WeChat’s Popularity Surges to New Heights

Singapore, September 11, 2014 – WeChat, the leading mobile social communication application for smartphones, continues to show robust user base growth according to GlobalWebIndex (GWI). GlobalWebIndex, a market research company specialising in online consumer behaviour, unveils WeChat’s growing active user base increase of over 55% from Q2 2013 to Q2 2014 globally, with Singapore’s growth attributed at 60%.

GlobalWebIndex hosts the world’s largest multi-market research study on online consumer behaviours and trends, covering 32 markets and representing 89% of the global internet audience.

Throughout the Asia Pacific region, WeChat has experienced tremendous growth between Q2 2013 and Q2 2014.  WeChat’s active user base in Asia Pacific (excluding China) has grown by over 60% in the past year. Among Asian markets, Hong Kong (222%), Taiwan (166%) and The Philippines (100%) have experienced the most impressive growth rates.

GlobalWebIndex also revealed WeChat’s outstanding popularity among the younger generation, especially in the Asia Pacific region. The results unveil 74% of WeChat users through Asia Pacific are between the ages of 16 and 34.

“We are extremely pleased with WeChat’s positive growth both globally and in the Asia Pacific region.  WeChat continues to revolutionize the way people connect with each other, GWI’s recent results indicate WeChat’s strong and diverse offering to users. We consistently strive to provide users with a holistic social communication experience and will continue to deliver with this revolutionary, all-in-one approach,” said Poshu Yeung, Vice President of International Business Group at Tencent.

“WeChat has witnessed a remarkable penetration rate this quarter, further emphasising how WeChat’s efficient and entertaining platform continues to attract users at a massive scale. We are excited about WeChat’s breakthrough and look forward to witnessing its continued growth globally,” said Brett Petersen, Director of Research and Consulting at GlobalWebIndex.

WeChat’s success among younger users lays within its offering of a unique and seamless interactive experience and growing game portfolio. WeChat brings an added social element to user’s lives and is revolutionizing the way people connect, communicate and share the joy with friends. Furthermore, WeChat offers a fun, interactive and social experience through many communication features and localized Stickers.

*The global charts featured in this report exclude data for China