Why Chinese Are Addicted To WeChat (2026)

Over the past decade, WeChat has become an essential part of China’s mobile internet. To understand WeChat, we need to understand how its users evolve with the platform.

Number of Active Users on WeChat

WeChat evolved through its innovations. In 2016, it generated an information consumption of 174 billion RMB. By 2025, WeChat reported over 1.38 billion monthly active users globally, with more than 1.2 billion in mainland China alone. The platform now accounts for roughly 35% of all time spent on mobile in China.

In 2013, there were 335 million active users on WeChat compared to 889 million in 2016. That number has grown steadily every year since.

Time Spent by Users on WeChat

The time spent by users on WeChat is constantly increasing.

In 2016, only 3.4% of users connected less than 10 minutes per day, compared with 21% between 1 and 2 hours, and 18.1% between 2 and 4 hours. By 2025, the average daily time spent on WeChat exceeds 82 minutes per active user, according to QuestMobile data. This makes it the single most-used app in China, ahead of Douyin and Alipay.

Read as well: WeChat Guide for Foreign (Cosmetics) Companies in China

Number of WeChat Contacts

As a communication tool, WeChat has helped users improve communication efficiency and broaden their social networks.

The number of contacts per average user of WeChat grew strongly in 2016: about 45% of users reported having more than 200 contacts compared with 28% of users between 100 and 200 contacts.

Number of WeChat Contacts per Month

In terms of new contacts on WeChat, the majority of users do not add more than 5 new contacts per month.

More than 40% of users over the age of 46 and seniors report adding zero new contacts.

Different Categories of New WeChat Contacts

The majority of new contacts are mainly co-workers and people in the professional environment, then mostly friends and family.

Themes Preference on WeChat

Content users share on Moments vs. content they prefer to see:

Personal life posts remain the top shared and top preferred content type
Expression of personal opinions ranks second in preferred content
Shared content of interest follows closely
Trending news and work-related content fill the lower positions
Products or brand displays rank last in both columns

Using WeChat at Work

Users and companies are currently working through WeChat. 80% of users in cities complete work-related tasks on WeChat. WeChat is a main communication channel at work.

For small businesses, WeChat plays an essential role in daily business operations: 90% use it. Transactions via WeChat have become essential, with 70% making transactions. WeChat continues to simplify its payment functionality.

WeChat: a Communication Tool Used Daily for Work

The most used communication tool is:

WeChat (in large cities and rural areas)
Telephone calls, text messages, faxes (in big cities and rural areas)
Email (mostly in large cities)

Reasons to Join Focus Groups of Over 100 People

Focus groups are an important channel for professional networks.

More than 40% of users join groups of discussions of more than 100 people for internal communication within the company. 34% join a discussion group to expand their professional network. 32% to share leisure activities. 17% for sharing information. 8% are group fans. 35% are passively added to focus groups.

Advantage of WeChat at Work

Provides a useful communication tool
Supports social advancement
Provides a convenient desktop tool
Helps manage personal networks
Supports access to high-quality information

Payment via Mobile Phone

Mobile payments have a high penetration rate in China. Convenience stores have become the main channel of WeChat Pay for transactions. The means of payment by users in shops are:

WeChat with 92% (in large cities and rural areas)
Cash
Credit Card

Spending with WeChat Pay

Compared to 2015, WeChat Pay has grown considerably. In 2015, the population spent mostly less than 500 RMB per month via WeChat Pay. By 2016, spending shifted to the 500-5000 RMB range. In 2025, WeChat Pay processes over 1 billion daily transactions, and average monthly consumer spending through the platform exceeds 3,000 RMB for urban users, according to Tencent’s 2025 annual report.

For cosmetics brands, this spending behavior matters. Chinese consumers buy beauty products directly through WeChat Mini Programs and pay instantly. Read more about cosmetics marketing in China to see how brands are using this to drive sales.

Looking for help? Our WeChat agency for beauty brands can support your brand’s entry into China.

Why Chinese Are Addicted To WeChat (2026)