Chat and messaging apps have the highest global internet user engagement at 94.5% as of Q3 2024

Key takeaways:

  • Chat and Messaging apps lead globally, engaging 94.5% of internet users as of Q3 2024.
  • Social Networks follow closely behind at 94.4%, nearly matching messaging apps in global user engagement.
  • Search Engines and Web Portals still see high use, engaging 82.3% of users.
  • Email services remain highly relevant, used by 75% of internet users globally.
  • Shopping, Auctions, and Classifieds apps are also prominent, used by 74.9% of users.
  • Location-based services like maps and ride-sharing apps engage 55.3%, indicating a strong but more practical use case.
  • Games remain a niche category, with only 32.6% of users engaging with gaming apps compared to much higher engagement with communication or shopping platforms.

As of Q3 2024, chat and messaging apps topped global app usage, engaging an impressive 94.5% of internet users aged 16 and above. Social networks closely followed at 94.4%, highlighting how essential communication and connection remain in the digital world. These two categories dominate user attention more than other app types, underlining their entrenched role in daily life. Beyond communication, platforms for search, email, and online shopping also showed strong global engagement, reflecting how digital behaviour is largely centered around communication, information retrieval, and e-commerce.
Meanwhile, other app categories like location-based services (55.3%), music apps (47.7%), and entertainment apps (46.0%) also command significant user bases, but at a noticeably lower rate. Apps related to weather (43.6%), news (41.4%), and food delivery (39.5%) show that while lifestyle and convenience apps are important, they haven't reached the near-necessity status that chat and social apps hold. Financial services, travel, and gaming apps attract smaller but still meaningful user groups, suggesting specialised, but not everyday, engagement.

Source:

Global Web Index (GWI)

Period:

2024
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