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WhatsApp Business download growth from 2018 to 2024

UID: ST-20250309-WORLD-01

Download

Meta Data

Source

Statista

Last Updated

March 10, 2025

Time Range

2018-2024

Periodicity

Annual

Overview

WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging and Voice over IP service owned by Meta (formerly Facebook). The application allows users to send text messages and voice messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other media. Beyond its personal communication features, WhatsApp offers a business version that enables companies to interact with customers through automated messaging, catalogues, and other business-focused tools. This business application has become increasingly important for small to medium enterprises seeking cost-effective customer engagement solutions.

Trends & Insights

In 2018, WhatsApp recorded 37.87 million downloads, which has grown more than eightfold to reach 311.2 million downloads in 2024. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 42% over the six-year period, demonstrating the accelerating adoption of digital business communication tools worldwide. The most dramatic period of growth occurred between 2018 and 2019 when downloads increased by 161% from 37.87 million to 98.85 million. This initial surge reflects the early adoption phase following the platform’s global launch in January 2018. The growth continued strongly through the pandemic years, with a 72% increase from 2019 to 2020 (98.85 million to 170.46 million) and a further 15% increase to 195.58 million in 2021.

The post-pandemic period shows a sustained but moderating growth pattern, with annual increases of 38% in 2022, 12% in 2023, and approximately 3% in 2024. This slowing growth rate suggests that WhatsApp Business may be approaching market saturation in certain regions or facing increased competition from other business messaging platforms. Nevertheless, the consistent year-over-year increases indicate that businesses continue to recognize the value of WhatsApp as a customer engagement channel.

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Citation

Please cite this article using proper attribution to 360 Analytika when referencing or sharing our content.

Statista. (2025). WhatsApp Business download growth from 2018 to 2024 (360 Analytika, Ed.) [Dataset]. https://360analytika.com/whatsapp-business-download-growth/

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