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...

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.

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.

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

The statistic illustrates Facebook's quarterly revenue in Europe as of the third quarter of 2021, sorted by segment. In most recently reported period, Facebook's advertising revenue across the European markets amounted to over 6.8 billion U.S. dollars.

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.

In the third quarter of 2020, Facebook stated that 10 million active advertisers were using the social networking platform to promote their products and services, up from seven million advertisers in the first quarter of the previous year. Facebook advertising revenue Facebook generates the vast majority of its revenues through advertising. In 2020, the social network’s ad revenue amounted to over 84.2 billion U.S. dollars, compared to 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in other revenues.

Most of Facebook’s ad sales are generated via mobile, to the tune of 50.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. The company stated that mobile accounted for 92 percent of its total advertising revenue. This is hardly surprising when looking at the dominance of Facebook’s mobile presence which includes the namesake platform app but also Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and various other Facebook properties and products.

As of the second quarter of 2021, Facebook’s advertising revenue in the United States and Canada amounted to roughly 13.3 billion U.S. dollars. Other revenues came to 372 million U.S. dollars. During the same period, global Facebook ad revenues amounted to 28.5 billion U.S. dollars.

In the third quarter of 2021, Facebook's consolidated advertising revenue in the United States and Canada amounted to roughly 13 billion U.S. dollars. Other revenues came to 519 million U.S. dollars.

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.

Context

Technology companies have become a dominant driver in recent years of economic growth, consumer tastes and the financial markets. The biggest tech stocks as a group, for example, have dramatically outpaced the broader market in the past decade.

That's because technology has reshaped in a major way how people communicate, consume information, shop, socialize, and work.

Broadly speaking, companies in the technology sector engage in the research, development, and manufacture of technologically based goods and services. They create software, and design and manufacture computers, mobile devices, and home appliances. They also provide products and services related to information technology.

Content

This dataset contains 3 files with the daily stock price and volume of the three companies: Google, Apple, and Facebook from 07/09/2017 to 07/09/2022. Source: Yahoo! Finance

Profile

Apple

Apple Inc. (AAPL) One Apple Park Way Cupertino, CA 95014 United States 408 996 1010 https://www.apple.com

Sector(s): Technology Industry: Consumer Electronics Full Time Employees: 154,000

Total Revenue (2021): $365,817,000
Net Income (2021):$94,680,000
Exchange: Nasdaq

Google

Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043 United States 650 253 0000 https://www.abc.xyz

Sector(s): Communication Services Industry: Internet Content & Information Full Time Employees: 174,014

Total Revenue (2021): $257,637,000 Net Income (2021):$76,033,000 Exchange: Nasdaq

Facebook

Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) 1601 Willow Road Menlo Park, CA 94025 United States 650 543 4800 https://investor.fb.com

Sector(s): Communication Services Industry: Internet Content & Information Full Time Employees: 83,553

Total Revenue (2021): $117,929,000 Net Income (2021):$39,370,000 Exchange: Nasdaq

Acknowledgements

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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.

Thailand CB: FB: AS: Financial Assets Measured At FV Through Profit/Loss data was reported at 161,510.000 THB mn in Feb 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 130,939.000 THB mn for Jan 2025. Thailand CB: FB: AS: Financial Assets Measured At FV Through Profit/Loss data is updated monthly, averaging 73,071.000 THB mn from Jan 2020 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 62 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 161,510.000 THB mn in Feb 2025 and a record low of 49,042.000 THB mn in Feb 2021. Thailand CB: FB: AS: Financial Assets Measured At FV Through Profit/Loss data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Thailand. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.KB041: Balance Sheet: Commercial Bank: Foreign.

In 2021, Facebook UK Limited generated total revenue of **** billion GBP, an increase from **** billion British pounds from the previous year. Overall, 2021 saw the largest revenue for Facebook UK Ltd to date. The company's revenue has risen steadily over the past four years, after a significant drop from 2016 to 2017.

