What I Discovered After Analyzing Global Social Media Usage Statistics [2025 Report]

The latest social media numbers tell an incredible story. About 5.41 billion people worldwide actively use social media as of July 2025. This represents 65.7% of the global population. I've kept track of these numbers over the last several years.

The growth keeps amazing me with 241 million new users joining platforms since last year. Users are signing up at a 4.7% yearly rate, which means roughly 7.6 new users every second.

The patterns in social media usage among different age groups caught my attention. Almost everyone who uses the internet – 95.7% to be exact – uses social media monthly, whatever their age might be. People spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes daily on social platforms.

This adds up to 4 trillion hours this year alone. Users participate in about 6.8 different platforms. These platforms combine smoothly with our everyday lives.

My detailed analysis will break down the most important social media user stats of 2025. We'll get into platform priorities, how different groups use social media, and what these trends mean to businesses and marketers in the future.

How many people use social media in 2025?

The digital world keeps growing at an incredible pace. 5.41 billion people worldwide are now active social media users as of July 2025. This huge number represents 65.7% of the total global population. Almost two-thirds of humans on Earth now use social platforms in some way.

Global user count and growth rate

Social media continues to grow substantially year after year. The numbers tell an impressive story. 241 million new users joined social platforms of all types in the last 12 months. This adds up to a 4.7% annual growth rate, with about 7.6 new users joining every second. The growth rate remains strong but isn't quite as fast as we saw during the early 2020s digital boom.

The long-term picture looks even more remarkable. Social media users jumped from just over 2 billion in 2015 to 3.71 billion in 2020. Now in 2025, we've hit more than 5.4 billion users. Social media adoption has doubled in the last decade.

These numbers are huge, and experts think they'll keep climbing. The global user base should hit 6 billion users by 2028. The yearly growth rate will naturally slow down as markets get closer to their limits.

Social media penetration by internet users

Social media has become a natural part of being online. The latest numbers show 95.7% of internet users worldwide use social media monthly. This number jumps to 97.3% when you look at adult internet users.

But these numbers vary a lot by region:

• Eastern Asia leads the pack with 97% of internet users on social media
• Central and Southern America show impressive numbers
• European Union and UK aren't far behind
• Sub-Saharan Africa lags with less than 50% of internet users on social platforms
• Middle Africa sits at the bottom with only 30% of internet users on social media

The global average stands at 94.2% of internet users on social media. Social platforms have revolutionized how we exist online.

Top countries by number of users

China tops the charts with about 1.1 billion social media users. WeChat and Douyin drive these massive numbers. India comes in second with 462 million users, and the United States takes third place with 239 million.

Some countries stand out with surprisingly high user rates compared to their population:

• Saudi Arabia leads with 102% penetration. Many people there have multiple accounts
• UAE follows at 96% penetration
• South Korea comes in third at 94%

Looking at regions, Asia dominates with nearly 60% of all global social media users. That's about 3 billion users. Europe holds second place with roughly 12% of global users, and Africa follows close behind at 11.5%.

Africa's numbers keep growing fast. The Americas make up about 15% of global users – South America has 8.6% while North America accounts for 6.5%.

Social media's global reach keeps expanding in 2025. Regional factors and current penetration levels shape how this growth happens.

Which platforms are the most used worldwide?

My deep dive into social media stats shows Facebook still leads the pack as the world's biggest social network with 3.07 billion monthly active users. In spite of that, YouTube often takes the crown when we look at engagement and time spent. Let me break down how these platforms shape our online world in 2025.

Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram

Facebook rules the social media world, even though people keep saying it's dying. The numbers tell us Facebook ads reach more than 2¼ billion adults each month, and this number jumped by 93 million (+4.3 percent) in the last year. Right behind stands YouTube with 2.53 billion monthly active users, making it the second-biggest platform worldwide.

Meta's dominance stands out big time. The company owns four social media giants that each pull in over a billion monthly active users: Facebook, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. Both WhatsApp and Instagram have hit the 2 billion monthly active users mark, putting them neck and neck for third place globally.

Each platform attracts different kinds of people:

• Facebook's sweet spot is the 25-34 age group (31.1%), with 43.2% female and 56.8% male users
• People spend 49 minutes per day on YouTube, which beats Facebook's 32 minutes by a lot
• Instagram remains the go-to for younger folks, with 60% of users under 35

Emerging platforms: TikTok, Telegram, BeReal

TikTok's growth story is mind-blowing, now reaching 1.59 billion users through its ads. Users spend a whopping 33 hours and 38 minutes monthly on TikTok—that's 6 hours more than YouTube, which sits in second place.

