Twitter Statistics 2025: Has X Actually Changed Social Media? [Fresh Data]

X (formerly Twitter) remains a major player in the social media landscape through 2025, despite its controversial rebrand. The platform now has between 500-650 million monthly active users worldwide and ranks as the 12th most popular social platform globally. The numbers show that X managed to keep its relevance even after losing some ground.

The platform sees about 245 million users logging in each day. Users spend roughly 34 minutes and 6 seconds on the platform daily. American users make up 14% of the total user base, and the United States stands as X's biggest market with over 100 million users. Statistics since Musk took over paint a mixed picture.

The platform lost approximately 8 million users compared to last year. Yet X still draws significant traffic with 4.4 billion visits this year. Users post more than 500 million tweets every day.

This detailed analysis will look at X's current position in 2025. We'll break down everything from user demographics to revenue patterns and the trends shaping its future.

Twitter User Statistics 2025: The Big Picture

X (formerly Twitter) user base has changed substantially in the two years since Elon Musk's controversial takeover. The platform's statistics in 2025 show it still has a strong presence in the social media world, though its position has moved compared to previous years.

Monthly active users (MAU)

X reports 600-650 million monthly active users worldwide in 2025, though this number varies between data sources. The most reliable estimates put the count at 611 million monthly active users. This makes X the 12th most popular social network worldwide. The platform captures a modest but crucial portion of the 5.42 billion total social media users globally.

The platform's user count has shown some fluctuation. Reports show a drop of 33 million users from a previous count of 619 million. X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced the platform has over 500 million monthly active users.

These numbers show X reaches about 12.6% of all internet users globally. This is nowhere near the giants like Facebook (3.07 billion), YouTube (2.53 billion), and Instagram (2 billion). The platform managed to keep half a billion monthly users, which shows it still draws substantial attention in today's crowded social media space.

Daily active users (DAU)

X has approximately 245 million daily active users worldwide. As a private company, X states it has "200 to 250 million" daily users. User data has become less transparent since the acquisition, and the platform doesn't share detailed information as often as before.

Past data shows steady growth in X's daily active users before the rebrand. The numbers grew from 109 million in Q1 2017 to 229 million in Q1 2022. The company's last public DAU count was 237.8 million in Q2 2022 before going private.

Users spend 30.9 minutes on the platform daily, which adds up to 15.67 hours monthly. American users show more activity and spend about 34 minutes and 6 seconds each day on X. Some reports suggest a drop in engagement, with users spending just 11 minutes daily on the platform.

Tweet volume and engagement rates

Users create over 500 million posts daily on the platform. This activity jumps during major global events like sports competitions, awards ceremonies, and political debates – sometimes reaching two or three times the usual daily engagement.

The engagement numbers raise some concerns for X. Median engagement per tweet dropped from 0.03% in 2024 to 0.015% in 2025. Many industries saw their engagement rates fall close to zero, including Fashion, Food & Beverage, and Health & Beauty categories.

Users post less often now. The median account tweets 2.16 times weekly, down from 3.3 tweets the previous year. Most industries cut their posting by half or stopped posting completely. Sports Teams buck this trend with higher engagement rates at 0.073% and more frequent posts at 44.3 tweets weekly.

Financial Services and Media companies kept steadier engagement compared to other sectors. The overall trend shows declining activity across X. These changes in engagement and posting behavior point to major shifts in how users and brands use X in 2025.

Has X Really Changed Social Media in 2025?

Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and changed its name to X. The results have been mixed, not the revolutionary change many expected in the social media world. Studies show people still use the platform for news just as much as they did ten years ago.

The platform works differently now though. Changes to content rules, how people use it, and its features have shaped this new digital space Musk wanted to build.

What's different since the rebrand

X dropped Twitter's 10-year old brand completely. People no longer use familiar words like "tweets" and "retweets" that had become part of daily talk. This hurt the platform's cultural identity. Users didn't like this change. A 2023 survey showed 69% of US users didn't want to call it X. News outlets still call it Twitter in 2025.

