In 2021, 69.7 percent of U.S. marketers in companies larger than 100 employees were expected to use influencers for marketing purposes. On the global level, the influencer marketing market was valued at 13.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

The global influencer marketing market size has more than tripled since 2020. In 2025, the market was estimated to reach a record of approximately 33 billion U.S. dollars. What is influencer marketing? Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing that involves product placements and endorsements from online creators. In today’s competitive marketing landscape, brands are collaborating with influencers more firmly than ever, as partnerships with well-known creators can open the door to large potential audiences. In 2024, influencer marketing spending in the United States was forecast to reach an all-time high of 7.1 billion U.S. dollars. Seeing that internet stars can boost brand visibility, drive engagement, and impact purchasing decisions for millions of users, it comes as no surprise that spending on influencer cooperation is expected to pick up even more speed in the future. Top influencer marketing platforms Marketers can choose from an ever-expanding list of social media platforms to bridge the gap between brands and consumers. According to a recent survey, Instagram remains the most popular platform for influencer marketing in the United States, and in 2025, the global Instagram influencer market size was estimated to surpass 22 billion dollars for the first time. Apart from the photo-sharing app, video-based platforms such as TikTok have become popular among brands and marketers. In the first half of 2024, the most successful brands earned over half a billion U.S. dollars in earned media value (EMV) with their TikTok influencer marketing campaigns.

Instagram ranked as the most-used influencer marketing platform used among marketers in the United States in 2021. Nearly 68 percent of marketers adopted Instagram for influencer campaigns. Facebook followed, being used by 52 percent of marketers as an influencer marketing platform, while TikTok came in third with 42 percent. TikTok surpassed YouTube as an influencer marketing platform in 2021 and was expected to rise further over the years - going from 36 percent of marketers using it in 2020 to 54.9 percent in 2025.

The estimated value of the influencer marketing industry in India was 55 billion Indian rupees in 2024. This was a 20 percent increase over the previous year, and the market was expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 25 percent until 2026. The industry's market value was further estimated to amount to over 107 billion Indian rupees by 2027. Influencer impact In India, influencers have become a vital channel for businesses, forging authentic connections with audiences through relatable content. They play a crucial role in influencing consumer purchase decisions and product research. The influencer marketing industry has witnessed widespread adoption across sectors, with the personal care vertical leading with a 25 percent market share in 2022. Other key sectors like food, fashion, jewelry, and mobile/electronics have also embraced influencers to strengthen brand messages and connect with their target audiences. Modes of influence Short-form video platforms were the most preferred choice for content creation, given their raging popularity among users and creators alike. These platforms offer influencers a medium to share concise and impactful messages with their followers. Additionally, the practice of live-streaming was a widely followed trend, facilitating real-time interactions with audiences. This led major e-commerce players such as Amazon and Flipkart to release a live commerce feature on their platforms.

During a global 2025 survey among marketing agencies and brands, approximately 38 percent of respondents stated that they were using artificial intelligence (AI) for influencer marketing on a limited basis. Another 22.4 percent of marketing professionals shared that they were using AI extensively, compared to 9.5 percent who were not using or planning to use AI.

According to a global survey conducted among marketers in January 2023, 28 percent of responding social media marketers stated that keeping up with social media trends was one of the top challenges of influencer marketing. The cost of working with influencers came second with 26 percent of respondents listing it as a leading challenge.

In 2021, approximately four billion U.S. dollars were spent on influencer marketing in the United States. This figure would mark a projected increase of around one more billion, just one year later, in 2022. Further growth is anticipated for the future.

Benefits of influencer marketing Influencer marketing has become one of the most popular and effective forms of social media marketing. By partnering up with well-known internet personalities, brands can leverage their massive audience reach and promote products and services to a wealth of potential customers. Apart from increasing visibility and driving engagement, influencer cooperation can also boost revenues for companies of all sizes, as recommendations from social media stars have come to impact shopping behavior for millions of online users worldwide. In line with overall spending growth on this channel, the global market size of influencer marketing platforms is also growing by double digits.

What is the most popular platform for influencer marketing? Influencers bridge the gap between brands and consumers in terms of engagement and interaction, but which platform is best suited for collaboration? According to a recent survey, Instagram remains the most popular platform for influencer marketing worldwide. Content creators have long embraced the app for its various photo- and video-sharing features. Seeing that the platform now also has an inherent shopping tab, it comes as no surprise that marketers are planning to increase influencer endorsement on Instagram in the future. Video-based platforms such as TikTok are also becoming increasingly relevant because of their massive reach, particularly among Gen Z internet users.

