Social media now reaches 5.79 billion identities globally, 69.9% of all people on Earth, yet platform-level reach diverges so sharply that any single demographic average breaks down on inspection. YouTube hits 95% of US adults aged 18 to 29; X reaches 8% of all US adults, according to Pew Research Center’s 2025 fact sheet, a 12x gap between the broadest and narrowest mainstream platforms. The data below covers per-platform user counts, age and gender distributions, country concentration, and engagement metrics.
Key Takeaways
- Global social media identities reached 5.79 billion in April 2026, up 5.4% year over year, according to DataReportal’s Digital 2026 mid-year update report.
- YouTube reach climbs to 95% among US adults aged 18 to 29 and falls to 64% among those aged 65 and older, the widest age spread in the Pew 2025 fact sheet.
- LinkedIn passed 1.3 billion registered members across 36 languages and 38 offices worldwide, the company’s official About page confirms.
- Pinterest skews over 69.4% female and 22.6% male, the most gender-skewed major platform tracked.
- TikTok counts 1.59 billion monthly active users in 2026, a 6.8% year-over-year increase, excluding China’s Douyin.
- Snapchat reached 946 million monthly active users in Q4 2025, up 6% year over year, with 474 million daily actives, Snap Inc.’s February 4, 2026, earnings release shows.
- Threads crossed over 350 million monthly active users in Q1 2025, adding 30 million sequentially, CEO Mark Zuckerberg disclosed on the Q1 2025 earnings call.
Editor’s Choice
- Meta Family Daily Active People reached 3.58 billion on average for December 2025, an increase of 7% year over year, per Meta’s January 28, 2026, earnings release.
- YouTube advertising audience hit 2.65 billion addressable users in DataReportal’s April 2026 figures.
- Instagram had 2.4 billion monthly active users globally in 2026, the third-largest social platform.
- TikTok’s global MAU is 1.59 billion, excluding Douyin in China.
- LinkedIn membership stands at over 1.3 billion worldwide.
- Snapchat MAU sits at 946 million in Q4 2025, up 6% year over year.
- X (formerly Twitter) reports approximately 611 million monthly active users in 2026.
Recent Developments
- January 28, 2026: Meta reported Family Daily Active People of 3.58 billion for December 2025, an increase of 7% year over year across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads.
- February 4, 2026: Snap Inc. reported 946 million Snapchat MAU and 474 million DAU for Q4 2025, with North America DAU down 5% year over year.
- April 2026: DataReportal’s Digital 2026 mid-year update raised global social media identities to 5.79 billion, with 800,000 new users added daily on average.
- May 2026: LinkedIn’s About page confirmed 1.3 billion members across 36 languages and 38 offices spanning more than 30 cities.
- Q4 2025: Pinterest reported 619 million monthly active users, a 12% year-over-year increase from the prior quarter’s 600 million.
- April 30, 2025: Meta disclosed that Threads had passed over 350 million monthly active users on the Q1 2025 earnings call, with a 35% lift in time spent.
Global Social Media User Counts
- Total social media identities: 5.79 billion globally as of April 2026.
- Year-over-year growth: 5.4% over the past 12 months, equating to 294 million new identities.
- Daily user additions: More than 800,000 new users every day.
- Internet user reach: 94.7% of internet users now use social media every month.
- Platform diversity: Users access 6.5 different social platforms monthly.
- Weekly time spent: 18 hours 36 minutes weekly across social platforms; ages 16 to 24 average 25 hours 45 minutes.
- Gender split (global): 54.4% male, 45.6% female across social platforms collectively.
| Metric | Value | Period |
| Global social media identities | 5.79 billion | April 2026 |
| YoY growth | 5.4% | Trailing 12 months |
| New users per day | 800,000 plus | April 2026 |
| Share of internet users on social | 94.7% | April 2026 |
| Share of world population on social | 69.9% | April 2026 |
| Avg platforms used per user | 6.5 | Q4 2025 |
| Avg weekly time spent | 18h 36m | Q4 2025 |
Source: DataReportal Digital 2026 Global Overview (April 2026 update)
Facebook Demographics by Platform
- Global monthly reach: 56.9% of online adults aged 16 and older.
