Global Social Media Statistics 2024 by Age, Platform, Country

Social Media has become a part of our day-to-day routine, keeping users from across the world well-connected through digital platforms. With each passing year, social media is evolving at a rapid speed. With each passing year, the number of social media users is increasing at an immersive speed.  Reports also suggest the number of social media users will reach a milestone of 5.85 billion in 2027

In 2024, 62.6% of the world’s population will access social media, which clearly indicates the dominance of social media platforms in today’s world. In this article, we will examine social media statistics for 2024, uncovering monthly active users, daily time spent by users, most downloaded social media apps, etc. 

Key Social Media Statistics 

  • In 2024, there are over 5.07 billion social media users worldwide. 
  • Facebook has the highest number of monthly active users. 
  • 143 minutes is the average time spent by users accessing social media platforms globally. 
  • Facebook was the most downloaded social media app in March 2024 with 59 million downloads. 
  • YouTube is the most downloaded social media platform with over 10 billion downloads worldwide. 
  • Millennials are the leading generation with the highest number of social media users (68.5 million) in the United States. 
  • YouTube has the highest number of advertising audiences, reaching 2.50 billion users. 
  • Short-form videos are considered the most engaging type of content on social media. 

How Many People Use Social Media in 2024?

There are over 5.07 billion social media users worldwide in 2024, which totals 62.6% of the world population, according to a report by Statista. The total number of internet users in April 2024 is 5.44 billion out of which 5.07 billion are using social media.

Social Media Usage Monthly Active users by Platforms

As of April 2024, Facebook was the leading social media network with over 3 billion monthly active users worldwide. Followed by YouTube in the second position with 2.5 billion monthly active users, and Instagram ranked in third position with 2 billion active monthly users. 

Below we have mentioned a detailed table showcasing the social media network’s monthly active users worldwide:

Social Network Monthly active users (in millions)
Facebook 3,065
YouTube 2,504
Instagram 2,000
WhatsApp2,000
TikTok 1,582
WeChat1,343
Facebook Messenger 1,010
Telegram 900
SnapChat800
Douyin755
Kuaishou 700
X/Twitter 611
Weibo598
QQ554
Pinterest498

Source: Statista 

Number of social media users worldwide (2017 to 2027) 

According to a report by Statista, the number of social media users is expected to reach 5.17 billion by the end of 2024. Also, it is also projected that in 2027 the number of people using social media will reach a milestone of 5.85 billion. 

Here is a breakdown of social media users globally from 2017 to 2027:

YearNumber of social media users 
20172.73 billion 
20183.1 billion 
20193.51 billion 
20203.9 billion 
20214.26 billion 
20224.59 billion 
20234.89 billion 
20245.17 billion 
20255.42 billion 
20265.64 billion 
20275.85 billion 

Average daily time spent on social media worldwide 2012-2024

The Average daily time spent by users globally on social media is estimated to be 143 minutes in 2024. The average time spent has witnessed a decrease since the previous year, where the daily time spent on social media usage was 151 minutes showcasing a difference of 8 minutes.

YearMinutes per day 
201290 minutes 
201395 minutes 
2014104 minutes
2015111 minutes
2016128 minutes 
2017134 minutes 
2018142 minutes
2019145 minutes
2020145 minutes
2021145 minutes 
2022147 minutes
2023151 minutes
2024143 minutes

Source: Statista 

Countries with the highest daily time spent on social media

Brazil is the leading country with the highest daily time spent on social media 3 hours and 49 minutes. Followed by Nigeria in second position with a daily duration of 3 hours and 44 minutes spent on social media and the Philippines in the third position with 3 hours and 38 minutes. There are 11 countries with over 3 hours of daily time spent on social media according to a report by Statista. 

