OpenAI publishes country-level ChatGPT usage data

OpenAI has released ChatGPT usage statistics for individual countries for the first time. The data comes from its Economic Research Team and is published on OpenAI Signals, the company's hub for data and research, where it can be viewed or downloaded. The dataset covers only messages from ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and Pro accounts. These are generally managed by individuals, not organizations.

The headline finding is about work. People are more than twice as likely to use ChatGPT at work to complete a task or create something, such as writing, coding or analysis, than they are outside work. Outside work, "asking," meaning looking for information or clarification, is still the largest category.

Other findings:

• Adoption is spreading. In Q2 2026, per-capita usage rose fastest in parts of Latin America, Oceania and Africa. Peru, Uruguay and Costa Rica climbed the most in the global rankings. Usage is still growing in North America and Europe.
• Multimedia is growing fastest. Multimedia accounted for 7.8% of messages worldwide after ChatGPT Images 2.0 launched in April 2026. In Brazil and Colombia, it made up more than one in ten messages. Practical guidance, writing and information-seeking are still the largest use cases.
• Older users are taking a bigger share. Users over 35 now send a 5% higher share of messages than they did a year ago, and their share rose in almost every country. In France and Czechia, it grew by more than 10 percentage points. Singapore was one of the Southeast Asian countries that went the other way.

OpenAI says the release is meant to help policymakers and researchers understand how more than 1 billion people use ChatGPT. Its methodology is published separately. The company did not release figures for enterprise or organization-managed accounts.