In 2022, TikTok generated ************ U.S. dollars in advertising revenue. This figure is expected to double by 2024 and more nearly quadruple by 2026. TikTok marketers are digging into their pockets TikTok was the most downloaded mobile app worldwide in 2021, and the massive appeal of the short-form video platform has not gone unnoticed by advertisers. Over the last few years, more brands have started leveraging TikTok’s impressive reach and engagement figures to boost brand awareness and foster relationships with young, mostly Gen Z, customers. And even though the new kid on the block cannot yet match Facebook’s advertising revenues, it is becoming more appealing each year. As of 2021, TikTok’s revenue in the U.S. amounted to *********** U.S. dollars, which translated to roughly *** percent of total digital ad spending in the country. This share is expected to increase steadily over the next few years. Brands on TikTok Advertising on TikTok can open many doors for companies, especially those wanting to reach young (and previously hard to target) audiences. Videos posted on the app can go viral overnight and reach millions of online users, which is something that other social media apps are unable to deliver. In 2021, Netflix was the most talked about brand on TikTok, with more than ************ influencers mentioning it. In addition to posting videos and teasers for their upcoming releases, the streaming giant frequently partners with creators and launches challenges on the app.

Every year billions of dollars are spent on advertising on social media in the United States. In 2022, the amount reached ** billion U.S. dollars, and included paid advertising on social networks as well as games and applications on social media. By 2025, advertisers are expected to spend over ** billion dollars on promoting their products on social networks. Facebook commands the lion’s share of these expenditures (more than ** percent), followed by LinkedIn and Pinterest with * and * percent respectively. Social network advertising – a closer look   Studies show that a little over ** percent of U.S. companies are and will be using social media for marketing purposes. In 2017, social messaging and video were thought to be the trends of the future in relation to social media advertising and believed to have the biggest effect on marketing strategies. Lo and behold, advertising spending on social video has been growing ever since, and is expected to amount to nearly ** billion U.S dollars in 2021. Even in this respect, Facebook has the lead, especially when it comes to influencer marketing. In fact, all tiers of influencers - from microinfluencers to celebrities - post the majority of their videos on Facebook. The second choice of platform to share their videos is YouTube, which despite being 'the' video sharing platform is not as popular yet among influencers most probably due to smaller user reach.

In 2022, X (formerly Twitter) generated **** billion U.S. dollars in advertising revenue. This figure is expected to drop to *** billion U.S. dollars by 2027. The social platform is responsible for roughly one percent of the global ad revenue. Social network platform in transition Established in 2006, California-based platform X (formerly known as Twitter) ranked among the most popular social networks worldwide by number of monthly users as of late 2023. The company has undergone a profound transformation after Elon Musk's acquisition in October 2022. After the billionaire bought the platform, advertisers and marketers have closely observed every change regarding its features and policies. Due to many contradictory developments at Twitter, industry professionals have become increasingly more cautious with their investments. A prominent example was IPG - one of the world's top five advertisers - advising its customers to temporarily abstain from putting money into the platform. Another big advertiser who has also ceased ad investment in Walmart. Social media powerhouse: Facebook In the meantime, nearly half of the responding marketing professionals named Facebook the most important social media platform for their business. The social network giant's revenue amounted to *** billion dollars in 2022. Although the figure was roughly ** percent of Google's ad revenue, Meta stood further ahead of X in terms of money earned through selling ad spaces.

As of October 2025, India had the largest Facebook audience worldwide, with over 403 million users. To put this figure into perspective, if India’s Facebook user base were a country, it would rank as the third most populous nation globally. Besides India, three other markets had more than 100 million Facebook users each: the United States, Indonesia and Brazil. Facebook – the most used social media Meta, the company that was previously called Facebook, owns four of the most popular social media platforms worldwide, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram. As of the third quarter of 2021, there were around 3.5 billion cumulative monthly users of the company’s products worldwide. With around 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most popular social media worldwide. With an audience of this scale, it is no surprise that the vast majority of Facebook’s revenue is generated through advertising. Facebook usage by device As of July 2021, it was found that 98.5 percent of active users accessed their Facebook account from mobile devices. In fact, almost 81.8 percent of Facebook audiences worldwide access the platform only via mobile phone. Facebook is not only available through mobile browser as the company has published several mobile apps for users to access their products and services. As of the third quarter 2021, the four core Meta products were leading the ranking of most downloaded mobile apps worldwide, with WhatsApp amassing approximately six billion downloads.

