Facebook's user base in India grows to 82 million this quarter

That Facebook is ultra-popular in India is not a new piece of information anymore, but the fact that the user base in India seems to be showing no signs of stopping is. New data has shown that the number of monthly active users of the social networking website in India has shot up by a huge 5 percent to 82 million in the second quarter of the year.

The figures have jumped up by 5 percent within this year itself. Facebook had 78 million users from India in the January-March quarter, it has been revealed. What’s even more interesting is that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s words that Facebook had become a mobile company are now ringing true. Out of the 82 million MAU in India, a whopping 62 million of these access Facebook using a mobile device, according to Kevin D’Souza, Country Growth Manager for Facebook India.

Facebook soars on mobile and in India

D’Souza told reporters that India has been at the forefront of several growth stories for the social networking website and it is true. India is home to one of the highest numbers of Facebook users in the world. Not just when it comes to using Facebook, India is one of the torch-bearers when it comes to White Hats aiding Facebook squash bugs too.

The company announced earlier this month that it had doled out $1 million in rewards to security researchers filing reports about bugs on the website across the world. India ranked second amongst the top five countries who took home most of the booty.

Facebook has taken keen notice about the growing interest of the population in its social networking website. Considering the fact that most of India still survives on feature phones – like most other emerging markets, including African countries and Brazil – Facebook has developed the “Facebook for Every Phone” app for such handsets. This app ensures that users who do not own a smartphone can still access Facebook for a nominal cost and is now serving 100 million users across the world. The social networking giant has tied up with multiple service providers in India to offer free access to the website for a limited amount of time too.

Thanks to India’s growth as far as users go in the April-June quarter, Facebook’s MAU grew by 21 percent from 955 million last year to 1.15 billion this year. At the helm of this growth for Facebook were India and Brazil.

(With inputs from agencies)