Report highlights. Instagram is the third most popular social media platform in the world, with nearly two billion monthly active users worldwide as of Feb 2025.
- In 2017, Instagram recorded 500 million daily active users.
- The majority of Instagram users (61.1%) are in the 18–34 age group.
- About 35.97% of the 5.56 billion people who use the internet worldwide access Instagram regularly.
- India has the largest user base at 413.85 million, followed by the US (171.7 million) and Brazil (140.7 million).
Related reports: How Many People Use TikTok in 2025 | Biggest Social Media Platforms and Apps in 2025 | Social Media Marketing Statistics for 2025
Comparison with other platforms
Instagram is among the top three largest social media platforms globally and remains one of Meta’s most popular apps among younger audiences.
- The 25–34 age group represents the largest share of Instagram users at 31.6%, followed closely by the 18–24 group at 29.5%.
- Gender distribution on Instagram is nearly balanced worldwide, with 52.5% male users and 46.5% female users. Regional differences exist, such as a slightly higher share of female users in the US and more male users in India.
- In the US, Instagram reaches 76% of adults aged 18–29, showing strong usage among young adults.
- The platform is widely used in both cities and suburbs, with 51% of US urban residents and 54% of suburban residents on Instagram.
- About 72% of Gen Z users rely on Instagram for customer service, indicating engagement beyond content consumption.
- Instagram also plays a major role in shopping, with 61% of users using it for discovering new products.
- On average, users spend approximately 32 minutes per day on the app.
Instagram demographics
Instagram is especially popular among younger generations, with about six out of 10 (61%) users under the age of 34.
- The 25–34 age group represents the largest share of Instagram users at 31.6%, followed closely by the 18–24 group at 29.5%.
- Gender distribution on Instagram is nearly balanced worldwide, with 52.5% male users and 46.5% female users. Regional differences exist, such as a slightly higher share of female users in the US and more male users in India.
- In the US, Instagram reaches 76% of adults aged 18–29, showing strong usage among young adults.
- The platform is widely used in both cities and suburbs, with 51% of US urban residents and 54% of suburban residents on Instagram.
- About 72% of Gen Z users rely on Instagram for customer service, indicating engagement beyond content consumption.
- Instagram also plays a major role in shopping, with 61% of users using it for discovering new products.
- On average, users spend approximately 32 minutes per day on the app.
Engagement depth and reach
Instagram engagement continues to be driven by Stories, Reels, and carousels, with carousels emerging as the dominant format by engagement and Reels by reach.
- According to 2019 data, more than 500 million people used Instagram Stories each day.
- By 2024, Reels had become the platform’s fastest-growing format, with over 200 billion plays daily across Instagram and Facebook.
- Reels generate twice as much interaction as static image posts, particularly among Gen Z users.
- Instagram’s average engagement rate across all content dropped to about 0.50% in 2025, a year-over-year decrease of 28%.
- Carousels lead with an engagement rate of 0.55% per post, followed by Reels at 0.50%, and static image posts at 0.45%.
- Smaller accounts (those with 5,000 – 10,000 followers) see a view rate on Reels of about 20%.
- Carousels generate 12% more engagement than Reels and about 2.14 times more engagement than single-image posts.
- Reach for Reels is much higher than other formats: Reels reach around 36% more users than carousels and around 125% more than single-photo posts.
- Reels account for 35% of total Instagram usage time in 2025.
Instagram users by country
India has the largest number of active Instagram accounts at around 414 million, which is more than double the user base of the United States (172 million) and nearly three times that of Brazil (141 million).
Together, these three countries represent a major share of Instagram’s global audience.
The table below lists the top 10 countries by Instagram users:
| Rank | Country | No. of users (millions) |
| 1 | India | 413.85 |
| 2 | United States | 171.7 |
| 3 | Brazil | 140.7 |
| 4 | Indonesia | 103.4 |
| 5 | Turkey | 58.45 |
| 6 | Japan | 57.45 |
| 7 | Mexico | 48.75 |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 33.4 |
| 9 | Germany | 31.25 |
| 10 | Argentina | 28.9 |
Regional insights
Instagram adoption varies widely across regions.
- Southern Asia leads in overall share, with about 448 million users representing roughly 25.7% of the global audience. South-Eastern Asia follows with around 177 million users (about 10.2%).
- Southern America contributes about 237 million users, or 13.6% of Instagram’s global total, while Northern America accounts for about 192 million users (about 11%).
- The Middle East shows some of the highest penetration rates worldwide, with 80.1% of the UAE population and 72.2% of Saudi Arabia’s population using Instagram.
- In terms of countries, Turkey ranks among the top countries globally for penetration, with about 85.5% of adults using Instagram, while Brazil follows closely with around 83.5% reach.
- India has the largest absolute number of users globally but lower penetration, with about 37.6% of adults on Instagram.
- Latin America shows particularly strong youth adoption: across Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, 36.3% of 16–24-year-olds say Instagram is their most-used social platform.
- Among countries with large user bases, growth is still being driven largely from Asia and Latin America, while many Western European countries show slower incremental growth since saturation is high.
Instagram for business & advertising in 2025
Beyond personal use, Instagram has become a major platform for businesses and advertisers.
The app drives discovery, product research, and direct sales for millions of brands worldwide.
- Instagram’s ad reach climbed to 1.74 billion people worldwide in January 2025.
- Ad reach increased by 5.5% year-over-year, adding roughly 90.8 million users since January 2024 and surpassing TikTok’s growth in the same period.
- Global advertising revenue on Instagram is estimated to reach $67.27 billion in 2025.
