Instagram Statistics: Key Demographic and User Numbers
Written by Backlinko Team
Since its launch in October 2010, Instagram has seen a meteoric rise to 2 billion active users, making it one of the top 4 social networks worldwide. How does that translate in terms of scale? Well, over one-third of the world’s active internet users will access the app EACH month!
So how many people use Instagram right now in 2024?
In this data-driven roundup on the platform’s users and demographics, you’ll see exactly why Facebook paid $1 billion in cash and stock to buy the photo-sharing platform 24 months after launch.
- Instagram Statistics (Top Picks)
- How Many People Use Instagram? MAU vs. DAU
- Number of Instagram Monthly Active Users (MAUs)
- Instagram User Growth Rate History
- Most Instagram Users by Country
- Ranked 3rd: Most Used Social Media Platforms Worldwide
- Popular Instagram User Demographics
- Average Number of Instagram Followers
- Average Time Spent on Instagram Per Day
- What’s The Best Time To Post On Instagram?
People visit Instagram’s free app to connect, discover, and be inspired. These emotional ties make it the ultimate platform for brands to connect with their audience, as well as take advantage of influencer marketing opportunities.
Let’s dive into the most jaw-dropping discoveries from one of the most popular Android and iOS apps to date:
Instagram Statistics (Top Picks)
- MAUs – Instagram monthly active users: 2 billion monthly active users access the Instagram app globally.
- With 2 billion monthly active users Instagram is ranked as the 3rd most popular social network by number of users. In front are Facebook with 3.07 billion, and YouTube with 2.5 billion users.
- 35.21% of the 5.68 mobile users worldwide access Instagram monthly, exceeding the population in Europe and North America combined.
- Instagram is most popular in India, with 385.35 million users, followed by the United States (166.15 million), Brazil (133.05 million), Indonesia (99.4 million) and Turkey (58.45 million).
- People spend an average of 33.9 minutes a day on Instagram.
How Many People Use Instagram? MAU vs. DAU
Social networks are typically ranked and measured by the size of their active user base on a monthly and daily basis.
Monthly Active Users Definition (MAUs): These are registered and logged-in users who visit Instagram’s App or web application within 30 days from the date of measurement.
Daily Active Users Definition (DAUs): These are registered and logged-in users who visit Instagram’s App or web application every day.
According to Instagram’s parent company Meta’s Q3 2022 earnings call, the current known number of Instagram users is 2 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
Company didn’t disclose recent figures on the number of daily active users but it already hit 500 million daily active users back in 2017 (with 800 million monthly active users at a time).
Number of Instagram Monthly Active Users (MAUs)
The last official release confirmed the number of people on Instagram is currently over 2 billion monthly active user accounts (1 billion increase in 4 years).
The 2 billion MAUs made Instagram the 4th largest social network worldwide, with 37.04% of the world’s 5.4 billion internet users accessing the app monthly.
Key Statistics:
- According to the latest official data, Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users (MAUs) globally.
- Right now, the country with the largest addressable Instagram ad audience size is India (385.35 million), followed by the United States (166.15 million) and Brazil (135.05 million).
- 37.04% of the world’s 5.4 billion active internet users regularly access Instagram.
- 35.21% of the world’s 5.68 billion active mobile phone users access Instagram.
- 38.68% of the world’s 4.95 billion active social media users access Instagram regularly.
- 24.94% of the world’s 8.02 billion population uses Instagram monthly. Instagram’s monthly user base exceeds the total population of Europe and North America combined.
Sources: Meta, TechCrunch, DataReportal, World Bank
Instagram’s MAU Timeline:
After the owners Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger changed their name from Burbn, Instagram launched a year later on October 6th, 2010, and snatched up 100,000 users in a week!
In 67 days, Instagram hit 1 million monthly users, and by February 2011, funding from investors resulted in the app getting valued at $25 million.
It took Instagram a year to hit 10 million MAUs. Then with the launch of an iPhone app, Facebook acquired the social network after 24 months of the original release date with 30 million monthly active users.
It took 7.7 years for Instagram since its launch to reach more than 1 billion monthly active users and 11.2 years to hit 2 billion monthly active users worldwide.
Notable Instagram MAU Milestones:
- February 2013: Instagram hit 100 million users (MAU)
- June 2016: Instagram hit 500 million users (MAU)
- June 2018: Instagram hit 1 billion users (MAU)
- October 2022: Instagram hit 2 billion users (MAU)
Instagram User Growth Rate History
According to estimates, the company has been adding over 70 million new users every year – This user growth rate has been consistent since 2020.
Global Instagram Monthly Active User Growth Rate
Below is the latest data available via Instagram (Facebook).
