Instagram experienced a huge amount of growth in 2021. These Instagram statistics prove just how valuable the network is to your business.
When Instagram company head Adam Mosseri announced this year that Instagram was no longer a “square photo-sharing app,” he was really just stating the obvious: one look at this year’s Instagram statistics and it’s clear just how far it’s come from its humble roots.
Over the past decade-plus, Instagram has evolved, and so has its user base, its business features, its algorithms and technological capabilities. So as you plan your Instagram marketing strategy for 2022, it’s important to know the latest facts about all things Insta. To make sure you’re working with the right information, we’ve compiled all the most important Instagram stats you need to be aware of this year.
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
Instagram is practically a teenager at this point (at the very least, a lovably moody tween) so if your marketing team is still considering the platform to be a flash in the pan, we’ve got news for you: your girl isn’t going anywhere.
Of course, the platform has evolved considerably (hello, Reels!) since it first launched back in October 2010 with a filtered pic of the founder’s dog, and will continue to do so. Make sure you’re up to date on the latest Instagram trends and features as it ventures deeper into its second decade of existence.
According to Semrush, based on total website traffic, Instagram is one of the world’s top 10 most-visited websites globally, with 2.9 billion total visits per month. That’s a lot of eyeballs.
Importantly, while most users login through the mobile app, this stat is a good reminder that people may be viewing your posts on their desktops or laptops, too: make sure those images are looking good at any scale.
What’s easier than typing “instagram.com” into your browser? Letting Google take you there.
Facebook, Youtube and “weather” all beat out Instagram, but considering that Insta is primarily accessed through the app, this is an impressive showing and more proof that your audience might be viewing your content through a browser — whether a mobile one or via their computer.
(Weird fact: the number one Google search query is “google.” We don’t understand, either.)
Only Facebook, Youtube and WhatsApp beat out Instagram in terms of daily active global users, but Instagram clocks in an impressive 1.5 billion.
That’s a lot of eyeballs. At this point, it’s beating out TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat, so if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck in terms of audience reach, Instagram may be a stronger option.
The likelihood that an Instagram user also has an account on another social platform is 99.99%. 83% of Instagram users, for example, also use Facebook, while 55% are also on Twitter.
What does this mean for marketers? You’re likely reaching the same people across different platforms, so try not to repeat yourself to make sure your content is unique and engaging, wherever your followers are encountering it.
Only TikTok beat out Instagram in downloads in Fall 2021 — pretty impressive, given that the app has been around for 12 years. Stilllll got it.
You probably already assumed that most of your Insta audience was experiencing your content through their phones, so please, kick back and enjoy this statistic that proves just that.
In case it’s not clear: Instagram is very, very popular. That’s still only half as many people as Facebook and Youtube each have logging in each month, however.
This key demographic accounts for about 60% of Instagram’s audience.
Global internet users aged 16 to 24 prefer Instagram to other social platforms — yep, even ranking it above TikTok. If that’s an age cohort you’re looking to reach, Insta is apparently the place to be.
Last year, the number of 55 to 64 year old males using Instagram grew by 63.6%. So, yes, it’s a place where the kids are hanging out, but don’t discount the fact that you can find other generations represented here too.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any stats at this point on users who fall outside of the gender binary, but according to what Facebook’s reporting tools can tell us, Instagram’s audience self-identifies as 50.8% female and 49.2% male.
This is a great reminder that Instagram offers access to a global audience, with 201 million users logging in from India (followed by the U.S. at 157 million). In the third place spot, you’ll find Brazillians, with 114 million users, followed by Indonesia and Russia.
This is important information when thinking about how to define your target audience on Instagram, and what kind of content to create.
Increasing its audience by 16% quarter-over-quarter, India is the fastest growing region for Instagram currently. If this is a market your brand is looking to target: congrats! Now you know just where to find ‘em.
That’s despite Instagram user guidelines that require users to be 13 years old before they can create an account. Among kids aged 9 to 11, 11% use Instagram.
Keep in mind that while Instagram does have a huge reach in the U.S., it does not reach everyone. That’s why understanding your audience is so important.
The region will end 2020 with 132.8 million users, eMarketer predicts. That’s an increase of 19.3 million users since 2018.
Before the pandemic, eMarketer had predicted only 5.2% growth for the region. They revised their estimate upwards twice this year.
Brunei might not have the most Instagram users, but it is the country where Instagram reaches the highest percentage of the population: 92%, to be precise.
