Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts and currently sits at more than three billion monthly active users. Meta Platforms owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with more than one billion monthly active users each: Facebook (core platform), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. In the third quarter of 2023, Facebook reported around four billion monthly core Family product users. The United States and China account for the most high-profile social platforms Most top ranked social networks with more than 100 million users originated in the United States, but services like Chinese social networks WeChat, QQ or video sharing app Douyin have also garnered mainstream appeal in their respective regions due to local context and content. Douyin’s popularity has led to the platform releasing an international version of its network: a little app called TikTok. How many people use social media? The leading social networks are usually available in multiple languages and enable users to connect with friends or people across geographical, political, or economic borders. In 2025, social networking sites are estimated to reach 5.42 billion users and these figures are still expected to grow as mobile device usage and mobile social networks increasingly gain traction in previously underserved markets.

In March 2025, ******** accounted for ** percent of all social media site visits in the United States, confirming its position as the leading social media website by far. Other social media platforms, despite their popularity, had to make do with smaller shares of visits across desktop, mobile, and tablet devices combined. ********* ranked second with ***** percent of all U.S. social media site visits, while X (previously Twitter) accounted for ***** percent of the total visits in the country. Additionally, the U.S. is home to the third largest social media audience worldwide. Facebook: mobile vs desktop usage At the beginning of 2022, around ** percent of Facebook users across the globe were using the platform’s social networking services exclusively via mobile phone, while only *** percent reported using their desktop or laptop devices. In September 2022, three Facebook Inc. products occupied some of the leading positions as most downloaded social networking apps on the Apple App Store in the United States. WhatsApp’s messaging platform ranked second with more than *** million downloads, while Facebook and the instant-messaging service Messenger followed ranking third and fifth with *** million and **** million downloads respectively. Social media evolution Between 2012 and 2024, the daily time spent on social networks worldwide experienced an almost constant increase, with users reaching an average of *** minutes per day in 2023, with a decrease to *** daily minutes of engagement in 2024. However, users’ favorite platforms have changed since 2019, and the power balance appears to be shifting further from Facebook’s market dominance. Not only Facebook’s user growth rate is estimated to slow down in the next years, but users belonging to Generation Z appear to prefer video-first social platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.

As of January 2025, Facebook accounted for around ** percent of the social media market across Asia. Comparatively, Instagram accounted for about ** 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 ***** billion U.S. dollars, with most of its revenue coming from advertising. Meta generated approximately *** 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 ** 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.

In May 2025, X, formerly known as Twitter, held a market share of around 42.66 percent in Hong Kong's social media scene in terms of pageviews across all devices, followed by Facebook and YouTube. The American social news and discussion website Reddit has gained traction since the anti-government protests in the city in 2020. Facebook is losing ground A few years before 2017, Facebook controlled over 80 percent of the social media arena in Hong Kong. The drastic change started in 2018, when the networking site lost nearly 11 percentage points and another 19 percentage points in the following year. For many Gen Z and Millennials in the financial hub, Instagram became the favorite social media platform and YouTube was used more often than Facebook. Facebook was still the second place to go after Instagram for product research, it has been losing its appeal among young users and advertisers. Platforms claiming the new spots When it came to advertising audience size, X took the lead. YouTube came in second, however, its ad reach in Hong Kong was among the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region. In comparison, the fourth placeholder Instagram has been picking up steam, reaching 51.6 percent of internet users in Hong Kong. However, the biggest industry threat was TikTok, the most downloaded social media app in Hong Kong as of the time of writing. TikTok’s rising popularity among teenage users may probably change the game of video consumption.