The name wasn't the only change. X now offers more features:

• Live audio and video through Spaces
• Information verification via Community Notes to curb false information
• Digital payments through X Money Account and a partnership with Visa
• Premium subscriptions with direct payments and tips for creators
• Artificial Intelligence integration via Grok, available in different versions for premium and regular users

These new features match Musk's plan to make X an "everything app" like China's WeChat. The blue checkmark system changed too. Anyone can now buy it. This made the checkmark less trustworthy and left users and brands confused.

User behavior shifts post-Musk

People use X differently now. They talk about Musk more than before. U.S. adults mentioned him once between January and April 2022. This jumped to six times right after he bought the platform.

Political differences on X have grown stronger. Since 2023, both Democrats and Republicans get news from X equally. Before, Democrats used it more. Each group uses the platform differently too. Democrats share posts more (50% of what they do), while Republicans reply to others more (61% of their activity).

The most active users post less now. Their monthly posts dropped by 25% after Musk took over. Still, most stayed on X.

Harmful content has gone up on the platform. Hate speech increased by 50% after Musk bought it, lasting at least until May 2023. "Likes" on hate speech posts doubled, which means more people saw this content. Research shows that seeing hate speech can make people think worse about minority groups without realizing it.

Impact on global digital conversations

X remains a key news source in 2025. Half its users read news there, and 65% say news brings them to the platform. About 75% of users find breaking news there first – more than on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.

Big events still drive lots of activity on X, often doubling or tripling normal engagement. Yet, 86% of U.S. adults who read news on X say they see wrong information. About 37% see it often.

Other platforms have grown because of X's changes. Threads now has 275 million monthly users. Bluesky added 700,000 new users in just one week. Mastodon offers another choice. Journalists and businesses now use these platforms too, not just X.

X still helps businesses understand customers quickly, work with influencers, and join trending talks. Its unmatched real-time conversations make it stand out among social media platforms, keeping it relevant in 2025's digital world.

Who Uses Twitter in 2025?

X (formerly Twitter) attracts mostly younger adults and males, with most users coming from North America and Asia. The platform's user statistics by age, gender, and location help us learn about who still uses the platform in 2025, even after its controversial rebrand and position changes in the social media world.

Age group breakdown

Young adults rule X's user base in 2025. Users aged 25-34 make up the biggest group at 37.5% globally. The next largest segment belongs to 18-24 year olds at 32.1%. These two age groups combined represent about 70% of all X users, showing how much Millennials and Gen Z love the platform.

The numbers drop sharply for older age groups:

• Users 35-49 years old: 21.1%
• People 50 and above: 7.3%
• Teens 13-17: just 2%

These numbers haven't changed much over the last several years. Other sources show similar patterns. X still struggles to attract and keep older users while its younger audience stays loyal to the platform.

Gender distribution

X stands out among major social networks with its big gender gap. Males dominate the platform heavily. The February 2025 numbers tell the story:

Males make up 63.7% of X's global users, while females account for only 36.3%. The gap grows even wider in markets like the United States, where men represent 63% of all users.

The gender divide keeps growing instead of shrinking. Recent data shows male users have increased by about 6% since January 2023. This trend suggests the platform leans more male-dominated after Musk's takeover and the rebrand.

Top countries by user count

The United States leads with 103.96 million accounts, about 17% of X's total global users. Unlike other platforms that spread users evenly worldwide, X concentrates heavily in a few key countries.

Japan holds second place with 70.92 million users. X's popularity in Japan runs deep – 60% of the country's population has an account, the highest usage rate worldwide.

Other major markets include:

• Indonesia: 25.16 million users
• India: 24.09 million users
• United Kingdom: 22.87 million users
• Germany: 21.63 million users

The platform stays influential in many geographic and cultural settings. Brands and content creators still see X as valuable to reach global audiences, despite its challenges.

The top ten countries represent more than half of X's global users. This shows both X's worldwide reach and its focus in specific markets. China bans Twitter/X officially, yet about 8.6 million Chinese users access it through VPNs, proving its global appeal remains strong.

How People Use Twitter Today

X shows the sort of thing I love about how people use the platform in 2025. This platform has grown from basic status updates into a rich communication tool that serves everything from news consumption to brand connections.

Time spent on the platform

People love spending time on X. Users now dedicate about 30.9 minutes each day, which adds up to 15.67 hours monthly. American users spend even more time – 34 minutes and 6 seconds daily. Some reports paint a different picture and suggest users spend just 11 minutes per day or roughly 3.7 hours monthly.