- 2020 to 2021 – 170 million user growth
- 2021 to 2022 – 70 million user growth
- 2022 to 2023 – 70 million user growth
- 2023 to 2024 – 50 million user growth
- 2024 to 2025 – 40 million user growth
Note: Data is based on estimates and includes forecasts. eMarketer estimates suggest around 1.51 billion Instagram monthly active users (below the company’s reported 2 billion monthly active user base) and are lower due to differences in methodology and accounting for spam, fake, and business users.
Another interesting estimate they’ve made is about the US growth of the platform:
US Instagram Monthly Active User Growth Rate
- 2020 to 2021 – 4.31% year-over-year change
- 2021 to 2022 – 3.98% year-over-year change
- 2022 to 2023 – 4.05% year-over-year change
- 2023 to 2024 – 3.75% year-over-year change
- 2024 to 2025 – 3.47% year-over-year change
Note: Data above includes forecasts.
As the platform has become more accessible to the world with new features like instant translation, Instagram has seen some impressive growth outside of the US.
What you have to consider with Instagram’s growth is that there are only 5.68 billion mobile users worldwide, and so far, a whopping 35.21% of them have the app.
Instagram Reach Rates
Below, we see Instagram’s estimated penetration rates in select countries ranked by Instagram ad reach rate vs. population aged 18+
And here is the detailed table.
| Country | Instagram Reach Rate (Compared with Overall Population 18+) |
|---|---|
| Turkey | 88.3% |
| Brazil | 78.1% |
| Australia | 63.9% |
| Spain | 63.1% |
| UK | 59.5% |
| USA | 59.1% |
| Canada | 57.7% |
| France | 52.8% |
| Indonesia | 46.3% |
| Germany | 46.0% |
Sources: Statista, eMarketer, DataReportal, eMarketer
Most Instagram Users by Country
Next up, we look at which country has the most Instagram users.
In 2024, 90.11% of Instagram’s 1.68 billion users that can be potentially reached with adverts on the platform are outside the US.
The countries with the most active accounts accessing the photo-sharing app are India with 385.35 million users, followed by the United States with 166.15 million, Brazil (133.05 million), Indonesia (99.4 million), and Turkey (58.45 million).
This international presence, as you see below, makes Instagram especially appealing to both influencers and brands for advertising:
| Country | Instagram Users |
|---|---|
| India | 385.35 million |
| USA | 166.15 million |
| Brazil | 135.05 million |
| Indonesia | 99.4 million |
| Turkey | 58.45 million |
| Japan | 55.5 million |
| Mexico | 46.7 million |
| Germany | 32.85 million |
| UK | 31.9 million |
| Italy | 28.45 million |
Source: DataReportal
How Many Americans Use Instagram?
According to the latest eMarketer estimates, Instagram has 143.2 million active users in the US, accounting for 41.9% of the population.
Source: eMarketer
Ranked 3rd: Most Used Social Media Platforms Worldwide
In 2024, Instagram is currently ranked 3rd out of all social media networks worldwide, with over 2 billion people using the app each month. Parent company Facebook owns four of the five top-ranked social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram).
Right now, there are over 4.95 billion social media users globally. Hopefully, that will put some perspective on how dominant some of the players in the table below genuinely are!
| Platform | Active Users (in millions) |
|---|---|
| 3,065 | |
| YouTube | 2,504 |
| 2,000 | |
| 2,000 | |
| TikTok | 1,582 |
| 1,343 | |
| Facebook Messenger | 1,010 |
| Telegram | 900 |
| Snapchat | 800 |
| Douyin | 755 |
| Kuaishou | 700 |
| X (Twitter) | 611 |
| 598 | |
| 554 | |
| 498 |
Source: Statista
Popular Instagram User Demographics
The United States has over 166.15 million Instagram users, making it the country with the 2nd largest Instagram audience worldwide.
In the US, 75% of people aged 18-24 use Instagram making up the largest group by age, followed by 57% of 25-30 year-olds.
Launching in 2010, Instagram has had plenty of time to become part of the younger generation’s lives. So much so that over half of millennials use Instagram and two-thirds of Generation Z.
Next up, we take a look at the current demographics of the world’s biggest social media platform.
Instagram User Demographics by Gender
Instagram’s user base is almost evenly split by gender.
- Globally: 47.6% of Instagram users aged 18+ are female and another 52.4% are male.
- United States: 55.4% of Instagram users aged 18+ are female and 44.6% are male.
