Microsoft Teams Grew Over 90% in 2020 Due To Pandemic; 145M Daily Active Users in 2021

Microsoft Teams surged in popularity as a direct result of the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020. According to data presented by Trading Platforms, the Daily Active Users (DAU) of Microsoft Teams in April 2021 increased by over 93% compared to a similar period in 2020 – 145M DAU.

Teams DAU More Than Tripled in 2020 – 145M

A majority of the world had to adopt a “new normal” as the Coronavirus forced people to stay indoors. Offices had to close and working from home became the new reality which saw the communication and collaboration sector grow tremendously. Microsoft Teams was one of the many beneficiaries of the work from home phenomenon and saw its user base explode in 2020.

Microsoft Teams had 44M DAU on March 19, 2020, around the time of the onset of the pandemic globally. In the first month of the pandemic, Microsoft Teams’ DAU increased by a staggering 70.46% to 75M by April 30, 2020. A year on from this date, Teams’ DAU had increased by an additional 93.33% to 145M as of April 27, 2021.

Microsoft Teams Has Strongest Presence in EMEA Region; Reached A High of 11.3M Adults in UK

Prior to the pandemic, the Microsoft Teams app recorded between 1.10M and 1.82M downloads in all three of its main operating regions but the pandemic saw one region take a clear lead. The Microsoft Teams app was most popular in their Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region throughout the course of the pandemic, initially recording 15.46M downloads in the first quarter of 2020

From the same time period, the Microsoft Teams app was downloaded 7.52M times in their North America and Latin America (NALA) region and 5.07M times in the Asia and the Pacific (APAC) region. The EMEA and APAC regions recorded their strongest quarter in Q2 2020 with 27.41M and 21.69M downloads respectively. The NALA region recorded its strongest quarter in Q3 2020 when the Microsoft Teams app was downloaded 21.6M times.

Microsoft Teams is particularly strong in the United Kingdom where the app recorded a digital audience reach of 10.7M adults by Dec 2020, the highest among its competitors. Teams also recorded their highest reach of 11.3M adults in the month prior. In comparison, Zoom had the second-highest digital audience reach in Dec 2020 with 9.2M adults.

Rex Pascual, editor at Trading Platforms, commented:

“2020 was a big year for the communication and collaboration software segment as homes became a necessary extension of offices. With the pandemic situation still fluid in many parts of the world halfway through 2021, and a hybrid work-model being looked at as a long-term solution by many large companies, expect the segment and apps like Microsoft Teams to continue to flourish in a post-pandemic world.”