ChatGPT: Global Adoption Rapidly Expanding, Says OpenAI

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Key Takeaways

1OpenAI reveals that the use of ChatGPT is expanding and diversifying globally, reaching new regions and tasks.

2ChatGPT users are sending 50% more messages after six months, exploring new AI capabilities.

3The adoption of ChatGPT has seen rapid growth in Africa and Asia since July 2023, with access facilitated by free plans.

💡Why it matters — This expansion demonstrates the growing impact of AI across various sectors and regions, potentially influencing the global economy.

A Global Expansion of ChatGPT

The adoption of ChatGPT by users around the world continues to grow, according to the latest data released by OpenAI Signals. This information reveals an increasingly frequent and diverse use of the tool, with a user base that is significantly expanding on a global scale. ChatGPT users are integrating this tool into a growing variety of tasks, demonstrating its utility and versatility.

OpenAI Signals uses aggregated data to analyze how users interact with the different ChatGPT plans, such as the Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. This analysis helps to understand the evolution of individual AI usage as ChatGPT reaches a global audience.

The visualizations provided by OpenAI highlight several key trends in the global adoption of AI. They show how the use of ChatGPT has intensified since its launch, how users are incorporating it into their daily lives, and how these practices vary by language and region. These results offer a clear perspective on how AI is integrated into the work, learning, and daily lives of people around the world, thus underscoring the benefits of AI for a large part of humanity.

A Deeper and Broader Use of ChatGPT

Over time, ChatGPT users are sending more messages each day and exploring new features. Indeed, six months after signing up, users send 50% more messages per day compared to when they first started using it. Additionally, they have doubled the number of distinct tasks they have experimented with using ChatGPT.

The data comes from a sample representing 0.1% of users who created their accounts between October 15, 2025, and May 1, 2026, with activity information up to May 31, 2026. The depth of usage is measured by the number of messages sent by the user in the 28 days prior compared to those sent in the 28 days following account creation. The extent of usage is evaluated by the number of cumulative capabilities used by a user, relative to those used in the 28 days following account creation. A classifier categorizes messages into 53 distinct categories. Banned users, those under 18 years old, and those who have not sent messages for 28 days after account creation are excluded from this analysis.

Accelerated Adoption in Regions

Since July 2023, the adoption of ChatGPT has seen significant increases across all continents. The fastest growth has been observed in Africa and Asia.

Each data series represents the change in the number of weekly active ChatGPT users in each region, compared to the baseline rate from July 2023. A user is considered active if they sent a message in the seven days preceding the start of each month. Countries where ChatGPT is not available, as well as users under 18 years old, are excluded from this analysis.

A similar pattern is visible when grouping countries by the Human Development Index (HDI). Countries with a lower HDI have recorded the highest relative growth in weekly active users since July 2023. OpenAI has maintained low-cost access to ChatGPT through its free and Go plans.

Each data series represents the change in the number of weekly active ChatGPT users by HDI category for 2023, compared to the baseline usage rate in each category from July 2023. Users are considered active if they sent a message in the seven days preceding the start of each month. Countries where ChatGPT does not operate, as well as users under 18 years old, are excluded.

A More Diverse and Global User Base

The use of ChatGPT by individuals with typically female names has increased, now representing the majority of users globally. Countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Poland, and Namibia are among those where messages sent by users with typically female names surpass those sent by users with typically male names. Conversely, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali show a more concentrated use by those with typically male names. This data provides an estimate of the number of individuals with typically female or male names using ChatGPT, as OpenAI does not collect information on users' gender.

The data is based on name-gender matches and reflects active users in the seven days preceding the start of the month. The analysis excludes users whose names are not typically male or female. Countries are omitted when more than half of the active user names cannot be classified. Users under 18 years old are excluded.

The use of ChatGPT in languages other than English has also increased alongside global usage. Users primarily using a language other than English now represent more than half of active users. The main non-English languages on ChatGPT include Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic.

Language is assigned using the most recent available language classification profile for each user. Monthly shares include active users in the seven days preceding the first day of each month who are over 18 years old. Uzbek, Kazakh, and Burmese have recorded the highest percentage increases in their share of active users since July 2023.

Conclusion

OpenAI Signals continues to provide essential data for researchers and decision-makers to understand how AI influences and will influence the economy. This information is crucial for anticipating the future impacts of AI across various sectors around the world.