The messaging app, Telegram, has risen in popularity within Cambodia in recent years. As of early 2023, it held the title of the most popular messaging app in the country.

According to the World Population Review, as of early 2023, Telegram had more than 10 million active users in Cambodia. Worldwide, the app has about 700 million users.

Why is Telegram so popular in Cambodia?

There are a number of reasons why Telegram is so popular in Cambodia. First, the app is very secure. Telegram's messages are end-to-end encrypted, which means that only the sender and recipient can read them. This is important to users who are concerned about the security of their personal information.

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Second, Telegram is very versatile. The app can be used to send text messages, photos, videos, and files. It can also be used to create groups and channels. This makes Telegram a versatile tool for communication, and it can be used for a variety of purposes, both personal and professional.

Third, Telegram is easy to use. The app has a simple interface that is easy to understand, even for people who are not familiar with technology. This makes Telegram a good choice for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Who uses Telegram in Cambodia?

Chhit Sonongnary, the owner of Desire Cafe, told Kiripost,

“When my customers ask for my contact number, I give them my number that is signed up to a Telegram account so that they can contact me through Telegram even though our contact numbers are not from the same company. Sometimes I use Smart and my customers use Cellcard.”

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“In this way, my customers can order drinks via Telegram messages without having to pay for cross-service phone call fees.” she added.

Additionally, she uses the app for educational purposes because using Telegram is more convenient than other messaging apps. She said, “When I receive files from a Telegram account, I can open the file in both my phone and personal laptop but with [Facebook] Messenger I cannot do that.”

Seng Sreyneng, a public administration staff and a college student pursuing a Master's degree at Cambodian University for Specialties, uses Telegram a lot at work because most of her co-workers use the app for communication.

She believes many Cambodians use the app because of its high security and quality. She said, “Through Telegram, I can send files of large sizes conveniently and the receivers get a better quality of the files than receiving them via other apps.”

Telegram is also popular among businesses and government agencies. Kiripost/Siv Channa

In Cambodia, government workers are required to scan pictures and convert files into PDF formats before sending them. Therefore, the quality of the file is really important.

There have been cases where Telegram accounts were hacked. However, for Sreyneng, she has never experienced this issue because she uses two-factor authentication.

She said, “I use a two-factor authentication function to make my account more secure. With this function, if an anonymous person tries to login into my account, that person needs to have a code that is sent to my phone number.”

Telegram is used by people of all ages and backgrounds in Cambodia. However, the app is particularly popular among people aged between 18 and 44, comprising almost 70 percent of the total users, according to Statista.

Telegram is also popular among businesses and government agencies in Cambodia. Many businesses use Telegram to communicate with customers and employees, while government agencies use it to share information with the public.

The app offers a number of features that are appealing to Cambodian users, including security, versatility, and ease of use. Additionally, Telegram is constantly adding new features and improving its performance.

According to Statista, the age group that uses Telegram the most globally are 25- to 34-year-olds, accounting for 30.6 percent of users. The 18 to 24 age group makes up 21.9 percent, followed by 35- to 44-year-olds at 21.3 percent, those aged 45 to 64 at 18.5 percent, and up to 17-year-olds at 7.7 percent.

The other top four messaging apps in Cambodia are Facebook Messenger, Line, WhatsApp, and Viber, with active users of 5.5 million, 4.5 million, 4.2 million, and 3.5 million respectively, based on data from Similarweb.