Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook Inc., continues to dominate the digital landscape with impressive financial growth. In 2024, the company's annual revenue reached a staggering 164.5 billion U.S. dollars, marking a significant increase from 134.9 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. This upward trajectory reflects Meta's ability to monetize its vast user base across multiple platforms, solidifying its position as a tech giant. Advertising remains the primary revenue driver The bulk of Meta's revenue stems from its advertising operations, particularly within its Family of Apps segment. In 2024, this segment, which includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, generated 162 billion U.S. dollars. Despite a slight dip in 2022, Meta's advertising revenue has shown remarkable resilience and growth potential. User engagement and global reach The company's global influence is further illustrated by the fact that every minute, 138.9 million Reels are played on Facebook and Instagram, showcasing the ongoing evolution of user engagement within the Meta ecosystem.

Facebook probably needs no introduction; nonetheless, here is a quick history of the company. The world’s biggest and most-famous social network was launched by Mark Zuckerberg while he was a...

Facebook’s efforts to monetize its users have vastly differing results across global regions. In the fourth quarter of 2023, Facebook's average revenue per user (ARPU) in the Asia Pacific region was 5.52 U.S. dollars. This result pales in comparison to the combined U.S. and Canada market, where Facebook’s APRU amounted to 68.44 U.S. dollars.

Facebook revenue Facebook accumulated an impressive 69.66 billion U.S. dollars in annual ad revenues in 2019. The social network generates the majority of its revenues via social media marketing and advertising. Almost all of Facebook's ad revenue is generated via mobile – a staggering 92 percent in 2018.

Facebook is the biggest social media platform worldwide and the platform’s annual revenue in 2019 amounted to 70.7 billion U.S. dollars. Despite Facebook’s impressive growth, the company still lags behind other online companies in terms of total revenue. The company stated in its 2018 10K filing that it was dependent on the retention and engagement of its users, which has become increasingly difficult in the North American market.

Facebook usage concerns in North America With various user data controversies such as the Cambridge Analytics scandal in early spring, Facebook had a tumultuous 2018. A significant portion of U.S. Facebook users have come to rethink their Facebook usage. An April 2018 survey of adults in the United States that almost a third of respondents planned on using Facebook much less in the future. It is estimated that the average daily time spent on Facebook will stagnate at around 38 to 37 minutes per day. In comparison, Facebook-owned photo sharing app Instagram is projected to increase daily user engagement to 29 daily minutes in 2021.

In 2024, Meta Platforms generated a revenue of over 164 billion U.S. dollars, up from 134 billion USD in 2023. The majority of Meta’s profits come from its advertising revenue.Meta’s total Family of Apps revenue for 2022 amounted to 114 billion U.S. dollars. Additionally, Meta’s Reality Labs, the company’s VR division, generated around 2.1 billion dollars. Meta’s marketing expenditure for 2022 amounted to just over 15 billion U.S. dollars, up from 14 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. Increasing audience base despite privacy misgivings Meta’s user numbers have continued to grow steadily throughout past years. In the fourth quarter of 2022, there was a total of 3.74 billion worldwide users across all of Meta’s platforms. For this same time frame, the company recorded 407 million monthly active users across Europe. Downloads of Meta’s app Oculus, for which virtual reality headsets are required, increased greatly from 2020 to 2021, reaching a total of 10.62 million downloads by the end of last year. Up until 2021, downloads had grown in a steady manner but from 2020 to 2021, they more than doubled.User numbers have increased despite data security issues and past controversy such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018. There remains skepticism surrounding the idea of the metaverse in which Meta aims to immerse itself. Of surveyed adults in the United States, the majority said that they were concerned about their privacy if Meta were to succeed in creating the metaverse.

In 2024, Meta (formerly Facebook Inc) generated over 160 billion U.S. dollars in ad revenues. Advertising accounts for the vast majority of the social network's revenue. Facebook advertising revenue – additional information Facebook’s business model heavily relies on ads, as the majority of social network’s revenue comes from advertising. In 2020, about 97.9 percent of Facebook's global revenue was generated from advertising, whereas only around two percent was generated by payments and other fees revenue. Facebook ad revenue stood at close to 86 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, a new record for the company and a significant increase in comparison to the previous years. For instance, the social network generated almost seven billion U.S. dollars in ad revenue in 2013, about 10 billion less than the 2015 figure. Facebook's average revenue per user also significantly increased in the same time span, going from 6.81 U.S. dollars in 2013 to 32.03 U.S. dollars in 2020. The U.S. and Canada are important markets for Facebook, considering the average revenue per user (ARPU) in these two countries is far above the global average. Facebook’s ARPU in the U.S. and Canada was 41.41 U.S. dollars in the last quarter of 2019, while the global average was 8.52 U.S. dollars. In Europe, Facebook’s average revenue per user was 13.21 U.S. dollars during the same time period. In terms of segments, mobile is the most promising advertising form for the company. In 2018, Facebook’s mobile advertising revenue already accounted for 92 percent of the social network’s total advertising revenue. Facebook’s mobile advertising revenue grew from an estimate of 13 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 to 50.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2018.