Telegram has quietly grown into a major force with 950 million active users. Its focus on privacy and community tools has pushed it into the top 10 social platforms worldwide.

BeReal offers something different from the usual polished posts. After hitting its peak of 73.5 million active users in 2022, it now has about 23 million active monthly users. Young users who are tired of perfect-looking posts on other platforms love its focus on being real.

Threads burst onto the scene and grabbed 275 million monthly active users by November 2024. This shows new platforms can still make it big in what looks like a full market.

Platform usage overlaps

The numbers show something marketers need to know – people use multiple platforms. Users hop between 6.83 platforms per month on average, but this changes a lot by country. To name just one example, see how UAE users check out 8.62 social platforms monthly, while Japanese users stick to fewer than 3.5.

You can find almost any platform's users somewhere else too. 99 percent of YouTube users hang out on at least one other platform, even though YouTube has the most active users worldwide. The same goes for 99.3 percent of Facebook users, and this number jumps to 99.9 percent for TikTok, Snapchat, X, and Telegram.

This explains why brands spread themselves across multiple platforms instead of betting everything on the "biggest" one. People use different platforms for different things—Facebook connects communities, YouTube entertains and teaches, Instagram inspires visually, and TikTok helps discover trends.

How social media usage varies by demographics

Demographics play a key role in how people use social media. Millennials lead the pack, with 69.2% expected to use these platforms in 2025. The digital world shows interesting differences based on age, gender, money, and where people live.

Age-based usage patterns

Age best predicts how people use social media. Young adults between 16-24 spend about 3 hours each day on social platforms. Older generations spend much less time online. YouTube rules across all age groups in the US, reaching 93% of 18-29 year-olds, 94% of 30-49 year-olds, 86% of 50-64 year-olds, and 65% of those 65+.

Each age group picks different platforms. Instagram attracts 76% of US adults aged 18-29 but reaches only 19% of those 65+. TikTok shows similar numbers, with 59% of 18-29 year-olds using it compared to just 10% of seniors. Facebook bucks this trend with steady usage across age groups.

Different generations use social media for different reasons. Older folks mainly want to keep up with family (58.1% of users over 65 say this matters most). Younger users care more about fun and trends. Gen Z users follow accounts in nearly 5 different categories on average, while those 65+ stick to just 2.21 categories.

Gender differences in platform preference

Gender shapes both platform choice and usage habits. Women spend more time on social media than men at every age. Young women aged 16-24 log about 3 hours daily—25 minutes more than men their age.

Some platforms attract more of one gender. Pinterest leads this trend with 69.4% female users versus 22.6% male. Facebook and Instagram split more evenly, though women edge out men slightly. Reddit draws more men, with 59.8% male users.

Men and women engage differently with content. About 30.8% of women aged 16-24 follow influencers, while only 4% of men aged 65+ do. Men generally follow fewer influencers than women. Sports content attracts 30.1% of male users—almost double the female rate of 16.7%.

Income and education level impact

Money and education relate closely to social media habits. People with higher incomes and better education tend to use more social platforms, according to multiple studies.

LinkedIn shows this pattern clearly. 54% of US adults with college degrees use the platform, compared to 12% of those with high school education or less. The platform also attracts wealthy users—53% earn over $75,000 yearly.

Education levels affect how people use these platforms. Better-educated areas show more interest in news, email, information searches, and audio streaming. Areas with less education prefer video streaming and certain social platforms.

Urban vs rural usage trends

Location creates clear differences in social media use. Cities show higher adoption rates for most platforms. Facebook breaks this pattern with its strongest presence in rural areas, reaching 74% of rural US adults.

Instagram highlights the city-country gap, with 51% of urban US adults using it versus 39% of rural users. LinkedIn shows an even bigger difference: 39% of urban adults use it compared to 19% of rural users.

People use platforms differently based on where they live. Social media serves work purposes most often in developing economies, with nearly two-thirds of Nigerian users using it professionally. Rural youth use social media less often than city kids and quit platforms more readily after bad experiences.

How much time do people spend on social media?

People spend 2 hours and 21 minutes daily on social media platforms. This adds up to more than one full waking day each week. The numbers are staggering – users worldwide spend 14.5 billion hours on social platforms daily, which equals about 1.7 million years of human time.

Global average daily usage

A typical internet user connects with about 7 different social platforms monthly. They spend 18 hours and 46 minutes weekly on these platforms. The numbers show a small drop from 143 minutes in 2024 to 141 minutes daily in 2025.

