STATISTICS

Social media statistics for 2026

There are 5.79 billion social media user identities worldwide, equal to 69.9% of the global population (DataReportal, April 2026). The typical social media user spends 18 hours and 36 minutes a week on social platforms and uses 6.5 different platforms a month. Facebook is the most used platform in GWI's survey (56.3% of internet users aged 16 and over), while YouTube has the largest ad reach at 2.65 billion.

Compiled by the Zolyp team · Every figure checked against its source on

How many people use social media

The most used platforms

The ranking changes with the measure: what people say they use, what apps they open, or what ad tools report.

  • 56.3%

    Share of internet users aged 16 and over who used Facebook in the past month, GWI Q4 2025 survey. YouTube was second (55.3%), then Instagram (54.6%), WhatsApp (54.4%) and Messenger (36.9%).

    GWI survey of internet users aged 16 and over in 54 of the world's largest economies, as reported by DataReportal. It measures self-reported use, not accounts.

    Source: DataReportal (Manochi), Global social media statistics (22 April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 2.65 billion

    YouTube's monthly advertising reach, the largest of any social platform, April 2026. Facebook reported 2.39 billion, TikTok 2.21 billion, Instagram 1.99 billion and LinkedIn 1.43 billion.

    Ad reach comes from each platform's own ad tools and is not the same as active users. LinkedIn's figure is based on total registered members.

    Source: DataReportal (Manochi), Global social media statistics (22 April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 69%

    Median share of adults using Facebook across 37 countries surveyed by Pew Research Center in spring 2026. The medians for the other platforms asked about were Instagram 51%, TikTok 40%, X 18% and Snapchat 18%.

    Source: Pew Research Center, Social Media Platform Use Around the World (1 October 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 84%

    Share of US adults who say they use YouTube, the most used platform in the US, followed by Facebook (71%) and Instagram (50%), survey conducted February to June 2025.

    Source: Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use 2025 (20 November 2025), checked 14 October 2026

  • 17.4%

    Share of social media users aged 16 and over who named WhatsApp as their favourite platform, ahead of Instagram (16.4%) and Facebook (13%), GWI Q2 2025 survey.

    GWI survey of internet users aged 16 and over in 54 of the world's largest economies, as reported by DataReportal. It measures self-reported use, not accounts.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026 Global Overview Report (15 October 2025), checked 14 October 2026

How people use social media

  • 18 hours 36 minutes

    Average time the typical social media user spends on social media each week, including watching video on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook (GWI data reported April 2026).

    GWI survey of internet users aged 16 and over in 54 of the world's largest economies, as reported by DataReportal. It measures self-reported use, not accounts.

    Source: DataReportal (Manochi), Global social media statistics (22 April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 6.5

    Average number of social platforms the typical social media user uses or visits each month (GWI data reported April 2026).

    GWI survey of internet users aged 16 and over in 54 of the world's largest economies, as reported by DataReportal. It measures self-reported use, not accounts.

    Source: DataReportal (Manochi), Global social media statistics (22 April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 4.21 days

    Average number of days a week that online adults use social media, GWI data reported in October 2025.

    GWI survey of internet users aged 16 and over in 54 of the world's largest economies, as reported by DataReportal. It measures self-reported use, not accounts.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026 Global Overview Report (15 October 2025), checked 14 October 2026

  • 49.0%

    Share of adult social media users who say they use social media to keep in touch with friends and family, the top reason. Filling spare time (39.3%) and reading news stories (30.1%) rank second and third (GWI data reported April 2026).

    GWI survey of internet users aged 16 and over in 54 of the world's largest economies, as reported by DataReportal. It measures self-reported use, not accounts.

    Source: DataReportal (We Are Social & Manochi), Digital 2026 Mid-Year Global Update Report (22 April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 54.4% vs 45.6%

    Share of social media users worldwide who are male and female, based on Kepios analysis of platforms' ad reach data, October 2025.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026 Global Overview Report (15 October 2025), checked 14 October 2026

Social media and brand discovery

  • 30%+

    Share of adult internet users who say they discover new brands, products and services through ads on social media, the third most important source after search engines and TV ads (GWI data reported October 2025).

    DataReportal reports social media ads are the top source of brand discovery for people aged 16 to 34.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026 Global Overview Report (15 October 2025), checked 14 October 2026

  • 90.3%

    Share of online adults who say they learn about new products and services through some form of digital media, compared with 76.8% through offline channels such as TV, radio and outdoor ads (GWI data reported April 2026).

    GWI survey of internet users aged 16 and over in 54 of the world's largest economies, as reported by DataReportal. It measures self-reported use, not accounts.

    Source: DataReportal (We Are Social & Manochi), Digital 2026 Mid-Year Global Update Report (22 April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

What this means for a small business

  • Most of your potential customers already use social media every week, so the question is which platforms, not whether to be there.
  • People use several platforms each month. You do not need to be everywhere: one or two platforms where your customers spend time will reach most of them.
  • Keeping in touch with friends and family is still the main reason people open these apps. Posts that feel human and local fit in better than hard selling.
  • Different sources rank platforms differently. Pick platforms by who your customers are, using age and country data, not by headline user counts.

Knowing where your customers are is half of it; the other half is posting there every week. Make a post with the free generator or let Zolyp plan and write the week for you.

Common questions

How many people use social media in 2026?

DataReportal counts 5.79 billion social media user identities worldwide as of April 2026, equal to 69.9% of the world's population. User identities may include duplicate accounts, so the number of unique people is likely somewhat lower.

What is the most used social media platform in the world?

It depends on the measure. Facebook leads GWI's survey of monthly use (56.3% of internet users aged 16 and over, Q4 2025). YouTube has the largest ad reach (2.65 billion) and the most active app users in Similarweb's data.

How much time do people spend on social media?

The typical social media user spends 18 hours and 36 minutes a week on social platforms, including video platforms, according to GWI data reported by DataReportal in April 2026.

Why do people use social media?

The top reason is keeping in touch with friends and family (49.0% of adult social media users), followed by filling spare time (39.3%) and reading news stories (30.1%), according to GWI data reported in April 2026.

Cite this page

You're welcome to use these figures. Please cite the original source shown under each one, and link to this page if it helped: Zolyp, “Social media statistics for 2026”, updated 14 October 2026, https://www.zolyp.com/statistics/social-media-statistics

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