- US adult adoption: 71% of US adults use Facebook, per Pew’s 2025 fact sheet.
- Age 30 to 49 reach: 80% of US adults aged 30 to 49 use Facebook, ranking first among the four age cohorts Pew tracks.
- Age 65 and older reach: 57% of Americans aged 65 and older use Facebook, the platform’s strongest older-user retention among major networks.
- Gender split (US): 63% of men and 78% of women use Facebook, a 15-point gap.
- Daily Android time: 67 minutes per day on average for Facebook’s Android app.
- Family DAP context: Meta’s Family DAP averaged 3.58 billion for December 2025, an increase of 7% year over year, capturing Facebook alongside Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads.
| US Adult Age Cohort | Facebook Reach |
| 18 to 29 | 68% |
| 30 to 49 | 80% |
| 50 to 64 | 74% |
| 65 and older | 57% |
Source: Pew Research Center Social Media fact sheet (Feb-Jun 2025 survey, n=5,022 US adults)
Key finding: US Facebook adoption clears 74% in the 50-to-64 cohort and 57% even at 65 and older, according to Pew’s 2025 survey of 5,022 US adults. Facebook is the only mainstream platform where reach barely declines past age 50, inverting the youth-skew pattern seen on TikTok and Snapchat.
Social Media Use by Age Group: A Cross-Platform View
- 18-29 saturation: 95% YouTube, 80% Instagram, 68% Facebook, 63% TikTok, 58% Snapchat reach among US 18-29-year-olds.
- 30-49 cohort: Facebook hits 80%, YouTube 92%, Instagram 62% among US adults 30-49.
- 50-64 cohort: YouTube 85%, Facebook 74%, Instagram 40%, TikTok 30% among US 50-64-year-olds.
- 65 and older cohort: YouTube 64%, Facebook 57%, Instagram 19%, TikTok 12% among US adults 65 and older.
- Generational divergence: Gen Z prefers YouTube 91%, Instagram 86%, TikTok 79%, Facebook 77%; Millennials prefer YouTube 90%, Facebook 89%, Instagram 81%, TikTok 69%, with over 90% of US Gen Z and Millennial users watching short-form content, per Sprout Social Index reporting.
- 16-24 weekly hours: 25 hours 45 minutes weekly on social platforms among the 16-24 cohort, more than the all-user average.
YouTube Demographics by Platform
- Global users: approximately 2.7 billion YouTube users worldwide as of February 2026, with 1.06 billion daily actives.
- Advertising reach: 2.65 billion addressable users in DataReportal’s April 2026 figures.
- US adult reach: 84% of US adults use YouTube, the highest mainstream platform reach Pew measures.
- 18-29 saturation: 95% of US adults aged 18 to 29 use YouTube.
- Largest country: India leads with 491 million YouTube users, followed by the United States with 253 million and Brazil with 144 million.
- Daily Android time: 1 hour 26 minutes average per day; 14 minutes 29 seconds per session, the longest among major platforms.
- Gender split: 54% male, 46% female across YouTube’s global ad audience.
Across our 50+ platform statistics pages, we see a consistent pattern: user growth slows in mature markets, but engagement depth keeps climbing. YouTube is the cleanest example: US 18-44 reach has been at saturation for years, yet session length keeps expanding through CTV viewing and Shorts. Our Spotify user data coverage tracks the same shift in audio.
Instagram Demographics by Platform
- Global MAU: 2.4 billion monthly active users in 2026, the world’s third-largest social platform.
- Advertising reach: 1.99 billion addressable users in DataReportal’s April 2026 update.
- Largest country: India leads with 440 million users, followed by the United States with 182 million and Brazil with 149 million, per Statista Country Reports published in February 2026.
- Age concentration: roughly 63% of Instagram’s global audience falls in the 18 to 34 range.
- US 18-29 reach: 80% of US adults aged 18 to 29 use Instagram, per Pew 2025.
- Gender split (global): 49.4% female, 50.6% male worldwide.
