As of February 2021, YouTube had a global penetration rate of 62 percent, followed closely by Meta's Facebook, with 61 percent. Overall, instant messaging service WhatsApp had a global penetration rate of 52 percent. Additionally, 12 percent of people used TikTok, and one in ten people around the world use messaging service Telegram.

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 2028. 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.

Global ad spend were expected to reach over $134 billion in 2022. This means that it has increased by over 17% yearly.

Which countries spent the most and least time on social media?

I’ve compiled a list of the latest social media user statistics showing just how big social media has become and where it’s likely to go in the future.

These are the key social media statistics that you need to know.

In 2021, global social media advertising spending stood at around *** billion U.S. dollars. The source projected that this figure would more than double and exceed an all-time high of *** billion by 2028. Where to advertise in a sea of social media platforms? While there are many regional differences when it comes to social media usage and accessibility, some platforms reign supreme among users and advertisers alike. As of 2022, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were the most popular social networks worldwide. Thanks to their massive audiences, these Meta-owned properties also ranked among the leading social media platforms for marketers. What makes advertising via these channels so appealing is not only the prospect of boosting brand awareness and generating leads but also the possibility to strengthen brands’ relationships with consumers via direct communication. Spotlight on influencer marketing In addition to posting photos and videos on their social media accounts and interacting with followers, companies can also enlist the help of content creators to drive visibility and potentially unlock new audiences. Over the past few years, the global influencer marketing market value has expanded rapidly and is now sized at an estimated **** billion U.S. dollars. Instagram remains the primary playground for this creator-driven form of online marketing, though apps like TikTok are also becoming more appealing to brands from around the world.

As of February 2025, video apps accounted for around 76 percent of global mobile data usage every month. Second-ranked social networking accounted for eight percent of global mobile data volume. The two categories, though, can easily overlap, as users can watch videos via video applications, as well as on social networking applications. Most popular social media platforms with video content Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were among the most popular social networks in the world, as of October 2021. Each of these platforms allow to post, share, and watch video content on a mobile device. One of the fastest growing global brands, Tiktok, is also a social media platform where users can share video content. In September 2021, the platform reached 1 billion monthly active users. Leading types of mobile video content in the U.S. The United States was the third country in the world based on the number of smartphone users as of May 2021, with around 270 million users. Therefore, mobile content usage in the country was one of the highest in the world, and a big part of it was video content. As of the third quarter of 2021, more than 80 percent of survey respondents in the United States reported watching YouTube on their mobile devices. Social media videos were the second most popular type of content for mobile audiences, with almost six in 10 respondents watching videos on social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter.

Social media addiction statistics show that over 210 million people worldwide suffer from social media addiction.

Facebook is fast approaching 3 billion monthly active users. That’s about 36% of the world’s entire population that log in and use Facebook at least once a month.

TikTok comes in 6th position in a list of the world’s most-used social media sites today.

Users spend an average of 19.6 hours per month on TikTok alone. This works out to be approximately 39 minutes per day.

The vast majority of TikTok users are below 30 years old. Approximately 37 million Gen-Zers used TikTok in the US.

Apart from being the most-followed person on Instagram, Cristiano Ronaldo is also the most-followed person on Facebook with over 122 million subscribers to his Facebook page in January 2023. Only Facebook itself and tech conglomerate Samsung had more followers on the social network. Ronaldo’s position in the ranking is even more impressive given that the list of most popular fan pages on Facebook is dominated by global brands rather than individual celebrities. Social media advertising Brand presence on social media is a serious business. Social media advertising revenues was the strongest-growing ad category in the United States in 2020 and 2021. As social networks are a significant traffic generator for retail sites in the United States, it is no wonder that brands and retailers are particularly keen to invest in social media advertising. Facebook is also the digital channel with the most influence on purchasing decisions according to internet users in the United States, ranking ahead of YouTube and Instagram. Facebook advertising Facebook advertising influence extends beyond social media – the company consistently ranks among the U.S. media companies with the biggest advertising revenues. Google is the only digital competitor with more ad revenue, but Facebook ranks miles ahead of traditional media juggernauts such as Disney, Fox, and Viacom.

The average Twitter user spends 5.1 hours per month on the platform.

YouTube gets an average of 14.3 billion total worldwide visits every month.

There are more male LinkedIn users than females – although it is pretty balanced.

There are over 2 billion registered users on Instagram in 2025.

The most significant cohorts of users on Instagram are aged 18 – 24.

80% of parents say that their children under the age of 11 watch YouTube regularly.