Skype Statistics

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Report Highlights
  • Skype is shutting down on May 5, 2025.
  • In 2024, professionals use Skype and similar platforms for 3 hours and 12 minutes per week.
  • As of 2024, Skype users make 3 billion minutes of video calls daily.
  • By 2024, Skype is expected to have 2.27 billion registered users.
  • Skype has 300 million monthly active users in 2024.
  • More than 40 million people use Skype daily in 2024.
  • The video conferencing market may reach $28.26 billion by 2034.
  • In 2024, 89% of remote workers say video platforms help them connect.
  • In 2021, 86.5% of employees used video calls for work.
  • In 2024, 13.4% of Skype.com traffic comes from the U.S.
  • Over 51% of Skype users earn more than $100,000 per year.

Skype Statistics

Also check out these statistics: Bereal Users, Mastodon Statistics and OpenAI users.

Skype Users

One of the most important categories to consider is Skype users, specifically how and where they use the program.

Younger users tend to use their mobile devices, and older users prefer the computer, and the US has the highest percentage of active users of Skype.

  • About 29% of adults aged 18 to 29 years use Skype on their smartphones.
  • Only 12% of smartphone users over 60 years old use Skype on their mobile devices.
  • Roughly 27% of people between 30 and 59 use their smartphones for Skype calls.
  • One-fourth (25%) of millennials outside of China use Skype.
  • The United States generates 13.4% of global Skype traffic.
  • Skype is projected to reach 2.27 billion users by the end of 2024.
  • Traffic to the Skype website dropped by 3.8 million between September 2021 and February 2022, equating to a decrease of just over 10%.
  • Skype users have spent about 2 trillion minutes on Skype calls as of October 2017.
  • As of 2022, about 42% of men aged 18 and older used Skype.
  • The same year, roughly 32% of adult women used Skype.
  • In 2012, the average Skype call was only 13 minutes long.
  • Only 7.5% of all registered Skype users use it at least monthly.
  • About 99% of all Skype users use the app less than once per day.

Skype Demographics

Some user-related statistics have to do with specific demographic categories, such as age, gender, and income.

While some of these statistics are older, many of them follow trends and so are probably somewhat accurate even today, but the pandemic has changed some things.

  • Approximately 33.34% of Skype users are aged 25 to 34, making it the largest user demographic.
  • The platform’s user base comprises about 40.69% female and 59.31% male users.
  • Recent statistics do not provide updated figures on the marital or parental status of Skype users.
  • Approximately 54.83% of Skype users are aged between 18 to 34 years old.
  • Current reports do not include detailed insights into the household income of Skype users.
  • As of 2022, 83% of people in the United States are aware of Skype.
  • Approximately 14% of U.S. respondents use Skype daily.
  • About 8% of U.S. respondents reported using Skype at least once a week but not daily.

Skype Business Use

Skype for Business was a popular option from 2014 to 2021, but Microsoft retired it in favor of Microsoft Teams.

However, many businesses from IT to hospitality still use Skype, even if they can’t use a business-specific plan to host video calls.

  • Skype has 8.6 million active users that work in the computer software industry.
  • Another 6.3 million active users work in information technology.
  • Surprisingly, 1.62 million active users come from the retail industry.
  • About 2.7 million people in the education management space use Skype.
  • In the hospitality industry, about 2.6 million workers use Skype.
  • Skype receives an additional 2.1 million users from higher education.
  • Around 1.7 million marketing and advertising employees use the communication program.
  • The financial services industry provides another 1.67 million regular active users.
  • Non-government organization (NGO) management accounts for another 1.5 million active users.
  • Roughly 1.3 million construction workers use Skype.
  • Over 52,900 companies use Skype for work.
  • One of the largest companies that uses Skype is The North Face.
  • About 45% of all companies that use Skype have between 50 and 1,000 employees.
  • Another 34% of companies that use Skype have less than 50 employees.
  • Two-thirds (67%) of companies that use Skype make less than $50 million in revenue.
  • An additional 9% of companies that use Skype make $50 million to $1 billion in revenue.
  • Workers that use Skype spend about 38.4 minutes on video calls per workday.

Skype Use Worldwide

The US may be home to a huge chunk of users, but there are plenty of people in other countries that use Skype.

