--- title: "Social Media Statistics and Trends" date: 2024-09-06 author: "Rajesh Namase" featured_image: "https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/social-media-statistics-and-trends.jpg" categories: - name: "Internet" url: "/category/internet.md" tags: - name: "Statistics" url: "/tag/statistics.md" --- # Social Media Statistics and Trends I really don’t want to spend time talking about how big social media has become. While some of us are still in denial, the impact of social media platforms is so profound. Thus, it’s not surprising when **social media trends** and statistics go in sync with societal changes. Understanding these trends can give you some insights, too. In this article, I have compiled some of the most engaging social media statistics and trends. ## How Many People Use Social Media? The number of social media users has only increased in the past decade. Here are some numbers on how many people use social media and some sub-categories. - It is estimated that over **5.7 billion people** use social media platforms globally. The numbers could be different as this data is from **2026**. ![How Many People Use Social Media](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1-howmany-people-use-social-media.jpg "How Many People Use Social Media") - Comparing the number with the number of people in the world, we understand that a whopping **62.6%** of the **global population** uses social media. - It also means **92.7%** of all **internet users** have either used or continue to use one of the social media platforms across the globe. - The number of people using social media platforms has only increased in the last few years, with the previous year recording **259 million users**. - Statistics also suggest that an average social media user spends around **2.5 hours** on multiple social media platforms combined. - The year-on-year change in this number would contribute to **5.4%**, which indicates the expansion of social media platforms to different parts of the world. - The number of social media platforms an average person uses varies depending on the area. In the **US**, a person is active on **6.7 platforms**, whereas the number is as high as **8.1 in Brazil.** - Out of these people, **37.6%** use social media platforms **for work/business needs**. These numbers have also grown in the past decade. - There are gender-based differences in the number of social media users. In **North America**, female users trump male users when it comes to social media consumption, with **51%** and **49%,** respectively. - In **South Asia**, we see a significant shift, with **33%** of **female** users and **67%** of **male** users. ![Gender Gaps in Social Media Usage](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2-gender-gaps-in-socialmedia-usage.jpg "Gender Gaps in Social Media Usage") ## Top 8 Social Media Platforms There is no doubt that billions of people use social media platforms every day. But which platforms do they use? How do these platforms contribute to the vast number? Here are some points. ![Top Social Media Platforms](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/top-8-social-media-platforms.jpg) ### Twitter Statistics - Twitter, currently known as X, reported a whopping **450 million** monthly active users in **2026**. - These users are reported to have sent an average of **500 million tweets** every single day. - The United States contributes the most number of Twitter users, with **77 million**. The second position is **Japan**, which has **58 million** Twitter users. ![Twitter Statistics](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/3-twitterstatistics.jpg "Twitter Statistics") - Despite its changing popularity, the advertising revenue from Twitter was marked at **$4.51 billion in 2022**. - As of 2026, Barack Obama has the most popular Twitter account, with a follower count of **130 million**. - **80%** of Twitter users are reported to use a **mobile device** to access the platform. - The gender disparity among Twitter users is also evident because **70%** of Twitter users are **male**, whereas **30%** are **female**. - It is reported that the average age of the most popular demographics of **Twitter users** is between **25 and 34**. - Hashtags are a great way to increase engagement within Twitter, and they have been shown to increase overall engagement by **100%**. - Twitter is a popular platform for customer service, with **85% of SMEs** using the platform. ### Facebook Statistics - It is reported that Facebook is still home to **3 billion monthly active users**, according to 2026. - Out of these, **2 billion** users access the social media platforms on a daily basis. - **India** is the top contributor to Facebook, with **450 million users**, and the **United States** is in second place with **240 million users**. - Facebook Live is one of the most popular features the platform has launched, with **1 billion users** using the feature. - Facebook stories have also become popular in the recent past, with **1.5 billion people** using them on a daily basis. - Out of 100 people who access Facebook, **98** do so from their **mobile devices**. It is reported that an average Facebook user spends **33 minutes** of their time on the platform every single day. ![Facebook Statistics](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/4-facebookstatistics.jpg "Facebook Statistics") - The gender distribution of Facebook users is a little more balanced, with **56% male** and **44% female.