Demographics play a big role in how much time people spend online. Women spend more time on social media than men at every age. Young women between 16-24 years spend almost 3 hours daily on these platforms. That's 25 minutes more than men their age.

Time spent by country

Where you live shapes how much time you spend on social media. Brazilian users top the charts with 3 hours and 49 minutes daily on social platforms.

Other countries that love their social media include:

• Kenya – 3 hours and 43 minutes
• South Africa – 3 hours and 37 minutes
• Philippines – 3 hours and 33 minutes
• Nigeria – 3 hours and 23 minutes

Japanese users spend the least time at 46 minutes daily. South Koreans follow with 1 hour and 14 minutes. Americans fall in the middle range with 2 hours and 16 minutes daily, just under the global average.

Time spent by platform

TikTok rules user engagement. Users spend about 33 hours and 38 minutes monthly on the app – that's 6 hours more than YouTube. American TikTok users spend 43 hours and 53 minutes monthly and open the app 9 times daily.

YouTube claims the biggest share of total social media time worldwide. American users watch for 46 minutes daily. Facebook users spend 32 minutes daily on the platform, a number that hasn't changed much. Instagram users match this with 32 minutes daily.

Each platform keeps users hooked for different lengths. YouTube sessions last 7 minutes and 25 seconds on average. TikTok holds attention for 5 minutes and 49 seconds, while Facebook sessions run 3 minutes and 42 seconds.

Trends in time spent over the years

Social media usage tells an interesting story. Daily time grew from 90 minutes to 143 minutes between 2013 and 2024 – a jump of 53 minutes. The biggest leap came in 2016 with a 15.32% increase.

The numbers kept climbing until they peaked at 151 minutes daily in 2023. The last two years saw a slight dip to 141 minutes daily. This marks a change from the steady growth of 4.42 minutes yearly between 2012 and 2019.

Social platforms keep changing, and so do user habits. Recent data hints that we might have hit peak social media consumption. Users now seem more thoughtful about how they spend their digital time.

Why people use social media in 2025

People's reasons to use social media have changed remarkably in 2025. Human connections remain the top reason users log on. Yet only 50.8% of active users say they use it "to keep in touch with friends and family".

Today's users participate on platforms for many different reasons. The average adult now has 4.66 main reasons for their social media use.

Top motivations: connection, entertainment, news

Social connections matter most to users. "Filling spare time" ranks second among global motivations. News reading comes in third place. More than one in three active users now visit social platforms to stay informed.

This shows a fundamental change in how people get their information. News consumption has become one of the key reasons people log in.

Age is a vital factor in digital motivations. Young users (16-34) go online mainly for social interactions. This motivation ranks only third for users aged 55+. Older users prefer finding information. 62.8% of adult internet users say this is their main reason to use the internet.

Shopping and brand research

Half of all adult users visit social platforms to learn about brands and see their content. These numbers grew from 47.7% in late 2022 to 50% now. Users in developing economies show strong interest in brand research. An impressive 70% of Nigerian users say this drives their social media use.

Social commerce has combined smoothly with the user experience. About 81% of consumers make spontaneous purchases several times a year because of social media. 28% make impulse buys monthly.

Work-related and professional use

More than one in three active users turn to social media for professional activities. Young generations aren't always the most likely users of social media for work. Developing economies show high work-related usage. Nearly two-thirds of Nigerian users leverage these platforms for professional tasks.

Following influencers and celebrities

Influencers have become more popular among social media follows. They jumped from 9th place in 2020 to 6th place by late 2024. This trend shows especially in younger groups. 33% of Gen Z bought products from influencer-founded brands last year.

Trust in vlog content powers this influence. Half of vlog viewers trust what they see in reviews. Viewers find vlogs credible because they show the complete product experience. This creates social proof that feels real and relatable.

What this means for marketers and brands

Social media usage statistics play a crucial role in creating strategies that work in today's digital world. Research shows 85% of US online shoppers are ready to find new products online. Social media suggestions make 61% of these shoppers more likely to try new brands. These changing consumption patterns demand business adaptation.

Choosing the right platforms

Your audience's presence should guide platform selection more than platform size. While Facebook has over 3 billion users, your focus should be where your target audience spends time.

Here are key factors to think about while selecting platforms:

• Business goals (brand awareness, lead generation, community building)
• Content types you create best
• Platform-specific demographics and behaviors

Each platform serves unique purposes. Visual content works best on Instagram and TikTok. LinkedIn suits professional content and intellectual influence. X excels at concise messaging and real-time updates.

