The Telegram social network continues to attract a massive global audience, with roughly 950 million users engaging with the platform every month. The founder of the service, Pavel Durov, shared this in a public channel post, underscoring Telegram’s broad reach.
In spring, Durov estimated that about 900 million people actively used the messenger. He emphasized the momentum behind the app, noting that the user base is approaching the one billion mark.
In Russia alone, Telegram’s monthly audience grew to about 85 million users in March. This figure marks a 10% increase compared with the same period in 2022. Market analytics from MTS show that a majority of Telegram users log in multiple times per month, with 70% of users accessing the service more than 25 times in a single month and about 8% using it 15 to 25 times. Observers also note that Russians tend to be most active on Telegram between noon and 2 pm.
Despite ongoing growth in 2023, Telegram remains the second-largest Internet service in Russia by active users, trailing only WhatsApp, which led in overall monthly users but with a year-over-year decline of around 8%. MTS did not disclose exact absolute numbers for WhatsApp, but the trend highlights Telegram’s rising engagement as the platform strengthens its presence in the market.
Earlier reports also linked Telegram to a paid dating service for men, highlighting the platform’s association with various third-party services that operate in its ecosystem. This history illustrates Telegram’s broad utility and the diverse range of content and services that appear within the app’s channels and chats, some of which have drawn attention from regulators and users alike.