Telegram crossed 1 billion monthly active users in March 2025 (Pavel Durov, Telegram, 2025), roughly 11 percent of everyone on Earth and enough to make it the second-largest messaging app worldwide once China’s WeChat is set aside. The same year it turned its first profit: total 2024 revenue topped 1 billion dollars with net profit of 547 million dollars (TechCrunch, 2025), and first-half 2025 revenue hit 870 million dollars, up 65 percent year over year (Financial Times, 2025). Telegram Premium passed 15 million paid subscribers, and its Stars and Mini Apps ecosystem pushed the connected TON blockchain from about 4 million to 128 million accounts inside a year. This analysis consolidates data from Pavel Durov’s own disclosures, the Financial Times, DataReportal, Statista, Telegram’s official reports, and 10 other primary sources to map how a lean, ad-light messenger scaled to a billion users while chasing profitability.
TL;DR
- Telegram reached 1 billion monthly active users in March 2025, up from 950 million a year earlier (Pavel Durov, 2025).
- 2024 was Telegram’s first profitable year: revenue above 1 billion dollars, net profit of 547 million dollars (TechCrunch, 2025).
- First-half 2025 revenue hit 870 million dollars, up 65 percent from 525 million dollars in H1 2024 (Financial Times, 2025).
- Telegram still posted a net loss of over 220 million dollars in H1 2025, driven by a 69 percent drop in its Toncoin holdings (Financial Times, 2025).
- Telegram Premium passed 15 million paid subscribers in May 2025, up from 2 million in mid-2023 (Pavel Durov, 2025).
- Mini App reach peaked at 1.44 billion monthly users in September 2024, then settled to 150-190 million by mid-2025 (PropellerAds, 2025).
- The TON network grew from roughly 4 million to 128 million accounts in about a year, driven by Mini Apps (TON ecosystem via Earlybird, 2025).
- Telegram carries an estimated 9.2 billion messages per day (Telegram company figure via Analyzify, 2025).
- India is the largest market with an estimated 150 million-plus monthly users; the audience is about 56.8 percent male (DemandSage, 2026).
- Telegram removed more than 15 million offensive groups and channels in 2024, including 707,576 CSAM-related ones (Telegram, 2024).
1. The Billion-User Milestone: Growth and Scale
Telegram took just over a decade to grow from 35 million users to a billion, and the pace has held even as the app stays deliberately lean on staff and marketing. The jump from 950 million to 1 billion monthly active users landed in March 2025, and Durov framed it as overtaking every messaging rival except WhatsApp (roughly 3 billion users) and China’s WeChat. Signal, the privacy-first alternative, sits far behind at 70 to 100 million monthly users per Signal Foundation president Meredith Whittaker.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly active users | 1 billion (Mar 2025) | Pavel Durov / TechCrunch, 2025 |
| MAU one year earlier | 950 million (2024) | TechCrunch, 2025 |
| Global ranking | 2nd-largest messaging app (excl. WeChat) | Pavel Durov, 2025 |
| Daily active users | ~500 million (Oct 2025) | Backlinko, 2026 |
| New users per day | ~2.5 million | DemandSage, 2026 |
| MAU in Feb 2016 | 100 million | Telegram (via Backlinko, 2026) |
| MAU in Jan 2021 | 500 million | Telegram (via Backlinko, 2026) |
| MAU in Jun 2022 | 700 million | Telegram (via Backlinko, 2026) |
Context: at 1 billion users Telegram is the clear number two in messaging, but the gap to WhatsApp’s ~3 billion remains wide. For the broader platform landscape, see our social media statistics roundup.
2. Revenue and the Push to Profitability
The financial story is two-sided. Operationally Telegram is booming, yet accounting losses reappear because much of its treasury sits in Toncoin, whose price swings hit the books hard. First-half 2025 revenue reached 870 million dollars, up 65 percent year over year, but a 69 percent slide in Toncoin’s value forced writedowns that pushed the company back into the red for the period even as cash revenue surged.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 total revenue | Over 1 billion dollars | Telegram, 2024 |
| 2024 net profit (first profitable year) | 547 million dollars | Pavel Durov / TechCrunch, 2025 |
| Cash reserves (end 2024) | Over 500 million dollars | Telegram, 2024 |
| H1 2025 revenue | 870 million dollars (+65% YoY) | Financial Times, 2025 |
| H1 2024 revenue | 525 million dollars | Financial Times, 2025 |
| H1 2025 net loss | Over 220 million dollars | Financial Times, 2025 |
| 2025 full-year revenue target | 2 billion dollars | Financial Times, 2025 |
| Debt issued over four years | ~2 billion dollars | Telegram, 2024 |
Outlier note: H1 2024 was a 334 million dollar net profit, so the H1 2025 loss is a Toncoin-accounting swing, not a collapse in the underlying business (Financial Times, 2025).