- Gender split (US): 55.4% women and 44.6% men in the United States.
- Daily Android time: 1 hour 13 minutes per day on Android. Compare with Instagram follower data for engagement context.
| US Adult Age Cohort | Instagram Reach |
| 18 to 29 | 80% |
| 30 to 49 | 62% |
| 50 to 64 | 40% |
| 65 and older | 19% |
Source: Pew Research Center Social Media fact sheet (2025); Statista Country Reports (Feb 2026)
Social Media Use by Gender: Where the Gap Is Widest
- Pinterest: over 69.4% female, 22.6% male, the most female-skewed major platform.
- X (Twitter): 68.5% male user share, the most male-skewed mainstream platform.
- TikTok: 54% female, 46% male globally.
- Instagram: 49.4% female and 50.6% male worldwide; 55.4% women and 44.6% men in the United States.
- Facebook (US): 63% of men and 78% of women use Facebook in Pew’s 2025 survey.
- US TikTok gender split: 42% of women and 30% of men use TikTok in the US.
- US X gender split: 25% of men and 16% of women use X in the US.
- All-platform global average: 54.4% male, 45.6% female across social platforms collectively.
TikTok Demographics by Platform
- Global MAU: 1.59 billion monthly active users in 2026, a 6.8% year-over-year increase, excluding China’s Douyin.
- Advertising reach: 2.21 billion addressable users in DataReportal’s April 2026 figures.
- Largest market: The US audience exceeds 135 million users, making it TikTok’s largest single country.
- Asia-Pacific concentration: Asia-Pacific leads all regions with 835 million monthly active users.
- Age skew: the 18 to 24 age group accounts for 39% of TikTok users; users aged 30 to 49 represent nearly 30%.
- US 18-29 reach: 63% of US adults aged 18 to 29 use TikTok.
- US 65 and older population: 12% of US adults aged 65 and older.
- Gender split (global): 54% female, 46% male.
- Daily Android time: 1 hour 37 minutes per day on Android, the longest total daily time among major networks; YouTube records the longest single session at 14 minutes 29 seconds.
- Teen reach: 60% of US teens aged 13 to 17 use TikTok, with 16% reporting “almost constant” use.
| US Adult Age Cohort | TikTok Reach |
| 18 to 29 | 63% |
| 30 to 49 | 44% |
| 50 to 64 | 30% |
| 65 and older | 12% |
Source: Pew Research Center Social Media fact sheet (2025); DataReportal Digital 2026
By the numbers: TikTok’s average 1 hour 37 minutes per day on Android is roughly 24 minutes longer than Instagram and 30 minutes longer than Facebook, according to DataReportal’s April 2026 figures. Time-on-platform now decouples from headcount, with TikTok’s per-user attention exceeding platforms that have larger absolute reach.
LinkedIn Demographics by Platform
- Total members: over 1.3 billion registered members worldwide, LinkedIn’s About page confirms.
- Languages: LinkedIn is currently available in 36 languages, from Arabic and Bangla through Vietnamese.
- Offices: 38 offices in more than 30 cities globally.
- Asia Pacific: over 396 million members across the region.
- EMEA: over 419 million members in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, LinkedIn’s largest regional bloc.
- North America: over 285 million members.
- South and Central America: over 219 million members.
- Advertising reach: 1.43 billion addressable users in DataReportal’s April 2026 figures.
- US adult reach: 25% of US adults use LinkedIn.
X (Twitter) Demographics by Platform
- Global MAU: approximately 611 million monthly active users in 2026, with around 245 million monetizable daily active users.
- Gender skew: 68.5% of all X users are male, one of the highest gender disparities of any major social network.
- Age concentration: the 25 to 34 age group accounts for 36.6% of X’s audience, the largest cohort.
- US 18-29 reach: 38% of US adults aged 18 to 29 use X.
- US adult reach overall: 8% of US adults reported using X (Twitter) in Pew’s 2025 fact sheet.
- Largest country: the United States leads with approximately 104 million users, followed by Japan with 69.3 million.
