Since its introduction in 2010, Instagram has skyrocketed to over 2.4 billion active users, making it one of the top 5 social networking platforms globally. If we put it on a scale, a quarter of the world’s active netizens use the platform every month!
Instagram will turn 13 in 2024, and it is only getting younger with more features and improved algorithms!
If you want to plan your marketing strategy for Instagram in 2024, it’s critical to stay up to date on its current state and trends. We have covered everything from Instagram’s demographics to the best time to post on the platform in this post.
About Instagram:
| Launched on | 6 October 2010 |
| Headquarters at | Menlo Park, California |
| People | Adam Mosseri (Head of Instagram), Kevin Systrom (co-founder), Mike Krieger (co-founder) |
| Parent Company | Meta (Facebook) |
Instagram Statistics 2024 (Top Picks)
- Instagram currently has over 2.4 billion users, this number is projected to reach 2.5 billion by the end of 2024.
- Over 500 million users access Instagram every day.
- 61% of Instagram’s audience is aged between 18 to 34.
- An average user spends 24 minutes on Instagram every day.
- 50.7% of Instagram users are males, and 49.3% are females.
Instagram Monthly Active Users (MAUs)
There are currently over 2.4 billion monthly active Instagram users. The platform gained 100 million users in the previous quarter alone.
Considering the growth trend, the number of Instagram MAUs is estimated to reach over 2.5 billion by the end of Q1 2024.
Here is a table showing Instagram MAUs over the years:
| Year | Instagram Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 110 million |
| 2014 | 200 million |
| 2015 | 370 million |
| 2016 | 500 million |
| 2017 | 700 million |
| 2018 | 1 billion |
| 2019 | 1.1 billion |
| 2020 | 1.3 billion |
| 2021 | 2 billion |
| 2022 | 2.3 billion |
| 2023 | 2.4 billion |
| 2024* | 2.5 billion |
Source: BusinessOfApps
Additional Insights On Instagram Monthly Active Users:
- 45.28% of the world’s 5.07 billion internet users access Instagram every month.
- Instagram is used by 29.62% of the world’s population.
- The monthly active user base of Instagram is equivalent to the population of the EU and North America combined.
- Instagram had 30 million monthly active users when Facebook (META) bought the social network for $1 billion.
Sources: (Facebook) (Statista) (Mention) (Worldometers) (WordPopulationReview) (Statista) (Statista)
Instagram MAUs As It Happened Over The Years:
- It took 2.5 months for Instagram to reach the 1 million user mark. This was in 2010.
- Instagram reached 10 million MAUs in 2011.
- In February 2011, with the help of investors, Instagram’s value reached $25 million.
Instagram Daily Active Users (DAUs)
500 million people use Instagram daily.
It’s important to note that this is the official figure released back in 2017; official data is not available on Instagram DAUs since.
During that time, Instagram had 800 million MAUs. That means back in 2017, 62.5% of Instagram’s MAUs were its DAUs
Now that Instagram’s MAUs have crossed the 2.5 billion mark, the number of DAUs might easily be over 1 billion. However, this is just a prediction, let’s wait for the official announcement to roll out.
Some Quick Pointers on Instagram DAUs:
- With 500 million DAUs, Instagram is ranked second only to Facebook in terms of daily logins.
- All of the 500 million traffic interact with Instagram stories.
- Instagram is used by 9.86% of the world’s 5.07 billion Netizens daily.
- Instagram is used by 10% of the globe’s 4.9 billion active social media users daily.
- Instagram is used by 6.32% of the world’s population daily.
- Instagram’s DAUs are 69 million more in numbers than the entire population of South America.
Sources: (Facebook) (Statista) (Worldometers) (WordPopulationReview) (Statista) (Recode)
Instagram Users By Country
With 359 million users, India is the country with the highest number of Instagram users, followed by the USA (158.5 million), Brazil (123 million), and Indonesia (105 million).