3. Telegram Premium: Paid Subscriptions
Premium is the cleanest recurring line Telegram has, and it is scaling fast off a tiny base. Premium passed 15 million paid subscribers in May 2025, roughly 7.5x the 2 million it had in mid-2023. The catch is penetration: even 15 million is only about 1 to 1.5 percent of the billion-user base, which is exactly why Telegram keeps layering on Stars, gifts and Mini Apps to monetize the other 98-plus percent.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Premium subscribers (May 2025) | 15 million | Pavel Durov, 2025 |
| Premium subscribers (Dec 2024) | Over 12 million (tripled in 2024) | Telegram, 2024 |
| Premium subscribers (Dec 2023) | 4 million | Telegram (via Backlinko, 2026) |
| Premium subscribers (Jul 2023) | 2 million | Telegram (via Backlinko, 2026) |
| Premium share of total MAU | ~1-1.5% | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Premium revenue (H1 2025) | 223 million dollars | Financial Times, 2025 |
| Premium revenue as share of H1 2025 total | ~26% (223M of 870M) | Derived from Financial Times, 2025 |
Context: Premium bundles perks such as doubled channel and folder limits, faster downloads, and voice-to-text transcription for voice messages, tying paid conversion directly to heavier voice and channel users.
4. Stars, Mini Apps and the TON Economy
This is Telegram’s fastest-moving and most volatile frontier. Tap-to-earn games briefly turned Telegram into a crypto onboarding funnel, then cooled sharply once the token incentives faded. Mini App monthly reach peaked at 1.44 billion in September 2024 before settling to a steadier 150-190 million by mid-2025 (PropellerAds), a reset from speculative hype toward genuine utility apps.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mini App monthly reach peak | 1.44 billion (Sep 2024) | PropellerAds report, 2025 |
| Mini App monthly reach (mid-2025) | 150-190 million | PropellerAds report, 2025 |
| TON network accounts growth | ~4M to 128M in ~1 year | TON ecosystem (via Earlybird, 2025) |
| TON dApps supported (mid-2025) | 650+ | TON ecosystem (via Bitrue, 2025) |
| Hamster Kombat players at 2024 peak | ~300 million (self-reported) | Mini App trackers (via BingX, 2026) |
| Notcoin players since early 2024 | 35 million+ | TON ecosystem (via Earlybird, 2025) |
| Telegram in-app purchase revenue (Jan 2025) | 13.6 million dollars | Statista, 2025 |
| Most-subscribed channel (Hamster Kombat) | ~43 million followers (Feb 2025) | Statista, 2025 |
Outlier note: cryptocurrency and tap-to-earn projects dominate Telegram’s most-subscribed channels, so headline follower and player counts (like Hamster Kombat’s self-reported ~300 million) are best read as reach spikes, not durable daily audiences. Creators cashing in on Stars and channel monetization mirror trends in our creator economy statistics roundup.
5. Messaging, Voice and Video Engagement
Engagement is where Telegram’s stickiness shows, and voice is a bigger part of the mix than casual observers assume. Telegram carries an estimated 9.2 billion messages per day, and nearly half its users touch voice or video calling. Voice notes, group voice chats and voice-to-text transcription all feed a daily-habit loop that keeps sessions frequent.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Messages sent per day | ~9.2 billion | Telegram company figure (via Analyzify), 2025 |
| Users participating in voice/video calls | 45% | affmaven, 2026 |
| Users participating in group chats | 78% | affmaven, 2026 |
| Average time on app | Over 40 minutes per day | DemandSage, 2026 |
| App opens per day | ~21 times | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Group video call capacity | 30 video feeds / 1,000 viewers | Telegram blog, 2025 |
| Channels and groups cataloged | 2.78 million+ | TGStat, 2025 |
Context: with 45 percent of users on voice and video calls, audio is core to Telegram, not a fringe feature - the same dynamic we document in our voice messaging statistics. For how a rival community platform compares on voice-first engagement, see our Discord statistics roundup.
6. Who Uses Telegram: Demographics and Geography
Telegram’s growth is powered by the global south and by a young, male-leaning core, a very different footprint from US-centric social apps. India is Telegram’s single largest market, with an estimated 150 million-plus monthly active users, and adoption is far higher in emerging markets than in the United States, where penetration sits in the single digits.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Largest market (India) | 150 million+ MAU | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Age 25-34 share | 29.7% | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Age 18-34 combined share | 53.5% | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Male users | 56.8% | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Female users | 43.2% | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Global download ranking (2025) | 5th most downloaded app | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| Annual downloads (2024) | ~271.8 million | Statista (via Backlinko), 2026 |
Divergence note: download totals vary by methodology - Statista-derived figures put 2024 installs near 271.8 million, while some trackers cite 400 million-plus new downloads by counting differently, so treat install counts as directional. Telegram adoption reaches roughly 45 percent of internet users in India versus about 9 percent in the United States (Backlinko, 2026).
