18–34 | 53.5% | 2026 |
| Full-time employees | Fewer than 100 | 2026 |
| Social media ranking | 7th most popular worldwide | Mar 2026 |
Sources: Pavel Durov, Statista, TechCrunch
What Is Telegram?
Telegram is a cloud-based messaging app known for large group chats, broadcast channels, bots, and privacy features.
Brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov founded Telegram and launched it in August 2013.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Launched | August 2013 |
| Founders | Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov |
| CEO and owner | Pavel Durov |
| Headquarters | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Platforms | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, web |
| Business model | Premium subscriptions, ads, TON blockchain partnerships |
| Paid tier | Telegram Premium (launched June 2022) |
| Employees | Fewer than 100 full-time staff |
Telegram is based in Dubai, and Pavel Durov is its sole owner and CEO.
How Many People Use Telegram in 2026?
Telegram has more than 1 billion monthly active users in 2026, a milestone Pavel Durov announced in March 2025.
Telegram Monthly Active Users by Year:
| Year | Telegram’s Monthly active users |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 35 million |
| 2016 | 100 million |
| 2017 | 180 million |
| 2018 | 200 million |
| 2019 | 300 million |
| 2020 | 400 million |
| 2021 | 550 million |
| 2022 | 700 million |
| 2023 | 800 million |
| 2024 | 950 million |
| 2025 | 1 billion |
- Telegram grew from 35 million monthly users in 2014 to 1 billion in 2025, about 28 times larger.
- Telegram added 400 million users in the four years from 2021 to 2025.
- Growth is slowing: Telegram users rose only 5% from 2024 to 2025, from 950 million to 1 billion.
- Telegram’s daily active users grew 11% in a year, from about 450 million in 2025 to 500 million in 2026.
How Many New Users Join Telegram Each Day?
2.5 million new users join Telegram every day, or roughly 75 million a month, up from about 1.5 million a day in 2020.
How Many Telegram Premium Subscribers Are There?
Telegram Premium passed 15 million paid subscribers in 2025, according to Pavel Durov. That’s only about 1.5% of Telegram’s monthly users, so most people still use the free version.
| Date | Premium subscribers |
|---|---|
| July 2022 | 150,000 |
| December 2022 | 1 million |
| October 2023 | 3.5 million |
| December 2023 | 4 million |
| January 2024 | 5 million |
| September 2024 | 10 million |
| December 2024 | 12 million |
| 2025 | 15 million |
Sources: Pavel Durov, Statista, TechCrunch
- Premium gives users 4 GB file uploads, faster downloads, premium stickers, and no ads. Premium revenue rose 88% to $223 million in the first half of 2025 (Financial Times).
- Telegram Premium grew from 150,000 subscribers in July 2022 to 15 million in 2025, a 100-fold increase in about three years.
- Telegram Premium reached its first 1 million subscribers within six months of launch.
- Growth is slowing: Telegram Premium added only 3 million subscribers from December 2024 to 2025, a 25% increase.
Which Countries Use Telegram the Most?
India has the most Telegram users of any country, with 104.04 million downloads in 2025.
Telegram Downloads by Country:
| Rank | Country | Downloads (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 104.04 million |
| 2 | Russia | 34.4 million |
| 3 | Indonesia | 27.21 million |
| 4 | United States | 26.85 million |
| 5 | Brazil | 21.94 million |
| 6 | Egypt | 14.85 million |
| 7 | Vietnam | 11.84 million |
| 8 | Mexico | 11.61 million |
| 9 | Ukraine | 10.76 million |
| 10 | Turkey | 9.79 million |
- India led Telegram downloads in 2025 with 104.04 million, about three times more than second-place Russia (34.4 million).
- India accounted for about 31% of Telegram’s 340 million global downloads in 2025.
- The top 10 countries made up about 80% of all Telegram downloads in 2025 (273.29 million).
What Share of People Use Telegram in Each Country?
About 51% of Russians use Telegram, and 45% of Indians use it regularly, making Russia and India the countries where Telegram is most popular.
| Country | Share of people who use Telegram |
|---|---|
| Russia | 51% |
| India | 45% |
| Brazil | 38% |
| Mexico | 34% |
| South Africa | 32% |
| Spain | 32% |
| Italy | 29% |
| Germany | 16% |
| France | 11% |
| United Kingdom | 10% |
| United States | 9% |
| Japan | 1% |
Sources: Statista, Levada Center
- Latin America is a strong market for Telegram, with 38% usage in Brazil and 34% in Mexico.
- Southern Europe uses Telegram far more than Western Europe: Spain (32%) and Italy (29%) are roughly two to three times higher than Germany (16%), France (11%) and the UK (10%).
- Telegram is least popular in the United States (9%) and Japan (1%), even though the U.S. ranks 4th in downloads.