Facebook shines with community groups and detailed storytelling. A well-laid-out approach to platform selection will help you target the right users, reduce wasted effort, and boost ROI.

Understanding audience behavior

Deep audience understanding forms the foundation of successful social media involvement. Look beyond simple demographics and analyze:

• Psychographic insights that show audience values and priorities
• Social listening data that reveals brand conversations
• Platform-specific user behaviors and expectations

Social listening tools are now used by 62% of social marketers. These analytical insights help brands create strategies that work. Local festivals, language priorities, and regional consumer behavior can significantly boost campaign success since regional and cultural nuances shape behavior strongly.

Opportunities in emerging markets

Brands can find substantial growth potential in emerging markets. Mobile devices dominate social media usage in these regions. Most people use cell phones as their main internet gateway.

Facebook's mobile accessibility makes it very popular in emerging markets like Indonesia. Smart marketers create mobile-optimized content and experiences to utilize this trend. Markets with older infrastructure often turn technology into an advantage. This helps creative marketers reach new audiences.

The role of video and short-form content

Short-form video rules social media today. Studies suggest this format will make up 90% of all internet traffic by 2024. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts lead this move toward bite-sized content.

These videos get 2.5 times more engagement than long-form content. They are a great way to get audience attention.

Success depends on:

• Grabbing attention in the first three seconds
• Making videos work in vertical format
• Keeping content authentic rather than overly produced
• Using each platform's unique interactive features

Conclusion

Social media's global reach hit new heights in 2025. The numbers tell an interesting story – 5.41 billion people now use these platforms. That's about two-thirds of everyone on Earth actively participating across multiple platforms. This massive shift has changed how we connect, learn, and buy things.

People spend less time on social media now, but the numbers are still big. Users dedicate 2 hours and 21 minutes each day to scrolling, posting, and connecting. This adds up to 4 trillion hours yearly – a mind-boggling amount of human attention. Most users bounce between 7 different platforms every month, showing how diverse our social media habits have become.

Platform popularity keeps changing faster than ever. Facebook leads with 3.07 billion monthly active users. TikTok, though, wins the engagement game – its users spend over 33 hours monthly on the app. Meta's power shows in the numbers. They own four platforms that each have more than a billion monthly active users.

Age and gender shape how people use these platforms. Young adults clock nearly 3 hours daily on social media, way more than older folks. Women spend more time than men across every age group. Location matters too. Brazilians love their social media, spending almost 4 hours daily online. Japanese users, by contrast, spend just 46 minutes.

Marketers face both challenges and opportunities with these trends. Success doesn't come from picking the biggest platforms. It's about finding where your target audience hangs out and understanding their behavior. Short videos rule engagement now. Emerging markets offer huge growth potential for businesses that adapt to local priorities.

People's reasons to use social media have shifted by a lot. Staying connected remains the top reason to log in, but only half the users say this is their main goal. News reading, researching brands, and professional networking have become more important. These changes affect how platforms fit into our daily routines.

Social media is now a vital part of modern life, not just another way to communicate. User behavior will keep changing, but these platforms will stay woven into our daily lives. Brands, marketers, and users need to adapt to this new reality where digital and real-life experiences blend into one social world.

FAQs

Q1. What percentage of the global population uses social media in 2025?

As of 2025, 65.7% of the global population, or 5.41 billion people, are active social media users. This represents a significant increase from previous years, with social media becoming an integral part of daily life for most internet users worldwide.

Q2. Which social media platforms are the most popular globally in 2025?

Facebook remains the largest social network with 3.07 billion monthly active users, followed closely by YouTube with 2.53 billion users. Other popular platforms include WhatsApp and Instagram, both with 2 billion users each. TikTok has also seen substantial growth, reaching 1.59 billion users.

Q3. How much time do people spend on social media daily in 2025?

On average, people spend 2 hours and 21 minutes daily on social media platforms. This translates to about 14.5 billion hours consumed on social platforms daily worldwide. However, usage varies significantly by country and demographic factors.

Q4. How does social media usage differ across age groups?

Young adults aged 16-24 spend nearly 3 hours daily on social platforms, significantly more than older generations. Platform preferences also vary by age, with Instagram and TikTok being more popular among younger users, while Facebook usage remains relatively consistent across age brackets.

Q5. What are the primary reasons people use social media in 2025?

While keeping in touch with friends and family remains important, only 50.8% of users cite it as their primary motivation. Other top reasons include filling spare time, reading news stories, researching brands, and professional networking. The average user now has 4.66 primary reasons for using social media.