When you open Telegram, you’re not just checking messages-you’re probably scrolling through news channels. About 89% of Telegram users read news channels regularly. That’s nearly nine out of every ten people on the platform. But here’s the question no one’s asking: Who are these news readers? Are they mostly men? Women? Or is it evenly split?
The short answer: we don’t have the exact numbers. But we do have enough clues to paint a realistic picture-and what we see matters more than you think.
Telegram’s Users Are Mostly Men-But That’s Changing
As of 2025, about 59.4% of Telegram users are male, and 40.6% are female. That’s not a fluke. Multiple sources-Statista, World Population Review, and independent analytics firms-have confirmed this split for the last two years. It’s stable. Predictable. And it’s not new.
Back in 2019, only one in three Telegram users was a woman. By 2021, that jumped to 39%. In 2023, it hit 42%. Today, it’s just over 40%. That’s not a drop-it’s a slowdown in growth. Female adoption is still rising, but slower than before. The gap is narrowing, but it hasn’t closed.
Why does this matter for news? Because if news consumption is nearly universal on Telegram, and men make up nearly 60% of the user base, then it’s safe to assume most news readers are also men. That’s not speculation-it’s basic math. If 89% of everyone reads news, and 59% of everyone is male, then roughly 59% of news readers are male. The math doesn’t lie.
But Are Men and Women Reading the Same News?
Here’s where it gets interesting. Just because men dominate the numbers doesn’t mean they’re the only ones shaping what’s read.
Telegram’s top content categories aren’t just news. In 2021, entertainment channels were read by 59% of users, political channels by 59%, educational channels by 55%, and industry news by 43%. News channels? 82% back then. Now? 89%. That’s the biggest jump.
But here’s the blind spot: we don’t know if women are reading more educational or lifestyle channels instead. We know women are growing fastest in those spaces. We know that in 2025, women aged 16-34 are more likely to join Telegram for learning, community, and creator content than for politics or breaking news. That suggests a quiet shift: men might be the majority of news readers, but women could be the majority of educational and practical news consumers.
Think about it. A man might follow a channel that breaks down stock market moves. A woman might follow one that explains how to navigate healthcare systems or understand inflation’s impact on groceries. Both are news. But they’re not the same.
Age Matters More Than You Realize
Telegram’s user base is young. Over half of its users are under 34. The biggest group? People aged 25-34, at nearly 31%. Gen Z (18-24) makes up another 23%. That’s not a coincidence.
Young people don’t watch TV news. They don’t read newspapers. They want updates in real time, in groups, with context. Telegram gives them that. And because younger men are more likely to use Telegram as their primary social platform-7% of men aged 25-34 say it’s their favorite app, compared to just 4% of women in the same group-their news habits are likely more visible.
But younger women? They’re there too. Just differently. They’re more likely to be in private groups, shared with friends, focused on job advice, mental health, or local community updates. These aren’t “news channels” in the traditional sense. But they’re still news.
Regional Differences Change the Game
Telegram isn’t the same everywhere. In India, it’s a hub for education and student groups. In Russia and Eastern Europe, it’s the go-to for political news and independent journalism. In Brazil, it’s community organizing. In the U.S., it’s crypto, tech, and creator monetization.
And gender patterns shift with culture. In countries where women have less access to public discourse, Telegram becomes a private escape. In places where privacy is a legal right, men and women use it more equally. We don’t have data on gender splits by country, but we can guess: in Iran or Saudi Arabia, female news readers might be underrepresented in public channels but active in encrypted groups. In Germany or Canada, the split might be closer to 50-50.
That’s the problem with global averages. They hide the truth.
What This Means for News Creators
If you run a news channel on Telegram, here’s what you need to know:
- You’re likely reaching more men than women-but not because women aren’t interested.
- You’re probably missing the quiet majority: women who consume news through private groups, not public channels.
- News that’s practical, local, or educational has higher appeal among female users-even if they don’t follow public channels.
- Content that’s too aggressive, too political, or too technical will turn off a large portion of your female audience.
It’s not about gender. It’s about context. A headline like “Stock Market Crashes” will draw clicks from men. A headline like “How Inflation Is Changing Your Grocery Bill” will draw clicks from women. Both are news. But one fits the platform’s hidden audience.
The Future: More Women, More Nuance
Telegram’s gender gap is shrinking. Female users grew from 33% to 41% in just six years. That trend won’t stop. As more women join-especially in education, health, and finance-news consumption will evolve.
Expect to see:
- More women-led news channels focused on daily life, policy impacts, and community safety.
- News channels that blend data with storytelling, not just headlines.
- A decline in purely political or sensationalist channels, as audiences demand substance over shock.
The next big shift won’t be in numbers. It’ll be in quality. The news that survives won’t be the loudest. It’ll be the most useful.
Why This Gap Still Exists
Telegram doesn’t release gender data for specific channels. It doesn’t track what you read-only that you read. That’s intentional. Privacy is their selling point. But it’s also a barrier to understanding.
Without this data, creators are flying blind. Marketers are guessing. Researchers are stuck. We have the pieces, but not the full picture.
Until Telegram opens up-even just a little-we’re left with educated guesses. And right now, the best guess is this: men read more public news. Women read more meaningful news. And both are changing the platform-one channel at a time.