Below we have mentioned a table showcasing countries with the highest daily time spent on social media:

Countries Daily time in hours.minutes 
Brazil 3 hours 49 minutes 
Nigeria 3 hours 44 minutes 
Philippines 3 hours 38 minutes 
South Africa 3 hours 34 minutes 
Chile 3 hours 34 minutes 
Kenya 3 hours 32 minutes 
Columbia 3 hours 28 minutes 
Ghana3 hours 20 minutes 
Indonesia 3 hours 14 minutes
Mexico 3 hours 10 minutes 
Argentina 3 hours 8 minutes 
Turkey 2 hours 56 minutes 
Malaysia 2 hours 52 minutes 
Saudi Arabia2 hours 50 minutes 
UAE 2 hours 44 minutes
Egypt 2 hours 40 minutes 
Bulgaria 2 hours 38 minutes 
Thailand 2 hours 35 minutes 
India 2 hours 29 minutes 
Portugal 2 hours 28 minutes 
Romania 2 hours 26 minutes 
Russia 2 hours 22 minutes 
Vietnam 2 hours 17 minutes 
Morocco 2 hours 16 minutes
USA2 hours 16 minutes
Singapore 2 hours 11 minutes 
Israel2 hours 11 minutes 
China 2 hours 4 minutes 
New Zealand 2 hours 4 minutes 
Ireland 1 hour 59 minutes 
Greece 1 hour 59 minutes 
Hong Kong 1 hour 55 minutes 
Canada 1 hour 55 minutes 
Australia 1 hour 53 minutes 
Norway 1 hour 53 minutes
Taiwan 1 hour 53 minutes
Poland 1 hour 52 minutes
Spain1 hour 52 minutes
Sweden 1 hour 52 minutes
Denmark 1 hour 49 minutes 
Czech Republic 1 hour 47 minutes
France 1 hour 46 minutes 
UK 1 hour 46 minutes
Italy 1 hour 43 minutes
Hungary1 hour 39 minutes
Switzerland 1 hour 36  minutes
Germany1 hour 33 minutes
Netherlands1 hour 31 minutes
Belgium 1 hour 30 minutes
South Korea1 hour 11 minutes
Japan47 minutes 

Source: Statista 

Most downloaded social media app worldwide 2024

YouTube is the most downloaded social media app worldwide. It has over 10 billion downloads on the Google Play Store which is currently the highest compared to any other other social media platform. Facebook is the second most downloaded social media app with more than 5 billion downloads on Play Store. 

Here is a breakdown of the most downloaded social media app worldwide in 2024:

Social Media App Number of downloads 
YouTube 10 Billion + 
Facebook 5 Billion + 
Instagram 5 Billion + 
WhatsApp5 Billion + 
Facebook Messenger 5 Billion + 
TikTok 1 Billion + 
X (Twitter) 1 Billion + 
SnapChat 1 Billion + 
Pinterest 1 Billion + 
LinkedIn1 Billion + 
WeChat100 Million + 
Threads 100 Million + 

Source: PlayStore 

Most downloaded mobile apps worldwide in March 2024

In March 2024, Facebook became the most downloaded social media app with 59 million downloads. Followed by Instagram in the second position with 58 million downloads and TikTok was ranked the third highest downloaded social media app with 46 million downloads. 

Here is a breakdown of most downloaded social media app in March 2024: 

Top Social Media App Number of downloads 
Facebook 59 million 
Instagram 58 million 
TikTok 46 million 
WhatsApp42 million 
Telegram 27 million 
Threads 24 million 
CapCut 23 million 
Messenger 23 million 
SnapChat22 million 
WhatsApp Business 21 million 

Source: Statista 

Social Media Usage by Gender 

As of April 2024, 49.2% of Instagram users globally were women, giving Instagram the highest number of female audiences from all selected social media platforms. X (Twitter) had the highest share of male audience by 60.3% compared to other social media platforms. SnapChat has a 49.1% female audience base, while the share of male audience is 50%. 