Rounding out the top five countries with the highest percentage reach are:
If you’re marketing to people in these countries, Instagram could be an especially effective platform for both organic content and paid Instagram posts.
And 38% of those daily visitors are logging on multiple times per day.
Better give ‘em something to look at while they’re there: make sure you’ve got fresh content going up consistently. Even if you’re not able to log in every day, scheduling tools for Instagram—like, ahem, Hootsuite—can help you keep on top of your content calendar.
Only one-in-10 U.S. adults say they seek out news on Instagram — and 42% say they straight-up distrust it as an information source. So if you’re in the business of disseminating important information, Instagram may not be the best place to get your serious message across.
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
Get the free guide right now!They’re exploring not just their newsfeed, though: they’re scrolling through Instagram Stories, checking out Livestreams and watching Reels. Wise brands will deliver something satisfying across all the different features so that followers are entertained, wherever they’re spending those 30 minutes.
Go beyond static images to delight the cinephiles scrolling through your feed. Here are our favorite tips for creating the best Stories, Reels and Instagram Live videos for your audience.
Instagram hasn’t shared updated stats since 2019 (a lifetime ago in social media years) but it’s likely only gotten higher. What started as a Snapchat-inspired foray into video has become a staple of the platform, and one that offers lots of opportunity for brands to get creative. Check out our guide to using Instagram Stories for business here.
Stories have sticking power! And another 50% of Instagram users say they’ve gone ahead and actually visited a website to make a purchase of a product or service after seeing it in Stories.
Want to get in on this action? We actually know some hacks for scheduling Instagram Stories so you don’t miss a beat.
That’s just a small increase from 85% in 2019. Entertainment account Stories saw the largest increase in completion rate, from 81% to 88%. Sports account Stories have the highest completion rate, at 90%.
Story frequency is generally up this year, so if you want to keep up with the top performers (and make sure your content isn’t lost in the ruckus), it’s wise to aim to post a Story approximately every other day.
Despite the fact that they might not reach as far as posts, in 2022, Stories ads are predicted to bring in almost $16 billion in global net ad revenues.
Maybe it’s a clue that people on Instagram want to keep things positive and light?
Don’t feel shy about getting your brand involved in social: everybody’s doing it! As Instagram itself puts it, it’s a place to “grow your community and deepen your connection with current and future customers.” Insta regularly introduces new business tools—like shopping functionality and Instagram Live—to help support businesses, too.
Learn more about how to use Instagram for business here.
While every business account and brand is different, it’s helpful to know the general benchmark for growth, especially if that’s a cornerstone of your brand’s social media goals. Not hitting that number yourself? Check out our tips for growing your Instagram followers here.
To break that down even further: for the average Instagram Business account, 62.7% of all main feed posts are photos, while 16.3% are videos and 21% are photo carousels.
Again, every brand is different, but it’s helpful to see the the competition is (on average!) mixing things up with the types of content it posts.
If you’ve stuck steadfastly to a photos-only game plan, maybe now’s the time to start diversifying.
It’s an incredible discovery tool: 50% of people use it to discover new brands, products or services. And 2 in 3 people say the network helps foster meaningful interactions with brands.
Your newest customer could be lurking around the corner… and ready to fall in love with you!
Compared to other platforms, audiences prefer seeing quizzes and polls from brands on Instagram (and they’re easy to implement using Stories!), so go ahead and speak up: ask your customers what they want!
It’ll make them feel seen, and help you feel confident about your business decisions. Win-win.
That skews a little higher on carousel posts and a little lower on video, but if you’re beating that benchmark of 0.83%, pat yourself on the back.
Interestingly, as brands grow their followers, engagement rates typically dip. Our digital trends report revealed that business accounts with fewer than 10K followers enjoyed higher engagement than brands with 100K followers. In other words: sometimes less is more.
Looking for inspiration to grow your engagement beyond that? We’ve got you covered with Instagram engagement tips right here.
Instagram only introduced its shopping feature a couple of years ago, but it’s already taken the ecommerce world by storm. According to an Instagram for Business survey, 44% of people use Instagram weekly to shop using features like shopping tags and the Shop tag.
Ready to set up your own Insta commerce empire? School yourself with our Instagram Shopping 101 guide.
If paid reach is part of your social media strategy, it’s worth noting that Instagram’s ad reach is skyrocketing past Facebook’s right now. Facebook’s global advertising reach only increased by 6.5% this year, while Instagram’s grew by 20.5%.
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