Telegram Users by Region
Asia is home to 38% of Telegram’s users, the largest share of any region.
Asia and Europe together account for 65% of all Telegram users.
| Region | Share of Telegram users |
|---|---|
| Asia | 38% |
| Europe | 27% |
| Latin America | 21% |
| Middle East and North Africa | 8% |
| North America and rest of world | 6% |
Source: Telegram (2022)
- Latin America makes up 21% of Telegram users, more than the Middle East, North Africa and North America combined (14%).
- The Middle East and North Africa hold 8% of Telegram’s users.
- North America and the rest of the world account for just 6%, Telegram’s smallest share.
Which Countries Visit Telegram’s Website the Most?
Russia sends the most traffic to Telegram’s website, at 17.63%, followed by Ukraine (8.47%) and India (6.8%).
Russian and Ukrainian users often read Telegram public channels in a web browser, while most Indian users use the mobile app.
What Are Telegram’s User Demographics?
53.5% of Telegram users are aged 18 to 34, and men make up 56.8% of its audience.
This means most Telegram users are young adults and male.
Telegram Users by Age
Users aged 25 to 34 are Telegram’s largest age group, at 29.7%.
More than half of Telegram users (53.5%) are aged 18 to 34.
| Age group | Share of Telegram users |
|---|---|
| 18–24 | 23.80% |
| 25–34 | 29.70% |
| 35–44 | 19.64% |
| 45–54 | 12.76% |
| 55–64 | 9.36% |
| 65+ | 5.25% |
- About 3 in 4 Telegram users (73.14%) are aged 18 to 44.
- Only 14.61% of Telegram users are 55 or older.
Telegram Users by Gender
Men make up 56.8% of Telegram’s users, compared with 43.2% women.
With 43.2% female users, Telegram’s audience is more balanced than many tech-focused platforms.
| Gender | Share of Telegram users |
|---|---|
| Male | 56.8% |
| Female | 43.2% |
- Telegram has about 13.6 percentage points more male users than female users.
- Roughly 4 in 7 Telegram users are male.
How Many Times Has Telegram Been Downloaded?
Telegram was downloaded 340 million times in 2025, down from a record 471.21 million in 2024.
Telegram Downloads by Year:
| Year | Downloads |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 40.33 million |
| 2016 | 53.58 million |
| 2017 | 67.77 million |
| 2018 | 87.02 million |
| 2019 | 141.5 million |
| 2020 | 326.31 million |
| 2021 | 382.92 million |
| 2022 | 367.23 million |
| 2023 | 409.48 million |
| 2024 | 471.21 million |
| 2025 | 340 million |
Source: Statista
- Telegram downloads grew nearly 12 times, from 40.33 million in 2015 to a record 471.21 million in 2024.
- Telegram hit its all-time high of 471.21 million downloads in 2024.
- Telegram Downloads fell about 28% in 2025, from 471.21 million to 340 million, the biggest drop on record.
- Between 2015 and 2025, Telegram was downloaded about 2.69 billion times in total.
How Much Time Do People Spend on Telegram?
The average Telegram user spends about 4 hours and 25 minutes a month on the app.
Telegram beats Snapchat by 52 minutes and Facebook Messenger by 64 minutes a month.
| App | Time spent per month |
|---|---|
| TikTok | 34 hours |
| YouTube | 28 hours 5 minutes |
| 19 hours 47 minutes | |
| 17 hours 6 minutes | |
| 15 hours 50 minutes | |
| X (Twitter) | 4 hours 40 minutes |
| Telegram | 4 hours 25 minutes |
| Snapchat | 3 hours 33 minutes |
| Facebook Messenger | 3 hours 21 minutes |
Source: DataReportal
- TikTok users spend almost 8 times more time on their app (34 hours a month) than Telegram users do.
- WhatsApp users spend nearly 4 times more time on WhatsApp (17 hours 6 minutes) than Telegram users spend on Telegram.
- Telegram’s usage time is close to X (Twitter), just 15 minutes less per month.
Why Do People Use Telegram?
News is the main reason people use Telegram.
| Reason for using Telegram | Share of users |
|---|---|
| To get news | 75% |
| More advantages than other messaging apps | 69% |
| To send links and files between their own devices | 49% |
| For online communication | 46% |
| For stickers | 35% |
| To take notes | 35% |
| To download free movies, music, and books | 29% |
| To store messages and files in the cloud | 27% |
How Much Revenue Does Telegram Make?
Telegram earned $870 million in revenue in the first half of 2025, up 65% from $525 million a year earlier.
| Year | Revenue | Net result |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $343 million | $173 million loss |
| 2024 | $1.4 billion | $540 million profit |
| H1 2025 | $870 million | $222 million loss |
Source: Financial Times
- Telegram’s revenue roughly quadrupled in one year, from $343 million in 2023 to $1.4 billion in 2024.
