Global Social Media Statistics 2026: Users, Growth & Ad Spend Data
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Social media now reaches more than two in three people on Earth.
With 5.66 billion user identities worldwide and global ad spending surpassing $317 billion, social platforms are no longer optional for brands. They are where attention lives, purchases happen, and communities grow.
For marketers planning campaigns, budgets, and content calendars in 2026, guesswork is a losing strategy.
You need numbers. Real, current, trusted numbers. From user growth and platform rankings to social media advertising ROI and engagement benchmarks, here are all the social media statistics you need to make smarter decisions right now.
🌍 Global Social Media Users in 2026
Social media user numbers have reached “supermajority” status. More than two in three people on Earth now have an active social media identity.
5.66 billion people use social media worldwide in 2026, representing 69% of global population.
Social media user identities grew by 259 million over 12 months, a year-on-year increase of 4.8%.
On average, 7.8 new users sign up every second.
93.8% of internet users are active on at least one social platform.
98.8% of users on any given platform also use at least one other social network.
Year-on-Year User Growth
Year
Global Users (Billions)
YoY Growth
2018
3.20
+15%
2019
3.46
+8.3%
2020
3.71
+7.2%
2021
4.20
+13%
2022
4.62
+10%
2023
4.76
+3%
2024
5.04
+5.8%
2025
5.24
+4.1%
2026
5.66
+4.8%
Growth is slowing compared to pandemic-era surges, but it has not stopped.
Platforms are now shifting focus from acquiring new users to keeping existing audiences engaged longer.
📱Most Popular Social Media Platforms in 2026
A handful of platforms command most of global attention and ad dollars. Meta dominates with three apps in the top five.
Rank
Platform
Monthly Active Users (2026)
YoY Change
1
Facebook
3.07 billion
+2.2%
2
WhatsApp
3 billion
Stable
3
Instagram
3 billion
+10%
4
YouTube
2.58 billion
+5.5%
5
TikTok
1.99 billion
+7.5%
6
WeChat
1.4 billion
Stable
7
Telegram
1 billion
+8%
8
Messenger
942 million
Stable
9
Snapchat
932 million
Stable
10
Reddit
765 million
Growing
Instagram is the growth champion of 2026 with a 10% jump, followed by Threads at 9.38% and Discord at 8.70%
X (Twitter) lost 5% of users year-on-year, making it the only major platform to decline in 2026.
Xiaohongshu (RedNote) is the fastest-rising newcomer with 234 million users and 2,900% search growth over five years.
Facebook still leads in raw numbers, but Instagram and TikTok are where momentum and fresh engagement live. Marketers chasing younger audiences should focus budgets accordingly.
🗺️Social Media Users by Country
User distribution varies widely by region. Asia dominates with over 2.2 billion active accounts.
Country
Active Social Media Users
India
755 million
China
726 million
United States
310 million
Indonesia
218 million
Brazil
178 million
United Arab Emirates leads in penetration rate, with over 99% of its population active on social media.
India surpassed China as the country with most social media marketing audience reach.
Brazil ranks among top five by users and also leads in daily time spent on platforms.
For marketers eyeing international social media campaigns, India and Brazil offer both scale and high engagement levels.
⏰Time Spent on Social Media in 2026
Attention is currency. And social media commands a significant chunk of daily screen time globally.
Average daily time on social media is 2 hours 23 minutes globally.
Average user engages with 7 to 8 different platforms per month.
92% of social media users access platforms via mobile devices.
🌍 Countries With Highest Daily Usage
Country
Average Daily Time
Nigeria
4 hours 32 minutes
Philippines
4 hours 6 minutes
Brazil
3 hours 49 minutes
Ghana
3 hours 45 minutes
Kenya
3 hours 43 minutes
In contrast, users in Japan and South Korea spend less than 1 hour daily on social platforms.
US users average about 2 hours 13 minutes per day, with TikTok taking up 95 minutes of that time.
Audiences in developing nations spend nearly double the global average on social platforms. Brands expanding into African and Southeast Asian markets have a clear window of opportunity.
Social Media Advertising Statistics 2026 💰
Social media ad spending continues to climb at a pace that outstrips most other digital channels.
Global social media ad spend is projected to reach $317.33 billion in 2026.statista+1
Ad spend is growing by 10.90% annually from 2026 to 2030.
Social media ads account for $3 in every $10 spent on digital advertising.
Social media ad spend represents 32.1% of total digital ad spend.
Advertisers spend more than $5 billion per week on social media ads.
80% of marketing leaders plan to shift budget from other channels to social, and 87% expect paid social spend to increase.
82.9% of total social media ad spending will be generated through mobile by 2030.
Ad spend on social media will exceed $300 billion globally by 2027, representing 40% of digital advertising budgets.
Platform-Level Ad Revenue (US Market)
Platform
US Ad Revenue (2024)
2026 Projection
Instagram
$30 billion
Growing
TikTok
$9 billion
$20 billion+]
Snapchat
$2 billion
Flat
X (Twitter)
Declining
-14% in 2026
Facebook and Instagram together capture over 55% of global social media ad revenue.
TikTok ad revenue is expected to surpass $20 billion in 2026, marking a 35% year-on-year increase.