7. Trust and Safety: Content Moderation
Content moderation is a legal flashpoint for Telegram, especially after French authorities opened an investigation into founder Pavel Durov in 2024. The company has since published detailed, daily-updated moderation figures. Telegram reported removing more than 15 million offensive groups and channels in 2024, and expanded automated CSAM detection using hash databases from bodies like the Internet Watch Foundation. These figures are presented as reported by Telegram; independent audits of large platforms are limited.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Offensive groups/channels removed (2024) | 15 million+ | Telegram (via Techpression), 2024 |
| CSAM-related groups/channels banned (2024) | 707,576 | Telegram, 2024 |
| Groups/channels removed (2025, by Feb 7) | 2.8 million+ | Telegram, 2025 |
| CSAM-related removals (Jan 2025) | 44,000+ | Telegram, 2025 |
| CSAM reports processed from Offlimits (Sep-Oct 2024) | 17,554 | Silicon Republic, 2025 |
Context: Telegram now publishes daily transparency reports on CSAM removals and says public images have been auto-checked against a moderator-maintained hash database since 2018. Reporting mechanisms and figures here are drawn from Telegram’s own disclosures and reputable trade coverage.
Summary: Telegram by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly active users | 1 billion (Mar 2025) | Pavel Durov / TechCrunch, 2025 |
| Daily active users | ~500 million (Oct 2025) | Backlinko, 2026 |
| New users per day | ~2.5 million | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Messages per day | ~9.2 billion | Telegram (via Analyzify), 2025 |
| 2024 total revenue | Over 1 billion dollars | Telegram, 2024 |
| 2024 net profit | 547 million dollars | Pavel Durov / TechCrunch, 2025 |
| H1 2025 revenue | 870 million dollars (+65% YoY) | Financial Times, 2025 |
| H1 2025 net loss | Over 220 million dollars | Financial Times, 2025 |
| 2025 revenue target | 2 billion dollars | Financial Times, 2025 |
| Premium subscribers | 15 million (May 2025) | Pavel Durov / Telegram, 2025 |
| Premium revenue (H1 2025) | 223 million dollars | Financial Times, 2025 |
| Mini App reach peak | 1.44 billion (Sep 2024) | PropellerAds, 2025 |
| Mini App reach (mid-2025) | 150-190 million | PropellerAds, 2025 |
| TON network accounts | ~4M to 128M in ~1 year | TON ecosystem (via Earlybird), 2025 |
| Most-subscribed channel | ~43 million (Hamster Kombat, Feb 2025) | Statista, 2025 |
| Largest market (India) | 150 million+ MAU | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Male share of users | 56.8% | DemandSage, 2026 |
| Users on voice/video calls | 45% | affmaven, 2026 |
| Global download rank (2025) | 5th most downloaded app | Sensor Tower, 2025 |
| Offensive groups/channels removed (2024) | 15 million+ | Telegram, 2024 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by prioritizing Telegram’s own disclosures (Pavel Durov’s channel and posts, telegram.org reports) and primary financial reporting, cross-referencing user and revenue figures across multiple independent sources and flagging divergences inline.
- Pavel Durov / Telegram - founder announcements and channel posts on users, revenue, profit and Premium (2024-2025): t.me/durov
- TechCrunch - reporting on the 1 billion user milestone and 2024 profit (2025): techcrunch.com
- Financial Times (via TradingView/Cointelegraph) - H1 2025 unaudited financials and full-year target (2025): tradingview.com
- DataReportal - Digital 2025 Global Overview Report, global internet and social media baselines (2025): datareportal.com
- Telegram official - Moderation Overview and daily transparency reports (2024-2025): telegram.org/moderation
- Telegram Blog - group video call capacity (2025): telegram.org/blog/group-video-calls
- Statista - most-subscribed channels and in-app purchase revenue (2025): statista.com
- PropellerAds - State of Telegram Mini App Advertising report (2025): propellerads.com
- Backlinko - Telegram user timeline and download history compiled from Telegram/Statista (2026): backlinko.com
- DemandSage - demographics, geography and engagement aggregation (2026): demandsage.com
- Sensor Tower - global app download rankings (2025)
- affmaven - voice/video and group chat participation (2026): affmaven.com
- Analyzify StatsUp - messages-per-day company figure (2025): analyzify.com
- Silicon Republic - AI moderation and CSAM report processing (2025): siliconrepublic.com
- Techpression - 2024 offensive-content removal totals (2024): techpression.com
- Signal Foundation / The National - Signal MAU comparison (2025)
- Earlybird, Bitrue - TON network and Mini App ecosystem figures (2025)
- TGStat - channel and group catalog counts (2025)
Data watch: DataReportal’s next Digital Global Overview (Digital 2026) is expected in early 2026; Statista refreshes its Telegram download and channel datasets quarterly; Business of Apps and Backlinko update their Telegram roundups annually; Telegram continues to publish daily moderation figures and periodic financial disclosures via Pavel Durov’s channel. Any full-year 2025 audited financials would supersede the Financial Times H1 figures cited here.
Last updated: July 6, 2026.
We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.