ChatGPT Use Broadened in Q1 2026 as Older Users and People with Typically Feminine Names Gain Share

ChatGPT activity expanded in the first quarter of 2026, with message volumes rising across inferred genders, multiple age cohorts and in a broader set of countries, according to the May 11, 2026 update. This shift matters because it signals the service is reaching beyond its earlier demographic concentrations — a diversification that can affect product priorities and how usage trends are interpreted going forward. One notable change is gender composition among users whose gender can be inferred: those with typically feminine names now account for more than half of that group, after reaching parity the previous year. The update highlights this reversal as a clear tipping point in the platform’s gender balance among inferable accounts, reflecting a continued movement toward a more gender‑balanced user base.

Age patterns show continued dominance by younger users alongside a measurable increase in older cohorts. Users under 35 remain the most active in absolute message volume, but users over 35 gained share in Q1, indicating that activity growth is not confined to the platform’s youngest adopters. That shift in age distribution suggests a gradual widening of ChatGPT’s core audience across adult age groups. Geographic reach also expanded in the May 11 update: usage increased in a larger set of countries, extending the footprint reported for earlier periods. Broader country coverage in the dataset points to growing international adoption, though the update does not provide specific country‑level breakdowns in this summary and focuses on aggregate trends across the newly included locations.

The reported trends apply to consumer ChatGPT plans only-specifically Free, Go, Plus and Pro-and explicitly exclude Codex as well as ChatGPT Enterprise and ChatGPT Education products. Because workplace and educational deployments are omitted, the figures understate total organizational and institutional usage and reflect movements within consumer‑facing offerings rather than enterprise or classroom adoption.