In 2023, Facebook was projected to generate an estimated 28 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in the United States. The social platform’s revenue is set to increase to 31 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. The CAGR of Facebook's revenue was estimated to reach six percent during the measured period.

In 2022, Facebook generated nearly 114 billion U.S. dollars in advertising revenue. This figure is expected to further grow to exceed 127 billion U.S. dollars by 2027. The social platform is responsible for roughly 19 percent of the global ad revenue.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of daily active users on Facebook reached 2.1 billion, a minor increase on the previous quarter. When compared with the number of daily active users in the final quarter of 2022, the platform has gained around 100 million users. Facebook’s penetration rate for the United States in 2023 was 72.13 percent, up from 71.43 percent in 2022. The social network’s audience reach is projected to stand at 75.79 percent by 2027.

Most popular social media websites

As of May 2021, Facebook was the most used social media site in the United States, accounting for 71.8 percent of all social media visits. Ranking in second place was Pinterest with 12.4 percent, followed by Twitter and Instagram, with 9.15 percent and 3.82 percent, respectively. Although other sites remain popular, Facebook’s number of visits made it undoubtably the leading social media platform in terms of social media site visits.

For Generation Z and Millennials in the United States, Facebook was one of the least popular platforms used to connect with others. Gen Z and Millennials preferred video sharing platforms, specifically Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

Meta’s revenue

Facebook Inc was renamed as Meta in 2021, in a strategic step toward the metaverse. Meta Platforms is now the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp amongst others, together being known as Meta’s Family of Apps.

Meta’s annual revenue for 2021 was 117.92 billion U.S. dollars, up from 85.97 billion in 2020. Within a decade, the company has increased its annual revenue by approximately 114 billion U.S. dollars. In the most recent fiscal year, Meta’s Family of Apps were responsible for over 115 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of Meta’s revenue.

In the first quarter of 2025, Meta's net income amounted to 16.6 billion U.S. dollars, down from 20.8 billion when compared to the previous quarter.Facebook company informationFacebook is the biggest social network worldwide. The platform generates the vast majority of its revenues through advertising – as of March 2020, 98 percent of Facebook’s revenues were derived from ad sales, making the company highly dependent on market regulations regarding digital ad sales. In 2019, Facebook was second only to Google in terms of digital advertising revenues. The company’s ad revenue during this period amounted to 69.7 billion U.S. dollars. Facebook is still among the fastest-growing tech companies in the world. In 2020, the company increased its revenue by 21.6 percent compared to the previous year. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg also ranks among the richest internet billionaires with a personal net worth of roughly 97 billion U.S. dollars.

Between May 9 and July 14, 2024, cost-per-mille (CPM) on Facebook and Instagram in the United Kingdom (UK) oscilated between 4.35 U.S. dollars and 9.82 U.S. dollars. UK to emerge as third largest market As of 2022, the UK was the third largest market globally - behind the United States and China - for social media advertising. By the end of 2023, the industry is expected to generate approximately 14 billion U.S. dollars. Furthermore, the United Kingdom and Germany were two European markets to be featured in the top five within the industry globally. Mobile advertising takes the lead Annual revenue growth has also been forecast for the industry until 2027. The average revenue generated per internet user for social media ads in the UK was recorded at nearly 223 U.S. dollars in 2022. By 2027, this is expected to reach approximately 265 U.S. dollars. Most of this will be generated through mobile advertising, which is forecast to make up a significantly larger share of advertising each year over desktop.

This statistic provides information regarding Facebook's worldwide mobile advertising revenue from 2012 to 2018. In the most recently reported fiscal year, the social network generated approximately 50.6 billion U.S. dollars in mobile ad revenues. The company stated that mobile accounted for 92 percent of its total advertising revenue.

As of January 2025, Facebook accounted for around 67 percent of the social media market across Asia. Comparatively, Instagram accounted for about 14 percent of the social media market in Asia. Meta Platforms, Inc Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, Inc., is a global technology conglomerate that owns a vast social media portfolio, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Facebook remains one of the world’s most popular social networks, connecting users for sharing content and building communities. Instagram focuses on photo and video sharing, including features like Stories and Reels. In 2024, Meta’s annual revenue reached 164.5 billion U.S. dollars, with most of its revenue coming from advertising. Meta generated approximately 160 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from advertisements in that year. Meta’s market revenue and user base in APAC In 2024, Meta’s revenue from the Asia-Pacific region amounted to nearly 33 billion U.S. dollars. The growing mobile-first internet user base in Asia continues to drive engagement on Meta's platforms, solidifying its dominance in the region. Asian countries such as India and Indonesia have some of the highest numbers of Facebook users globally. India also leads globally in Instagram users, reflecting the region's significant contribution to Meta's success.

