Only 5 percent of ChatGPT's 900 million weekly users pay, and reportedly most aren't worth much to advertisers

Almost 90 percent of ChatGPT's roughly 900 million weekly users live outside the USA and Canada, according to The Information, citing data from tracking platform Sensor Tower. This creates a challenge for OpenAI's planned advertising business, since international users generate far less revenue. At Pinterest, for example, the average revenue per user in the USA is $7.64, compared to just 21 cents elsewhere.

India and Brazil rank among the largest ChatGPT markets alongside the USA, Japan, and France. Only about five percent of users pay for subscriptions. For emerging markets like India, OpenAI offers the cheaper "ChatGPT Go" plan at around $5 per month.

OpenAI plans to generate roughly $110 billion from free users by 2030, with advertising likely playing a major role. The company needs this aggressive revenue growth to meet its data center commitments.