Here is a table showing the countries with the most Instagram users:
| Countries | Instagram Users |
|---|---|
| India | 359 million |
| United States | 158.5 million |
| Brazil | 123 million |
| Indonesia | 105 million |
| Turkey | 57 million |
| Japan | 55 million |
| Mexico | 46 million |
| Germany | 32 million |
| United Kingdom | 31.3 million |
| Italy | 29 million |
- Around 87% of Instagram’s 1.31 billion users who might potentially be targeted with ads are located outside of the United States.
Source: (Oberlo)
Top Nations With The Highest Instagram Penetration
| Nation | Percent Of Population |
|---|---|
| Brunei | 89% |
| Kazakhstan | 82.7% |
| Turkey | 76.5% |
| Cyprus | 75.7% |
| Cayman Islands | 75.5% |
| Iceland | 73.8% |
| Guam | 72.8% |
| Chile | 72.3% |
| Sweden | 71.3% |
| Uruguay | 71.2% |
Instagram Stories Statistics:
Instagram launched the stories feature on August 2nd, 2016, a direct challenge to rival Snapchat. It provides the users with video and photo sequences that disappear after 24 hours from the time of post. Just a couple of months after releasing the feature, 100 million users started interacting with it on a daily basis.
The feature overtook Snapchat’s 150 million DAUs 8 months after its introduction.
Below is the breakdown of Instagram Stories Daily Active Users:
| Date | Instagram Daily Active Users |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 100 million |
| 2017 | 250 million |
| 2019 | 500 million |
| 2022 | 650 million |
| 2023 | Over 990 million |
Additional Statistics On Instagram Stories:
- 62% of people are more interested in a brand after viewing it on Instagram Stories.
- The most popular Giphy in Instagram Stories is the “heart love sticker.”
- The most active brands post 17 Stories per month.
What does this tell us? It is okay to keep some vacant days on your content calendar for Instagram stories.
Instagram User Growth Rate Timeline
As per Instagram’s official data,
- The platform has been gaining around 100 million new users every 4 to 9 months (Constant since 2014).
However, the corporation saw a significant rise of 200 million new users between September 2017 and June 2018. From 2018 to 2019, the rate slowed to a more consistent 6.7%
Check On Instagram Bots and Spam Accounts
- It is reported that Instagram has 95 million bot accounts, implying that 4.75% of their 2 billion MAUs are false profiles.
- Instagram’s bogus bot accounts cost marketers an estimated $1.3 billion each year in the advertising ecosystem.
- Instagram expects users will need to block 4 million fewer accounts every week since these accounts will now be blocked automatically as per their updated spam policy.
- Around 15% of an influencer’s followers are fake.
Source: (Basic Thinking) (Instagram Blog)
Instagram and its Rank Amongst the Social Media Giants
With 2.4 billion active users, Instagram ranks 4th among the biggest social media networks globally as of 2024.
Parent corporation Meta (Facebook) owns 3 of the top 6 social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram).
| Social Media Platform | Active users |
|---|---|
| 3.03 billion | |
| YouTube | 2.7 billion |
| 2.7 billion. | |
| 2.4 billion. | |
| 1.67 billion | |
| TikTok | 1.67 billion |
| FB Messenger | 1.03 billion. |
| Snapchat | 750 million |
| Telegram | 700 million |
| 606 million |
Instagram Demographics
Gen Z and Millenials form the majority of the Instagram user base. While most other platforms only allow users who are 18+ to create an account, Instagram is an exception, it allows users from 13 years of age.
Take a detailed look at Instagram’s demographics in this section.
Instagram Users By Age
The majority of Instagram users belong to the 18 to 34 age group. This age group makes up 61.8% of the total Instagram audience.
70% of Instagram’s users are aged below 35.
