Amazon UK was the most popular brand page on Facebook in the United Kingdom (UK) as of March 2020, attracting 5.73 million local fans. This was followed by UNREEL, with nearly 4.86 million fans. Amazon UK: more than just e-commerce Amazon has enjoyed significant growth in the UK market in recent years. Not just the flagship e-commerce platform, but also in terms of streaming and sharing digital content and their current dominance of the UK smart speaker market. Amazon Prime Video is closing the gap to Netflix when it comes to content available for UK customers. In January 2017, the hours of content available on Amazon Prime Video came in at 62.2 less than Netflix, however, they reduced that gap to just 24 percent.  Amazon’s global growth  Over the past 14 years, Amazon’s global growth has been astounding. In 2004, the company’s annual net revenue stood at 6.92 billion U.S. dollars. By 2018, that figure had grown to 232.89 billion U.S. dollars. The company generates the majority of its net revenues through online retail product sales, followed by retail third party seller services.     

As of November 2025, the United Kingdom had **** million Facebook users. This figure marked a *** percent increase compared with the same month in the previous year. Facebook remains the leading social network Despite a recent history of controversies and user privacy breaches - not least of which being the Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018 - Facebook has managed to remain the top social network in the UK. As of July 2024, the platform had a **** percent market share, almost six times over that of X, formerly known as Twitter. Besides being the most popular social network across all age groups, Facebook and its subsidiary WhatsApp report the highest use among those aged between 26 and 35 years old. Role in political advertising Facebook has also proved to be a lucrative advertising platform, having generated **** percent of online ad revenue in the UK in 2018. This was forecast to increase to ** percent in 2021, placing the social network second to Google within the online advertising sector. Unsurprisingly, political groups aiming to capitalize on this reach have taken to large-scale advertising on Facebook. In 2019, **** million euros was spent on targeted political advertising in the UK alone, the second-highest reported figure in Europe.  

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.

Over the five years through 2025-26, industry revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 20.3% to reach £12.5 billion. 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. 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 past five years, becoming the most downloaded app between 2020 and 2022, according to Apptopia. The short-form video platform has over 30 million monthly users in the UK in 2025. 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 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. In 2025, more social media platforms are using AI to boost user engagement. This improves click-through rates and drives higher advertising revenue. Industry revenue is expected to grow by 6.3% in 2025-26. Over the five years through 2030-31, social media platforms' revenue is projected to climb at an estimated 9.2% to reach £19.4 billion. 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 tightening of regulations will raise industry compliance costs, weighing on profit margin. Older age groups present a new revenue opportunity for social media platforms if they can bridge the gap between passive TV consumption and interactive digital engagement. Augmented Reality (AR) technology will move beyond filters to become standard for immersive product trials, interactive ads, and virtual meetups

Users aged ******** years old made up the largest audience on Facebook in the United Kingdom in October 2025, accounting for **** percent of all users. Overall, Facebook users aged 35 to 44 were the platform's second-largest demographic in the UK, followed by those aged 18 to 24. Dip in overall user numbers As of January 2025, there were over 55.9 million Facebook users in the UK, up from ***** million in September 2018, according to napoleoncat.com. However, since a peak of **** million users in May 2022, Facebook's audience has decreased slightly. Facebook’s user number issues have not just been limited to the United Kingdom, with figures released by the company highlighting issues in several key markets. There was a small growth in Europe from the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020. The company counted *** million daily active users (DAU) in Europe during the first quarter of 2020. Facebook United Kingdom key source of European revenue Facebook UK Limited generated approximately *** million British pounds in revenue during 2015, a figure that skyrocketed  to *** million British pounds in 2016. According to Facebook UK, this was the results of the company commencing advertiser reseller services in April 2016. In 2019, Facebook UK Limited revenue reached roughly *********** British pounds. In the third quarter of 2024, the company’s total European revenue reached over **** billion U.S. dollars 

Instagram’s most popular post

              As of April 2024, the most popular post on Instagram was Lionel Messi and his teammates after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, posted by the account @leomessi. Messi's post, which racked up over 61 million likes within a day, knocked off the reigning post, which was 'Photo of an Egg'. Originally posted in January 2021, 'Photo of an Egg' surpassed the world’s most popular Instagram post at that time, which was a photo by Kylie Jenner’s daughter totaling 18 million likes.
              After several cryptic posts published by the account, World Record Egg revealed itself to be a part of a mental health campaign aimed at the pressures of social media use.

              Instagram’s most popular accounts

              As of April 2024, the official Instagram account @instagram had the most followers of any account on the platform, with 672 million followers. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) was the most followed individual with 628 million followers, while Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) was the most followed woman on the platform with 429 million. Additionally, Inter Miami CF striker Lionel Messi (@leomessi) had a total of 502 million. Celebrities such as The Rock, Kylie Jenner, and Ariana Grande all had over 380 million followers each.