Sadly for some people, their country’s government restricts Skype usage or completely blocks the service, but worldwide usage is still increasing each year.

  • Despite the recent explosion of Zoom, Skype’s market share in 2024 is about 13.41%.
  • Zoom leads the video conferencing market with 18.60% in 2024, while Skype holds a smaller share.
  • Roughly 49% of Skype’s monthly users are from the United States.
  • The United States has the largest percentage of Skype users, with other regions contributing significantly.
  • Skype is used by over 52,900 businesses worldwide.
  • Skype’s website traffic and ranking may vary, but it remains a widely used platform.
  • Demand for video conferencing tools like Skype increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Users have spent more time on video conferencing since the pandemic began.
  • A Skype call that lasts for an hour uses about 225 MB of data.
  • Skype’s peak usage occurs during business hours.
  • Dallas, TX, is noted for its high usage of Skype.
  • In March 2020, Skype calling minutes increased significantly compared to February.
  • About 10% of Skype users are from various regions, but specific UK figures are not updated.
  • Skype’s availability varies by country, with some restrictions in certain regions.

Skype Downloads

Many people use the mobile app on their iPhone or Android, but others prefer to use the desktop app for the larger screen.

Consider some statistics related to the various Skype apps that you can use, from the number of downloads to how much storage space you’ll need.

  • As of recent data, the Skype app has generated close to 2 billion total downloads globally, with over 1 billion downloads on Android alone since 2016.
  • Skype receives an average of about 990,000 monthly downloads on Android devices as of 2025.
  • Skype’s popularity in the social networking category on iOS may have shifted since October 2022, but it remains a significant player.
  • On Android, Skype is among the top-grossing apps in the communication category, though exact rankings can fluctuate.
  • The Skype app for Microsoft is available in over 100 languages, making it accessible globally.
  • Skype takes up about 144.5 MB of storage on an iOS device, though this may change with updates.

Skype Revenue

Unfortunately, Microsoft is secretive about how much revenue it generates specifically from Skype, but some numbers are available to the public.

Consider how much money Skype has earned throughout the years and how that has grown.

  • Skype has suffered significant financial losses due to security breaches, including hacking incidents like “Zoombombing,” though specific figures like the $85 million loss are not updated.
  • In September 2022, Skype earned $2 million from iOS users and $700,000 from Android users; more recent figures are not available.
  • Skype’s value is not publicly updated beyond 2022 estimates, but its usage and revenue have declined.
  • In 2016, Skype only profited $361 million, which was 16.4% of its $2.2 billion in revenue that year.
  • While you can use Skype for free, paying for extra minutes will cost you $0.10 per minute.
  • Skype makes its money by charging users to call others who don’t have Skype accounts and through monthly subscriptions.
  • Microsoft charges $13.99 per month for the World Subscription plan that allows for international calls.
  • Domestic calling plans range from $2.99 to $11.99 per month, depending on the country.
  • Users can also purchase credits as they go for $5, $10, or $25 at a time.
  • The latest public Skype revenue report is outdated, and recent figures are not available.
  • In 2010, Skype’s revenue amounted to $859.82 million.
  • Across five rounds, Skype raised almost $77 million.
  • In the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2022, Microsoft earned $51.9 billion in revenue across all of its services (including Skype).
  • Microsoft’s revenue that quarter was up 12% (or 16% if you use constant currency).
  • The entire video conferencing market has grown significantly since hitting $15 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach over $75 billion by 2027.
  • When Skype went public in 2010, the average paying member spent $96 per year ($8 per month) on the service.
  • Also in 2010, Skype made $406.2 million in revenue, which averages out to 2.3 cents per minute across free and paying users.
  • Skype lost $5.8 million in 2009 due to having to pay back credit card companies for fraudulent transactions.

Skype History

Skype is one of the oldest video calling apps, and it’s gone through a lot of changes in the past 19 years, from multiple acquisitions to reaching new revenue and user milestones.

Consider how Skype got its start, the changes that have occurred since then, and how all of these statistics have made the company what it is today.