Social media platforms are integral to people's lives, offering ways to communicate, create and view content and share information. According to Ofcom, approximately 89% of UK internet users in 2023 used social media apps or sites. Teenagers and young adults are the biggest users, although there is rapid uptake among older age groups. Advertising is the primary revenue source for social media platforms, although subscription-based services are gaining momentum as platforms seek to diversify their incomes. TikTok is the success story of the last few years, becoming the most downloaded app between 2020 and 2022, according to Apptopia. The short-form video platform reported that it averaged revenue growth of over 450% between 2019 and 2022. After Musk's takeover, X, formerly known as Twitter, adjusted its content moderation and allowed previously banned accounts to return. As a result, over 600 advertisers have pulled their ads from the site because of fears their brand may be associated with malcontent. In response to falling ad revenue, X has introduced a subscription-based service which enables users to verify themselves and boosts the number of people who view their tweets. Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram have responded by introducing a similar service. Revenue is expected to grow by 14.3% in 2024-25, constrained by a slowdown in user growth for most major social media platforms. Over the five years through 2024-25, revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 32.8% to reach £9.8 billion. Looking forward, regulations relating to how data is collected, stored, and shared will force advertisers and platforms to rethink how they can target their desired demographics. The rising prominence of AI will require the introduction of adequate regulations. The Online Safety Bill sets out new guidelines for social media platforms to abide by, with hefty fines in store for those who do not. Operating costs will swell as platforms look to meet consumers’ expectations, weighing on profit. Over the five years through 2029-30, social media platforms' revenue is projected to climb at an estimated 9.4% to reach £15.4 billion.

In 2023, Facebook Messenger saw a drastic decrease in revenues, by over 37.5 percent compared to the previous year. Plans to monetize the instant messaging app have been active since 2017, year in which Messenger generated around 130 thousands U.S. dollars in revenue. As of January 2021, Facebook Messenger was among the most popular social networks worldwide with more than one billion active users.

Meta reported $24.76B in Operating Expenses for its fiscal quarter ending in March of 2025. Data for Meta | FB - Operating Expenses including historical, tables and charts were last updated by Trading Economics this last June in 2025.

As of September 2024, 14 percent of Facebook users in the United Kingdom made between 22,800 and 31,200 GPB a year. Furthermore, a further 13 percent of Facebook users earned between 31,200 and 43,200 GBP annually.

Global Event Management as a Service market size 2025 was XX Million. Event Management as a Service Industry compound annual growth rate (CAGR) will be XX% from 2025 till 2033.

In 2024, Meta's annual net income was 62 billion U.S. dollars, up from 39 billion USD in 2023. Meta's net income increased from 18.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2018 to 29.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent lockdowns, and increased social media and internet usage. Overall, Meta's 2022 net income was closer to pre-pandemic figures.

In 2020, TikTok brought in $33.4 billion in revenue.

The statistic shows the share of Facebook's mobile advertising revenue from 2012 to 2018. In 2018, 92 percent of the social network's advertising revenues were generated via mobile, up from 88 percent in the previous year. This translates to over 50 billion U.S. dollars in annual mobile ad revenues. Facebook's mobile advertising revenue – additional information Founded in 2004 by then-Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is the largest social network in the world with more than two billion active users. In 2018, the social network amounted 55.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. From this total, about 55 billion U.S. dollars were generated from advertising, as the social network’s business model heavily relies on this revenue stream. Facebook generated, per user, an average of 24.96 U.S. dollars in advertising revenue in 2018, a figure considerably higher than the ones from the previous years. For instance, in 2012, Facebook's annualized revenue per user stood at 5.32 U.S. dollars. The U.S. and Canada are two of the most important markets for the social network, as Facebook’s average revenue per user in these countries stood above the global average in 2018.

In terms of advertising platforms, the shift from desktop advertising to mobile advertising is no longer a promise; it is a reality for Facebook. Mobile advertising has aggressively increased its share of Facebook’s total advertising revenue in the last few years, going from 11 percent in 2012 to 92 percent in 2018. An estimated of 34.35 billion U.S. dollars were generated in revenue from Facebook mobile advertising in 2016. These figures are expected to continue to grow in the coming years, with projections to pass the 60 billion U.S. dollars mark for the first time in 2021. According to forecasts, mobile sponsored stories ads is estimated to account for about half of this revenue; the social network's global mobile sponsored stories ad revenue is projected to reach almost 31 billion U.S. dollars by 2021.