17+ Viber Statistics and Usage Trends

Viber is one of the most popular instant messaging apps in the world, available for all major mobile devices and operating systems. Viber has been offering free call and messaging services to mobile users for over a decade now, and the company’s business model has not changed. All you need to make a call or send a text, image, or video is access to the internet. By going through the extensive catalog of Viber statistics listed below, you’ll be able to better understand the company as well as its journey to fame.

Viber Statistics (Editor’s Choice)

• There are over 1.1 billion Viber users worldwide. (Statista)
• Over 70 million interactions happen in an hour. (Viber)
• Viber is available in over 40 languages. (Kurdistan 24)
• 40% of Viber’s revenue comes from its Business API. (TNW)
• In 2020, Viber saw a 170% increase in all group-related activities. (Viber)
• As a response to the COVID-19 crisis, Viber doubled the number of group call participants. (Mobile Marketing)
• The service had over 400% user increase in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020. (Myanmar Times)
• The Viber Community doesn’t have a limit on its members. (Viber)
• There are over 115,000 subscribers on Viber’s YouTube channel. (YouTube)

Essential Viber Usage Stats

1. There are over 1.1 billion Viber users worldwide.

No tech company is considered a serious player unless it has achieved the significant milestone of reaching a billion users. Viber user statistics point to 1.169 billion registered users on the messaging app, as of March 2020.

(Statista)

2. Users can call numbers not registered on Viber.

An important factor that separates Viber from other popular services requiring only an internet connection for communication is their Viber Out subscription plan. Users can buy credit as a cheaper alternative to regular international calls or choose a subscription plan. Prices vary worldwide for both rates per minute and different international monthly plans. 

(Viber)

3. There are more than 820 million Viber monthly active users.

The latest Viber user statistics point to a vast majority of users being active every month — 823 million. The service doesn’t require a SIM card, so it can be used on various devices.

(Versus)

4. A typical user sends over 30 messages per day.

When it comes to the volume of messages an average user sends daily, the company reports its users are actively engaged. The minimum of 30 messages daily also implies that typical Viber users access the app at least several times a day. That’s why top social media marketers wisely leverage the power of Viber’s user base and their active behavior. 

(Viber)

5. Users spend over half an hour per day on Viber.

A typical user visits the app or its desktop version several times per day. The company analyzed and reported several aspects of user behavior. Viber user statistics point to over 35 minutes spent daily on the platform. 

(Viber)

6. More than 70 million Viber interactions happen in an hour.

Viber’s data storage centers are under constant supervision, as there are over a million interactions happening every minute on the network. Viber users are continually sending messages, photos, and videos, also expecting to receive some back. As video is the most engaging form of content, with a little help from quality video production companies, brands can successfully expand their promotional activities in direct communication.   

(Viber)

7. For desktop devices, over 42% of Viber traffic comes from direct sources.

Viber statistics show there were 23.2 million visits on desktop and mobile web between February 2022 and April 2022. The data excludes traffic from the app. The average number of pages per visit was calculated at 1.98. For desktop devices only, 42.18% of traffic comes from a direct source, while Search takes second place at almost 42%. Referrals and Social account for 7.53% and 6.29%, while the Mail and Display categories seem quite irrelevant by comparison, with 1.81% and 0.2%.

(SimilarWeb)

Viber Statistics for Business

8. Viber is available in over 40 languages.

Since the latest addition of Kurdish at the beginning of 2021, Viber has been supporting 41 languages. The latest addition is available only on Android devices so far. This move was also relevant in another way, bordering with political issues, as the Viber messenger app is the first major international company to include the historically oppressed nation’s native language on the platform. All leading market research experts know just how essential it is to reach a certain target market in their native language.

(Kurdistan 24)

9. Users in Ukraine can safely pay through Viber chatbots.

One of Viber’s latest features is the platform’s ability to use chatbots for making purchases. Viber chat statistics show that as of November 2020, chatbots in Ukraine can safely process payments, and the company plans to expand it to other markets as well. The feature directly connects users to their Google or Apple Pay accounts for a hassle-free process. Viber doesn’t have access to users’ payment information, but rather serves as a mediator.  

(Viber)

10. 40% of Viber’s revenue comes from its Business API.

Viber certainly took a different route than rivals in terms of revenue sources. While some services get most from paid ads shown to targeted users as sponsored content, Viber facts show its two primary revenue sources are its Business API and paid in-app purchases, each accounting for 40% of the total revenue. Businesses have a monthly fee to be approved as official and able to communicate with their subscribers. There’s a sign displayed on verified profiles — a little green V in the corner.   

(TNW)

11. 20% of Viber’s revenue comes from ads.