Instagram User Age Demographics in the US
To get an idea of who uses Instagram the most, here’s a breakdown of the age-related demographics among US adults:
Here are the exact numbers:
- 78% of people aged 18-29 use Instagram
- 59% of people aged 30-49 use Instagram
- 35% of people aged 50-64 use Instagram
- 15% of people aged 65+ use Instagram
US Regional Demographics of Instagram Users
- 53% of people living in an urban area use the app
- 49% of people living in a suburban area use the app
- 38% of people living in a rural area use the app
Instagram User Education Demographics in the US
- 37% of people educated at high school or less use the app
- 50% of people educated at the college level use the app
- 55% of people educated at more than college level use the app
Instagram User Income Demographics
- 37% of people earning less than $30,000 use the app
- 46% of people earning between $30,000 to $69,999 use the app
- 49% of people earning between $70,000 to $99,999 use the app
- 54% of people earning more than $100,000 use the app
Sources: DataReportal, Statista, Pew Research
Average Number of Instagram Followers
According to a study by Mention, the vast majority of Instagram users have less than 10,000 followers.
Brands turn to micro-influencers to promote their products, typically with 50,000 to 100,000 followers.
As you’ll see below from the breakdown of users and followers, this is only 3.15% of the platform’s total population.
Average Number of Instagram Followers
- 26.43% of users have less than 1,000 followers
- 49.94% of users have between 1,000 to 10,000 followers
- 15.21% of users have between 10,000 to 50,000 followers
- 3.15% of users have between 50,000 to 100,000 followers
- 3.89% of users have between 100,000 to 500,000 followers
- 0.62% of users have between 500,000 and 1 million followers
- 0.76 of users have more than 1 million followers
Top 10 Most-Followed Instagram Accounts
Ignoring Instagram’s profile as the number one followed account on its platform, the top-ranked list is like a who’s who from music, sports, and entertainment.
Some celebs on the list like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian enhanced their fame and income through social media platforms like this.
- Instagram – 676.41 million followers
- Cristiano Ronaldo – 638.55 million followers
- Leo Messi – 504.5 million followers
- Selena Gomez – 424.94 million followers
- Kylie – 397.37 million followers
- Dwayne Johnson – 395.96 million followers
- Ariana Grande – 377.21 million followers
- Kim Kardashian – 361.06 million followers
- Beyoncé – 316.73 million followers
- Khloé Kardashian – 307.28 million followers
Sources: Mention, Social Blade
Average Time Spent on Instagram per Day
According to the latest data, Instagram users worldwide on Android devices spend an average of 33.9 minutes per day (16 hours 56 minutes per month) on the app.
In the US, across all devices, the average time spent on Instagram per day is 33.1 minutes among users ages 18+.
To put in perspective, the average time spent on Instagram is behind TikTok, Youtube, and X (Twitter).
Here’s the complete data on the average time spent per day on Instagram by adult users in the US:
| Platform | Average time spent per day |
|---|---|
| TikTok | 53.8 minutes |
| YouTube | 48.7 minutes |
| X (Twitter) | 34.1 minutes |
| 33.1 minutes | |
| Snapchat | 30 minutes |
| 30.9 minutes | |
| 24.1 minutes |
In the US, Instagram users aged 18-24 spend the most time on Instagram – an average of 53 minutes per day.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the average time spent on Instagram among US adult users by age:
| Age | Average Time Spent per Day |
|---|---|
| 18-24 | 53 minutes |
| 25-34 | 37 minutes |
| 35-44 | 28 minutes |
| 45-54 | 27 minutes |
| 55-64 | 26 minutes |
| 65+ | 20 minutes |
Sources: DataReportal, eMarketer 1, eMarketer 2
What’s the Best Time to Post on Instagram?
On average, the best time to post on Instagram is between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. However, posting on different days of the week can considerably alter your follower’s engagement levels.
What are the best days to post on Instagram? Tuesdays at 10:00 am, and Thursdays between 09:00 am to 11:00 am.
Best Times to Post on Instagram Daily
Here we have the most popular traffic and engagement times on Instagram, and overall you want to avoid posting on Sunday as it has the lowest user interaction out of the seven days.
- Monday: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Tuesday: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
- Wednesday: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
- Thursday: 9:00 – 11:00 am
- Friday: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
- Saturday: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
- Sunday: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
What About Time Zones?
If you have followers split across different countries or even the East / West Coast of America, this can make a difference to your engagement.
The simplest way of tackling this is to use Instagram’s insights tool, the free analytics available in the app to all professional account users.
- Go to your profile page, and click the menu icon in the top right
- Click on insights from the list
- Click on the audience tab
- Then, scroll down to the Cities and location section
By checking this data out, you can work out what time zones the majority of your users are in, then plan your posts around that with the top engagement times I’ve added above!
Source: Sprout Social
Conclusion
There you have it, that’s it for my Instagram user base statistics.
This roundup was a tough one to put together as Facebook doesn’t regularly publish as much data about the other platforms they own, even the second most logged-in social network Instagram.