The annual expenditure of businesses on influencer marketing in Japan was projected to amount to 86 billion Japanese yen in 2024. It was expected that the market would grow further and reach a value of more than 164 billion yen by 2029. Advertising and social media in Japan Japan is home to a large advertising market, which is considered to be one of the most creative worldwide. In recent years, online advertising has become more and more important, while many traditional media increasingly struggle to generate advertising revenues. This shift from traditional to digital media was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led people to spend more time inside their own homes and increased the demand for digital entertainment. Social media plays an increasingly important role for advertising not only because social media platforms offer an opportunity to connect with other people, but also because they are frequently used to look up information. Among social advertising expenditures, regular social networking services as well as video sharing platforms constitute the largest ad categories. Social media marketing Unlike advertising, which refers to the process of making a product or service known to potential customers, marketing usually involves further aspects that are directly related to the dissemination of advertisements, such as the research and analysis necessary for the design and creation of ads. Influencer marketing is part of the larger social media marketing market, which is expected to exhibit strong growth in the coming years. As a breakdown of this market shows, it consists of social media advertising, influencer marketing, support for the operation of social media accounts, expenses for analytics tools, as well as campaign planning and consulting. While analytics tools and campaign planning and consulting make up comparatively small shares of the market, they are indispensable aspects with regard to choosing the right platform and advertising strategy. Within the Japanese influencer market, YouTube, Instagram, X (previously known as Twitter), and Tiktok represent the major segments.

During a global 2025 survey among marketers and industry leaders, 14.4 percent of respondents stated they invested 10 to 15 percent of their marketing budget into influencer marketing. Nearly 12 percent of respondents devoted more than 50 percent to this type of digital marketing activity. The state of influencer marketing As social platform users continue to rise in recent years, influencer marketing has become an essential format of digital campaigns. Marketers have used this channel to increase brand awareness. Influencer marketing's value worldwide was estimated at over 24 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, compared to nearly 10 billion in 2020. Furthermore, the global influencer marketing platform market size amounted to 15.2 billion dollars in 2022 and was projected to surpass 22 billion dollars in 2025. The epicenter of influencer marketing: Instagram In the spring of 2024, Instagram ranked third among the biggest social media platforms, with roughly two billion monthly active users. With such an impressive user base, the Meta-owned social network proves to be the perfect spot for creators and marketers alike.

According to a global survey conducted among social media marketers in January 2023, 34 percent of respondents stated that brand awareness was one of the main tools for measuring the effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns. Revenue and sales followed with 32 percent, while impressions and views obtained 29 percent of marketers' shares.

During a 2024 survey carried out among consumers from the United States, 66 percent of Gen Z respondents stated that they had purchased a product they saw featured in creator-generated content on entertainment apps or social media platforms. Among millennials, the share stood at 55 percent.

During a global October 2023 survey where communications specialists were asked to select the top three trends that would dominate their influencer marketing campaigns for the following year, 47 percent mentioned greater accountability and focus on return on investment (ROI). Following were video content, with 38 percent, and blending influencer marketing with paid social, cited by 35 percent of respondents.

The number of social media users in the United Kingdom was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 4.7 million users (+8.92 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach 57.35 million users and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the number of social media users of was continuously increasing over the past years.The shown figures regarding social media users have been derived from survey data that has been processed to estimate missing demographics.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

During a global October 2023 survey among communications specialists, almost four out of five (or 79 percent) of respondents said they used engagement data such as comments, views, shares and likes, to measure the individual success of each influencer marketing campaign. Around 46 percent of interviewees mentioned product sales, while 44 turned to impressions as a metric for success rate.

As of May 2024, around 62 percent of marketers surveyed in Brazil said generating amplification and awareness of a brand was among the influencer marketing goals producing the best results. Approximately 55 percent mentioned reaching new audiences, while 43 percent cited translating the brand's messages. According to the same study, marketers' leading criteria for selecting influencers included affinity with the brand's target group and credibility.

During a survey among brands working with influencer marketing in Brazil released in December 2024, approximately 85.4 percent reported using Instagram for that purpose. Facebook and YouTube followed, mentioned by 42.5 and 35.3 percent of respondents, respectively. According to the same study, almost 65 percent of agencies in Brazil recommended that their clients spend more on influencer marketing throughout the following year.

During a summer 2024 survey, approximately 89 percent of responding decision makers in Europe reported regularly using Instagram for influencer marketing, followed by TikTok with 64 percent. In comparison, 12 percent stated they would use Twitch or Pinterest.

According to the results of a survey conducted in October 2023 among communications specialist worldwide, people between 17 and 19 years-old were targeted with influencer marketing by 30 percent of respondents. The most targeted age group was the 20-29-year-old consumers, targeted by 82 percent of influencer marketing professionals.

In 2022, the global influencer marketing platform market was valued at 15.2 billion U.S. dollars. It is expected to further grow to 17.4 billion in 2023 and surpass 22 billion dollars in 2025. The influencer marketing platforms are used in search and discovery of clients, campaign management, influencer relationship management, as well as analytics and reporting.

Travel was the leading industry for influencer marketing engagement, averaging an engagement rate of 2.4 percent among global social media users in 2023. Beauty and sports and fitness followed with 1.95 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively. Fashion and education industries reported engagement rates of 1.53 percent and 1.21 percent.