LinkedIn ads generate the highest average cost per click at $5.26, but deliver strong B2B conversion rates.
Average CPM across social platforms in 2026 is $9.18.
Social media marketing delivers an average ROI of $5.20 for every $1 spent.
Video-based campaigns generate 34% higher conversion rates than static ads across all platforms.
Instagram is top platform for ROI among B2C brands, with 78% of marketers reporting positive returns.
Video ads on social media deliver 48% higher engagement rates compared to static image ads.
Pinterest shopping ads generate a 30% lower cost per conversion compared to other platforms.
Snapchat AR ads deliver 2.5x higher engagement than standard mobile ads.
When tracking ROI, marketing teams focus on engagement (68%), conversions (65%), and revenue impact (57%).
For B2B social media marketing, LinkedIn remains top-performing channel, while B2C brands see strongest returns from Instagram and TikTok.
💬 Social Media Engagement Benchmarks 2026
Engagement is what separates a vanity metric from a real business result. Here is what current data reveals.
Brands that reply to comments within 24 hours see a 47% higher engagement rate on future posts.
User mentions of brands on social media grew by 21% in 2026.
Hashtag use on Instagram increases reach by an average of 12%, though oversaturation reduces impact.
Instagram nano-influencers (under 10,000 followers) get 6.23% engagement rates, compared to 0.70% on TikTok within same follower range.
Instagram influencers with 1.5M+ followers average 2.8% engagement, while TikTok influencers at same level reach 4.95%.
Instagram Carousels generate more engagement than Reels for influencer content.
Video content generates 58% higher engagement rates than static posts.
🤝 Influencer Marketing Statistics 2026
Influencer marketing spending continues to grow as brands shift trust and budget toward creators.
US influencer marketing spend is forecast to hit $12.7 billion in 2026, rising to $13.7 billion by 2027.
61% of marketers plan to increase investment in creator content in 2026.
94% of organisations say influencer marketing delivers stronger ROI than traditional digital advertising, with a majority reporting at least 2x returns.
90% of marketers believe sponsored influencer content outperforms brand content in reach and engagement.
83% say influencer content converts better than brand-produced content.
57.7% of US marketers at companies with 100+ employees use TikTok for influencer marketing.
Most Popular Influencer Content Formats
Instagram post (84.2%)
Instagram Reel (63.8%)
TikTok video (27.4%)
Facebook post (26.8%)
For B2B influencer marketing, 30% of marketers say it contributes the most to top-of-funnel goals, ahead of paid search (28%) and virtual events (23%).
👥 Social Media User Demographics 2026
Knowing who scrolls where helps you build smarter campaigns with better social media audience targeting.
Gender Split (Global)
Male users: 54%
Female users: 46%
Platform-level gender differences are significant. Pinterest is 76% female. X (Twitter) and LinkedIn skew 63% and 57% male respectively.
Age Group Distribution by Platform
Platform
18–24
25–34
35–44
Facebook
24%
31%
18%
Instagram
31%
31%
16%
TikTok
42%
27%
15%
LinkedIn
17%
59%
18%
Gen Z (16–25) dominates TikTok and Tumblr and drives most viral content trends.
Millennials (26–40) are the largest user group on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Gen Z adoption on Pinterest has surged to nearly 46% of its user base in 2026.
🛒 Social Commerce Statistics 2026
Social platforms are becoming storefronts. Users now browse, compare, and buy without leaving apps.falkonsms+1
78% of consumers are willing to buy from a brand after a positive social media experience.
26% of marketers plan to sell products directly on social platforms in 2026.
27% of consumers use social media to find products to purchase.
70% of shopping carts are abandoned, but social media retargeting can recover 26% and boost brand recall by 57%.
Advertising retargeting on social media boosts conversions by 70%.
Why People Use Social Media in 2026
Understanding motivation helps you create content that actually resonates with audiences:
Staying in touch with friends and family: 49%
Filling spare time: 38%
Reading news stories: 35%
Finding content (articles, videos): 30%
Seeing what is being talked about: 29%
Finding inspiration for things to do and buy: 27%
Finding products to purchase: 26%
Social media is not just entertainment. It is a research tool, a news source, and a shopping channel.
Brands that create content matching these motivations see better organic social media engagement and lower customer acquisition costs.
🔮 Key Social Media Trends Shaping 2026 and Beyond
Several shifts are reshaping how marketers should approach social platforms going forward:
Short-form video remains the dominant content format. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts all report highest engagement with clips under 60 seconds.
AI-powered ad targeting and creative generation are becoming standard across Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Ad blockers are used by 27% of internet users in 2026, making organic strategies and native content even more important.
Augmented reality adoption in social apps is expected to reach 2 billion users by end of 2026.
Multi-channel strategies produce better results, with 70% of businesses reporting improved performance from spreading across platforms.
Micro-communities generate 25% higher ROI by fostering deeper engagement and loyalty.
Average CTR for social media ads is 1.21%, with ROI from social ads running 2x higher than traditional display banners.
Social media in 2026 rewards brands that show up consistently, produce video-first content, and invest in community over broadcast.
Platforms will keep evolving, but attention and trust remain the two currencies that never lose value.
