STATISTICS

Social media statistics for the UK (2026)

The UK had 68.1 million internet users and 55.5 million social media user identities in October 2025, according to DataReportal. Ofcom says UK adults spend an average of four and a half hours online a day, and that YouTube (94 percent of adults), Facebook with Messenger (93 percent) and WhatsApp (90 percent) are the most widely used services. Newer monthly figures from Meta's ad tools, compiled by NapoleonCat, put Facebook's UK audience at 57.5 million in September 2026, and StatCounter found Facebook sent 69.2 percent of social media referrals to UK websites that month.

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

Internet and mobile

How many people in the UK 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 the UK, as of October 2025.

What Ofcom found

The UK communications regulator's Online Nation 2025 report, published in December 2025, measures what people actually do online.

Platform by platform

Advertising reach in the UK 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.

  • 55.5 million

    YouTube's advertising reach in the UK in late 2025, equal to 79.7 percent of the population and 81.5 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 48.0 million

    LinkedIn members in the UK in late 2025, according to LinkedIn's advertising tools (equal to 86.8 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 45.8 million

    Reddit's advertising reach in the UK in late 2025, equal to 65.7 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 38.8 million

    Facebook's advertising reach in the UK in late 2025, equal to 69.9 percent of adults aged 18 and above.

    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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 35.5 million

    Instagram's advertising reach in the UK in late 2025, equal to 62.6 percent of adults aged 18 and above; 54.2 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.

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

  • 26.8 million

    TikTok's advertising reach among users aged 18 and above in the UK in late 2025, equal to 48.4 percent of adults; 61.5 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 23.9 million

    Snapchat's advertising reach in the UK in late 2025, equal to 34.3 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 19.0 million

    X's advertising reach in the UK in late 2025, equal to 27.2 percent of the population.

    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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 15.5 million

    Pinterest's advertising reach in the UK in late 2025; 71.1 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: The United Kingdom (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 UK websites. Neither is a count of active users.

  • 57.5 million

    Facebook users in the UK in September 2026, equal to 82.6 percent of the population; 52.9 percent were women and people aged 25 to 34 were the largest group (14.6 million).

    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 United Kingdom, September 2026 (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

  • 37.5 million

    Instagram users in the UK in September 2026, equal to 53.9 percent of the population; 54.9 percent were women.

    The same page's monthly table gives 37.4 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 United Kingdom, September 2026 (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

  • 69.2%

    Facebook's share of website visits referred by social media in the UK in September 2026, ahead of X, listed as Twitter (9.64 percent), Instagram (7.65 percent), Reddit (3.89 percent), Pinterest (3.79 percent) and YouTube (3.65 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 United Kingdom (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

Year-on-year change in ad reach

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

  • +5.00 million

    Growth in LinkedIn's reported audience in the UK between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025 (+11.6 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +3.00 million

    Growth in Instagram's advertising reach in the UK between October 2024 and October 2025 (+9.2 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +2.96 million

    Growth in TikTok's adult advertising reach in the UK between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (+12.5 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +1.00 million

    Growth in Facebook's advertising reach in the UK between October 2024 and October 2025 (+2.6 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • -5.05 million

    Change in X's advertising reach in the UK between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (-21.0 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: The United Kingdom (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

What this means for a small business

  • YouTube and Facebook reach almost every UK adult, so a business that posts nowhere else should still keep these two accounts active and up to date.
  • WhatsApp is one of the most used apps in the UK. Add a WhatsApp contact option to your profiles so customers can message you the way they already message friends.
  • Instagram and TikTok audiences in the UK lean female, and LinkedIn's reach covers most adults, so match each platform to the customers you sell to rather than posting the same thing everywhere.
  • Facebook still sends most of the social traffic to UK websites, so link posts there are worth keeping, while Reels and short videos build reach on Instagram and TikTok.
  • Plan around the UK calendar. Mothering Sunday, Bonfire Night, Black Friday and Boxing Day are dates UK shoppers expect to hear from brands.

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 the UK?

DataReportal counted 55.5 million social media user identities in the UK in October 2025, about 79.7 percent of the population and 87.2 percent of adults. These are accounts, not confirmed individuals, so the number of real people may differ.

What is the most used social media in the UK?

Ofcom found YouTube is used by 94 percent of UK adults, Facebook with Messenger by 93 percent and WhatsApp by 90 percent in 2025. By advertising reach in late 2025, YouTube was largest at 55.5 million, followed by LinkedIn's 48.0 million registered members and Reddit, Facebook and Instagram.

How long do people in the UK spend online?

Ofcom's Online Nation 2025 report says UK adults spend an average of four and a half hours online a day, 10 minutes more than the year before. Women average 4 hours 43 minutes, 26 minutes more than men.

Is TikTok popular in the UK?

TikTok's ad tools reached 26.8 million adults in the UK in late 2025, 48.4 percent of the adult population, and that reach grew by 2.96 million over the year. Its UK adult audience is mostly female (61.5 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 the UK (2026)”, updated 15 October 2026, https://www.zolyp.com/statistics/social-media-statistics-uk

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