During a 2025 survey among marketers worldwide, approximately ** percent said Facebook was the most important social media platform. LinkedIn and Instagram followed, respectively mentioned by ** and ** percent of respondents. Why marketers use social media as a branding channel According to the same study, the leading benefits of social media marketing were increased exposure and traffic. In other words, mastering a brand's presence on such platforms can make a company's products and services known across multiple demographics as well as generate traffic for its online sales. Marketers' favorite social media platforms The survey also revealed that business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketers' top social media can vary. While B2C professionals bet on Facebook and its still massive usage rate, B2B strategists focus on LinkedIn, where companies can see and be seen. However, the social media video platforms in which marketers wanted to invest more were YouTube and Instagram.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey in Thailand, TikTok was the most popular social commerce platform when shopping online, with a respondent share of close to ** percent as of February 2025. Facebook is also the most popular social media platform in Thailand. As of the third quarter of 2023, it ranked first among the leading social media networks in the country.  Social commerce in Thailand Social commerce, retailing through social media, has developed rapidly in Thailand. The use of social media has expanded beyond communication toward the purchase of goods and services. As of 2024, Thailand had one of the highest shares of social commerce buyers worldwide. Consumers have become familiar with the product and shifted their purchasing habits towards speed, no contact, and convenience. According to a Rakuten survey as of February 2025, ease of purchase was the leading reason for buying products on social commerce platforms among consumers in Thailand. Digital payments   Thai people have become more accustomed to a cashless society. Digital payments are a part of social commerce that provides convenience to consumers. When purchasing products or services on social commerce platforms, cash on delivery through PromptPay and e-wallets are the usual methods of payment. The number of PromptPay transactions in Thailand jumped to over ** million in 2024.

During a 2025 survey among marketers worldwide, around 83 percent reported using Facebook for marketing purposes. Instagram and LinkedIn followed, respectively mentioned by 78 and 69 percent of the respondents. The global social media marketing segment According to the same study, 60 percent of responding marketers intended to increase their organic use of YouTube for marketing purposes throughout that year. LinkedIn and Instagram followed with similar shares, rounding up the top three social media platforms attracting a planned growth in organic use among global marketers in 2025. Their main driver is increasing brand exposure and traffic, which led the ranking of benefits of social media marketing worldwide. Social media for B2B marketing Social media platform adoption rates among business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketers vary according to each subsegment's focus. While B2C professionals prioritize Facebook and Instagram, both run by Meta, Inc., due to their popularity among online audiences, B2B marketers concentrate their endeavors on Microsoft-owned LinkedIn due to its goal to connect people and companies in a corporate context.

During a global 2025 survey, approximately ** percent of responding business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers reported using Facebook for marketing purposes, making it the most used social media platform within that segment. Among responding business-to-business (B2B) marketers, LinkedIn ranked first, mentioned by ** percent. According to the same study, increased exposure and traffic were the leading benefits of social media marketing worldwide.

Social media usage in Romania continues to evolve, with Facebook and WhatsApp dominating the landscape in 2025. These platforms, were used by nearly ** percent of Romanian social media users, while Instagram and TikTok have also gained significant traction, reaching about *** in *** users. This widespread adoption reflects the growing importance of social media in Romanian daily life and communication. Is Facebook losing popularity? Facebook maintains its stronghold in Romania despite recent fluctuations in user numbers. The platform reached a peak of ***** million users in March 2022, showing growth of almost ******* accounts from the previous year. However, by the end of 2024, the number of Facebook users in Romania had slightly decreased to ***** million. This minor decline hasn't significantly impacted Facebook's position as the most-liked social media platform, with ** percent of users naming it their favorite, followed by WhatsApp at **** percent. X-Men: gender disparities on social media The social media landscape in Romania reveals interesting demographic trends across platforms. Pinterest stands out with a predominantly female user base, boasting a *****percent female ad reach. In contrast, X has the highest male-dominated ad reach at **** percent, highlighting the diverse appeal of different platforms. Additionally, social media plays a crucial role in brand research, with **** percent of users utilizing any social media platform for this purpose, while only *** percent rely on microblogs like X for brand information. This underscores the varied ways Romanians engage with social media for both personal and commercial purposes.