Here is a table showing the share of Instagram users based on their age:
| Age Group | Share of Users |
|---|---|
| 13-17 | 8.5% |
| 18-24 | 30.1% |
| 25-34 | 31.5% |
| 35-44 | 16.1% |
| 45-54 | 8% |
| 55-64 | 3.6% |
| 65+ | 2.1% |
Gender Split Of Instagram Users
50.7% of males and 49.3% of females make up the total Instagram audience.
Here is a table showing Instagram’s gender split:
| Gender | Share of Users |
|---|---|
| Males | 50.7% |
| Females | 49.3% |
Instagram is Gen Z’s favorite platform to socialize
Instagram is preferred by individuals aged 16 to 24 over other social networks, even surpassing TikTok. If you want to reach that age group, Instagram appears to be the place to go.
Interesting read: If you are also a TikTok creator, you might want to check out when is the best time to post on TikTok to get insights on the posting time.
Males of Generation X are the fastest-growing Instagram users
The number of male users aged 55 – 64 who use Instagram increased by 63.6%. So, certainly, it’s a location where youngsters hang out, but don’t overlook the fact that other generations are engaged here as well.
Instagram is used by 5% of youngsters under the age of 11 in the United States
This is against Instagram’s user standards, which state that users must be at least 13 y/o to establish an account. Still, the platform is used by 11% of children aged 9 -11.
14% of adults in the United States have never heard about Instagram:
While Instagram has a large following in the United States, it does not reach everyone. This fact makes it more critical to understand the audience.
Instagram Users in the United States by Location:
| Location | Percent of users |
|---|---|
| Urban | 45% |
| Sub-urban | 31% |
| Rural | 24% |
The Average Age of A USA-Based Instagrammer
The majority of Instagram users in the USA belong to the 25 to 34 age group. They account for 71% of total American users.
| Age Group | User Percent |
|---|---|
| 13 to 17 | 5.1% |
| 18 to 24 | 25.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 27.4% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.6% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.2% |
| 65+ | 5.2% |
Instagram Audience And Their Income
42% of the Instagram users in the US earn less than $75k a year, while 39% of the users earn between 30k to 75k
Here is a table showing the income of Instagram users in the United States:
| People’s income | User Percent |
|---|---|
| Earning < $29,999 | 31% |
| Earning between $30,000 to $74,999 | 35% |
| Earning > $75,000 | 34% |
Instagram Reel Statistics
Instagram reels are the direct answer to TikToks. Instagram reels have gained immense popularity ever since their launch in 2020. As a matter of fact, all of Instagram’s 2.4 billion MAUs now interact with the reels feature. Here are some more facts and figures associated with this cool feature:
- 2.4 billion people all over the world interact with Instagram reels every month.
- It is estimated that around 2.5 billion people will interact with the reels feature in 2024.
- Ads on reels have a 60-second limit.
- Reels have a 22% higher chance of engaging users on Instagram compared to a standard video post.
- Instagram reels are used most by people aged 18 to 34.
- 53.9% of the Instagram reel audience are males, and 46.1% are females.
Threads by Instagram Statistics
Threads is an app by Instagram that focuses on discussions rather than visual material. Users can post threads and reply to others. These replies can include text (up to 500 characters), links, photos, and videos. Basically, this is Instagram’s counter to Twitter.
Let us look at some of the interesting facts and figures associated with the Threads app!
- Thread become the fastest-growing consumer product ever.
- Threads acquired 100 million users in just 5 days.
- Threads acquired 2 million users within the first 2 hours and 10 million users in the first 7 hours of its launch.
- 100+ Million Threads were shared within 24 hours.
- The Threads app is available in 100 countries. Nations in the European Union are excluded due to data-sharing policies between Instagram and Threads.
Average Number of Instagram followers
According to a BrandWatch survey, Most Instagrammers have fewer than 1k followers. Micro-influencers, who generally have 50,000 – 100,000 fans, are used by businesses to advertise their products.
