Google’s Gemini App Doubles Its User Base in Southeast Asia, Driven by Gen Z Usage and Leading Local Language Capabilities

• The Gemini model has come up as the best performing large language model (LLM) for overall Southeast Asian languages, including Thai, according to AI Singapore’s SEA-HELM evaluation benchmark. 

• Thailand leads Southeast Asia in adopting Gemini as a lifestyle companion, with 87% of prompts written in Thai.

Google today announced that the number of active users on the Gemini app in Southeast Asia has more than doubled in a year. According to its first-ever Gemini Report: Southeast Asia 2026, the region has also adopted Gemini faster than any other Google application. It has also come up as the #1 most searched-for AI assistant in Thailand. 

The report analyses usage trends across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to uncover new insights into how people across the region are adopting Gemini to work, create, and navigate their daily lives in the region. This builds on the 900 million monthly active users of the app globally, with this rapid growth driven by Southeast Asia's young, tech-savvy population – with nearly 40% under 25 years old –  and Gemini's strong performance in local languages. 

“We are so proud to see that Gemini has become the AI of choice for many users across Southeast Asia. What makes this region so remarkable is how naturally it has been woven into daily life. People aren’t just adapting to Gemini, they are using it on their own terms – in modalities they prefer, in languages they speak, and in contexts unique to their lives. The insights in the report demonstrates that Gemini is no longer a tool for tomorrow, but an indispensable companion that is already shaping how we work, study, and live today,” said Sapna Chadha, Vice President for Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, Google.

The report dives deeper into how people across the region are adopting Gemini. Here are some of the key findings:

• Youths are the power users: Younger digital natives are leading Gemini app adoption in Southeast Asia. They make more requests, engage in longer conversations with Gemini and write significantly more detailed prompts than other age groups.

• A pro in local languages: Gemini’s success in the region comes down to local fluency. Nearly 70% of prompts in the region are submitted in native languages, led by Vietnam (89%), Thailand (87%), and Indonesia (84%). According to the Southeast Asia Holistic Evaluation of Language Models (SEA-HELM) by leading AI think-tank, AI Singapore, Gemini is the overall best-performing large language model (LLM) for Southeast Asian languages.

  
  

  “AI adoption happens when technology feels native, not translated. In a region as linguistically rich as Southeast Asia, models must understand local context deeply to be used effectively. Gemini's strong standing on our SEA-HELM evaluation framework demonstrates its ability to navigate the complex linguistic realities of the region. These results underscore why rigorous evaluation and continued development of multilingual AI remain important for advancing AI adoption across Southeast Asia,” said Dr Leslie Teo, Senior Director of AI Products, AI Singapore.

• Multi-modal and on-the-go: Almost 3 in 4 Gemini requests across the region come from mobile devices. And because people can interact comfortably in their native languages, they are bypassing keyboards — relying on voice commands, photos and video uploads for more than 40% of their prompts, and voice only for over 10%. Using features like Gemini Live, they are able to navigate the world in real-time, such as translating street signs, troubleshooting home repairs, or analyzing documents on-the-go.

• A creative collaborator: About 40% of queries ask Gemini to generate entirely new outputs, like images, music, videos, and writing documents. People across Southeast Asia have generated 5 billion images with Nano Banana, Google’s image generation model, over the past year. They have also generated almost 1 million songs since the introduction of Lyria 3, Gemini’s music generation model, in Southeast Asia.

• Research and thought partner: People frequently rely on Gemini as a research assistant to summarize dense documents and structure messy data. They also use it as a thought partner for advice, opinions, and recommendations – like birthday gift ideas, travel destinations, and step-by-step troubleshooting.

Thailand leads Southeast Asia in adopting Gemini as a lifestyle companion  

Gemini's adoption in Thailand is distinctly local at heart, driven by a deep community curiosity that spans from tech-savvy youth to digitally active seniors. According to AI Singapore’s SEA-HELM evaluation benchmark, Gemini stands out as the best-performing large language model (LLM) for Southeast Asian languages overall.

Whether seeking a helpful sounding board for lifestyle decisions or leveraging advanced capabilities for academic success, Gemini has seamlessly transformed into an indispensable everyday companion for Thais. Here is how they are using it:

• Sawasdee Gemini: Thai is the language of choice, accounting for 87% of all prompts across the country, especially for academic tasks like studying and exam preparation, as well as casual needs like shopping recommendations. While users frequently switch to English for specialized coding or professional workflows, Thai remains the favorite baseline across all journeys.

• Everyday companion: Thai users lead Southeast Asia in seeking casual engagement and lifestyle inspiration, with 1 in 3 requests falling into this category. From home decor ideas to healthy lunch recipes or discovering hidden local spots, Gemini is heavily woven into the Thai rhythm of life. 

• Creative expression: Thai creators are making their mark, with 26% of all requests focused on making something new such as generating images and writing content. This creative spark is especially strong among female Thais, who use Gemini to fuel their creative projects 50% more frequently than men.

• Bridging generations: Gemini is incredibly approachable and helpful for Thais of all ages. Young users under 25 are the most active users of Gemini in Thailand,  making more requests per user than any other age group and having the longest conversations with Gemini. Meanwhile, older Thais aged 55 and above (who make up 10% of the local user base) enthusiastically embrace multimodal inputs by communicating through voice and image prompts most of the time, which marks the highest senior multimodal adoption rate in the entire region.

Unlocking the future of Gemini 

Google is committed to making Gemini the most helpful AI assistant for Southeast Asia's 600 million people. The next step is bringing the power of AI agents safely and securely to consumers. This includes Gemini Spark, which transforms Gemini from an assistant that answers questions into an active partner that completes real work on your behalf.

Spark is a 24/7 personal AI agent designed to proactively manage tasks and help users navigate their digital lives. Deeply integrated with Workspace tools like Gmail, Docs, and Slides, this cloud-based agent works in the background — even when a laptop is closed or a phone is locked.

Gemini Spark is currently available in English to Google AI Ultra subscribers. It will also roll out in all local languages in Southeast Asia to Ultra subscribers starting this week. This rollout builds on a rapidly expanding suite of Gemini features designed for everyday utility:

• Visual creativity and learning: Tools like Nano Banana, Omni, and Canvas help users generate images and dive deeper into complex topics.

• Personalized AI: Custom Gems allow users to tailor Gemini for specific personal and professional goals.

• In-app shopping: In Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, users can now go from brainstorming to browsing directly within the chat, complete with shoppable product listings, comparison tables, and pricing from across the web.

Access the full report The Gemini Report, Southeast Asia 2026 here.

The insights in this report come entirely from the Gemini web and mobile apps (the “Gemini App”) —

the places where you can directly type and talk to our models. It doesn’t cover insights on adoption and usage of the Gemini family of models that powers other Google products like Search or Workspace.