Telegram founder Pavel Durov said on his Telegram channel that the messenger has become the second most popular in the world. From 2018 to 2023, he bypassed Facebook Messenger (the social network is prohibited in Russia. – Note BURO.).
“Over the past five years, Telegram has surpassed Facebook Messenger to become the most popular cloud messaging app. Telegram is now second only to WhatsApp (owned by Meta, recognized as extremist and banned in Russia. – Approx. BURO.) And every year it is closing the gap. No wonder our competitors are concerned!” — wrote the businessman.
As Kommersant recalls, in 2022, Telegram was most frequently downloaded in India (70.48 million), Russia (24.15 million), the USA (20.03 million), Indonesia (19.61 million) and Brazil (18.04 million). The platform is most popular among users in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the United States, and Ukraine.
Pavel Durov was previously recognized by Arabian Business as the most influential person in Dubai. The businessman’s fortune is estimated at 15.1 billion dollars. The ranking of one hundred influential people in Dubai is published on the website of the publication.