How Many People Use Skype? [Worldwide Statistics]
Skype is still used by various business around the world
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Key notes
- Skype has been losing popularity over the past few years, but it doesn’t mean that nobody uses it.
- Although home users might’ve left Skype, it’s still a popular choice among many business.
Skype was one of the most influential messaging apps in the last decade, but many are wondering how many people use Skype today.
It’s safe to assume that the popularity of Skype has waned over the past few users, and Windows 11 replaced Skype with Microsoft Teams. However, that doesn’t mean that Skype is forgotten.
Join us while we take a closer look at Skype’s user statistics in the current year and see how well the messaging giant holds up after all these years.
Which country has the most Skype users?
- United States – 32 million active users (12.23%)
- India – 3.1 million active users (7.25%)
- Russian Federation – (6.71%)
- Brazil – 1.2 million active users (5.29%)
- The United Kingdom – 6.7 million active users (3.84%)
This is because many companies, especially in the United States, still use Skype.
| Country: | Number of companies: |
|---|---|
| United States | 38,537 |
| United Kingdom | 8,004 |
| India | 3,994 |
| Canada | 3,414 |
| France | 2,077 |
| Australia | 1,991 |
| Brazil | 1936 |
| China | 1445 |
| Italy | 1244 |
| Germany | 1223 |
The same goes for personal users. Many have friends and other contacts on Skype, so moving them all to a new platform isn’t easy.
The following countries have at least 1 million Skype users:
- United States
- United Kingdom
- India
- Canada
- Australia
- France
- China
- Brazil
- Germany
How many people use Skype?
Skype numbers expected to rise
Although Skype isn’t popular as it used to be, the numbers say otherwise.
Experts estimate that the number of Skype users will rise in the future, and according to Statista, it’s estimated that in 2024, Skype will have 2.27 billion registered users.
According to data, Skype has 300 million active users every month in 2023, and every day 40 million users worldwide use it.
| Monthly users | Daily users |
|---|---|
| 300 million | 40 million |
What age group uses Skype the most?
According to data from SimilarWeb, Skype has 40.53% female and 59.47% users. Regarding the age distribution, Skype is mostly used by people in the 25-34 age bracket.
| Age: | Percent: |
|---|---|
| 18 - 24 | 21.38 |
| 25-34 | 33 |
| 35-44 | 20 |
| 45-54 | 13 |
| 55-64 | 8 |
| 65+ | 5 |
Here’s a visual representation of the data:
What industries use Skype the most?
Skype is widely used in various industries, and the vast majority of users are in computer software and information technology.
| Industry: | Number of users in millions: |
|---|---|
| Computer Software Industry | 8.6 |
| Information Technology and Services Industry | 6 |
| Education Management Industry | 3 |
| Hospital and Healthcare Industry | 3 |
| Higher Education Industry | 2 |
| Marketing and Advertising Industry | 2 |
| Financial Services Industry | 1.67 |
| Retail Industry | 1.62 |
| NGO Management Industry | 1.5 |
| Construction Industry | 1.3 |
However, Skype is used in various other industries, and you can see its stats in the graph below:
Does anyone still use Skype?
Yes, Skype is still used, mostly by business users, but personal users are moving away from the platform and are switching to alternatives.
We’ll briefly cover some of the alternatives and see how Skype compares to them:
Skype vs Teams
Probably the biggest reason why Skype is losing popularity is Microsoft Teams. It’s intended as a Skype replacement, and it shares many similarities with it. To learn more, we suggest reading our Skype vs Microsoft Teams guide.
Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two:
| Microsoft Teams | Skype | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $0 to $12.50 per user/month | $0 |
| Cheapest plan | $4 | $0 |
| Max number of participants | 1,000 | 100 |
| Live streaming | Yes | No |
| Meeting length | 24h max 60 minutes in free plan | 24h |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Record meetings | Only on paid plan | Yes |
| Group and individual messages during calls | Yes | Yes |
| Whiteboard | Yes | No |
| Live meeting transcription | Only on paid plans | Yes |
| Breakout rooms | Yes | No |
| Joining restrictions | Yes | Yes |
| Hand rasing | Yes | Yes |
| Emoji reactions | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud storage | Starting from 5GB per user | Starting from 5GB per user |
| Integrations | Over 700 | Not supported |
| Support | 24/7 support on paid plans | Limited support |
| Security | Advanced | Standard |
As you can see, Skype is more useful for smaller teams and home users, while Teams offers more collaboration features, and it’s better for larger teams.
Skype vs Zoom
During the pandemic, Zoom emerged as a popular alternative for collaboration and video conferencing, and it took the market by storm.
If you haven’t tried this software, we have a great guide on how to download and install Zoom, so be sure to check it out.