- US 18-29 to 65 and older ratio: X reaches 33% of US adults 18-29 versus 10% of those 65 and older per Pew.
| US Adult Age Cohort | X (Twitter) Reach |
| 18 to 29 | 33% |
| 30 to 49 | 25% |
| 50 to 64 | 16% |
| 65 and older | 10% |
Source: Pew Research Center Social Media fact sheet (2025); Backlinko X Statistics (2026)
Pinterest Demographics by Platform
- Global MAU: 619 million monthly active users in Q4 2025, up 12% year over year from the prior quarter’s 600 million.
- US adult reach: 37% of US adults use Pinterest.
- Gender skew: over 69.4% female, 22.6% male, with 8% unspecified.
- Generational split: Gen Z accounts for 42% of Pinterest’s global user base, and around one-third of users are Millennials aged 25 to 34.
- DataReportal note: Pinterest is most popular among females aged 16 to 24.
| Pinterest Demographic | Share |
| Female users | 69.4% |
| Male users | 22.6% |
| Unspecified | 8% |
| Gen Z share | 42% |
| Millennial share | about 33% |
Source: Pinterest Q4 2025 reporting; DataReportal Digital 2026
Pinterest‘s audience composition is the cleanest counter-example to the “social media is converging” thesis. Where TikTok and Instagram show shrinking gender gaps and broadening age curves, Pinterest’s female-leaning user base has held above 65% for nearly a decade.
Snapchat Demographics by Platform
- Global MAU: 946 million monthly active users in Q4 2025, up 6% year over year, per Snap’s February 4, 2026, earnings release.
- Global DAU: 474 million daily active users in Q4 2025, a 5% year-over-year increase.
- North America DAU: 94 million, down 5% year over year.
- Europe DAU: 98 million, down 1% year over year.
- Rest of World DAU: 282 million, up 11% year over year.
- North America ARPU: $10.88 in Q4 2025, up 12% year over year.
- US adult reach: 26% of US adults use Snapchat, rising to 58% among 18-29-year-olds.
- Teen reach: 55% of US teens aged 13 to 17 use Snapchat, with about half visiting daily.
- Snapchat plus subscribers: 24 million subscribers, up 71% year over year.
| Region | Q4 2025 DAU | YoY Change |
| North America | 94 million | minus 5% |
| Europe | 98 million | minus 1% |
| Rest of World | 282 million | plus 11% |
| Global total | 474 million | plus 5% |
Source: Snap Inc. Q4 2025 Financial Results (February 4, 2026 press release)
Threads Demographics by Platform
- MAU milestone: over 350 million monthly active users as of Q1 2025, a 30 million sequential gain.
- Quarterly add: Threads added 30 million users in Q1 2025, compared with 20 million in Q4 2024.
- Time spent lift: 35% increase in time spent on Threads tied to recommendation system improvements.
- Teen reach: 6% of US teens aged 13 to 17 use Threads, with nearly half (46%) of teens online almost constantly, the lowest mainstream-platform reach in Pew’s 2024 teen survey.
Threads remains the youngest mainstream text platform and trails X in absolute user count, but its quarterly add rate has accelerated since launch. For broader context on AI-driven recommendation systems, see our AI in social media data coverage.
Social Media Use by Race and Ethnicity (US Data)
- TikTok: 53% of Black US adults, 57% of Hispanic US adults, 28% of White US adults, and 31% of Asian US adults use TikTok per Pew 2025.
- WhatsApp: 56% of Hispanic US adults, 54% of Asian US adults, 37% of Black US adults, and 23% of White US adults use WhatsApp.
- Instagram: 62% of Hispanic, 58% of Asian, 54% of Black, and 45% of White US adults use Instagram.
- Reddit: 44% of Asian US adults use Reddit, ranking first among the four racial and ethnic groups Pew tracks, versus 27% of White and 18% of Black US adults.
- Teen TikTok: 79% of Black US teens and 74% of Hispanic US teens use TikTok, compared with 54% of White teens.
- Teen “almost constant” use: Black and Hispanic US teens report being online “almost constantly” at 53% and 58% respectively, versus 37% for White teens.
