What is the most popular social media platform worldwide?
Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts and currently sits at more than 2.89 billion monthly active users. The company currently also owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with over one billion monthly active users each: Facebook (core platform), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. In the third quarter of 2021, Facebook reported over 3.58 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 2022, Social networking sites are estimated to reach 3.96 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.
Most popular social networks worldwide as of October 2021, ranked by number of active users
(in millions)
social networks and messenger/chat app/voip included; figures for TikTok does not include Douyin
Supplementary notes
*Platforms have not published updated user figures in the past 12 months, figures may be out of date and less reliable **Figure uses daily active users, so monthly active user number is likely higher
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We Are Social, & Hootsuite, & DataReportal. (October 21, 2021). Most popular social networks worldwide as of October 2021, ranked by number of active users (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 17, 2021, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
We Are Social, und Hootsuite, und DataReportal. "Most popular social networks worldwide as of October 2021, ranked by number of active users (in millions)." Chart. October 21, 2021. Statista. Accessed December 17, 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
We Are Social, Hootsuite, DataReportal. (2021). Most popular social networks worldwide as of October 2021, ranked by number of active users (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 17, 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
We Are Social, and Hootsuite, and DataReportal. "Most Popular Social Networks Worldwide as of October 2021, Ranked by Number of Active Users (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 21 Oct 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
We Are Social & Hootsuite & DataReportal, Most popular social networks worldwide as of October 2021, ranked by number of active users (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ (last visited December 17, 2021)
