Our datasets include individual market data for the top 200 markets from around the world. Click here for a detailed overview of all markets.

Top 30 markets (by spend, 2022):

Argentina / Bangladesh / Brazil / Chile / Colombia / Egypt / Ethiopia / France / Germany / India / Indonesia / Italy / Kenya / Malaysia / Mexico / Myanmar / Netherlands / Nigeria / Pakistan / Peru / Philippines / Russia / Saudi Arabia / South Africa / Spain / Thailand / Turkey / United Kingdom / USA / Vietnam

For each of the 200 markets we cover, our WhatsApp user data is split by:

• total unique mobile users (UMUs)
• total mobile subscriptions
• total WhatsApp users
• WhatsApp users as % of total smartphone users
• WhatsApp users as % of total UMUs
• WhatsApp users by opt-in by market vertical

WhatsApp user data is further split out by gender and age, by:  0-17 / 18-24 / 25-34 / 35-44 / 45-54 / 55-64 / 65+

Where applicable, we split our WhatsApp messaging data out by 18 sectors + “Other”. This ensures we cover all the main market verticals in every market, but also can accommodate for national and regional variations. The verticals are:

Automotive / Broadcasters / Charity / Education / Enterprise software / Finance / Gambling / Healthcare / Internet streaming / Leisure & entertainment / Public services / Restaurants & fast-food / Retail & eCommerce / Social media & chat / Telecoms / Transport & logistics / Travel & tourism / Utilities / Other

For WhatsApp traffic types we apply 2 use cases:

Customer care / Conversational commerce

To ensure you have all the relevant data required to make key business decisions, we split our traffic data out by the following:

• A2P broadcast messages
• A2P chats
• A2P chat sessions
• P2A chat messages
• P2A chats
• P2A chat sessions

This is how the traffic data appears in the dataset:

• WAB App engagement by A2P broadcast messages
• P2A chat messages/ P2A chats / total messages
• WAB App average engagement by users by A2P broadcast messages
• P2A chat messages / P2A chats / total messages
• WAB App average engagement by brand by A2P broadcast messages / P2A chat messages / P2A chats / total messages
• WAB API engagement by A2P broadcast messages / P2A chat messages / P2A chats / total messages
• WAB API average engagement by users by A2P broadcast messages / P2A chat messages / P2A chats / total messages
• WAB API average engagement by brand by A2P broadcast messages / P2A chat messages / P2A chats / total messages

Our spend data is based on our traffic data. To achieve spend figures for each market, we apply the relevant WhatsApp per message/session rates per market as published by Meta. We then apply additional costs per message as charged by the WhatsApp Partner Community (approved aggregators) that we receive through our extensive on-going research (see Methodology below). From our data you will be able to access spend by:

• A2P broadcast messages
• A2P chats
• A2P chat sessions
• P2A chat messages
• P2A chats
• P2A chat sessions

We also split out spend by value chain:

• WhatsApp
• aggregators – we use aggregators as an umbrella term.

This is how spend appears in our datasets:

• WAB API spend by value chain (aggregator / aggregator message rate / aggregator fee / WhatsApp message fee / total) and by engagement (A2P template messages / P2A chat messages / per brand / total).
• WAB API average spend per user by value chain (aggregator / aggregator message rate / aggregator fee / WhatsApp message fee / total) and by engagement (A2P template messages / P2A chat messages / per brand / total).
• WAB API average spend per brand by value chain (aggregator / aggregator message rate / aggregator fee / WhatsApp message fee / total) and by engagement (A2P template messages / P2A chat messages / per brand / total)

To create our messaging forecasts, we have to generate a lot of background data, based on population, mobile subscriptions, unique mobile users, and device type (based on smartphone OS and non-smartphone), all of which is projected over our latest forecast period. We now include all of this data as supplementary to all our core datasets, to help provide you with a more holistic view of the market. 

• Unique Population Access – by country, user, device, gender & age
• Unique Mobile Users – by MNO, device, gender & age
• Mobile Subscriptions – by MNO

Our WhatsApp data is the most accurate available in the marketplace because of our presence and active participation within the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) Future of Messaging Working Groups, where a large number of WhatsApp Partners convene. We are constantly speaking to companies operating in the business messaging ecosystem and WhatsApp Partners, and meeting these companies when we speak at major messaging events (such as MWC 20XX, Messaging World, Business Messaging 20XX, RCS World).

In 2021, when updating our messaging data we received data and insight from 290 companies, including:

• 160 mobile operators
• 130 aggregators, CSPs, vendors, hub providers, interconnect providers, regulators, firewall providers, and independent consultants.

Of the 290, approximately one-fifth operate within WhatsApp. Companies from the RCS ecosystem include:

Cequens / Clickatell / Cheetah Mobile / Cisco / CM.com / Commify / Comviva / Concepto Movil / Direqt / Enabld / GMS / Gupshup / Infobip / Kaleyra / Karix / Lanck Telecom / Limechat / LINK Mobility / LivePerson / MEF / MessageBird / Meta / Mitto / Mobivity / Route Mobile / Salesforce / Sinch / Soprano / Tanla / Tata / Telesign / Twilio / Tyntec / Unifonic / Viber / Vodafone / Vonage / WhatsApp

Does your data have a KPI?

It does. To ensure the risk of double counting is removed from our numbers, the key performance indicator for Mobilesquared is the number of messages received per unique mobile user.

Is the traffic Mobile Originated or Mobile Terminated?

Because our KPI is based on messages delivered, our data only focuses on Mobile Terminated.

Where is the data from?

