In 2022, X (formerly Twitter) generated 4.73 billion U.S. dollars in advertising revenue. This figure is expected to drop to 2.7 billion U.S. dollars by 2027. The social platform is responsible for roughly one percent of the global ad revenue.

Social network platform in transition

Established in 2006, California-based platform X (formerly known as Twitter) ranked among the most popular social networks worldwide by number of monthly users as of late 2023. The company has undergone a profound transformation after Elon Musk's acquisition in October 2022. After the billionaire bought the platform, advertisers and marketers have closely observed every change regarding its features and policies. Due to many contradictory developments at Twitter, industry professionals have become increasingly more cautious with their investments. A prominent example was IPG - one of the world's top five advertisers - advising its customers to temporarily abstain from putting money into the platform. Another big advertiser who has also ceased ad investment in Walmart.

Social media powerhouse: Facebook

In the meantime, nearly half of the responding marketing professionals named Facebook the most important social media platform for their business. The social network giant's revenue amounted to 114 billion dollars in 2022. Although the figure was roughly 60 percent of Google's ad revenue, Meta stood further ahead of X in terms of money earned through selling ad spaces.

Twitter's ad business shrank both in 2023 and 2024, with global ad revenues falling to two billion dollars, according to the source's estimates. After the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk on October 27, 2022, the platform saw an exodus of users. December 2022 projections saw more than 30 million users leaving the platform by the end of 2024.

The global number of Twitter users in was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2028 by in total 74.3 million users (+17.32 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the Twitter user base is estimated to reach 503.42 million users and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the number of Twitter users of was continuously increasing over the past years.User figures, shown here regarding the platform twitter, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period.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).Find more key insights for the number of Twitter users in countries like South America and the Americas.

In 2021, Twitter generated more than 4.5 billion U.S. dollars in advertising service revenues, up from 3.2 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. Additionally, the micro-blogging platform produced around 571 million U.S. dollars in data licensing revenue, up from 508 million U.S. dollars in 2020.

This statistic provides data on Twitter's advertising revenue in the United States from 2017 to 2021. In 2018, the microblogging website earned an estimated 1.32 billion U.S. dollars with U.S. advertising and is expected to reach 1.78 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

Twitter's global advertising revenue was forecast to decrease by nearly 28 percent in 2023. After the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk on October 27, 2022, and Musk's announcement that the platform should become an "unbiased middle ground" for discussion, the platform saw a sharp increase in hate speech and racist content. Some 877 thousand users deactivated their accounts only in the first week after Musk's acquisition. This led advertisers to turn away from the platform, fearing for their brands' safety and losing audiences. In 2022, the platform's ad revenue declined by over seven percent after growing by roughly 40 percent one year before.

Advertising makes up 89% of its total revenue and data licensing makes up about 11%.

Since October 2022, when Twitter was purchased by Elon Musk, the platform has experienced a steep decline in advertising revenue. In November 2022, the revenue contracted by 57 percent compared to the value reported a month earlier. The growth rate continued to fluctuate between 57 percent and 72 percent until August 2023. On a global scale, X (formerly Twitter)'s ad revenue is expected to drop by rough 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

In the second quarter of 2022, X (formerly Twitter) generated total advertising revenues of approximately one billion U.S. dollars, down from 1.1 billion U.S. dollars in the previous quarter. Advertising accounts for the vast majority of the social network's revenues, while data licensing and other revenue for the second quarter of 2022 amounted to 100 million U.S. dollars. X/Twitter experienced overall net losses of 270 million U.S. dollars during this quarter.

In the most recently reported period, X (formerly Twitter) generated 89 percent of its revenue through advertising services, whilst 11 percent was generated via data licensing. In 2021, the micro-blogging platform generated over five billion U.S. dollars in worldwide revenue.

In March 2024, Google.com was the leading website worldwide. The search platform accounted for nearly 18.1 percent of desktop web traffic worldwide, ahead of second-ranked YouTube.com with over 13 percent.

In 2021, Twitter accounted for 0.9 percent of the global digital advertising revenue. After its acquisition by Elon Musk, the share was expected to fall to 0.8 percent in 2022 and remain stable in 2023. In 2024, the value was projected to fall further to 0.7 percent.

These are the key Twitter user statistics that you need to know.

The global sports social media platform market is experiencing robust growth, projected to reach $889 million in 2025, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.0% from 2025 to 2033. This significant expansion is fueled by several key drivers. The increasing popularity of sports globally, coupled with the rise of mobile usage and readily accessible high-speed internet, creates a fertile ground for engagement with sports-focused social media platforms. Furthermore, the platforms' ability to foster community interaction, offer live updates, and provide exclusive content caters to the demands of passionate sports fans seeking immersive experiences. The integration of advanced features like live streaming, interactive polls, and gamified experiences further enhances user engagement and drives market expansion. Demographics play a significant role, with the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups currently representing a substantial user base. However, the market’s expansion into older demographics presents a significant opportunity for future growth. The competitive landscape, featuring established players like Meta Platforms, Twitter, and YouTube alongside specialized platforms like Strava and Hupu, ensures a dynamic market with continuous innovation. Challenges also exist. Maintaining user engagement in a saturated digital media landscape demands constant innovation and effective content strategies. Competition for advertising revenue and the need to address concerns around data privacy and misinformation are ongoing hurdles. Geographical variations in internet penetration and mobile adoption also impact market growth, with regions like North America and Asia-Pacific currently leading the market, and potential for significant expansion across Africa and South America. Despite these challenges, the underlying trends of increasing sports viewership, technological advancements, and evolving social media habits point to sustained growth in the sports social media platform market throughout the forecast period. The market's segmentation by age and platform type allows companies to target specific niche audiences for enhanced marketing efficiency and revenue generation.

These Twitter user statistics will give you the complete story of where Twitter is at today and what the future looks like for the social media company.

As of February 2024, Twitter is ranked as the 12h most popular social media site in the world. The platform currently has 436 million active monthly users.

Over the forecast period until 2030, the ad spending is forecast to exhibit fluctuations among the nine segments. The ad spending decreases only in the segment Print Advertising towards the end of the forecast period, while the remaining segments follow a positive trend. The absolute difference between 2020 and 2030 is 14.51 billion U.S. dollars. Find further statistics on other topics such as a comparison of the reach in China and a comparison of the reach in Brazil. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

With over 436 million monthly active users, building a huge Twitter following is not an easy task.

This is the breakdown of Twitter users by age group.

The platform is male-dominated with 68.1% of all Twitter users being male. Just 31.9% of Twitter users are female.