2021 data shows 20% of the company revenue is generated through in-app ad placements. Since the service is encrypted, the only data Viber will reveal about its users are the IP-based location, gender, and age. There’s even an option for excluding the latter two, and in that case, only non-targeted ads are shown to those users.

(TNW)

12. 3 ad formats are available on Viber.

Viber statistics show there are 3 format options if you wish to advertise your brand on Viber instant messaging and calling platform. Brands can choose between the following types of ads:

• Native
• Display
• Video

These ads are non-intrusive, and different placement options are there to suit your target audience. Raising your brand awareness and driving engagement levels are just some of the expected results.

(Viber)

13. Viber’s delivery rate for messages is a whopping 97%.

The delivery rate is an important aspect of a one-on-one marketing strategy for a business. Viber boasts a whopping 97% of delivered messages here. Brands can track the percentage of seen messages, and it is reported at 89%. For boosting your conversion rate, you should note the average CTR for links is 82%, according to Viber statistics.

(Messaggio)

14. Viber is supported by various systems and devices.

An advantage of the service is that users are free to choose the device on both Android and iOS. It is required to have a mobile app on your smartphone to install the desktop version, but once you set it up, you can freely use it on Windows, Mac, and Linux. 

(Viber)

Timeline of Viber

15. Viber was founded in 2010 by a member of the Israel Defense Force.

Born in Israel, the founder of Viber, Talmon Marco, spent his mandatory military service as a Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Israel Defense Forces, according to Viber facts. After serving in the military, he graduated from Tel-Aviv University and moved to the US, where he lives today. Viber was not the first company Marco started; file-sharing service iMesh was among the previous ones.

(TNW, Fandom)

16. During the first several years of its existence, Viber didn’t generate revenue.

Viber statistics reveal that until the company introduced its Sticker Market and Viber Out in 2013, there wasn’t any source of revenue. The original funding was said to be from Marco’s friends and family, and even in 2013, the company reported a loss of $29.5 million. The Viber net worth was never publicly revealed, and only estimates can be made. The only official financial report available is that of Rakuten Group’s mobile revenue. In 2020, the total was $1.36 billion. 

(Statista, Financial Times)

17. In 2012, Viber first appeared on the Android platform.

Viber facts show the beta version of Viber was available for download for the first time in 2012. Viber was initially launched for the iPhone in 2010. Its first presence was on BlackBerry and Windows Phone in 2012. Later that year, it made it to the Android platform.  

(Wikipedia)

18. Japanese telecom Rakuten acquired Viber in 2014.

Rakuten, the Japanese ecommerce and internet services group, decided to spend $900 million and buy Viber. The acquisition went public on February 13, 2014. Rakuten is the largest ecommerce website in Asia.

(BBC)

19. Default end-to-end encryption was introduced in 2016.

Another essential feature making Viber a safe space, which attracted a large number of users, is the end-to-end encryption as a default setting. 

(Forbes)

20. Viber introduced disappearing messages in 2017.

When it comes to keeping up to date with the latest trends, Viber’s usually on top of the game. Since platforms like Snapchat popularized the disappearing messaging system in the early 2010s, user expectations of the social media landscape have been changed. The option of disappearing messages has been available since 2017. The view time can be set to 1, 3, 7, or 10 seconds, after which the message can’t be seen again.

(TechCrunch)

Pandemic-Related Viber Statistics

21. In 2020, Viber had a 170% increase in all group-related activities.

The notion of the new normal meant the increase in digital interactions for many purposes besides socializing, including education and work-related activities. Viber saw an increase in group-related activities of a stunning 170% in 2020. Communities, calls, and chats were all included in the report.

(Viber)

22 Viber enabled group video calls in 2020.

In 2019, Viber introduced the option of group calls. The most recent feature was enabled as a response to the pandemic and a celebration of the platform’s 10th birthday. Since 2020, Viber users have been able to engage in group video calls.

(Viber)

23. As a response to the COVID-19 crisis, Viber doubled the number of group call participants.

The pandemic spurred an unseen increase in group calls for business and educational purposes. Viber group statistics reveal the company appropriately responded by doubling the previous limit of 10 participants per call. 

(Mobile Marketing)

24. Viber was used for various educational purposes by Hungarian teachers in 2020.

As social distancing measures started impacting many aspects of education at all levels, the company started introducing some features to ease the challenges both educators and students had encountered for the first time. An online survey of teachers using Viber instant messaging in Hungary showed that 60% of them were using it for communication with:

• Their students
• Students’ parents
• Other teachers

(Statista)

25. In 2020, Viber had over a 20% increase in the user number in the Philippines.

By examining the increase of Viber users by country, significant growth has been reported in the Philippines. The company’s effort to provide a top-notch service resulted in a 24% growth of users in this area. Viber chat statistics point to a YoY increase of 31% in the volume of messages sent. As for the calls made, an increase was 41%. Communities were especially popular in 2020, with a jump to 198% of users who viewed said content.

