ChatGPT adoption broadens across demographics and geographies in Q1 2026

OpenAI's Q1 2026 data reveals that ChatGPT usage expanded beyond early adopters, with growing shares from users with typically feminine names and those over 35. The number of messages increased across all age groups, but users under 35 still account for the largest share. Geographically, the fastest-rising countries in per-capita message rankings include the Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea, indicating broadening adoption in Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. Workplace use on consumer plans shifted toward more specialized tasks like content creation, health documentation, and information retrieval, while general content creation declined in share. The analysis covers consumer plans (Free, Go, Plus, Pro) and excludes enterprise and education products, understating total workplace and educational usage. OpenAI Signals provides this data for researchers and policymakers.