Location and device choice create big differences in how people use X. To name just one example, 80% of users check X on their mobile devices. This explains why activity spreads throughout the day – people check morning news, catch up during lunch, and join evening conversations.

Top reasons people use Twitter

Entertainment leads the pack, with 82% of users coming to X just to have fun. This helps explain why content creators put so much effort into making their posts engaging and shareable.

Here's why else people turn to X:

• News and updates (59% use it as their news source)
• Learning new things (55% look for informative content)
• Staying in touch with loved ones
• Brand updates (35% connect with brands daily)
• Career networking (14% use it to build professional relationships)

Businesses tap into X's many benefits – 67% of B2B marketers use it as their digital marketing tool. They learn about customers, build brand awareness, and keep tabs on competitors.

Popular content types and formats

Visual content rules engagement on X. Video tweets get 10 times more interaction than text-only posts, making them gold for marketers. Text posts still drive high engagement, with static images and quick videos (under 15 seconds) close behind.

Hashtags pack a punch – tweets with them double engagement compared to those without. Video tweets see 5 times more replies, 2.8 times more retweets, and 1.9 times more likes. Using 1-2 hashtags works best, as more can look spammy.

Users prefer quick, easy-to-digest content. Shorter tweets perform better, and those that grab attention in the first three seconds see a 13% boost in breakthrough metrics.

Twitter Spaces and video usage

X users watch 8.3 billion videos daily in 2024. Eight out of ten sessions include video watching, which explains why video views have grown 35% year after year.

Twitter Spaces, launched in late 2020, lets anyone host live audio chats. Hosts can bring in up to 13 speakers, including two co-hosts. The feature hit a record when Elon Musk's Space with Ron DeSantis pulled in over 3.2 million listeners in May 2023.

Quick 15-second videos work magic, with three times better completion rates than 30-second ones. Long videos have found their place too – users watch 130 years' worth of content that runs 30 minutes or longer. The Immersive Video feature now draws more than 100 million daily users, showing how X has mastered visual engagement.

Twitter Revenue and Monetization Trends

X's financial performance tells a complex story in 2025. The platform experienced its first advertising revenue growth since Musk bought it.

X's global ad sales should rise by 16.5% to USD 2.26 billion in 2025. This increase signals a possible recovery after years of declining numbers.

Ad revenue vs. data licensing

Advertising continues to generate most of X's revenue despite major losses since the rebrand. The platform's total revenue reached approximately USD 2.50 billion in 2024, showing a 13.7% drop from the previous year. Ad revenue made up 68% of this total, lower than 75% in 2023 and 90% in 2022.

Data licensing has become more crucial as advertising declined. It brought in about USD 900 million (26% of total revenue) in 2023. X tried to broaden its revenue streams through this change after advertisers left the platform. The company also launched premium subscriptions, first called X Blue, which earned just USD 11 million on mobile during its first three months.

The platform's advertising revenue shows a clear downward trend:

• 2021: USD 4.51 billion (pre-Musk acquisition)
• 2023: USD 3.31 billion (30% decrease)
• 2024: USD 3.14 billion (5.1% further decrease)

Revenue by region

X's revenue distribution highlights its strong reliance on the American market. The United States accounts for more than 50% of the platform's revenues while having only 17% of X's users.

X earned USD 1.75 billion from the United States and USD 1.65 billion from other countries in 2023. This pattern matches earlier data from 2021, where the US brought in 56% of total revenue (USD 2.84 billion). Japan contributed 15% (USD 675 million), and other international markets added 29% (USD 1.57 billion).

Net income and profitability

X's profitability shows improvement in 2025. Profits reached USD 1.14 billion, rising 20.62% from USD 942.37 million in 2024. These numbers suggest better operational efficiency after years of financial difficulties.

The quarter ending March 31, 2025, brought quarterly net earnings of approximately USD 1.14 billion. This represents the same 20.6% growth from last year. These gains follow significant losses – X lost USD 221.41 million in 2021 and USD 1.14 billion in 2020.

Musk gave a realistic assessment in January 2025, stating "user growth is stagnant, revenue is unimpressive, and we're barely breaking even". His honest evaluation contrasts with analyst predictions suggesting X might enter a more stable financial period if current growth continues.