Here is a breakdown of Social media usage worldwide by Gender: 

Social Media Platform Female Users Male Users 
Instagram 49.2%50.8%
SnapChat 49.1%50%
TikTok 45.7%54.3%
Facebook 43%57%
LinkedIn 43%57%
X (Twitter) 39.7%60.3%

Source: Statista 

Social Media Usage by Generation 

According to reports, Millennials are the leading generation with the highest number of social media users in the United States. Followed by Gen Z in the second position with a total of 56.4 million users, and Gen X in the third position with 51.8 million users.

Generation Share of social media users 
Gen Z 56.4 million 
Millennials 68.5 million 
Gen X51.8 million 
Baby Boomers 36.9 million 

Source: Oberlo

Social Media Usage By Age

In 2023, 29% of the Facebook users in the United States belonged to the age group 30 to 39, while a further 29% were aged 50 to 64 years old, and 20% belonged to users aged 40 to 29. The most popular social media platforms among young adults aged 18 to 29 years old are SnapChat and TikTok with 41% and 35% respectively. 

Below we have mentioned a table showcasing Social Media Usage by Age Group in the United States:

Social Media Platform 18 to 2930 to 39 40 to 4950 to 64
Facebook 20%29%22%29%
BeReal35%40%19%5%
Instagram 32%32%20%17%
Linkedin17%34%25%24%
Pinterest 27%29%20%24%
Reddit 31%34%20%15%
SnapChat41%33%18%9%
TikTok 35%31%19%14%
X/Twitter 28%34%21%17%

Source: Statista 

Social media app usage among Generation Z in the United States

Today, social media apps are utilized by Gen Z (users who are aged between 16 to 25 years old) at a large scale. According to Statista, 92% of Gen Z users in the U.S. access YouTube the most. Followed by Instagram in the second position with 85% of the share of users, and TikTok in the third position with 78% of Gen Z users. 

Below we have mentioned a table showcasing social media app usage according to Gen Z in the United States: 

Social Media App Share of users 
YouTube 92%
Instagram 85%
TikTok 78%
Discord42%

Source: Statista 

Average time spent by users on social media platforms daily in the U.S. 

On Average, social media users in the United States spend 53.8 minutes on TikTok daily which is the highest duration spent on a social media platform. Followed by YouTube in the second position with a total of 48.7 minutes spent accessing the platform. X (Twitter) is ranked third in the list with an average time spent of 34.1 minutes. 

Here is a breakdown of the average time spent by users on social media platforms daily in the United States:

Social media platform Time spent (in minutes) 
TikTok 53.8 
YouTube 48.7
X (Twitter)34.1
Instagram 33.1
Facebook30.9
SnapChat 30
Reddit 24.1

Source: Statista 

Top Reasons for using Social Media Platform 

Different people utilize social media platforms for different reasons. For example, some prefer to access social media apps for entertainment purposes, while some prefer to use them for gaining knowledge or reading news. Therefore, below we have mentioned a table showcasing the top reasons behind users accessing social media platforms worldwide: 

Top Reasons Share of users 
Keeping in touch with friends & family 49.7%
Filling Spare Time38.0%
Reading News Stories34.3%
Finding Content (eg: Articles & videos)30.0%
See what’s being talked about 28.8%
Finding products to purchase26.8%
Finding inspiration for things to do and buy 26.4%
Watching live streams 23.1%
Watching or following sports 22.9%
Making new contacts 22.7%
Sharing and discussing opinions with others 22.6%
Seeing content from your favorite brands 22.5%
Work-related networking or research 21.6%
Following celebrities or influencers 20.0%
Posting about your life19.6%

Source: DataReportal 

Main Reasons for using Social Media Platform By Age 

Data reveals that people from different age groups utilize social media platforms for a variety of different reasons. For example, over 50% of individuals aged above 35 access social media to stay in touch with their friends and families. While 42.7% of users aged 16 to 24 access social media to fill up their spare time. 

