Telegram Key Statistics
Telegram Overview
Telegram Revenue
Telegram Users
Telegram Users by Region
Telegram Downloads
Telegram FAQ
Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging service, which offers multimedia messages, voice and video calls, similar to Facebook Messenger.
It was founded by Nikolai and Pavel Durov in 2013, founders of Russian social media platform VK (the largest in its domestic market). Initially headquartered in St Petersburg, the Telegram team has repeatedly changed jurisdiction to evade problematic regulations. The operation is currently headquartered in Dubai, after stints in London (where it is legally registered), Berlin and Singapore.
Telegram was created with a view to challenging the primacy of WhatsApp. It differs from the latter in allowing users to access accounts from multiple devices, and Telegram has focused on being the anti-Facebook in terms of encryption and regulations. Its makers claim that its multi-data centre infrastructure and encryption makes it more secure than its Facebook-owned rival.
Users are able to have ‘secret chats’, which see messages stored on devices as opposed to the cloud. Messages can also be set to self-destruct, akin to Snapchat.
When users are looking for a secure service, Telegram seems to be where they defect. We saw this in 2013 when surveillance fears were raised around Kakao Talk in South Korea, and again in 2019 during the Hong Kong protests against the Chinese government. Belarus and Ukraine have both seen Telegram usage increase over the past few years.
Telegram uses an open API, and welcomes developers to create their own Telegram apps. Samsung took advantage of this, launching its short-lived Socializer Messenger in 2015. Developers are also invited to create bots and users can create sticker sets. As well as sending messages, users can subscribe to ‘channels’, which allow creators to send messages to subscribers.
Telegram does not sell ads, stating that the access to personal data gained by advertisers would go against its ethos. Funding thus far comes privately from Pavel Durov, although it has launched a premium service to try and keep the company afloat independent of the creator's funds.
Telegram operates in relatively secrecy, and emphasises its commitment to freedom from market pressures as well as from any nationally-imposed constraints. This has made it a very popular tool in certain parts of the world, with 800 million monthly active users.
We have collected data and statistics on Telegram. Read on below to find out more.
Telegram Key Statistics
- Telegram generated $45 million in 2023, primarily through its Premium service
- Telegram has 800 million monthly active users
- Telegram is the most popular messaging app in Iran and Uzbekistan
- Telegram has been downloaded more than two billion times, with 420 million downloads in 2023 alone
- Over 15 billion messages were sent daily on the app in 2016
