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.

The number of social media users in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 26 million users (+8.55 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach 330.07 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).

The number of social media users in Russia was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 24.6 million users (+22.49 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach 133.99 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).

The number of social network users in Thailand was around 52.63 million in 2020. This figure is forecast to reach almost 60 million users by 2026. The figures indicated that the number of social network users has been gradually increasing over the years and would continue to rise in the following years.

Social media in Thailand

As of January 2021, China had the highest number of monthly active social media users worldwide, followed by India and Indonesia, with Thailand ranking seventh at 55 million users. By 2023, the penetration rate of social network users in Thailand is forecast to reach approximately 53 percent, making it the majority of the Thai population.

Social media user profile in Thailand

For social media, Facebook and Youtube were the leading platforms in Thailand in the third quarter of 2020, with around 94 percent as a share of users for both platforms among others such as Line, Instagram, and Twitter. In that same time period, internet users in Thailand spent around 8.44 hours per day on average using the internet, and two and a half hours to use their social media.

The number of social media users in Japan was estimated at approximately ***** million in 2023. This figure was projected to increase to almost ***** million users by 2028. Leading social networking servicesThe most commonly used social media in Japan are the messaging app LINE, YouTube, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), TikTok, and Facebook. LINE was developed by a Japanese subsidiary of the South Korean internet search engine provider Naver as a response to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. While the traditional telecommunication infrastructure was damaged, people were able to connect with loved ones via social media and could stay informed about the most recent news. These possibilities generated a boost for social media in Japan, not only for LINE, but for Twitter and Facebook as well. Usage todaySocial media plays an important role today in how people in Japan communicate with each other. The average time people spend on using social media per weekday has increased significantly in recent years. According to one survey, communication with already existing acquaintances is the most common reason for using social media in Japan. Due to their nearly ubiquitous presence in the daily lives of people, social media services are also an important information tool for government institutions or companies that want to get their messages across to citizens and customers.

The alternative social media scene behind the “Great Firewall” of China, whose doors have remained shut to international internet heavyweights, has been thriving. As of 2024, the Asian giant housed about 1.08 billion active social media users. A global view of social networking The number of social network users across the globe steadily rose to 5.17 billion people in 2024 and was expected to continue growing. Facebook topped the charts with 3.07 billion active social media users, with YouTube following behind. Meanwhile, instant messaging apps WeChat and QQ, short video pioneer Douyin, and blogging site Weibo have placed Chinese platforms on the radar as prominent social media players. Chinese fascination with microblogging Apart from instant messaging, the trend of microblogging has swept across the multitudes of netizens in China. Comparable to sites like X (formerly Twitter), China has its term for microblogging - "weibo", and such networks have been used extensively as a space for news discussions. In China, Sina Corporation’s Weibo has emerged as the leading platform, with its number of monthly active users ranging around 580 million.

The number of social media users in Turkey was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total ** million users (****** percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach ***** 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).

The number of social media users in North America was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 70.3 million users (+16.55 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach 495.12 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).

The number of social media users in Italy was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total **** million users (+***** percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach ***** 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).

The number of monthly active social network users in Poland is projected to reach 33.8 million in 2029. Increasing Social Media Penetration In 2023, over 72 percent of respondents used social media in Poland, marking a 12 percentage point increase compared to 2016. This substantial growth in social media usage demonstrates a cultural shift towards increased digital connectivity and engagement. Additionally, young adults between 18 and 24 years old were the most likely to be registered on social media platforms, with 99 percent of respondents in this age group. This highlights the widespread adoption of social networking sites among the younger demographic, indicating a strong potential for continued growth in social media user numbers in the coming years. Facebook and YouTube dominate social networking in Poland Facebook and YouTube are the two leading social networking platforms in Poland, with YouTube experiencing higher engagement rates than Facebook. In terms of time spent using both Facebook and YouTube, women between the ages of 55 and 75 spent the most time on these apps.

Based on forecasts, there will be **** million social network users in Germany by 2020. Numbers have been growing steadily in recent years. Likes and dislikes Social media has taken numerous countries by storm since its emergence and Germany is no exception. In 2018, more than **** of the population used social networks. Among these, the most popular were WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook. While it’s understandable to pose the question whether WhatsApp in particular is a social media platform and not a messaging service only, it is being used by businesses and media outlets to communicate information and get closer to consumers. The general population, meanwhile, pursues a variety of activities on social networks, ********** sending private messages, as well as liking and commenting on posts by other users. Compared to other European countries and Russia, Germans do not spend the most time on social media. An open book? Facebook dominates the global social media scene and the numbers speak for themselves, with half of the world’s online population on it. Some of the most consistent, long-term concerns simultaneously arising with Facebook’s and other social networks’ staggering popularity have to do with transparency regarding data protection and user privacy options.

The total number of active social media users has noticeably increased in Russia, except for 2017, when the audience dropped in volume across the country. By January 2023, there were *** million active users of social media platforms in Russia.  

