1. Instagram is currently the sixth most used social media platform in the world (behind Facebook, Youtube, WhatsApp, FB Messenger and WeChat).
2. Instagram is the 10th most visited website in the US, with an estimated 0.9 billion monthly visits in January 2021. (Source)
3. Instagram is the 10th most searched query globally, with a 317.7m monthly search volume. (Source)
4. In 2020, Instagram was the fifth most popular download on the Apple App Store. (Source)
Instagram is one of the big players of social media and has significantly contributed to the culture of the influencer as an income stream.
If you want to know more about the platform, we have curated some of the best Instagram statistics and facts below. Including how much Instagram is worth, how many active users are on the platform, the growth statistics, Instagram demographics and the top brands and influencers on Instagram.
Instagram facts
5. Instagram was co-founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010.
6. The current head of Instagram is Adam Mosseri.
7. Instagram HQ is at Menlo Park, California.
8. In 2017, Instagram was reported to have 450 employees – that’s 3.5 million users per employee.
(Source)
When did Instagram come out?
9. Instagram was launched on October 6th, 2010, but the very first post was made on July 16th, 2010.
How much is Instagram worth?
10. In 2012, Facebook paid $1 billion for Instagram.
11. In 2018, Instagram was estimated to be worth $100 billion.
12. In 2020, Instagram generated $20 billion in ad revenue.
How many Instagram users are there?
13. In October 2020, the total number of Instagram users was estimated at 1.16 billion active users.
To put this in context, Facebook has 2.14 billion users and TikTok has 689 million users.
Instagram daily active users
14. Instagram has 500 million daily active users.
15. In the US, 63% of users visit daily.
Instagram monthly active users
16. Instagram has one billion monthly users.
17. However, Instagram might have as many as 95 million faker bot accounts – just under 10% of its total user count.
Instagram account growth statistics
18. September 2011, Instagram had 10 million users.
19. February 2013, Instagram had 100 million monthly users.
20. June 2016, Instagram had 500 million users.
21. June 2018, Instagram had 1 billion monthly users.
22. October 2021, Instagram had 1.16 billion users estimated.
Instagram Top Influencers
23. The Instagram account with the most followers is actually the Instagram account, with just under 390 million followers.
24. The top influencer on Instagram is the ultra-dedicated Cristiano Ronaldo. He has 275 million followers compared to Lionel Messi’s follower count of 195 million.
25. Seven out of ten of the top Instagram influencers are American.
26. Removing brands from the list to reveal accounts from individuals, the top ten influencers across Instagram are:
*Instagram followers, April 2021
How much can you earn on Instagram?
Over the last decade, Instagram and YouTube have significantly contributed and given rise to the career choice of ‘Influencer’ with content creators able to earn an income from their posts and videos.
Even a micro-influencer can earn some income as a side hustle with only a modest amount of followers:
27. A micro-influencer with only 10k followers can earn $88 per post – they would need to post daily to make the average median wage.
28. A mid-level influencer with 100k followers can earn $200 per post – they would need to post over 3 times a week to make the median wage.
29. A high-level influencer with a million followers can earn $670 per post – they would need to post once a week to make the median wage.
Top Brands on Instagram
30. As mentioned above, the top account with the most followers on Instagram, is Instagram, with 390 million followers. Removing Instagram’s own account from the list, National Geographic is the top followed brand.
By removing the individual influencer’s accounts, we can reveal the brands with the most followers on the platform. Sports and especially football are the predominant niche that are heavily investing into their Instagram account.
31. The top brands on Instagram are as follows:
*Instagram followers, April 2021
32. There are more than 200 million business accounts on Instagram.
33. 90% of people on Instagram follow a brand.
34. Two out of three people surveyed say that Instagram enables interaction with brands.
35. 50% are more interested in a brand when they see ads for it on Instagram.
Instagram photo with most likes
36. Top influencers dominate the individual images with the most ‘like’ counts. However, as an outlier, the image with the most likes is a photograph of an egg that made the bid for the world record in January 2019.