** - The ideal age demographics of Facebook users are expected to be **25-34**, which means that it does not attract many teenage users. - Images are a significant engagement-boosting factor on Facebook, with these posts receiving **2.3 times** more engagement than **text-only status updates**. - Facebook marketplace is also a growing community with **1 billion users** across the globe relying on it to sell and buy things. ### Instagram Statistics - Despite being a newer social media platform, Instagram has reported over **2.5 billion monthly active users**, according to 2026. - Out of these, **1.6 billion** users are daily users, meaning that they access Instagram at least once a day. - As opposed to Facebook, **51% of users** on Instagram are **female**, whereas **49%** are **male**. - Compared to Facebook, Instagram is used more extensively by **influencers**. It has also been a way for marketing campaigns to enhance their reach. - A whopping **200 million** businesses across the globe use Instagram for product marketing as well as customer engagement. - As per the latest expert projections, the ad revenue of Instagram will be over **$50 billion in 2026.** - Surveys have revealed that **80%** of Instagram users tend to **go for video content** over static images. ![Instagram Statistics](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/5-instagramstatistics.jpg "Instagram Statistics") - Instagram Stories have also become popular, with close to **1 billion users** putting up stories per day on average. - **30%** of the Instagram user base belongs to the age group of **18 to 24**. - As opposed to most other social media platforms, Instagram has a higher engagement rate of **1.6%**. ### YouTube Statistics - According to the latest numbers from Google, YouTube has a massive **2.8 billion monthly active users**. - **45%** of the YouTube user base belongs to the age bracket of **18 to 34**. - It is estimated that YouTube has an average daily watch time of **1 billion hours**. ![YouTube Statistics](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/6-youtubestatistics.jpg "YouTube Statistics") - With **500 million** YouTube users, **India is the biggest market for YouTube**. - Out of these 1 billion hours, **700 million hours** of watch time comes from mobile devices. ### Pinterest Statistics - As opposed to other social media platforms, Pinterest has only **480 million monthly active users**. - With **90 million** users, the **United States** contributes the most to the Pinterest user base. - Unlike most other platforms, the gender distribution among Pinterest users has more women than men, with **76%** of users being **women**. ![Pinterest Statistics](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/7-pintereststatistics.jpg "Pinterest Statistics") - Pinterest has become a popular tool for product recovery, with **89%** of users relying on it to find inspiration for **purchases**. - Only a fraction of the businesses globally, amounting to **2 million**, use Pinterest for marketing. ### LinkedIn Statistics - LinkedIn has recorded **1 billion users** across the globe, according to 2026 statistics. - There are **200 million** LinkedIn users in the **United States**, making it the largest user base. - LinkedIn witnesses an average of **20 million** job postings every month, and it is not surprising that **55 million** companies have a LinkedIn presence. ![LinkedIn Statistics](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/8-linkedinstatistics.jpg "LinkedIn Statistics") - **B2B marketers** have found fertile ground on LinkedIn, and **97%** of them use LinkedIn to create leads via content marketing. That makes LinkedIn an ideal channel to apply **[tactics to generate high‑quality ERP software leads](https://smithdigital.io/blog/erp-lead-generation-strategies)**, from industry-targeted campaigns to role-based demo flows. - Out of the 1 billion users worldwide, **750 professionals** engage actively on the platform. ### Snapchat Statistics - Right behind the line, Snapchat has daily active users of **400 million**, and the number has been growing so fast in the past years. ![Snapchat Statistics](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/9-snapchatstatistics.jpg "Snapchat Statistics") - Like many other social media platforms, the **United States** is where you would find most of the Snapchat user base, and the US has **120 million users** on the platform. - It is reported that users tend to spend **30 minutes** on the platform on average. - Among the many features on Snapchat, the AR lens is the most popular, given that **70%** of users use the option. - **Snapchat stories** are also very popular, with an average daily view of **5 billion.** ### TikTok Statistics - TikTok, one of the most popular social media platforms, recorded a massive **1.5 billion monthly active users** in 2026. - Compared to other social platforms, the time spent on TikTok is high, with an average of **52 minutes per day.** - The **daily video views** on TikTok reach a **3 billion** mark almost every day. - TikTok has the highest **per-post engagement rate of 5 to 10%.