Here is a breakdown of the primary reasons behind individuals accessing social media platforms based on age group:

Top Reasons 16 to 2425 to 3435 to 4445 to 5455 to 64 
Friends & Family 47.4%46.5%50.7%52.8%55.5%
Fill up Spare Time 42.7%38.5%37.2%38.1%37.6%
Finding Content (eg: videos)33.3%32.9%36.5%36.0%33.0%
See Trending Topics31.5%31.3%29.9%27.9%24.8%
Read News Story 28.8%29.8%29.5%27.8%23.2%
Ideas: on things to do or buy 27.1%27.7%28.8%26.7%22.9%
Find products to buy 25.2%26.5%27.5%24.8%21.8%
Influencers & Celebrities24.7%24.4%25.0%23.1%21.2%
Make New Contacts 24.3%24.4%24.9%22.6%19.0%
See Content from Brands 23.5%23.6%24.2%21.9%18.3%

Source: DataReportal

Favorite Social Media Platform 

16.6% of active social media users aged 16 to 64 stated Instagram as their “favorite” social media platform. Followed by WhatsApp in the second position by 16.3% and WeChat in the third position by 13.0%. 

Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the favorite social media platforms of users worldwide:

Social Media Platform Share of users 
Instagram 16.6%
WhatsApp16.3%
WeChat13.0%
Facebook 12.7%
TikTok7.9%
Douyin 6.7%
X (Twitter)3.0%
Facebook Messenger2.4%
Telegram2.4%
Line1.6%
Pinterest 1.5%
Kuaishou1.5%
SnapChat1.3%
Xiaohongshu1%
Imessage0.8%

Source: DataReportal

Top Social Media Platforms based on Advertising Audiences 

According to reports published by advertising resources, it was revealed that YouTube is the leading social media platform with the highest number of advertising audiences of 2.50 billion. Followed by Facebook in the second position with an advertising audience of 2.24 Billion. Instagram has the third largest ad audience with paid ads reaching 1.69 billion users worldwide. 

Below we have mentioned a detailed table showcasing top social media platforms and their advertising audience reach: 

Social Media Platforms Advertising reach 
YouTube 2.50 Billion 
Facebook 2.24 Billion 
Instagram 1.69 Billion 
TikTok 1.58 Billion 
Linkedin 1.07 Billion 
Facebook Messenger 1.01 Billion 
SnapChat 675 Million 
X (Twitter)611 Million 
Pinterest 317 Million 
Reddit 233 Million 

Source: DataReportal 

FAQs 

What percentage of the world are social media users?

62.6 percent of the world’s population are social media users, which is 5.07 billion people. 

Who uses social media the most age?

People aged between 28 to 43 years old use social media the most in the United States, accounting for 68.8 million of total social media users. 

What is the future of social media in 2025?

The future of social media in 2025 is expected to reach 68.3% of the social media usage population, up from 67.2% in 2024. 

What is the most used social media platform in 2024?

Facebook is the most-used social media platform in 2024 with over 3 billion monthly active users worldwide. 

Who uses YouTube the most age?

Individuals aged 25 to 34 are the leading age group who use YouTube the most, accounting for 21.3% of YouTube’s user base. 

How many social media users are there in India in 2024?

There are 462.0 million social media users in India in 2024, amounting to 32.2% of the total population. 

What are the top 3 social media apps?

The Top 3 social media apps are Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram based on their active monthly users. 

Wrapping Up 

The above statistics clearly indicate that in 2024 Social media is a dominant force that is completely transforming communication trends and digital interactions worldwide. Today, users across the world access social media platforms for various reasons such as online communication, purchasing new products, following brands, reading news, etc. From the expansion of user growth to increased average time spent, social media remains a dominant force globally with expectations of higher growth in the future without any sign of decline. 

About GilPress

I'm Managing Partner at gPress, a marketing, publishing, research and education consultancy. Also a Senior Contributor forbes.com/sites/gilpress/. Previously, I held senior marketing and research management positions at NORC, DEC and EMC. Most recently, I was Senior Director, Thought Leadership Marketing at EMC, where I launched the Big Data conversation with the “How Much Information?” study (2000 with UC Berkeley) and the Digital Universe study (2007 with IDC). Twitter: @GilPress
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