Why it matters: TikTok reach hits 57% among Hispanic US adults and 53% among Black US adults, roughly double the 28% rate among White adults, according to Pew’s 2025 survey of 5,022 US adults. The racial-ethnic gap is the widest of any mainstream platform, larger than the equivalent gap on Instagram or WhatsApp.
Daily Time Spent and Engagement by Platform
- TikTok: 1 hour 37 minutes per day average on Android, with 9 minutes 42 seconds per session.
- YouTube: 1 hour 26 minutes per day on Android, with 14 minutes 29 seconds per session, the longest session length among major platforms.
- Instagram: 1 hour 13 minutes per day on Android.
- Facebook: 67 minutes per day on Android.
- WhatsApp: 59 minutes per day on Android.
- Cross-platform: users average 6.5 different social platforms monthly, a sharp jump from 4.5 in 2018 reporting.
| Platform | Daily Time (Android) | Avg Session |
| TikTok | 1h 37m | 9m 42s |
| YouTube | 1h 26m | 14m 29s |
| 1h 13m | n/a | |
| 67m | n/a | |
| 59m | n/a |
Source: DataReportal Digital 2026 Global Overview (April 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
DataReportal ranks addressable advertising audiences with YouTube at 2.65 billion users, Facebook at 2.39 billion, and TikTok at 2.21 billion, per DataReportal’s April 2026 update. Instagram counts 2.4 billion monthly active users, and LinkedIn has over 1.3 billion registered members based on the companies’ official disclosures.
The 18-to-24 cohort accounts for 39% of TikTok’s global user base, with users aged 30 to 49 representing nearly 30%, per ByteDance-aligned reporting and DataReportal Digital 2026. The 50-plus segment is the platform’s fastest-growing demographic, though it remains smaller in absolute terms.
Pinterest’s audience skews heavily female, with over 69.4% of users identifying as women, 22.6% as men, and 8% unspecified, per Pinterest’s Q4 2025 reporting. Gen Z now accounts for 42% of the Pinterest user base, the platform’s fastest-growing cohort.
The average internet user accesses 6.5 different social platforms each month and spends 18 hours 36 minutes weekly on social media combined, according to DataReportal’s Digital 2026 Global Overview Report. The 16-to-24 cohort spends 25 hours 45 minutes weekly, well above the all-ages average.
X reaches approximately 611 million monthly active users globally, with 68.5% identifying as male, the most male-skewed major social network tracked. The United States is the largest country market with approximately 104 million users, followed by Japan with 69.3 million, per Backlinko’s compilation of X Corp disclosures.
About 60% of US teens aged 13 to 17 use TikTok and 60% use Instagram, with 55% using Snapchat, according to Pew Research Center’s Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024 survey of 1,391 teens. YouTube ranks first among the platforms Pew measured for teens, at 90% reach.
Conclusion
Per-platform demographic divergence keeps widening even as global social media identities cross 5.79 billion. Pew’s 2025 fact sheet shows YouTube reaching 95% of US adults aged 18 to 29 while X reaches just 8% of the broader US adult base, a 12x gap that any cross-platform demographic average obscures. The platforms that grew users fastest in the past year, Threads (over 350 million MAU) and Pinterest (619 million MAU, plus 12% year over year), did so by leaning into distinct cohorts: Threads on text-forward Millennials, Pinterest on female Gen Z search behavior.
For marketers and product teams, “social media demographics” is not a single dataset. It is nine to twelve overlapping platform-specific datasets, each with its own age curve, gender skew, and engagement rhythm. Per-platform composition decides where attention actually sits this year, and the gaps among Pinterest’s over 69.4% female base, X’s 68.5% male base, and TikTok’s 54% female / 46% male split are now wider than the gaps between platforms a decade ago.
Looking ahead, the pattern our SQ Magazine attention-span and platform statistics coverage tracks holds for this dataset too: time-on-platform is decoupling from headcount. The platforms commanding the deepest attention, TikTok at 1 hour 37 minutes total daily time on Android and YouTube at 14 minutes 29 seconds per session (the longest session length among major platforms), are the ones to watch through the rest of the year.