37 Second, to the egg, the rapper XXXTentacion posthumously gained the most likes for his last post before dying in 2018.
38. Billie Eilish has managed to achieve two listings in the top ten of ‘likes’ with two posts about her blonde hair. Surprising for a singer who is so against portraying a personal brand based on ‘image’.
39. And, Kylie Jenner achieved two top posts with a photo of her new baby daughter and a birthday message for her daughter’s father.
| Influencer | Description | Likes* | Date of post |
| World Record Egg | Photo of an egg | 55 million | January 4, 2019 |
| XXXtentacion | Last post before death | 24.1 million | May 20, 2018 |
| Billie Eilish | Selfie of new blonde hair | 22.2 million | March 17, 2021 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | On Maradona’s death | 19.8 million | November 25, 2020 |
| Chadwick Boseman | Announcement of death | 19.2 million | August 28, 2020 |
| Kylie Jenner | New baby daughter | 18.5 million | February 6, 2018 |
| Billie Eilish | Selfie with blonde hair | 17.6 million | March 21, 2021 |
| Jennifer Aniston | Friends selfie | 16.4 million | October 15, 2019 |
| Lionel Messi | On Maradona’s death | 16.4 million | November 25, 2020 |
| Kylie Jenner | Birthday message for her daughter’s father | 15.9 million | April 30, 2020 |
*Instagram likes, April 2021
Top Instagram Hashtags of 2021
40. Hashtags were introduced to Instagram in January 2011 and are integral to navigating content on the platform. In December 2017, users could follow specific hashtags to keep track of trends and show relevant content in their feed.
Popular hashtags are used to try and build follower counts and gain more traction on posts.
41. The top Instagram hashtags of 2021 are:
*Instagram posts, April 2021
(Source)
Instagram statistics by country
42. The US and India are the most prominent global audiences for Instagram with 140 million users each.
Aside from the dominant countries, the platform has a worldwide reach and spread of users globally.
43. Instagram global audience size, January 2021
| Country | Users |
| US | 140 million |
| India | 140 million |
| Brazil | 99 million |
| Indonesia | 85 million |
| Russia | 56 million |
| Turkey | 46 million |
| Mexico | 32 million |
| UK | 31 million |
(Source)
Instagram demographic statistics
As social media has become such an integral part of our lives, user statistics reflect how essential the platform is for the younger demographic.
Social platforms are now the most important channel for consuming news, media and entertainment.
44. In the US, 63% of adults visit Instagram daily – that’s the majority of the population – and 42% visit Instagram several times in a day.
45. In the US, Instagram is dominated by a younger demographic, unlike Facebook, which has many older users. 75% of 18-24-year-olds use Instagram.
46. Globally, the gender split that uses Instagram is 50.8% female and 49.2% male.
47. Instagram Users in the US, by age group
| Country | Users |
| 18-29 | 47% |
| 30-49 | 47% |
| 50-64 | 23% |
| 65+ | 8% |
48. Instagram Users worldwide, by age group
| Country | Users |
| 18-24 | 29.8% |
| 35-44 | 16% |
| 45-54 | 8.1% |
| 55-64 | 3.8% |
| 65+ | 8% |
49. Instagram Users by generation (who use the app multiple times daily)
| Country | Users |
| Gen Z | 67% |
| Millennials | 57% |
| Gen X | 38% |
| Baby Boomers | 21% |
(Source) (Source) (Source) (Source)
Instagram as a news source
50. 11% of people use Instagram as a source of news (across 12 global selected markets), compared to 32% who use Facebook and 20% who use YouTube.
51. Instagram is not a destination news source. Only 13% of users consider Instagram a good place to get the latest news against 23% of users who see the news whilst they’re there for other reasons.
52. On Instagram, under 35s pay more attention to internet personalities than media outlets as a news source. 36% pay attention to personalities and 21% to mainstream journalists.
(Source)