  • The founders of Skype first launched the company in 2003.
  • Two people, Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, founded Skype in Europe.
  • Only one-on-one video calls were available until 2010.
  • Skype amassed 8 million paying members and 120 million total users by the end of 2010.
  • Microsoft paid $8.5 billion to buy Skype in 2011.
  • If Microsoft were to buy Skype today, it would have to pay over $11.4 billion when you account for inflation.
  • In 2021, Microsoft replaced Skype for Business with Microsoft Teams.
  • Because of that replacement, Skype no longer has plans especially for businesses.
  • Before Microsoft bought Skype, eBay bought it for $2.6 billion in October 2005.
  • Skype was the first VoIP service to offer calls for free.
  • As of recent data, Skype has acquired several businesses, including GroupMe, Qik, and Sonorit.
  • Skype has received several investments and has faced multiple exits.
  • The number of Skype users has grown significantly since Microsoft bought it, though exact figures are not updated beyond 2022.
  • On average, Skype has gained a substantial number of users per year, though exact figures are not updated.
  • Skype saw significant growth in registered users in recent years, but specific figures for 2022 are not updated.
  • The company hit over 1 billion users in 2014.
  • Back in 2010, only 40% of Skype calls were video calls.

Skype Competitors

A decade ago, most people would have chosen Skype in a heartbeat for video calls, but a lot can change in a few years with new competitors on the scene.

While video conferencing has grown overall since the COVID-19 pandemic, many users are starting to prefer Zoom or other Skype competitors, so much so that Skype’s market share dropped significantly in the past couple of years.

  • In 2025, Zoom holds a significant market share lead over Skype, with Zoom having about 57% of the video conferencing market[9][10].
  • Skype video calls can hold 100 people, while Zoom supports up to 1,000 participants.
  • Users can host Skype calls for free for up to 24 hours compared to only 40 minutes with Zoom.
  • In the business world, Skype’s market share is not as prominent as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, which have gained significant traction.
  • Skype is not among the top two video conferencing apps for business use, with Zoom and Microsoft Teams leading the market.
  • About 47.6% of American adults use FaceTime for video calls.
  • Skype is compatible with more operating systems than almost any other video conferencing tool, including unique options like Xbox.
  • Facetime uses about 71.5% of the data for video calls compared to Skype.
  • WhatsApp video calls use about 0.44 MB of data more for every four minutes a call lasts.
  • Microsoft Teams gained an additional 125 million users in 2022.
  • The growth rate of users from 2021 to 2022 was 86.2%.
  • Almost all (91%) of the Fortune 100 companies use Microsoft Teams.
  • Microsoft Teams hit 2.7 billion daily minutes at the end of March 2020.
  • Four out of five Microsoft Teams users in 2021 were at least 35 years old.
  • Almost three-fourths of Microsoft Teams users are male (72%).
  • Microsoft Teams is only available in 44 languages (42.7% of Skype’s 103).

Other Skype Statistics

Some Skype statistics don’t fall into any of the above categories, but they’re still important to consider when researching the company.

Consider the following numbers, from language translation to social media followers to emergency calls.

  • Skype can translate in real-time to more than 60 written languages and 10 spoken languages, including English, Spanish, French, and more[9][10].
  • Some of the less common languages on that list include Bulgarian and Vietnamese[9].
  • Skype can host a video conference for as long as 24 hours at a time.
  • The Oxford English Dictionary made “Skype” a verb when it added it to the dictionary in 2014.
  • Skype allows you to call landline and mobile phone users in over 60 different countries.
  • Standard Skype users can run group calls of up to 100 people.
  • The first video call happened in 1930, over 70 years before the founding of Skype.
  • About 55.5% of workers use video conferencing platforms every day.
  • Seventy percent of workers use messenger tools each day in the workplace.
  • Since the remote shift, over three-quarters (77%) of workers still prefer to communicate by email or phone.
  • Skype lets users label their meetings with a name, color, and emoji to keep from mixing them up, which is great considering many people have multiple meetings in a day.
  • You can call emergency services using the Skype app, but it has limited capabilities and is not a replacement for traditional phones.
  • As of recent data, Skype has a significant social media presence, though exact figures may have changed since October 2022.
  • Skype has a substantial following on Instagram and Facebook.
  • Skype’s name came from the phrase “sky peer-to-peer.”
  • The founders originally wanted to call the app “Skyper” but there was already a company by that name.
  • Skype launched a phone in 2007, but it wasn’t the most successful.

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