ChatGPT has reached an impressive milestone, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirming 300 million weekly users, a significant leap from its 2023 user base.
Since its launch, when it gained 1 million users within just a few days, the popular chatbot has seen exponential growth, solidifying its position as a leading AI platform.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an advanced conversational AI developed by OpenAI, based on the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture. It is designed to engage users in natural, human-like dialogue, answer questions, assist with creative tasks, and perform problem-solving across various domains.
Before proceeding with the overall statistics, here are some key highlights.
- 300 Million Weekly Users: ChatGPT reached 300 million weekly users in 2024, a major increase from 100 million in late 2023.
- U.S. Dominance: 15% of ChatGPT’s traffic comes from the U.S., followed by India (9.37%) and Brazil (4.88%).
- User Demographics: Over 55% of ChatGPT’s users are under 35, with a 10% higher male user base compared to females.
- Revenue Growth: ChatGPT is projected to generate $2.7 billion in 2024, with 75% of its revenue coming from 7.7 million paying users.
- Market Leader: ChatGPT holds 59.4% of the generative AI chatbot market, leading competitors like Microsoft Copilot (14.4%) and Google Gemini (13.5%).
A Quick History of ChatGPT
June 2018
OpenAI unveiled the first version of GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). At this point, it wasn’t ChatGPT yet, just a model built to understand text and predict what comes next. This was the seed that would grow into something much bigger.
February 2020
GPT-2 was introduced. This version could generate more coherent and meaningful responses. It started turning heads, as people realized how much potential there was in a system that could write essays, answer questions, and even mimic styles of writing.
June 2020
OpenAI launched GPT-3. It was like moving from a bicycle to a sports car. This version wasn’t just about generating text, it could hold conversations, summarize books, and even help developers write code. Its scale and capabilities opened the door to more practical applications.
November 2022
ChatGPT made its debut. This was when the technology became personal, something everyone could try. Unlike its predecessors, ChatGPT was designed for dialogue. You could ask it to explain a recipe, draft an email, or brainstorm ideas. Suddenly, AI felt approachable and useful in everyday life.
March 2023
GPT-4 was rolled out for ChatGPT Plus users. This update wasn’t just a tweak; it made the model smarter and more nuanced. Tasks like understanding tricky topics, assisting with creative projects, and working on technical documents became smoother.
May 2024
OpenAI introduced GPT-4o, optimized for speed, cost-efficiency, and real-time responsiveness. This version enhanced image and language capabilities, allowing seamless interactions such as translating menus or analyzing images more effectively. The pared-down GPT-4o Mini was launched as a budget-friendly alternative.
June 2024
Building on its predecessor, GPT-4o1 improved reasoning tasks with “System 2 thinking,” enabling more deliberate, logical responses. This upgrade excelled in STEM fields and high-level problem-solving.
Graph Source: Theaihunter.com
How Many Users Does ChatGPT Have?
Sam Altman recently confirmed that the platform has 300 million weekly users, marking a remarkable jump from the 100 million weekly users reported in November 2023.
Of all the users, US contributes around 15% followed by followed by India and Brazil. As per a study by Pew Research Center, around 58% of the overall US population is aware of ChatGPT.
ChatGPT receives over 70% as direct traffic followed by organic traffic of around 20%. The rest of the traffic comes through referrals and social media.
96% of overall traffic to the platform comes through branded keywords, which reflects the platform’s popularity.
ChatGPT Users By Country
Out of all the traffic that ChatGPT receives the United States contributes around 15%, followed by India at 9.37% and Brazil at 4.88%. Here is a detailed breakdown of the overall traffic, top 5 geo-locations.
ChatGPT Users By Country. Source: Similar Web
ChatGPT User Demographics
When you look at the overall users, the percentage of male users is around 10% more than female users.
ChatGPT User Demographics. Source: Similar Web
Traffic Age Distribution
If you look at the age distribution data, over 55% of the overall traffic is in the age group below 35 years.
Around 5% of the traffic is contributed by the agent group above 65 years which is a significant number considering the monthly traffic is in billions.
Here is the age distribution data chart.
Traffic Age Distribution. Source: Similar Web
ChatGPT (Open AI) Funding & Revenue
Open AI the company behind ChatGPT is currently valued at $157 billion after raising $6.6 billion in the recent round of funding.
The platform is growing very fast in terms of overall market value. ChatGPT is expected to generate a revenue of $2.7 billion in 2024 and Open AI as a company is expecting a revenue of $3.4 billion.
How Much Does ChatGPT Worth?
Open AI (Perent company of ChatGPT) is currently valued at $157 Billion after raising $6.6 billion.
Source: Open AI
As per the report, 75% of overall revenue comes from paying customers. ChatGPT has over 7.7 million active ChatGPT Plus users who pay $20 every month. The platform also generates substantial revenue through API.
Have a look at this ChatgPT revenue table with the revenue sources.
| Metric | Value | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) | $3.4 billion | Total estimated revenue for OpenAI in 2024. |
| Revenue Sources Breakdown | ||
| ChatGPT Plus Subscribers | $1.9 billion (55%) | 7.7 million subscribers paying $20/month. |
| ChatGPT Enterprise Subscribers | $714 million (21%) | 1.2 million subscribers paying $50/month. |
| API Revenue | $510 million (15%) | Revenue generated from API usage. |
| ChatGPT Teams Subscribers | $290 million (8%) | 980,000 subscribers paying $25/month. |
| Total Monthly Subscribers | 9.88 million | Total across all subscription tiers. |
Market Share of Top Generative AI Chatbots
Here’s a comprehensive table showcasing the market share of leading generative AIs. Although ChatGPT remains the market leader, it has experienced a slight decline due to strong competition from emerging contenders.
Data as of Dec 2024
| Rank | Chatbot | Description | LLMs Used | Market Share | Quarterly Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT (excluding Copilot) | General-purpose AI chatbot | GPT-3.5, GPT-4 | 59.4% | 6% ▲ |
| 2 | Microsoft Copilot | AI assistant integrated with MS tools | GPT-4 | 14.4% | 7% ▲ |
| 3 | Google Gemini | General-purpose AI assistant | Gemini | 13.5% | 9% ▲ |
| 4 | Perplexity | Accuracy-focused AI search engine | Mistral 7B, Llama 2 | 5.8% | 9% ▲ |
| 5 | Claude AI | Business-focused AI assistant | Claude 3 | 2.9% | 16% ▲ |
| 6 | Brave Leo AI | Privacy-focused AI assistant | Mixtral 8x7B | 1.3% | 10% ▲ |
| 7 | Komo | Link-surfacing AI search engine | Not disclosed | 0.7% | 6% ▲ |
| 8 | Andi | Simplicity-focused AI search engine | Not disclosed | 0.6% | 4% ▲ |
| 9 | You.com | General-purpose AI search engine | GPT-3, GPT-4 | 0.5% | 3% ▲ |
| 10 | Phind | Developer-focused AI search engine | Phind-34B, Phind-70B, GPT-4 | 0.4% | 20% ▲ |
Conclusion
From its humble beginnings with GPT-3 to the launch of more advanced versions like GPT-4o and GPT-4o1, ChatGPT has consistently set new standards in conversational AI. With 300 million weekly users, a strong demographic reach, and significant revenue generation, the platform continues to shape the future of AI interaction.
Also Read: Perplexity AI Statistics