- Telegram swung from a $173 million loss in 2023 to a $540 million profit in 2024, a $713 million turnaround.
How Much Funding Has Telegram Raised?
Telegram has raised more than $5 billion since its launch, mostly through bonds rather than selling shares.
Telegram largest recent raise was a $1.5–1.7 billion convertible bond in May 2025, backed by investors including BlackRock and Mubadala.
| Date | Funding raised | Type |
|---|---|---|
| March 2018 | $1.7 billion | Token sale (ICO) |
| March 2021 | $1 billion | Bonds |
| April 2021 | $750 million | Bonds |
| July 2023 | $270 million | Bonds |
| March 2024 | $330 million | Bonds |
| May 2025 | $1.5–1.7 billion | Convertible bonds |
Sources: Statista, Financial Times
- The amounts listed add up to about $5.55–5.75 billion raised since 2018.
- Five of Telegram’s six funding rounds were bonds, so Pavel Durov kept full ownership without selling shares.
- Telegram raised $1.75 billion in just two months in 2021, across two bond sales in March and April.
- The May 2025 convertible bond ($1.5–1.7 billion) is Telegram’s largest raise since its 2018 token sale.
- Telegram’s 2018 token sale ($1.7 billion) was for its TON blockchain project, which it later shut down after a lawsuit from the U.S. SEC.
What Are the Most Popular Telegram Channels?
With 43.14 million subscribers, Hamster Kombat is Telegram’s most-subscribed channel, part of a top list dominated by crypto and gaming channels.
Most Subscribed Telegram Channels
| Rank | Channel | Subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | @hamster_kombat | 43.14 million |
| 2 | @blumcrypto | 30.3 million |
| 3 | @majors | 23 million |
| 4 | @pawsupfam | 21.44 million |
| 5 | @tapswapai | 20.7 million |
Source: Statista
Pavel Durov’s own Telegram channel, @durov, has about 11.42 million subscribers.
Most Popular Telegram Channel Categories
News is the most-followed type of Telegram channel, followed by 85% of users.
| Channel category | Share of users who follow it |
|---|---|
| News | 85% |
| Entertainment | 62% |
| Education | 58% |
| Politics | 50% |
| Industry news | 48% |
| Friends’ personal channels | 45% |
| Bloggers and celebrities | 31% |
| Brands and companies | 17% |
Source: Statista
- Entertainment (62%) and education (58%) Telegram channels are the next most popular.
- Half of Telegram users (50%) follow political channels.
- Telegram users are nearly twice as likely to follow education channels (58%) as bloggers and celebrities (31%).
- Brands and companies are the least-followed Telegram category, with only 17% of users, five times fewer than news channels.
What Are the Most Expensive Telegram Usernames Ever Sold?
The most expensive Telegram username ever sold is @news, which sold for 994,000 Toncoin, worth about $5.81 million at April 2024 prices.
| Username | Sale price (at April 2024 TON prices) |
|---|---|
| @news | $5.81 million |
| @auto | $5.27 million |
| @bank | $4.97 million |
| @avia | $4.68 million |
| @chat | $4.10 million |
Source: Statista
Telegram Usernames are sold on Fragment, an auction platform launched in October 2022.
What Are the Key Telegram Advertising Statistics?
Telegram earned $125 million from advertising in the first half of 2025, up 5% year over year, and about $250 million from ads in 2024.
Ads appear only in public channels with 1,000+ subscribers, never in private chats, and Premium users see no ads.
Advertising is now Telegram’s smallest major revenue source, behind TON partnerships and Premium subscriptions.
How Does Telegram Compare to Other Social Media and Messaging Apps?
Telegram is the world’s third most popular messaging app with 1 billion users, behind WhatsApp and WeChat, and the 7th most popular social platform overall.
Telegram vs WhatsApp and Other Messaging Apps
WhatsApp is the world’s largest messaging app, with 3 billion monthly users, three times Telegram’s 1 billion.
Telegram is ahead of Snapchat by 68 million users and has nearly twice as many users as QQ.
| Messaging app | Monthly active users |
|---|---|
| 3 billion | |
| 1.41 billion | |
| Telegram | 1 billion |
| Facebook Messenger | 1 billion |
| Snapchat | 932 million |
| 532 million |
Source: Statista
- Telegram ties with Facebook Messenger for third place, with 1 billion monthly users each.
- WeChat has 410 million more monthly users than Telegram (1.41 billion vs 1 billion).
Telegram vs Social Media Platforms
Facebook is the world’s largest social platform, with 3.07 billion monthly users, about three times Telegram’s 1 billion.