Which county has the most Facebook users?

              There are more than 378 million Facebook users in India alone, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size. To put this into context, if India’s Facebook audience were a country then it would be ranked third in terms of largest population worldwide. Apart from India, there are several other markets with more than 100 million Facebook users each: The United States, Indonesia, and Brazil with 193.8 million, 119.05 million, and 112.55 million Facebook users respectively.

              Facebook – the most used social media

              Meta, the company that was previously called Facebook, owns four of the most popular social media platforms worldwide, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram. As of the third quarter of 2021, there were around 3,5 billion cumulative monthly users of the company’s products worldwide. With around 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most popular social media worldwide. With an audience of this scale, it is no surprise that the vast majority of Facebook’s revenue is generated through advertising.

              Facebook usage by device
              As of July 2021, it was found that 98.5 percent of active users accessed their Facebook account from mobile devices. In fact, almost 81.8 percent of Facebook audiences worldwide access the platform only via mobile phone. Facebook is not only available through mobile browser as the company has published several mobile apps for users to access their products and services. As of the third quarter 2021, the four core Meta products were leading the ranking of most downloaded mobile apps worldwide, with WhatsApp amassing approximately six billion downloads.

With roughly three billion monthly active users as of the second quarter of 2023, Facebook is the most used online social network worldwide. The platform surpassed two billion active users in the second quarter of 2017, taking just over 13 years to reach this milestone. In comparison, Meta-owned Instagram took 11.2 years, and Google’s YouTube took just over 14 years to achieve this landmark. As of January 2022, Facebook’s leading audience base was in India, with almost 330 million users whilst the United States ranked second with an approximate total of 179 million users. The platform also finds remarkable popularity in Indonesia and Brazil. Social Media usage in the United States In January 2021, Facebook was the platform on which users in the United States spent the most time per day. The average time spent on Facebook was 33 minutes, followed by TikTok with 32 minutes and Twitter with 31 daily minutes. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, all major social media platforms saw an increase in daily usage, which then either plateaued or decreased in 2021. At the end of 2021, over a quarter of all Facebook users in the United States belonged to the 25 to 34 year age group and 18.2 percent of users were in the 35 to 44 year age group. In general, Facebook users were more likely to be female. Meta Platforms Meta is Facebook’s recently renamed parent company and had a grand total of 3.59 billion core product users by the final quarter of 2021. Other Meta products include Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Oculus – Meta’s virtual reality subsidiary which produces VR headsets. In 2021, Meta's revenue amounted to 117 billion US dollars, up from around 86 billion U.S. dollars in the previous financial year.

In March 2025, Facebook’s market share reached ***** percent in the United Kingdom, this is a slight ******** on the previous month. In January 2017, Facebook's web visit share hit an all time high of ** percent. Lower market share, higher revenues While the analysis shows Facebook losing market share in the UK, this doesn’t appear to have significantly hampered their ability to generate revenue. Facebook UK Limited generated approximately *** million British pounds in revenue during 2015, a figure that increased to over billion British pounds in 2019 and close to two billion in 2021. The company’s total European revenue amounted to ** billion U.S. dollars as of the fourth quarter of 2024.    Growth in active users As well as rising revenues, Facebook has also seen a slow increase in the number of monthly active users (MAUs) across Europe. During the first quarter of 2015 Facebook attracted *** million MAUs, a figure that would peak at *** million in the fourth quarter of 2021. Globally, Facebook had **** billion MAUs in the fourth quarter of 2023.