Popular social media platforms in Russia

VK (Vkontakte) was the leading social media platform in the country with a penetration rate of over ** percent as of the third quarter of 2022. The platform in question gained momentum after Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram were banned in Russia on the grounds of extremism in March 2022. By *************, VK counted nearly ** monthly users.

Social media usage in Russia

The increasingly interconnected world means that more and more Russians use social media these days. In August 2021, the most frequently employed devices for connecting to social networks were mobile appliances. This was particularly the case of Instagram and Telegram, where ** percent and ** percent used only mobile phones to access the social networks in question, respectively. Among the most frequent activities on social media were sending private messages, with every six in ** Russians reporting doing it in 2022.

The number of social media users in Latvia was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total *** million users (+***** percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach **** 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 *** 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).

In 2022, there were around **** billion social media users in China. Despite Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter being blocked in the country, local social networking sites such as WeChat and Weibo have been attracting millions of users, making China the world’s biggest social media market.

What is the role of social media in China? Around ** percent of the Chinese population use internet. Social networking plays a huge role among netizens, especially the younger generation. Chinese social media, just like Western equivalents, not only serves as a way to communicate online, but also as one of the main sources of news and entertainment, e-payments, shopping advisors, and dating channels. In 2021, over ** percent of surveyed social media users said they mostly appreciated that social networks help them to keep in touch with friends and family, but also share their life moments and thoughts.

What are the most popular social media platforms?

WeChat (Weixin in Chinese) is by far the most commonly seen social app in the country, used for anything from texting/calling to photo and video sharing, dating, financial services, game-playing, shopping, ride hailing, and so on. However, Chinese social media scene is quite diverse and dynamic, therefore, it is not just about WeChat. Instant messaging app Tencent QQ, microblogging site Weibo, video sharing app Youku Tudou, short-form video app Douyin (aka TikTok), photo editing and sharing app Meitu, restaurant recommendation and food ordering platform Meituan, Quora equivalent Zhihu, and dating app Momo are just a few among the most popular Chinese social media examples.

The reach by social network in the 'Total' segment of the digital advertising market in Malaysia was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total 2.5 million users (+8.55 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the indicator is estimated to reach 31.75 million users and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the reach by social network of the 'Total' segment of the digital advertising market was continuously increasing over the past years.Find further information concerning Vietnam and Indonesia. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

This statistic shows the forecast of monthly active users of social networks in France in 2020. That year, it is expected that 27.5 millions French will use the social network Facebook, while 4 millions will use Twitter.

The use of social media platforms continues to increase in the United Kingdom (UK) and is predicted to do so for the foreseeable future. As of 2024, there are a total of **** million social network users in the UK. The number of social media users in the UK is expected to reach ** million by 2027. Facebook users in the United Kingdom Social media network Facebook, which recently rebranded as Meta in a move towards the metaverse, had ***** million users in the United Kingdom as of December 2021, a relatively small increase on the previous year of *** million. Two years prior, the number of FB users in the UK was ***** million. Throughout 2021, Facebook’s user numbers declined, sinking to ***** in September, however, toward the end of the year, audience figures recovered. Furthermore, Facebook Messenger, Facebook’s instant messaging app, had a total of ***** million UK users at the end of 2021. The majority of UK Facebook users at the end of last year belonged to the 25 to 34 year age group which made up **** percent of all users. Overall, **** percent of audiences this age group were women and **** percent were men. Popular social networks in the United Kingdom In 2021, social media app Instagram had a total of ** million UK users. Instagram was most popular amongst 25 to 34 year olds, accounting for approximately a third of users. In addition, professional online networking platform LinkedIn also finds popularity amongst this demographic, with **** percent of its users being between the ages of 25 and 34 years.

With the ease of internet access, the number of social media users in India stood at 518 million in 2020. Furthermore, the social network users in the country were expected to be almost 1.5 billion in 2040. Facebook remained the popular choice among the social media platforms as of 2020.

What was the attraction and who was attracted to it?

The Indian Premier League, an annual cricket tournament conducted across major cities in the country might hold the answer. The IPL, one in many cricketing events followed religiously in India, had the highest attendance among all cricket leagues worldwide. Apart from the attendance, fans seemed to be keen on updates about their favorite teams. The IPL teams registered over 59 million likes on Facebook alone and more than 81 million followers on Twitter. Most of the Facebook usage came from the younger generation, aged between 18-24 years to be precise, with over 97 million users in 2018.

How was this achieved?

Increased availability of internet connections and access in recent years, propelled by the central government's Digital India initiative was directly proportional in the growth of social media users. Internet penetration had been on the rise with over 34 percent of the Indians being able to access the internet in 2017, which made the South Asian country the second largest market globally after China.

In 2022, there are around 23.14 million social media users in Peru, around 1.25 million more than the previous year. This figure is forecast to grow to 28.03 million users by 2027. In the same year, more than 68.68 percent of the population in the South American country accessed social media.

This statistic displays a ranking of the most popular social networks by number of visits in Germany in ************. In the period of consideration, Twitter ranked third with roughly **** million visits. By far the most popular online community was Facebook with ***** million visits in the same period. Twitter roughly doubled the amount of visits compared to previous data from ********. Facebook visits declined by approximately ** million.