Telegram has 1 billion monthly users, trailing TikTok by 580 million.
| Platform | Monthly active users |
|---|---|
| 3.07 billion | |
| YouTube | 2.5 billion |
| 2 billion | |
| TikTok | 1.58 billion |
| 1.34 billion | |
| Telegram | 1 billion |
| Snapchat | 800 million |
| X (Twitter) | 611 million |
| 498 million |
Source: Statista
- Telegram is 200 million users ahead of Snapchat (800 million).
- Telegram has about 1.6 times as many users as X (Twitter), which has 611 million.
- Telegram has twice as many monthly users as Pinterest (498 million).
- To know more about social media statistics, read our blog on Instagram statistics.
How Safe Is Telegram? Security and Legal Statistics
Telegram faces legal pressure in France, Russia, and India.
- Content removal: Telegram removed more than 337,900 groups and channels linked to illegal content in 2026, as of August.
- France: Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris in August 2024 and charged with failing to curb illegal content. His travel ban was lifted in November 2025, but 12 charges remain.
- Russia: Russia restricted Telegram in February 2026 and issued an international wanted notice for Durov on July 29, 2026.
- India: India blocked Telegram from June 16 to 22, 2026, over exam paper leak concerns.
What Are the Key Telegram Updates in 2026?
Telegram’s 2026 has been shaped more by legal battles than by new milestones.
- January 3: Telegram launched AI summaries for channel posts and Instant View pages, plus the Liquid Glass design on iOS.
- January 6: The Financial Times reported Telegram’s H1 2025 revenue of $870 million and a $222 million net loss.
- February 9: Telegram released the biggest interface redesign in the history of its Android app.
- February 10: Russia announced restrictions on Telegram.
- February 24: Russia opened a criminal case against Telegram founder Pavel Durov.
- March 31: Telegram introduced an AI Editor that translates, rewrites or fixes text in two taps.
- May 7: Telegram added more than 10 new features, including access to AI services.
- June 11: Telegram arrived on Apple Watch and Android smartwatches, and AI admins can now screen new group members.
- June 16–22: India blocked Telegram over NEET-UG exam paper leak concerns.
- July 9: Pavel Durov was questioned by French investigators for the fourth time.
- July 29: Russia issued an international wanted notice for Durov.
- August: Telegram reported removing more than 337,900 groups and channels linked to illegal content in 2026.
What Are the Key Telegram Marketing & Monetization Statistics?
Telegram lets creators and businesses earn money directly inside the app.
Public Telegram channels with at least 1,000 subscribers earn 50% of the ad revenue shown in their channels, paid in Toncoin.
- Telegram Ads: Telegram earned $125 million from ads in H1 2025, up 5% year over year.
- Ad revenue sharing: Telegram channel owners keep 50% of the ad revenue from their channels.
- Paid subscriptions: Telegram creators can charge for access to private channels and exclusive content.
- Telegram Stars: users pay creators and bots with Telegram’s in-app currency.
- Telegram Premium: 15 million users pay for Premium, which earned $223 million in H1 2025, up 88%.
What Are Telegram Bot Usage Statistics?
Telegram hosts more than 10 million bots, making its bot ecosystem one of the largest of any messaging app.
- 10 million+ bots run on Telegram’s free bot platform.
- Common uses: Telegram bots handle automation, payments, customer support, games and Mini Apps.
- Business use: companies use Telegram bots for order tracking, FAQs and customer service.
- Open API: Telegram’s free, open bot API makes it easy for developers to build and launch bots.
Conclusion: What Do Telegram Statistics Tell Us in 2026?
Telegram statistics for 2026 show a platform with global reach run by a remarkably small team.
Telegram has more than 1 billion monthly users and about 500 million daily users, with India as its largest market. It became profitable for the first time in 2024 and grew revenue 65% in early 2025.
But downloads fell 28% in 2025, its finances swing with crypto prices, and legal pressure is rising in France, Russia, and India.
With fewer than 100 employees serving a billion users, Telegram remains one of the most efficient tech companies in the world. We’ll keep updating these Telegram statistics as new data comes in.
FAQs About Telegram Statistics
Is Telegram profitable?
Yes, but not consistently. In 2024, Telegram achieved its first annual profit of $540 million, on revenue of $1.4 billion, far above the $343 million it earned in 2023. In the first half of 2025, however, it recorded a net loss of $222 million despite nearly $400 million in operating profit, because of falling crypto prices.
Can Telegram channel owners earn money?
Yes. Since 2024, Telegram’s public channels with at least 1,000 subscribers can earn 50% of the revenue from ads shown in their channels, paid in Toncoin.
How many employees does Telegram have?
Telegram has fewer than 100 full-time employees, despite serving more than 1 billion users.