Mobilesquared is omnipresent within the business messaging ecosystem, constantly talking to companies, attending events, and playing a very active role within the Future of Messaging Working Group in the Mobile Ecosystem Forum. In 2021, the data and forecasts were based on information and data shared by approximately 90 companies providing WhatsApp Business directly and indirectly.

Our data is based on extensive research over an on-going period, starting back in 2010, and has continued ever since. Between January 2021 to October 2021 we interviewed/surveyed/received data from almost 290 companies (160 mobile operators and mobile operator groups, and 131 messaging ecosystem companies, including aggregators, CSPs, solutions providers, firewall providers, independent consultants and regulators). So far to date in 2022, we have connected with 150 companies, with the main research happening in 2Q 2022.

This data and insight is then processed, anonymised and aggregated (where there is input from multiple sources), modelled and sense-checked, and applied (where applicable) to the following business messaging channels; A2P SMS, RCS, WhatsApp Business, Apple Messages for Businesses, Facebook Messenger, and Viber.

Mobilesquared updates its business messaging forecasts on an annual basis, with smaller updates occurring throughout the year. The major annual updates are released in end-3Q/early 4Q.

Our industry research is supplemented by consumer research, updated on an annual basis, and enterprise research which is updated on an ad hoc basis.

Online surveys

Mobilesquared developed online surveys for each business messaging channel, running continuously via the company website. For WhatsApp, we have developed two online surveys, one for aggregators, and one for brands.

WhatsApp Business Methodology 

Data and forecasts contained in this report are based on the two use cases of WhatsApp Business.

The first is predominantly micro and small businesses which have downloaded and are using the WhatsApp for Business App

The second is based on predominantly medium and large enterprises which are using APIs provided by WhatsApp Business partners.

Business data

Mobilesquared researched and found business-size information for 127 of the 195 countries covered by WhatsApp in this report – split between micro (1-9), small (10-49), medium (50-249) and large (>250).

Where business-size information was unavailable, we estimated the total number of businesses based on regional averages per head of population and then split by the average percentages for micro, small, medium and large businesses.

The total number of businesses which have downloaded and are using the WhatsApp for Business App is based on various public announcements dating back to January 2018.

By mid-2019, around 8 million small businesses were believed to have downloaded the WhatsApp for Business app and, as of January 25th 2020, Google Play stated that the app had been downloaded over 100 million times.

However, it was also announced that only 3 million businesses were actually using the app as of August 2018, rising to 5 million at the end of 2018. In July 2020, Whatsapp announced it then supported more than 50 million WhatsApp business app users.

The total number of businesses which are using WhatsApp Partner APIs is based on surveys of the Partners starting in the first quarter of 2020.

By the end of 2020, we estimate almost 2,000 companies had engaged with partners, rising to almost 3,000 in 2021, and over 10,000 in 2025.

WhatsApp users

Total WhatsApp user numbers, and total WhatsApp user forecasts, are based on various public announcements dating back to December 2013 – most recently crossing 1.5 billion in February 2018, and 2 billion in February 2020.

Historical WhatsApp users were calculated for each year-end and benchmarked against total smartphone penetration to assess actual, and smartphone-penetration, growth trends.

WhatsApp user and penetration numbers were then researched and collated for the individual countries and regions contained in our forecasts.

Where country information was not available, estimates were benchmarked against regional WhatsApp smartphone penetration.

Country and regional users were then aligned with the global total, and forecast throughout the period based on actual registered users, unique users, smartphone-penetration, and growth trends.

WhatsApp conversations and traffic

Mobilesquared applied enterprise survey data conducted during 2019-21, to ascertain the average size of the customer database for micro, small, medium and large enterprises.

We also applied consumer survey data conducted during 2019-21, to ascertain the average number of times a consumer would message a brand each year.

Taken together, the enterprise and consumer survey data together formed the basis of calculations for all P2A engagement, as well as A2P broadcast messages sent by WhatsApp for Business app users, and A2P template messages sent by Partner API users.

We have assumed an average of five messages will be exchanged in both A2P and P2A conversations – 2.5 each from consumer and enterprise.

We have assumed A2P broadcasts sent by WhatsApp for Business app users average one per quarter in 2019, rising to one per month in 2023

We have assumed a response rate of 30% (starting in 2018) to A2P messages which, in turn, lead to conversational sessions.

Our survey of WhatsApp Partners indicated that approximately 10% of total API traffic constituted A2P templates at the end of 2020.

We have assumed this will rise to around 23% by the end of the forecast period due to the apparent interest from enterprise in sending updates and reminders verified by WhatsApp, and relaxation of rules on A2P messaging in September, 2021.

WhatsApp pricing

WhatsApp increased the rates it charges for A2P template messages sent via its APIs in February 2022. Simultaneously, WhatsApp will also started charging brands per conversation, regardless of whether the conversation is initiated by the brand (A2P), or the consumer (P2A).

The cost of a consumer-originated conversation is less than a brand-originated conversation. Meanwhile, WhatsApp Partners all appear to have different pricing strategies and price points for both P2A and A2P messaging.

Some WhatsApp Partners charge a flat monthly admin fee, some do not. Some include a P2A message volume within the fee, some do not. Some charge per user, some per message, and most seem to charge differing message rates – although their rates apply to both P2A conversations and A2P templates.

Mobilesquared has modelled the following:

An average fee of US$300 per brand per month – payable to the WhatsApp Partner

The advertised WhatsApp template fee up to February 2022, from then the advertised conversation fee (differs per country) – payable to WhatsApp

An average rate of US$0.005 per message sent by enterprise – payable to the WhatsApp Partner.