** ![TikTok Statistics](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/10-tiktokstatistics.jpg "TikTok Statistics") - Second to China, the US has more than **150 million** TikTok users. ## Social Media Statistics By Age Group - **Gen Z** and **Gen Alpha** seem to prefer TikTok to other social media platforms. **80%** of TikTok users are from the **13 to 17 age bracket**. - Snapchat is also quite popular, with **75%** of its user base being constituted by **teens**. - Thanks to **Stories** and **Reels**, Instagram also attracts the attention of teens, **70%** of whom report using the platform regularly. - When it comes to the age group of **18 to 24**, Instagram takes the first position. Out of this group, **85% are active on Instagram.** - In the second and third positions, we have **TikTok** and **Snapchat**. These have **75%** and **65%** market share in the group. - YouTube is undoubtedly the top content consumption platform, with **90% of teens** and adolescents using the platform daily. - The new platforms like **Instagram** and **TikTok** are not popular when we consider other age groups, like **50+ or 60+**. - Within these groups, **Facebook** and **YouTube** remain the most used social media platforms. - These age groups also show an adherence to platforms like **Pinterest**. - Yet, the engagement rate on these platforms by the age group is on the lower end. ## Social Media Statistics For Business - Social media has become a necessity for customer engagement and marketing. It is reported that **93% of businesses** across the world regularly use at least one social media platform. - Marketers have been successful in using **social media platforms to generate leads**. LinkedIn has often been called an excellent source of active leads. - According to **89% of marketers**, an active presence on social media has become a necessity for **brand awareness**. ![Social Media Stats For Business](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/11-social-media-stats-for-business.jpg "Social Media Statistics For Business") - As per financial projections, businesses are likely to spend over **$150 billion on advertising** through social media platforms like Instagram. - Compared to other platforms, **Instagram** has been effective in creating leads and conversions. ## Social Media Advertising Statistics - Compared to other forms of advertising, advertising through social media ensures a better reach of up to **4.5 billion**, which is more than half of the world’s population. - **Mobile advertising** has also become a significant source of marketing for social media platforms. - Most social media ad campaigns focus on mobile devices over desktop ones. - The average **cost per click on Facebook is $1.72**, but **LinkedIn** has an even higher CPC of **$5.26**. - Yet, the **return on investment** that businesses can get from social media advertising is so high, with an average of **71%.** - Ad frequency plays a vital role in establishing the brand identity as well as user engagement. - **YouTube** is one of the highest-earning platforms in terms of **ad revenue**, and the revenue is expected to surpass **$40 million in 2026.** - This mark is also achieved by Instagram, considering the privileged position it has had when it comes to attracting marketing teams. - Instagram ads are widely used for **shopping ads**, and it is reported that **150 million** Instagram users interact with these ads. - Influencer partnerships are a growing trend in the world of social media advertising, allowing brands to reach targeted customers through familiar faces. ## Most Popular Social Networks by Demographics Here’s a quick look at the most popular social networks by core demographics. ### By Age Group **TikTok** and **Instagram** seem to rule the market when it comes to age brackets between **13 and 24**. As we go to older groups, **Facebook** and **LinkedIn** take their place. ![Social Media Usage by Age Group Active User Percentage Across Platforms](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1-social-media-usage-by-age-group-active-user-percentage-across-platforms.jpg "Social Media Usage by Age Group Active User Percentage Across Platforms") ### By Gender ![Gender Distribution of Social Media Users Across Platforms](https://datafeature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2-gender-distribution-of-social-media-users-across-platforms.jpg "Gender Distribution of Social Media Users Across Platforms") ### By Region **North America**FacebookMost popular, with **240 million** users in the U.S.YouTubeHighly popular across various demographicsInstagramStrong following, especially among **18-34-year**-olds**Europe**FacebookMost used platform across EuropeInstagramPopular among younger demographicsWhatsAppWidely used for communication**Asia**WeChatDominates in China with over **1 billion** usersTikTokVery popular across Asia, especially Southeast AsiaYouTubeWidely used, particularly in India and Southeast AsiaThe leading platform for communicationWhatsAppLeading platform for communicationFacebookMarketplace optionsInstagramAppeals to younger demographics## Summary I hope these statistics and trends have given you a much-awaited idea of social media platforms across the markets. While their growth has become confident, you can take multiple steps to leverage the development and benefit your marketing campaigns.