              Instagram influencers

              In the United States, the leading content category of Instagram influencers was lifestyle, with 15.25 percent of influencers creating lifestyle content in 2021. Music ranked in second place with 10.96 percent, followed by family with 8.24 percent. Having a large audience can be very lucrative: Instagram influencers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom with over 90,000 followers made around 1,221 US dollars per post.

              Instagram around the globe

              Instagram’s worldwide popularity continues to grow, and India is the leading country in terms of number of users, with over 362.9 million users as of January 2024. The United States had 169.65 million Instagram users and Brazil had 134.6 million users. The social media platform was also very popular in Indonesia and Turkey, with 100.9 and 57.1, respectively. As of January 2024, Instagram was the fourth most popular social network in the world, behind Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp.

United Kingdom (UK) singer Adele had the most popular celebrity page on Facebook in the UK as of November 2020, ahead of Jason Statham and David Beckham. UK celebrities on YouTube While Adele is the undisputed queen of Facebook, the rankings vary significantly across each social network. Adele is the third most popular UK celebrity on YouTube, with less than half the subscriber count of Ed Sheeran’s channel. In *************, Sheeran’s videos have been viewed more than that of any other UK celebrity, racking up ***** billion views in total. UK celebrities on Twitter When it comes to Twitter, it seems people are only going in one direction. Of the *** most popular UK celebrity accounts on Twitter, **** of those accounts are related to the former boyband, One Direction. Harry Styles leads the pack, having amassed **** million followers in *************. Styles runs the second most popular Twitter account overall, with only BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) having more followers.

According to a survey conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020, it was reported that ******** was the most frequently used social networking platform among all age groups. Compared to Facebook, all other social networking sites and apps had only a fraction of respondents name them as their main account. Facebook in the UK Facebook user penetration rate has been gradually increasing, reaching over ** percent in 2020, with the number of Facebook users also seeing subsequent growth over that period. By 2025, the number of Facebook users in the UK is projected to reach **** million individuals. On the other hand, the market share of the social media giant has experienced a significant decrease since January 2017, reaching its lowest point in April 2020. Facebook user demographics in the UK Individuals aged between *************** old make up the largest share of Facebook users, followed by individuals aged 35 to 44 years old. And as of October 2020, Facebook attracted more ****** users than ********** in the UK. In terms of household income, users are fairly evenly distributed.

As of 2020, Facebook was the most popular social media site in the UK in terms of the share of users who reported having a profile on that networking platform. Facebook's user share among social network users reached ** percent in 2020. The share of respondents with an Instagram profile during the same period was ** percent.

Facebook ranked as the leading social media platform driving personal care brand shoppers to retailers in the United Kingdom in 2024. Facebook accounted for around ** percent of the share of purchase intent clicks. TikTok ranked second, with a *** percent share of clicks. Purchase intent clicks refer to the amount of times a consumer has clicked through to a minimum of one retailer during one session.

As of the third quarter of 2024, WhatsApp was the most active social network among internet users in the United Kingdom (UK), with 79.9 percent of internet users reporting use of the service. Facebook was very close behind, with a rate of 72.3 percent, followed by Facebook Messenger with 56.6 percent. YouTube’s broad audience in the United Kingdom YouTube reaches a broad audience in the UK, making it an attractive partner for advertisers of almost any product. More than 75 percent of individuals of every income bracket watch YouTube, with the likelihood of watching increasing with the pay-grade. Whether advertising basic items or luxury products, marketers should be able to connect with UK audiences through YouTube. There are almost no people in the UK to not use YouTube at least monthly. According to a survey conducted in the third quarter of 2020, 46 percent of respondents went on YouTube on a daily basis. Facebook in the United Kingdom  Facebook enjoys a healthy market position in the UK, holding an estimated  55 percent share of the market. The service attracted  50.6 million UK users during May 2021, and Facebook UK Limited  generated 1.1 billion British pounds in revenue  during 2019. The UK division of the company  posted an operating profit of 121.9 million British pounds that year. 

In 2025, Meta's Facebook held approximately ***** percent of the social network market in the United Kingdom, while X (formerly Twitter) accounted for approximately ******percent. Overall, Instagram held *****percent of the social network market in the UK.

Based on a survey conducted in 2020, the following statistic depicts the creation of social networking profiles among internet users in the United Kingdom (UK), by age group. It was found that 88 percent of respondents aged 16 to 24 years reported having a profile on social media sites or apps, accounting for the largest demographic across all surveyed age groups.