(Manila Bulletin)

Interesting Facts About Viber

26. Viber’s latest campaign in Myanmar is with UNICEF.

As of December 2020, Viber is an official partner in the campaign that advocates for positive change in social media usage among the youth in Myanmar. U-Report was launched in 2016 with the main goal of helping to combat misinformation and provide reliable information sources for young people. Viber’s participation was a significant event in the campaign, and the latest data points to over 50,000 registered U-reporters on the platform.

(UNICEF)

27. Another humanitarian campaign on Viber promotes the Red Cross’s activities.

The International Federation of Red Cross has collaborated several times with Viber so far, the first time encouraging people to give blood during the campaign. Viber group statistics show IFRC’s Community quickly gained over 160,000 members. Croatian Red Cross signed a partnership deal with the company in September 2020. The mutual goal was to provide reliable COVID-19 information and share humanitarian stories to inspire online audiences worldwide.

(IFRC)

28. Ukraine has the highest number of Viber app downloads among Android users.

The latest data for Viber users by country points to Ukraine having the highest penetration rate among the Android users. Viber user statistics from September 2021 reveal a whopping 97.9% of Android users had the app installed. 

(Statista, Open 4 Business)

29. It’s the third most popular messaging app in Russia.

The latest data shows WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in Russia, with 76.83 million active users on the platform. Telegram comes in second with 37.88 million users, and scoring third place, the number of Viber monthly active users in Russia is 34.84 million. 

(Statista)

30. The service had over 400% user increase in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020.

Viber was already the most popular messaging app in the Asia-Pacific region, and the pandemic greatly accelerated the acceptance rate. A massive surge of a whopping 421% in Viber users was reported for 2020. Viber chat statistics for the same region and period point to a 509% growth in the volume of messages.

(Myanmar Times)

31. As of 2020, Viber users can create their own GIFs.

Stickers and Graphics Interchange Formats have expanded the possibilities for users to express themselves. The two are vital aspects of 21st-century popular culture among users of all ages. Not only can they share GIFs on Viber, but create their own as well. An endless loop and playing in reverse have also been available since 2020. 

(Viber)

32. The company cut all its ties with Facebook in 2020.

As a response to hate speech that wasn’t removed from Facebook quickly enough, Viber pulled all its advertisements from the platform, Viber facts show. Many companies, including Verizon, have joined the movement called Stop Hate For Profit and paused advertising on Facebook.

(Mobile Marketing)

33. Messages that are delivered are deleted from Viber’s servers.

The end-to-end encryption implies not even the company can access your conversations. They can be stored on the server just until delivered to the recipient. As soon as the status is “delivered”, the data immediately gets deleted from the server.

(Viber)

34. Viber Community doesn’t have a limit on its members.

The main difference between a group and a community on Viber is the total number of members. Public groups or communities aren’t end-to-end encrypted, and users must receive an invite to join a group. Viber group statistics further show the limit is 250 members. When it comes to communities, everyone can freely join. The only limit is the actual number of Viber users. 

(Viber)

35. All Viber data can be exported to email.

Another pretty convenient option for users who want to transfer the data from the app to their email address is available on Viber. This fact is important as the total number of Viber users can back up all of their data. It can be useful in cases such as damaged or lost devices, etc.

(Versus)

36. Viber statistics show that over 9 million people like the messaging app’s page on Facebook.

One of the popularity measures for virtually anything, especially brands, is the number of accounts that follow the official page on the dominating social network. Despite Viber breaking its business ties with Facebook in 2020, its page is active and keeps a strong community of almost 9.3 million users (May 2022).

(Facebook)

37. There are over 115,000 subscribers on Viber’s YouTube channel.

Viber’s YouTube channel has been up and running since 2010. As of May 2022, there are over 115k subscribers. The company delivers tutorials, news about the updates, etc., to a large number of Viber users who are following the channel. Viber statistics for the videos point to over 211 million views.

(YouTube)

FAQs

Sources

• Statista
• Viber
• Versus
• Viber
• SimilarWeb
• Kurdistan 24
• Viber
• TNW
• Viber
• Messaggio
• Viber
• TNW
• Fandom
• Statista
• Financial Times
• Wikipedia
• BBC
• Forbes
• TechCrunch
• Viber
• Mobile Marketing
• Statista
• Manila Bulletin
• UNICEF
• IFRC
• Statista
• Open 4 Business
• Statista
• Myanmar Times
• Viber
• Mobile Marketing
• Viber
• Viber
• Versus
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Similarweb
• Statista

By Branka Vuleta