As you can see below, this accounts for just 0.94 percent of the platform’s entire population.
| Number of Followers | User Percent |
|---|---|
| < 1,000 | 53.62% |
| 1001 – 10,000 | 38.03% |
| 10,001 – 50,000 | 6.2% |
| 50,001 – 100,000 | 0.94% |
| 100,001 – 500,000 | 0.94% |
| 500,001 – 10 million+ | 0.27% |
Instagram Influencer Statistics
Being a media-sharing platform, Instagram is a prominent participant in the influencer economy, where people receive money in part based on their follower count.
- Influencers are paid based on their follower count, and if it’s full of bots, marketers are the ones losing their money.
- If an influencer has 43,000 followers and consistently posts 8 posts and 8 stories every month, they may expect to make $37,442 per year. That is equal to the typical income of a UK citizen
- In 2019, bogus bot profiles cost brands $1.3 billion.
- Influencers with fewer than 10k followers get paid around $80-$90/post.
- Influencers with fewer than 100k followers are paid around $200/post
- Influencers with between 250k to 500k followers may expect to earn roughly $670/post
- Influencers with more than 1 million followers will be paid around $1900 for each post.
According to Instagram, 87% of individuals claim an influencer influenced them to make a purchasing decision. The data also suggests that around 70% of “shopping fanatics” use Instagram to find new products.
Even if users aren’t directly shopping from influencers, there’s no doubt their effect on maintaining Instagram’s status as a shopping destination along with a social media platform. Picture posts (78%) & Stories (73%) are viewed as the most successful kinds of content by people who engage in shopping from influencers.
Sources: (Ghostdata) (WSJ) (Wired) (PetalCard)
Interesting Read: Explore influencer earnings with our detailed research.
- The top 50 Instagram influencers have almost 7 billion Followers combined.
Most Followed Instagram Users
Leaving aside Instagram’s official profile, which is the most followed handle on the network, the top ranks are dominated by people from the music, sports, and entertainment industry. Some of the celebrities on the list, such as Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, have increased their reputation and money by using Instagram and other social media.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram, with 596 million followers, accounting for over 23% of the platform’s overall user population.
Below is the list of the top 20 most-followed people on Instagram:
| Instagram’s Username | Profile Name (Owner) | Followers | Profession |
|---|---|---|---|
| @cristiano | Cristiano Ronaldo | 614 million | Footballer |
| @leomessi | Lionel Messi | 495 million | Footballer |
| @selenagomez | Selena Gomez | 429 million | Musician, actress, producer, and businesswoman |
| @kyliejenner | Kylie Jenner | 399 million | Television personality, model, and businesswoman |
| @therock | Dwayne Johnson | 394 million | Actor and professional wrestler |
| @arianagrande | Ariana Grande | 380 million | Musician and actress |
| @kimkardashian | Kim Kardashian | 364 million | Television personality, model, and businesswoman |
| @beyonce | Beyoncé | 319 million | Musician, actress, producer, and businesswoman |
| @khloekardashian | Khloé Kardashian | 311 million | Television personality and model |
| @nike | Nike | 306 million | Sportswear multinational |
| @Kendalljenner | Kendall Jenner | 294 million | Model and television personality |
| @justinbieber | Justin Bieber | 292 million | Musician |
| @natgeo | National Geographic | 283 million | Magazine |
| @taylorswift | Taylor Swift | 279 million | Musician |
| @virat.kohli | Virat Kohli | 265 million | Cricketer |
| @jlo | Jennifer Lopez | 253 million | Musician and actress |
| @nickiminaj | Nicki Minaj | 229 million | Musician |
| @kourtneykardash | Kourtney Kardashian | 224 million | Television personality and model |
| @neymarjr | Neymar | 217 million | Footballer |
| @mileycyrus | Miley Cirus | 215 million | Musician and actress |
Source: (BrandWatch) (Statista) (Wikipedia)
Top 20 Most Liked Posts On Instagram
Until 20th December 2022, Chris Godfrey’s photo of an egg was the most-liked post on Instagram. Lionel Messi surpassed it with his post of the FIFA World Cup 2022 celebration;
Lionel Messi’s post has over 75.7 million likes at the time of writing this article.
