Nigeria is a significant player in the global WhatsApp landscape, boasting an impressive 51 million active users as of April 2024, making it the 10th largest user base globally. According to Meta Artificial Intelligence (AI), this represented about two per cent of WhatsApp’s active users worldwide.
This substantial user base earns the country a notable 10th place ranking globally, accounting for approximately two percent of the platform’s billions of monthly active users worldwide.
WhatsApp, the free, cross-platform messaging and calling app owned by Meta has surpassed three billion unique users globally. Predictions indicate that this number will surpass 3.14 billion by the end of this year.
The platform, which has become the first platform of choice for making voice calls among smartphone users in Nigeria, also allows users to send text (chats), video messages, make voice and video calls, and share other media like photos and videos with other WhatsApp users globally. The app primarily operates on mobile devices but can also be accessed via web browsers.
Some interesting statistics about WhatsApp usage in Nigeria include its penetration rate estimated to be used by 95.1per cent of Nigeria’s online population, making it the highest in the world.
Nigeria has the fifth-largest number of WhatsApp Business users, with estimated revenue of $382 million in 2023. WhatsApp’s popularity in Nigeria can be attributed to its accessibility, low data usage, and widespread internet adoption in the country.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) posted a broadband penetration rate of 45.61per cent in January 2025 which indicates that over 98.88 million of the 141.67 million mobile internet subscribers are using broadband services.
While this represents a significant milestone from 39.54per cent in April 2020, it’s still below the 70per cent target set by the National Broadband Plan (NBP 2020-2025).
In comparison with other parts of the world where WhatsApp has established a firm footing, India sends the greatest number of WhatsApp messages, with a staggering 535.8 million active users. This is no surprise. WhatsApp has over 5 billion downloads across Android and iOS devices.
Other countries with significant WhatsApp usage include Brazil with 139.3 million active users; United States with 91.3 million active users; Indonesia with 86.9 million active users; and Mexico with 69.7 million active users.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted during the company’s first quarter results conference call that the users had crossed the 3 billion mark.