Here’s a quick comparison between Skype and Zoom:
| Zoom | Skype | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0-19.99 monthly/per licence | Free |
| Maximum participants | Up to 1,000 | Up to 100 |
| Max call duration | Up to 30h, 40-minute limit on meetings with free plan | Up to 24h |
| OS compatibility | Mac OS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux | Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, Mac OS, Xbox, Amazon Alexa devices |
| Video quality | Up to 1080p | Up to 1080p |
| Recording meetings | Yes | Yes |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Document sharing | Yes | Yes |
| In-meeting chats | Yes | Yes |
| Join meetings via phone or video | Yes | Yes |
| Background blur | Yes | Yes |
| Background change | Yes | Yes |
| Breakout session | Yes | No |
| Whiteboard | Yes | No |
| Meeting transcripts | Only on Business and Enterprise plans | No |
| Audience polling | On paid plans | No |
| Streaming on social media | On paid plans | No |
| Customer support | Varies by plan | Online help |
| Account required to attend meetings | No | No |
Zoom offers better functionality, and in our opinion, it’s a better choice if you’re planning to hold large meetings, so it’s perfect for larger companies.
Skype vs Discord
Discord is a popular messaging app, but how does it compare to Skype? It’s not easy to compare the two since they have different purposes besides instant messaging.
To learn more, we strongly suggest reading out Skype vs Discord guide for in-depth information.
Here’s a quick overview of the two services:
| Discord | Skype | |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | $4.99/month | No |
| Audio quality | 64 kbps | 100 kbps |
| Max participants | 25 | 100 |
| Ability to call phone numbers | No | Yes |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Audio recording | No | Yes |
| Video recording | No | Yes |
| Max size for file sharing | Up to 8MB for free users, up to 50MB for Nitro users | 300MB |
| Ability to connect other services | Facebook, Skype, Twitter, Steam, and more | Facebook, Docs, Excel, Powerpoint |
| Requires account | Yes | No |
| Live captions | No | Yes |
As previously mentioned, these two services are quite different, and Discord is designed to create a community and share content, while Skype is made primarily for video calls and instant messaging.
In that regard, Skype is a better option since it’s free, it offers recording features, better sound quality, and support for more participants.
However, if you want to organize and chat with fellow gamers, Discord is no doubt a better option.
Skype vs WhatsApp
When comparing Skype to WhatsApp, it’s important to mention that WhatsApp is primarily a messaging app for your phone, so it will lack many features that Skype has.
Of course, you can get WhatsApp for Windows 11, but it offers the same features as the web app.
Let’s quickly compare the two:
| Skype | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number of users | 1.5+ billion since 2017 | 1.33+ million users since 2017 |
| Requires a phone number | Yes | No |
| Uses contacts from the phone's contact list | Yes | No |
| Audio quality | Decent | Refined HD quality |
| Call recording | No | Yes |
| Maximum participants in a call | 4 | 100 |
| End-to-end encryption | Enabled by default | Not enabled by default |
| Cloud storage sync | No | Yes |
| Cost | Free | Free |
Both services are similar, but if you want to collaborate with others, then Skype might be a better option.
On the other hand, if you just want to chat with friends, WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging apps, which makes it a better choice.
Skype vs Google Meet
Another great Skype alternative is Google Meet. In case you’re not familiar with it, we have a great guide on how to use Google Meet on Windows 11, so be sure to check it out.
| Google Meet | Skype | |
|---|---|---|
| Requires an account | Yes | No |
| Maximum meeting length | 1h for Free users, up to 24h with Workspace account | 24h |
| Maximum number of participants | Up to 100 on Free plan, up to 500 on Business Plan | 100 |
| Third-party integrations | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to call dial-in numbers | Yes | Yes |
| Available on all major platforms | Yes | Yes, including Xbox |
| Synchronization with calendar | Yes | No |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Meeting recording | Only on Enterprise plan | Yes |
| YouTube broadcasting | Only in Enterprise or Education plan | No |
Google Meet offers simplicity and ease of use, and it’s a great option for free users, as long as you don’t mind the 1h meeting length for free users.
On the other hand, with a built-in recording feature, Skype is a better choice for some businesses.
Skype vs Slack
Slack is one of the most popular collaboration platforms in the world. To learn more about it, we have a great Slack vs Skype guide that you should check out if you want to learn more.
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Slack | Skype | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free with 3 different premium plans | Free |
| Max participants in a call | 2 for free, 50 for paid | 100 |
| Search | Advanced filtered search | Basic text search |
| File sharing | Free: 90 days of message history, Premium plans start at 10GB per member | Starting from 5GB per user |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Record meetings | No | Yes |
| Transcriptions | No | Yes |
| Channels and threads | Yes | No |
| Integrations | Over 2,400 integrations | Very limited |
| Support | Standard | Limited |
Slack is a superior platform for collaboration since it supports threads and channels, but if you’re looking for large video conferencing with screen recording, Skype is a far better option for free users especially because of the international calls.
Skype’s popularity is slowly fading when it comes to home users, but the service is still incredibly popular with many businesses, especially in the United States.
However, we expect this to change in the upcoming years slowly. If you’re not a fan of Skype, then you might want to try some of these Skype alternatives.
Are you still using Skype? Let us know in the comment section below.
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