- Reels ads perform strongly, delivering about 27% higher engagement compared to static feed ads.
Shopping & consumer behavior
- About 70% of users shop or browse products on Instagram.
- 81% use Instagram to research products or brands, while 61% report discovering new products via the platform.
- As of 2025, 29% of users buy products directly through Instagram, highlighting its importance as a shopping channel.
Business profiles & brand presence
- There are over 200 million business profiles active on Instagram globally.
- Many of these profiles post regularly, averaging 1.77 posts per day.
- Around 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business account, showing strong brand engagement.
- US influencer marketing spend on Instagram was projected to hit $2.56 billion in 2024.
In terms of format, Reels are increasingly used for paid partnerships and branded content, with interaction rates significantly higher than static posts.
Most followed accounts on Instagram
As of Sep 2025, Instagram’s official account holds the top spot with 694 million followers, while Cristiano Ronaldo leads as the most followed individual at 663 million.
Other highly followed accounts include global sports icons, music stars, and celebrity influencers.
The table below shows the top 10 most followed Instagram accounts:
| Rank | Account name | Followers (millions) |
| 1 | 694 | |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 663 |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | 506 |
| 4 | Selena Gomez | 417 |
| 5 | Kylie Jenner | 392 |
| 6 | Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson | 392 |
| 7 | Ariana Grande | 374 |
| 8 | Kim Kardashian | 356 |
| 9 | Beyonce | 310 |
| 10 | Khloe Kardashian | 302 |
Instagram users by year
Instagram’s user base has grown steadily over the past decade, reaching more than 2 billion monthly active users.
The table below highlights the platform’s year-by-year growth:
| Year | Monthly active users (million) |
| 2013 | 110 |
| 2014 | 200 |
| 2015 | 370 |
| 2016 | 500 |
| 2017 | 700 |
| 2018 | 1000 |
| 2019 | 1210 |
| 2020 | 1435 |
| 2021 | 1690 |
| 2022 | 1960 |
| 2023 | 2115 |
| 2024 | 2250 |
Note: These figures differ from the 2025 total of 2 billion users because variations exist across sources and measurement methods.
How long did it take Instagram to reach 1 million users?
Instagram hit the milestone of 1 million users a little over two months (67 days) after its launch in October 2010.
This was considered remarkable growth, especially since the app was only available on iOS at the time and lacked both an Android version and web registration.
How many people use Instagram daily?
According to data from 2017, 500 million people use Instagram daily.
More recent official figures have not been released, but the platform has grown substantially since then.
As of 2025, an estimated 20.3% of all active internet users use Instagram on a daily basis, which translates to hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
How many downloads does Instagram have?
As of 2025, Instagram has been downloaded over 5 billion times on Play Store.
Although official App Store data is not available, downloads on iOS are expected to be on a similar scale.
In 2023, Instagram recorded about 696 million downloads, making it the most downloaded app worldwide that year, before TikTok overtook it in 2024.
How many followers does the average Instagram user have?
As of 2025, the typical Instagram user has around 264 followers, an increase of 31 followers from 2024 numbers.
Personal accounts make up this average, while business accounts see a higher average of about 3,467 followers, and creator accounts average roughly 6,230.
Most users have under 10,000 followers, and many influencers fall between 1,000 and 10,000.
What is the average age of Instagram users?
The average Instagram user falls between 18 and 34 years old.
According to data from April 2025, 29.5% of users were aged 18–24, while 31.6% were 25–34, making these the two largest groups on the platform.
Although Instagram is especially popular with younger audiences, roughly one-third of its user base is over 35.
How many Americans use Instagram?
About 171.7 million Americans use Instagram in 2025. This makes the United States the second-largest market for the platform after India.
Usage is especially high among young adults, with roughly 76% of those aged 18–24 on Instagram, though adoption is strong across other adult age groups as well.
The app is widely used across income and education levels, though higher usage is observed among those in higher income and education brackets.
Is Instagram losing popularity?
No, Instagram is not losing popularity and continues to grow fast. As of 2025, it has roughly 2 billion monthly active users worldwide.
Instagram’s advertising reach expanded by 5.5% (90.8 million users) in the 12 months leading up to January 2025, outpacing competitors like TikTok during the same period.
Users now spend an average of 32 minutes daily on Instagram, and it remains especially popular among younger generations, including Gen Z.
Sources
- 25 Instagram statistics you need to know in 2025
- Most popular social networks worldwide as of February 2025, by number of monthly active users
- Instagram now has 800 million monthly and 500 million daily active users
- Distribution of Instagram users worldwide as of April 2025, by age group
- Instagram statistics: key demographic and user numbers
- Distribution of Instagram users worldwide as of April 2025, by gender
- 23 Instagram demographics marketers need to know in 2025
- Social media demographics to inform your 2025 strategy
- Number of daily active Instagram Stories users from October 2016 to January 2019
- How Reels has changed Instagram's growth trajectory
- Why brands prefer Instagram Reels over static posts in influencer marketing
- Social media in the Middle East: Tips for global marketers
- Choosing the right social media platform for marketing in Latin America in 2025
- Instagram revenue and usage statistics (2025)
- Instagram quickly passes 1 million users
- Instagram now has 800 million monthly and 500 million daily active users
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- Instagram | Google Play
- Instagram statistics in 2025 every marketer should know
- Instagram followers statistics 2025: What brands and creators need to know
- Distribution of Facebook users worldwide as of February 2025, by age and gender
- Instagram users, stats, data & trends for 2025
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