STATISTICS

Social media statistics for Germany (2026)

Germany had 78.5 million internet users and 64.7 million social media user identities in October 2025, according to DataReportal. The federal statistics office, Destatis, found 59 percent of people aged 16 to 74 actively used social media in 2025, up from 47 percent in 2021 but below the EU average of 67 percent. YouTube's ads reached 64.7 million people and Instagram's 31.3 million. Newer monthly figures from Meta's ad tools, compiled by NapoleonCat, put Facebook's audience at 43.7 million in September 2026.

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

Internet and mobile

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

What Destatis found

Germany's federal statistics office surveys people aged 16 to 74 each year for the EU survey on ICT use in households. Active social media use means having an account, posting or interacting; messaging apps are not counted.

Social media users

DataReportal's estimate of social media use in Germany, as of October 2025.

  • 64.7 million

    Active social media user identities in Germany in October 2025, equal to 77.1 percent of the population, down 800 thousand (-1.2 percent) on late 2024.

    "User identities" are accounts, not confirmed people. DataReportal tries to remove duplicates and non-human accounts, but says the figure may not represent unique individuals. DataReportal also says its method may only count the platform with the largest audience, which is why this figure matches YouTube's ad reach. It is higher than Destatis's survey figure because it counts accounts and all ages.

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

  • 82.8%

    Share of Germany's population aged 18 and above using social media at the end of 2025 (57.9 million user identities aged 18+).

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

  • 49.9% female

    Share of Germany's social media user identities that were female at the end of 2025 (50.1 percent male).

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

Platform by platform

Advertising reach in Germany in late 2025, from each platform's own ad tools as reported by DataReportal. Ad reach is the audience advertisers can target, not the number of active users.

  • 64.7 million

    YouTube's advertising reach in Germany in late 2025, equal to 77.1 percent of the population and 82.5 percent of internet users.

    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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 31.3 million

    Instagram's advertising reach in Germany in late 2025, equal to 44.2 percent of adults; 51.0 percent of its adult ad audience was female.

    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. Meta's female and male figures do not always add up to 100 percent.

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

  • 29.3 million

    Reddit's advertising reach in Germany in late 2025, equal to 34.9 percent of the population.

    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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 24.0 million

    LinkedIn members in Germany in late 2025, according to LinkedIn's advertising tools (equal to 34.3 percent of adults); 39.0 percent were female.

    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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 23.7 million

    TikTok's advertising reach among users aged 18 and above in Germany in late 2025, equal to 33.9 percent of adults; 60.2 percent of that audience was female.

    TikTok's ad tools only show audiences aged 18+, so younger users are not counted. 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 23.0 million

    Snapchat's advertising reach in Germany in late 2025, equal to 27.4 percent of the population.

    Snap also reports an "unknown" gender group, so the female and male shares do not add up to 100 percent. 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 22.8 million

    Facebook's advertising reach in Germany in late 2025, equal to 27.1 percent of the population and 32.7 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 22.7 million

    Pinterest's advertising reach in Germany in late 2025; 72.4 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 19.0 million

    X's advertising reach in Germany in late 2025, equal to 25.6 percent of adults; 66.4 percent of its adult ad audience was male.

    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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 9.90 million

    Messenger's advertising reach in Germany in late 2025, equal to 14.2 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

Latest monthly figures (September 2026)

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

  • 43.7 million

    Facebook users in Germany in September 2026, equal to 53.6 percent of the population; 51 percent were women and people aged 25 to 34 were the largest group (12.1 million).

    Almost twice DataReportal's late-2025 Facebook figure (22.8 million), which shows how far the two methods can differ. 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 Germany, September 2026 (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

  • 32.6 million

    Instagram users in Germany in September 2026 (32,587,800), equal to 40 percent of the population; 52.4 percent were women.

    The same page's monthly table gives 33.0 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 Germany, September 2026 (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

  • 57.64%

    Facebook's share of website visits referred by social media in Germany in September 2026, ahead of X, listed as Twitter (11.3 percent), Instagram (10.76 percent), Pinterest (7.93 percent), Reddit (5.58 percent) and YouTube (4.67 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 Germany (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

Year-on-year change in ad reach

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

  • +18.8 million

    Growth in Reddit's advertising reach in Germany between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (+179 percent).

    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. 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +4.00 million

    Growth in LinkedIn's reported audience in Germany between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025 (+20.0 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +3.24 million

    Growth in X's advertising reach in Germany between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (+20.7 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +1.85 million

    Growth in TikTok's adult advertising reach in Germany between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (+8.5 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • -2.95 million

    Change in Facebook's advertising reach in Germany between October 2024 and October 2025 (-11.5 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • -2.20 million

    Change in Messenger's advertising reach in Germany between October 2024 and October 2025 (-18.2 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: Germany (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

What this means for a small business

  • Fewer people in Germany are active on social media than in most of the EU, so don't rely on social posts alone. Keep your website and Google listing complete as well.
  • YouTube reaches the widest audience, while Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest audiences lean female. Match each platform to the customers you actually sell to.
  • LinkedIn is growing quickly in Germany and suits professional services and business-to-business firms.
  • Older Germans are joining social media fastest. If your customers are over 55, Facebook and YouTube are worth more attention than you might expect.
  • Plan around the German calendar: Christmas markets and Advent, Black Friday and the summer holidays all shape when people shop.

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 Germany?

DataReportal counted 64.7 million social media user identities in Germany in October 2025, about 77.1 percent of the population. Destatis, which surveys people aged 16 to 74, found 59 percent actively used social media in 2025. The figures differ because one counts accounts and the other asks people what they do.

What is the most used social media in Germany?

By advertising reach in late 2025, YouTube was largest at 64.7 million, followed by Instagram (31.3 million), Reddit (29.3 million), LinkedIn (24.0 million members) and TikTok (23.7 million adults). Facebook still sent the most social media referrals to German websites in September 2026 (57.64 percent), according to StatCounter.

Do fewer Germans use social media than other Europeans?

Yes. Destatis says 59 percent of people aged 16 to 74 in Germany actively used social media in 2025, against an EU average of 67 percent. Only Italy (56 percent) was lower.

Is TikTok popular in Germany?

TikTok's ad tools reached 23.7 million adults in Germany in late 2025, 33.9 percent of the adult population, after growing by 1.85 million in a year. Its adult audience is mostly female (60.2 percent).

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 Germany (2026)”, updated 15 October 2026, https://www.zolyp.com/statistics/social-media-statistics-germany

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