The Musk Effect: Timeline of Major Changes

Elon Musk bought Twitter for USD 44 billion in October 2022 and made dramatic changes that altered the map of the platform's identity, workforce, and business model.

Key events from acquisition to rebrand

Musk completed the acquisition on October 27, 2022, and quickly fired the core team, including Twitter's CEO, CFO, and head of Legal. He launched a new Twitter Blue subscription that cost USD 8 monthly in November 2022, which made verification a paid feature.

The platform ended up rebranding to "X" in July 2023, and Musk replaced the iconic bird logo with a minimalist "X" symbol.

Layoffs and company restructuring

The most controversial changes came from massive staff cuts. Musk laid off about 50% of Twitter's 7,500 employees on November 4, 2022. Staff reductions continued over the next months until April 2023, when Musk confirmed only 1,500 employees remained—an 80% reduction. He justified these drastic measures because of "a USD 3 billion negative cash flow situation".

Creator monetization and crypto payments

Musk launched a Creator Revenue Sharing program that lets eligible creators with Premium subscriptions earn money. Creators need 5 million organic impressions and 500+ verified followers to qualify. X got a Rhode Island Currency Transmitter License in August 2025, which sets up the platform to enable cryptocurrency payments for its nearly 450 million active users.

Conclusion

Has X really changed social media? Data shows that Musk's takeover and controversial rebrand have altered the map of the platform. Twitter/X hasn't revolutionized social media as much as people first expected.

The platform has grown into a more versatile communication tool with new capabilities and managed to keep its spot as the world's 12th most popular social network.

X still draws massive attention with 600-650 million monthly active users and 245 million daily active users, even with ups and downs in user activity.

Engagement rates have plummeted to just 0.015% per tweet in 2025. Posts across most industries have also dropped by a lot. Young adults between 18-34 make up almost 70% of all X users, showing interesting user patterns.

Men dominate the platform at 63.7% of X's global users – the biggest gender gap among major social networks. The United States leads with 103 million users. Japan shows the highest adoption rate where about 60% of people have an account.

Money-wise, X seems to be bouncing back after several down years. Ad revenue should grow 16.5% in 2025, reaching $2.26 billion. This comes after big losses since the rebrand, with total revenue dropping 13.7% in 2024. The good news is that profits are looking up – net income jumped 20.62% to $1.14 billion in 2025.

Musk's buyout definitely triggered big changes. The company cut lots of jobs, changed how verification works, and created new ways to make money. Many users and brands pushed back at first, but X stayed relevant because it knows how to encourage live conversations and remains a key news source.

X's future holds both promise and hurdles. Threads and Bluesky keep growing in popularity, but X's push to become an "everything app" with more features could make it stronger. In spite of that, ongoing problems with harmful content and falling engagement might slow its growth.

Looking at X in 2025, it remains both different and familiar in the social media world – changed but not revolutionary, challenged but still standing.

FAQs

Q1. How has X (formerly Twitter) changed since Elon Musk's acquisition?

X has undergone significant changes, including a complete rebrand, expanded functionalities like live audio and video, digital payments, and AI integration. The platform has also seen shifts in user behavior, content moderation policies, and engagement metrics.

Q2. What are the current user statistics for X in 2025?

X has approximately 600-650 million monthly active users and 245 million daily active users. The platform is most popular among young adults aged 18-34, who make up nearly 70% of all users. Males represent 63.7% of X's global user base.

Q3. How has X's financial performance changed in recent years?

After years of decline, X is showing signs of recovery in 2025. The platform is projected to see advertising revenue growth of 16.5%, reaching $2.26 billion. Profitability has improved, with net income increasing by 20.62% to $1.14 billion in 2025.

Q4. What are the most popular content types on X?

Visual content dominates engagement on X. Tweets with videos receive 10 times more engagement than text-only posts. Short-form videos (under 15 seconds) and tweets with 1-2 hashtags tend to perform particularly well.

Q5. How does X compare to other social media platforms in 2025?

X remains the 12th most popular social network globally, reaching about 12.6% of all internet users. While it lags behind giants like Facebook and Instagram in user numbers, X maintains its unique position as a real-time conversation platform and significant news source.