Let us take a look at Instagram’s top 10 most-liked posts of all time:
| Rank | Account Owner | Post Description | Number of Likes |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Photos of Lionel Messi and his teammates after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina | 75.7 million |
| 2 | Chris Godfrey | Photo of an egg | 60.2 million |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Photos of Lionel Messi in bed with the FIFA World Cup Trophy | 54.8 million |
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Photo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo playing chess, advertising for Louis Vuitton | 42.8 million |
| 5 | Lionel Messi | Photo of Lionel Messi on an airplane with the FIFA World Cup Trophy | 42.0 million |
| 6 | Cristiano Ronaldo Al Nassr FC | Announcement of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Al Nassr FC | 34.5 million |
| 7 | Lionel Messi | Celebrating the 2022 FIFA World Cup win in Argentina | 34.5 million |
| 8 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Photo after 2022 FIFA World Cup elimination | 34.3 million |
| 9 | Leonel Messi | Photo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo playing chess, advertising for Louis Vuitton | 33 million |
| 10 | Cristiano RonaldoGeorgina Rodríguez | Their twins pregnancy announcement | 32.7 million |
| 11 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Post in remembrance of Pelé | 32.4 million |
| 12 | XXXTentacion | Final post before his death | 31.8 million |
| 13 | Lionel Messi | Photos after 2022 FIFA World Cup match against Croatia | 29.8 million |
The Average Amount of Time Spent on Instagram Every Day
67.) As per Data Reportal’s global overview report, Instagram users spend an average of 24 minutes each day on the platform. This translates to 11.2 hours every month.
This figure may be further broken down as per users’ age. Instagram users under the age of 25 spend 32 minutes/per day, and users over the age of 25 spend 24 minutes/per day on the platform.
Additional Stats:
- Users of age below 25 spend more than 8 days each year on the network.
- Users of age over 25 spend more than 6 days each year on the network.
- A heavy social media user spends 1 hour and 25 minutes on average each day on the platform.
- An average individual over the age of 18 will spend more than 19 days a year on social media across all platforms.
The introduction of Instagram Stories in 2016, which included features such as Boomerang & GIPHY stickers, has also led to an increase in the amount of time individuals spend on Instagram.
Source: (Instagram) (eMarketer)
Instagram Statistics for Businesses
90% of Instagrammers follow at least one brand
Instagram is a place to build brand networks and enhance engagement with existing and potential consumers. Instagram delivers new business features on a regular basis. The platform also has a dedicated Instagram for Business handle to help you get started.
Know all about Instagram for Business by clicking HERE.
One in every two people has used Instagram to explore new businesses:
It’s a fantastic discovery tool! 50% of consumers use it to find new companies, goods, or services. Furthermore, two-thirds of respondents believe the platform promotes meaningful engagement with businesses.
Instagram is used by 44% of individuals to purchase on a weekly basis:
The shopping function was introduced recently, but it has already taken the retail industry by storm. According to an official Instagram report, 44 percent of users use the platform to shop on a weekly basis.
In 2021, Instagram’s ad reach surpassed that of Facebook:
Facebook’s worldwide ad. reach expanded by just 6.5%, while Instagram’s increased by a staggering 20.5%. If sponsored reach is a cornerstone of your social media plan. Take your business on the platform ASAP!
Brands post 1.6 times/day on average
Taking yearly posts into account, 62.7 % are images, and 16.3 % are videos. If you’ve been sticking to a photo-only strategy, now could be the time to branch out.
Did You Know? 77% of businesses use retargeting on Instagram to regain potential clients.
