30 Facebook Messenger Statistics You Can’t Ignore: 2024 Market Share & Data Analysis

Mobile messaging has evolved quite fast in the past three decades. Nearly 30 years since the first text message was sent, we now live in the era of instant messaging software. Unlike the first-generation, 160-character limit, SMS technology could evolve into a well-integrated communication platform that basically changed how communication works.

Among the game-changers in this category is Facebook Messenger. And in this article, we have gathered the latest Facebook Messenger statistics that showcase how it has earned its place in the mobile app sector, its market value, how essential it is among its users, and the significant role it plays in the time of a global crisis.

Facebook Messenger General Statistics

As Facebook’s instant messaging platform, Messenger shares a portion of the social media giant’s multi-billion dollar worth. And although Messenger ranks second in the most popular and widely used messaging app in the world, its value and overall impact on the online messaging category are undeniable.

• Facebook Messenger is the second most downloaded mobile app of the decade after the Facebook social media app. (App Annie, n.d.)
• As of January 2021, Facebook Messenger has been downloaded 6.54 million times. On the other hand, Messenger Lite has garnered 3.55 million downloads. (Statista Research Department, 2021)
• In terms of revenue, Facebook Messenger has garnered $393.44 as of January 2021. (Statista Research Department, 2021)
• In the United States, Facebook Messenger ranks first among messaging apps with the largest reach among mobile audiences at 57%. (Statista Research Department, 2021; Verto Statista Report, 2019)
• As of October 2020, Facebook Messenger ranks fourth among the world’s most used social platforms with 1,300 million users. (We Are Social, 2020)

Facebook Messenger User Statistics

More than one billion monthly active users have been accumulated by Facebook Messenger from the time it was launched in 2011. In this section, we gathered the most recent statistics that look into the behavior and general demographics of Facebook Messenger’s user base.

• As of January 2021, Messenger has 1.3 billion active users each month. (Kemp, 2021; Tankovska, 2021)
• As of January 2019, Messenger has remained the most popular mobile messaging app in the US with 106.4 million monthly active users. (Statista Research Department, 2021)
• The number of users in the US is projected to reach 138.1 million in 2020. (Statista Research Department, 2021)
• Among Messengers’ US-based users, 55.7% are female and 44.3% are male. (Tankovska, 2021)
• 24.6% of Facebook Messenger’s users in the US are between 25-35 years old, which also accounts for the majority of Messenger users in the country. (Tankovska, 2021)
• 73% of users in the US are from urban areas and 71% from rural areas. (Tankovska, 2021)
• 75% of Internet users in the US who use Facebook Messenger have a household income of $70,000 to $80,000 a year. (Tankovska, 2021)
• According to Statista’s global consumer survey conducted in 2020, 88% of respondents from the US use Facebook Messenger as their regular messaging app. (Kunst, 2021)
• 53.2% of Android users in the US are active daily users of Facebook Messenger. (Tankovska, 2021)
• Over 260 million new conversations take place daily on the Facebook Messenger platform. (Parr, n.d.)
• As for group messaging, 2.5 million private Messenger groups are created every day. (Parr, n.d.)
• Each month, Messenger users share approximately 17 billion photos. (Spajic, 2020)

Facebook Messenger Usage Statistics

Unlike regular SMS technology, messaging apps like Facebook Messenger are loaded with advanced capabilities. In this section, let us take a look at how users utilize Facebook Messenger and how they take advantage of its features.

• Around 20 billion messages are exchanged through Facebook Messenger every month between individuals and businesses from all over the globe. (Hutchinson, 2019)
• An hour-long video call on Messenger can consume around 260 MB. (Apps2Data, 2019)
• Every day, over 5 billion emojis are sent on Facebook Messenger. (Spajic, 2019)
• During the pandemic, users would spend 24 minutes per day on mobile messaging apps like Facebook Messenger compared to 20 minutes in 2019. (Williamson, 2020)
• In the US, 47% of respondents use the app on a daily basis and only 1% have never used Facebook Messenger. (Kunst, 2020)
• Among Facebook users in the US, 55% prefer to use the platform for its messaging features. (Tankovska, 2021)

Facebook Messenger for Business Statistics

Beyond its powerful messaging capabilities, Facebook Messenger has evolved into a useful marketing tool. Furthermore, there are also businesses that utilize this platform’s chatbots for customer service. However, trust in its effectiveness is still being established among businesses. Despite the doubts about its capabilities to be part of a business system, Facebook Messenger’s potential to be an effective business tool is undeniable as shown in the following statistics.

• 40 million businesses are currently actively using Facebook Messenger each month. (Threlfall, 2020)
• Approximately 20 billion messages are exchanged between businesses and users via Messenger each month. (Spajic, 2019)
• Marketing via Facebook Messenger can yield as much as an 80% open rate. (Parr, n.d.)
• A total of 300,000 chatbots have been actively engaging with Facebook Messenger users for the past three years. (Cooper, 2019)
• Around 200,000 developers have interacted with Facebook Messenger since it opened its platform to chatbots in 2016. (Threlfall, 2020)
• 2% of online shopping sessions in the United States have taken place with Facebook Messenger involved. (Sabanoglu, 2020)
• 7% of digital payment transactions in the US have been processed via mobile messaging apps. (Statista Research Department, 2020)

Facebook Messenger’s Role in the COVID-19 Pandemic

As one of the leading communication platforms around the world, Facebook Messenger plays a significant role in keeping people connected during the time of limited face-to-face interactions. However, Messenger is, unfortunately, being used as a tool to commit fraud amid the COVID-19 outbreak. As of August 2020, a total of $124 million have been lost to pandemic-related scams accomplished through Facebook Messenger.

On the other hand, fraudulent activities and the spread of misinformation on Messenger are also being aggressively combatted using the same platform. At the height of the pandemic, the World Health Organization or WHO launched a Facebook Messenger chatbot, which is meant to disseminate accurate information to 4.2 billion people. Facebook itself also launched a Messenger community dedicated to keeping people informed and safe in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

As this Facebook Messenger statistics show, Facebook Messenger has turned into one of Facebook’s most essential platforms. Moreover, it is also constantly evolving in order to keep up with every significant technological advancement and the demands that come with it. If you are interested in learning more about related statistics, you may check out our essential Facebook statistics article.

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By Jenny Chang

Jenny Chang is a senior writer specializing in SaaS and B2B software solutions. Her decision to focus on these two industries was spurred by their explosive growth in the last decade, much of it she attributes to the emergence of disruptive technologies and the quick adoption by businesses that were quick to recognize their values to their organizations. She has covered all the major developments in SaaS and B2B software solutions, from the introduction of massive ERPs to small business platforms to help startups on their way to success.