Launched in 2011 for micro-messaging, WeChat has become a renowned social media platform. It was initially started as a simple messaging app. It’s a Chinese version of WhatsApp.
WeChat is developed by the Chinese tech behemoth Tencent. Over the years, the platform has become popular and is capable of doing much more things than just messaging. The mini-programs platform has helped WeChat become the home screen for many Chinese users.
The recent Q3 2022 data shows that WeChat has over 1.3 billion users worldwide. Over the years, the number of WeChat users has drastically increased, making it one of the most popular messaging platforms.
We have collected usage statistics and data on WeChat that you can go through to learn more about this messaging platform.
WeChat Key Statistics
Popular Chinese applications like DiDi, JD.com, and Pinduoduo have mini-programs on WeChat. Each of these platforms contributes to a small slice of revenue to Tencent.
It is the only app in China with billions of active users. Also, it is one of the five apps in the world that has surpassed such a high number of active users.
Lately, WeChat has developed WeChat Pay using the framework of Tenpay. This payment platform has more than 900 million users. It has replaced Alipay in popularity in the country.
WeChat has been launched a couple of times outside China, but the app doesn’t see any major success. Besides China, WeChat is popular in Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian territories. But it doesn’t interest western users.
Here are WeChat key statistics in brief:
- In 2021, Tencent’s social network revenue crossed over $17.4 billion. It contributes to almost 19% of total revenue.
- In the first quarter of 2022, it had over 1.26 billion active users.
- This messaging platform has more than 3.5 million mini-programs, which transacted 2.7 trillion RMB in 2021.
- As of January 2019, 45 billion messages were sent daily on WeChat.
WeChat Overview
- Launch Date: 21 January 2011
- Headquarter: Shenzhen, China
- People: Ma Huateng, Allen Zhang, Martin Lau
- Parent Company: Tencent
- Business Type: Public
WeChat Revenue
It is difficult to predict WeChat’s revenue on its own because this messaging platform generates a lot through ancillary services. It includes a mini-programs platform and WeChat Pay.
The below statistics include Tencent’s social media revenue, where WeChat contributes
a large amount.
WeChat Annual Revenue 2015 to 2021 ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
| 2015 | 3.6 |
| 2016 | 5.52 |
| 2017 | 8.37 |
| 2018 | 10.85 |
| 2019 | 12.28 |
| 2020 | 16.15 |
| 2021 | 17.49 |
Tencent Revenue
In 2021, Tencent generated $87.8 billion in revenue. It was an 18% increase YoY.
Tencent Annual Revenue 2015 to 2021 ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
| 2015 | 16.5 |
| 2016 | 22.8 |
| 2017 | 35.1 |
| 2018 | 47.2 |
| 2019 | 54.5 |
| 2020 | 73.9 |
| 2021 | 87.8 |
WeChat Mini Programs Annual Transactions
In 2021, WeChat mini-programs were reported to generate over $400 billion in revenue. It’s a 70% YoY increase.
Tencent reported that foreign businesses that launched mini programs had generated an impressive annual transaction of over 600%.
WeChat Mini Program Annual Transaction Volume 2017 to 2021 (CN¥)
| Year | Annual Transaction (RMB) |
| 2017 | 210 |
| 2018 | 440 |
| 2019 | 800 |
| 2020 | 1600 |
| 2021 | 2720 |
WeChat Users
WeChat has over 1.24 billion users in China. But in the past few years, the app’s popularity and usage have decreased because almost everyone in China has an account with WeChat.
WeChat Annual Users 2012 to 2021 (mm)
| Year | Users (mm) |
| 2012 | 50 |
| 2013 | 195 |
| 2014 | 396 |
| 2015 | 549 |
| 2016 | 762 |
| 2017 | 938 |
| 2018 | 1040 |
| 2019 | 1170 |
| 2020 | 1220 |
| 2021 | 1270 |
WeChat Pay Users
WeChat Pay is ranked as the second most popular payment app in China. In 2021, it had over 900 million active users. WeChat Pay is slightly behind AliPay.
WeChat Pay Annual Users 2016 to 2021 (mm)
| Year | Annual Users (mm) |
| 2016 | 430 |
| 2017 | 600 |
| 2018 | 720 |
| 2019 | 800 |
| 2020 | 865 |
| 2021 | 900 |
WeChat Mini Programs
As of 2021, WeChat reportedly has more than 3.5 million registered programs.
WeChat Annual Mini Programs 2017 to 2021 (mm)
| Year | Mini Programs (mm) |
| 2017 | 0.58 |
| 2018 | 2.3 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 3.2 |
| 2021 | 3.5 |
WeChat Work Users
Similar to Meta Platform’s Workplace, WeChat has started WeChat Work that mimics the built-for businesses. As of 2021, WeChat Work is reported to have 75 million users.
WeChat Work Annual Users 2017 to 2021 (mm)
| Year | Users (mm) |
| 2017 | 30 |
| 2018 | 45 |
| 2019 | 60 |
| 2020 | 70 |
| 2021 | 75 |
WeChat FAQ
Ques 1: How popular is WeChat in China?
Ans: WeChat is probably one of the most popular messaging platforms in China. It is used by more than 78% of users in China.
Ques 2: How many video and audio calls are made through WeChat in a day?
Ans: WeChat is reported to make 410 million successful video and audio calls daily.
Ques 3: How much data does WeChat use?
Ans: During rush hour on WeChat, around 46TB of data is used in a minute.
Ques 4: What number of WeChat users use Moments?
Ans: Around 750 million WeChat users use Moments daily.
Ques 5: What is WeChat’s average daily usage?
Ans: The average daily usage of WeChat is more than 82 minutes each day.
Ques 6: What is the most popular type of WeChat mini app?
Ans: WeChat has several mini apps, out of which the gaming category is the most popular. Second on the list is life services, followed by reading content, shopping, useful tools, travel, and entertainment.
Ques 7: What number of WeChat users has WeChat Pay accounts?
Ans: One in every five WeChat users has set up a WeChat Pay account.