Decline of Facebook as a platform
While most of the main social networking sites have been growing in popularity, the use of Facebook has been in decline. Launched in 2004, the social media site was used often by 86 percent of UK respondents in 2013. This had fallen to 57 percent by 2020, relative to the growing use of WhatsApp and to a lesser extent Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, all of which offer a tailored social media experience compared to Facebook’s multi-function approach. This however, does not undermine Facebook’s dominance as the number of its product users worldwide (including that of Instagram and WhatsApp) has been growing steadily, reaching nearly 3.45 billion by the first quarter of 2021.

The rise of alternative messenger apps As consumer concern over data sharing and privacy continues to rise, an increasing number of social messenger users are leaving Facebook-owned WhatsApp for alternatives such as Telegram, Signal, and Threema. WeChat, the most popular alternative to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger had 1,2 billion monthly active users as of April 2021 and was the fifth most popular messaging app globally.

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.

A survey conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 among teenagers and young adults asked participants whether they had a public or private social media profile. Slightly over half reported having a public profile, while only **** percent had made theirs private. ** percent of respondents however claimed to have a mix of both public and private social media profiles. This relatively high level of trust when it came to social media can perhaps be explained by a 2019 survey, where ** percent of respondents in the UK claimed they had never been a victim of social media or email account hacking before.

Facebook and WhatsApp lead in the UK

Among the leading social media platforms, Facebook emerged as the most frequently used among young adults aged 18 to 24 years old in the UK. Nearly ** percent of all respondents cited the social media giant as the app they reached for most often. The second most used app within this age group in the UK was WhatsApp. In contrast, only *** percent used Twitter the most.

Social media – the new marketing trend

As social media becomes more and more integrated into our daily lives, brands have been taking note. Social media marketing is a fast growing industry and spend on social media advertising by corporations has been on the rise each year. What began as a nationwide spend of merely **** billion British pounds in 2011 had risen to **** billion British pounds by 2018. According to an annual survey, roughly ** percent of teenagers aged 12 to 15 already have at least one social media account.

According to data from February 2025, Facebook was the most popular social network for news access in the United Kingdom, with ** percent of respondents using the service. YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) ranked second and third, with ** and ** percent of users respectively using the networks for news content.

As of April 2024, Facebook had an addressable ad audience reach 131.1 percent in Libya, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 120.5 percent and Mongolia with 116 percent. Additionally, the Philippines and Qatar had addressable ad audiences of 114.5 percent and 111.7 percent.

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.

According to a 2020 survey run in the United Kingdom (UK), Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp was the most popular social media platform among those aged 26 to 35. Out of all the respondents, 85 percent had an account on the social networking site. Facebook came in second place, with 80 percent of respondents claiming they used the service while YouTube and Instagram featured third and fourth respectively.

Facebook as a leading digital ad platform

Facebook continues to dominate the social media market in the UK, its penetration rate having been on the rise since 2015. By 2022, the social media platform’s share of monthly active users is forecast to reach 62.44 percent of the United Kingdom’s population. As a platform with such widespread reach not just within the UK but around the world, Facebook is perfectly poised to become a leading online advertising tool. In fact, the social network giant brought in nearly 23 percent of all digital advertising revenue in the United Kingdom in 2018, the highest among all social media platforms. This is forecasted to reach 28 percent by 2021, narrowing the gap with market leader Google.

The news and social media

Facebook remains, albeit to a lesser extent, a news source for nearly 30 percent in the United Kingdom according to figures until 2018. Although this number is significantly lower than in countries such as Italy and Spain where around half of the surveyed population turned to Facebook for news, it is no small figure and one would think that such numbers would reflect a positive perception of social media as a news source. A 2019 survey demonstrated however, that this was not the case with social media ranking lowest in terms of level of trust against other sources such as traditional media, online media, and owned media.

Social media usage in the United Kingdom reveals a diverse landscape across age groups, with the ***** bracket leading at ** percent of users in 2024. Surprisingly, the ***** age group accounted for ** percent, challenging the notion that social networks are primarily for younger users. This distribution highlights the widespread adoption of social platforms among various demographics, reflecting the evolving digital habits of UK adults. Younger users drive emerging platform adoption While established networks like Facebook maintain a strong presence, younger users are increasingly drawn to newer platforms. TikTok, for instance, has gained significant traction among the ***** age group, with over a quarter of UK smartphone users in this bracket using the app. Advertising trust varies across age groups and mediums The effectiveness of social media advertising differs across age groups, with trust playing a crucial role. Among consumers aged *****, ** percent reported not buying products promoted by influencers, indicating a potential shift in how younger audiences perceive and respond to social media marketing.