How many people use social media? Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2024, over **** ******* people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to over *** billion in 2029. Who uses social media? Social networking is one of the most popular digital activities worldwide and it is no surprise that social networking penetration across all regions is constantly increasing. As of January 2023, the global social media usage rate stood at ** percent. This figure is anticipated to grow as lesser developed digital markets catch up with other regions when it comes to infrastructure development and the availability of cheap mobile devices. In fact, most of social media’s global growth is driven by the increasing usage of mobile devices. Mobile-first market Eastern Asia topped the global ranking of mobile social networking penetration, followed by established digital powerhouses such as the Americas and Northern Europe. How much time do people spend on social media? Social media is an integral part of daily internet usage. On average, internet users spend *** minutes per day on social media and messaging apps, an increase of ** minutes since 2015. On average, internet users in Latin America had the highest average time spent per day on social media. What are the most popular social media platforms? Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass *** billion registered accounts and currently boasts approximately *** billion monthly active users, making it the most popular social network worldwide. In June 2023, the top social media apps in the Apple App Store included mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and Telegram Messenger, as well as the ever-popular app version of Facebook.

During a 2025 survey, approximately ** percent of responding business-to-business (B2B) marketers in the United States and the United Kingdom reported using Facebook for marketing purposes, making it the most used social media platform within that segment. Another ** percent of respondents were actively on YouTube and Instagram, respectively.

According to a survey conducted in January 2025, 30 percent of adults in the United States felt that social media platforms were not strict enough when it came to regulating the content posted on their sites. Overall, 22 percent felt the regulation was too strict.

******** was the social network with the largest market share in Denmark as of March 2025, amounting to over ** percent. Overall, Pinterest and Instagram accounted for **** percent and **** percent of the market share, respectively. X/Twitter amassed **** percent of the social media market share in Denmark in March 2024. How old are most social media users? According to a survey of social media users, the majority of respondents were of ages between ** and **. Around ** percent of respondents in this age group used social networks in 2020. Furthermore, those aged between 60 and 74 used online platforms the least, as only ** percent of respondents in this age group reported engaging with social networks. The Nordics and social media The number of social media users was the highest in Sweden, among the other Nordic countries. Over *** million Swedish respondents were using social media in 2021. Denmark had over *** million social media users, while Norway and Finland had **** and **** million users, respectively.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2025, TikTok was the most popular social media platform for shopping during the past 12 months. Facebook followed, with ** percent of respondents using it for online shopping.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in Hong Kong in 2025 on social commerce, among respondents aged 35 to 44, ******** was the most used social media for online purchasing during the last 12 months. In contrast, ********* was more popular among respondents under the age of 25.

Facebook's market share in Taiwan's social media arena has been increasing. As of May 2025, the flagship product of Meta held rose back to over 53 percent of the social media market in Taiwan across all devices. X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram covered about a third of the market together.

In March 2025 in Norway, Facebook was the most visited social media platform, accounting for ***** percent of the market share. Pinterest ranked second, making up more than ***** percent of social network visits. Meta's Instagram followed, with *** percent of social media visits in Norway.  Social media users over the years  Overall, the share of individuals who participated in social networks increased significantly over the years. Starting at under ** percent of individuals in 2011, the share of social media users peaked in 2023, when ***** percent of the interviewed Norwegians reported to be using social networks. In 2022, the percentage was ***** percent.  Compared to the other Nordic countries, Norway ranked third by number of social media users in 2024, with **** million users that year. Sweden was the Nordic country with most social media users – **** million. Denmark was second and Finland was fourth in the ranking.

In 2021, messaging and video sharing platform Snapchat was more popular than TikTok among Gen Z users in the United States. TikTok counted around 37 million users who were born between 1997 and 2012, while Instagram reported around 33 million users in the same period. Snapchat, which counted 42 million Gen Z users, is projected to reach 49.5 million users in the examined demographic by 2025. Overall, platforms such as Pinterest, Twitter and Reddit had significantly less users amongst this age group.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in 2025 on social commerce in Malaysia, TikTok was the most common social media platform for respondents above 25 years old to make a purchase in the last 12 months. Instagram was more popular among respondents between the age of 16 and 24 years old.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in February 2025, ** percent of respondents in Vietnam have purchased items on TikTok. TikTok was also the most used social commerce platform in Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and in China as of February 2025.