Top Italian influencers on Instagram 2023

Khaby Lame was the most followed Italian influencer on Instagram as of January 2023, with 80 million followers. Fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni followed with 28.4 million followers, while lifestyle influencer Gianluca Vacchi rounded out the top three with 23 million.

Khaby Lame: Rapid rise to TikTok royalty

22-year-old Lame set up his TikTok account during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, after having lost his job at a factory. His videos see him humorously pointing out how people tend to unnecessarily over-complicate things. In less than two years he became the platform's fastest-growing content creator, reaching over 107 million followers worldwide.

Chiara Ferragni: From fashion blogger to global entrepreneur

Ferragni has been collaborating with fashion and beauty brands since the inception of her blog The Blonde Salad in 2009. She has since then succeeded in turning the blog into a global retail business, while also becoming one of the highest-paid fashion influencers in the world. In 2018, she married Italian rapper Federico Lucia, known as Fedez, who is also present among the most followed Italian influencers on Instagram at number four.

Italian influencers: between dolce vita and future fads

Italian influencers have been flourishing amid a steady growth of social media advertising spending in Italy over the last 10 years. Consumers have become more and more reliant on influencers for their purchasing decisions, with 37 percent of Italians saying they follow mega-influencers every day, and 86 percent of them saying they take their purchasing advice into consideration.