The Best Time To Post On Instagram (2024)
The best time to post on Instagram varies from day to day. You can check our detailed guide and find the best time to post on Instagram.
Here is a table that shows the best time to post on Instagram each day of the week:
| Day | Ideal Time to Post | Peak Engagement Time |
| Monday | 6 Am, 10 Am, 10 Pm. | 11 Am to 2 Pm. |
| Tuesday | 2 Am, 4 Am, 9 Am. | 10 Am to 3 Pm. |
| Wednesday | 7 Am, 8 Am, 9 Am. | 11 Am to 1 Pm. |
| Thursday | 7 Am, 8 Am, 11 Pm. | 1 Pm to 3 Pm. |
| Friday | 5 Am, 1 Pm, 3 Pm. | 10 Am to 11 Am. |
| Saturday | 11 Am, 7 Pm, 8 Pm. | 10:00 am |
| Sunday | 7 Am, 8 Am, 4 Pm. | Around Noon. |
One thing to remember is that these times may not work for all. You might want to consider the following factors before deciding your sweet spot for posting:
- Time Zone and Location (of both yours and your audience).
- Primary audience.
- Your CTA.
NOTE: You might want to avoid publishing on Sundays because it has the lowest user involvement of the week.
Sources: (SproutSocial) (HubSpot)
How to Tackle the Issue of Time Zones:
If your followers are from various nations or even the east and west coasts of the United States, this might affect your engagement.
The easiest approach to deal with this is to use Instagram’s insights function, which provides free statistics to all professional account users in the application itself.
To access it,
- navigate to your profile page and click the menu icon in the upper right corner.
- Select ‘insight’ from the list.
- Select the ‘audience tab’.
- scroll down to see the ‘Cities and location’ section.
By examining this data, you can determine what time zones the bulk of your users are in, and then arrange your posts around the top engagement periods We’ve shown above! Easy isn’t it?
Instagram Employee strength
There are currently 450 people working at Instagram serving 2 billion monthly users. This is a minuscule figure when compared to parent corporation Meta’s Facebook, which has approximately 58,600 employees serving 2.9 billion users.
In comparison to other successful social media players, Instagram has always managed to operate with a small crew. For e.g., Twitter employs 6,600 people and serves over one-third of Instagram’s MAUs.
Timeline of workforce
- 2009: Kevin Systrom begins development on Burbn (Instagram) (single employee)
- 2010: Mike Krieger joined the project, bringing the total number of staff to 2.
- 2012: The Instagram staff expanded to 13 people, serving 30 million members before being acquired by Meta for half a billion U.S. dollars.
- 2022: Instagram has 450 employees serving Over 2 Billion active users.
Trends To Lookout For In 2024
Change is the only constant on Instagram! If you want your presence to be felt by the majority of the audience, you need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. As we wind up 2023 and enter 2024, we have mentioned some crucial Instagram trends to look into and implement into your campaign to make it big!
Trend #1: Reels, Reels, and more Reels.
Short-form video content is the eye-catcher on almost all social media platforms. Instagram reels, which were launched back in 2019 as the answer to TikToks, are spreading like wildfire. As a matter of fact, every Instagram user interacts with reels when they are on the platform. Check our complete guide on Instagram Reels here.
Trend #2: Paid advertising can be a way!
With the ever-changing Instagram algorithm, it is almost impossible to maintain a good organic reach on the platform. Harness the power of Instagram ads and get your business/brand in front of millions of eyeballs. A survey by Data Reportal reveals that Instagram can reach 1.44 billion people through ads.
Trend #3: Collaborations!
One more great way to get extra reach is to post collaborative posts with accounts with higher engagement.
Trend #4: Dance and Meme Revolution.
One-third of Instagram’s young users are “eager to see more dancing challenges in 2022,” according to the social media platform’s own 2022 trend report. Talking about memes, it has always been there, isn’t it? Make use of these and grow your account to the next level.
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