STATISTICS

Social media statistics for Australia (2026)

Australia had 26.2 million internet users and 21.0 million social media user identities in October 2025, according to DataReportal. Since 10 December 2025, age-restricted platforms must stop under-16s having accounts, and the eSafety Commissioner says about 4.7 million accounts were removed or restricted by mid-December 2025. Newer monthly figures from Meta's ad tools, compiled by NapoleonCat, put Facebook's Australian audience at 24.7 million in September 2026, and StatCounter found Facebook sent 73.21 percent of social media referrals to Australian websites that month.

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

Internet and mobile

How many people in Australia are online and how fast their connections are, from DataReportal's late-2025 report.

Social media users

DataReportal's estimate of social media use in Australia, as of October 2025, before the under-16 minimum age took effect.

The under-16 social media minimum age

Australia's Social Media Minimum Age law requires age-restricted platforms to take reasonable steps to stop under-16s having accounts. These are the eSafety Commissioner's published figures.

Platform by platform

Advertising reach in Australia in late 2025, from each platform's own ad tools as reported by DataReportal. These figures were collected before the under-16 minimum age took effect.

  • 21.0 million

    YouTube's advertising reach in Australia in late 2025, equal to 77.7 percent of the population.

    This is advertising reach: the number of people the platform says advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users, and platforms revise these figures often.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 18.0 million

    LinkedIn members in Australia in late 2025, according to LinkedIn's advertising tools (equal to 84.7 percent of adults).

    LinkedIn counts total registered members, not monthly active users, so this is not directly comparable with the other platforms.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 17.7 million

    Facebook's advertising reach in Australia in late 2025, equal to 65.3 percent of the population and 82.8 percent of adults.

    Advertising reach from Meta's ad tools, not monthly active users. Meta says its audience estimates are not a proxy for monthly or daily active users, and one person can have more than one account.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 15.2 million

    Instagram's advertising reach in Australia in late 2025, equal to 56.0 percent of the population and 69.2 percent of adults.

    Advertising reach from Meta's ad tools, not monthly active users. Meta says its audience estimates are not a proxy for monthly or daily active users, and one person can have more than one account.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 10.9 million

    TikTok's advertising reach among users aged 18 and above in Australia in late 2025, equal to 51.2 percent of adults.

    TikTok's ad tools only show audiences aged 18+. This is advertising reach: the number of people the platform says advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users, and platforms revise these figures often.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 8.17 million

    Snapchat's advertising reach in Australia in late 2025, equal to 30.2 percent of the population.

    This is advertising reach: the number of people the platform says advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users, and platforms revise these figures often.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 5.68 million

    Pinterest's advertising reach in Australia in late 2025; 72.3 percent of its ad audience was female.

    This is advertising reach: the number of people the platform says advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users, and platforms revise these figures often.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 4.74 million

    X's advertising reach in Australia in late 2025, equal to 21.3 percent of adults aged 18 and above.

    DataReportal says X's reach figures can swing sharply even over short periods. This is advertising reach: the number of people the platform says advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users, and platforms revise these figures often.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 23.3 million

    Reddit's advertising reach in Australia in late 2025.

    DataReportal flags unusually large recent changes in Reddit's reported ad reach and says they may not reflect changes in Reddit's active user base, so treat this figure with care.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

Latest monthly figures (September 2026)

Newer than DataReportal's late-2025 report and after the minimum age took effect. NapoleonCat publishes monthly audience sizes from Meta's ad tools, and StatCounter shows which social sites sent visitors to Australian websites. Neither is a count of active users.

  • 24.7 million

    Facebook users in Australia in September 2026, equal to 88.5 percent of the population; 53 percent were women and people aged 25 to 34 were the largest group (6.7 million).

    NapoleonCat's monthly table shows 24.8 million in October 2025 and between 24.0 million and 25.6 million in every month since. Ad-audience data, not active users. NapoleonCat reads it from Meta's advertising tools each month; Meta's figures are estimates of people who accessed their account at least once that month and can be reached with ads. One person can have more than one account, and the method differs from DataReportal's, so the two sets of figures don't match.

    Source: NapoleonCat (from Meta's ad tools), Facebook users in Australia, September 2026 (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

  • 16.4 million

    Instagram users in Australia in September 2026 (16,380,700), equal to 58.7 percent of the population; 55 percent were women.

    The same page's monthly table gives 17.4 million for September 2026. Ad-audience data, not active users. NapoleonCat reads it from Meta's advertising tools each month; Meta's figures are estimates of people who accessed their account at least once that month and can be reached with ads. One person can have more than one account, and the method differs from DataReportal's, so the two sets of figures don't match.

    Source: NapoleonCat (from Meta's ad tools), Instagram users in Australia, September 2026 (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

  • 73.21%

    Facebook's share of website visits referred by social media in Australia in September 2026, ahead of Instagram (8.36 percent), X, listed as Twitter (7.23 percent), Pinterest (4.86 percent), Reddit (3.55 percent) and YouTube (2.06 percent).

    StatCounter counts page views on websites that use its tracking code and records which social media site sent each visitor. It measures where website traffic comes from, not how many people use each platform, and apps that keep people inside them (such as TikTok) send few visitors to websites.

    Source: StatCounter Global Stats, Social Media Stats Australia (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

Year-on-year change in ad reach

How each platform's advertising reach in Australia changed between late 2024 and late 2025.

  • +2.00 million

    Growth in LinkedIn's reported audience in Australia between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025 (+12.5 percent).

    Based on registered members, so it may not reflect active use. DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +1.33 million

    Growth in TikTok's adult advertising reach in Australia between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (+13.9 percent).

    DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +1.20 million

    Growth in Instagram's advertising reach in Australia between October 2024 and October 2025 (+8.6 percent).

    DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +750 thousand

    Growth in Facebook's advertising reach in Australia between October 2024 and October 2025 (+4.4 percent).

    DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • -271 thousand

    Change in X's advertising reach in Australia between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (-5.4 percent).

    DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: Australia (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

What this means for a small business

  • If your customers include teenagers, the under-16 rules mean fewer of them have accounts on the main platforms. Reach families through parents instead, and keep in mind that services such as WhatsApp, YouTube Kids and Pinterest are not covered.
  • Facebook still reaches most Australian adults and sends most social traffic to websites, so keep your Page and local listings current.
  • Pinterest's Australian audience is mostly women and it is not age-restricted, which makes it useful for home, food, fashion and wedding businesses.
  • Mobile connections in Australia are faster than the typical fixed line, so short video works well on the move.
  • Plan around the Australian calendar, including the run-up to Christmas, Black Friday and the end of the financial year in June.

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 Australia?

DataReportal counted 21.0 million social media user identities in Australia in October 2025, about 77.7 percent of the population and 87.0 percent of adults. That was before the under-16 minimum age took effect in December 2025.

Which social media platforms are banned for under-16s in Australia?

eSafety focused on 10 age-restricted platforms in the first three months: Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube. It lists services such as Discord, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids as not currently age-restricted.

How many accounts were removed under Australia's social media ban?

eSafety says about 4.7 million age-restricted accounts were removed or restricted as at mid-December 2025, and more than 300,000 more were prevented from signing in by the start of March 2026. These are accounts, not individual children.

What is the most used social media in Australia?

By advertising reach in late 2025, YouTube was largest at 21.0 million, followed by LinkedIn (18.0 million members), Facebook (17.7 million) and Instagram (15.2 million). NapoleonCat's figures from Meta's ad tools put Facebook at 24.7 million in September 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 Australia (2026)”, updated 15 October 2026, https://www.zolyp.com/statistics/social-media-statistics-australia

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