11 Apr 44 Instagram Statistics and Facts for 2021 via @sejournal, @theshelleywalsh
1. Instagram is currently the sixth most used social media platform in the world (behind Facebook, Youtube, WhatsApp, FB Messenger and WeChat).
2. Instagram is the 10th most visited website in the US, with an estimated 0.9 billion monthly visits in January 2021. (Source)
3. In 2020, Instagram was the fifth most popular download on the Apple App Store. (Source)
Instagram is one of the big players of social media and has significantly contributed to the culture of the influencer as an income stream.
If you want to know more about the platform, we have curated some of the best Instagram statistics and facts below. Including how much Instagram is worth, how many active users are on the platform, the growth statistics, Instagram demographics and the top brands and influencers on Instagram.
Instagram facts
4. Instagram was co-founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010.
5. The current head of Instagram is Adam Mosseri.
6. Instagram HQ is at Menlo Park, California.
7. In 2017, Instagram was reported to have 450 employees – that’s 3.5 million users per employee.
(Source)
When did Instagram come out?
8. Instagram was launched on October 6th, 2010, but the very first post was made on July 16th, 2010.
How much is Instagram worth?
9. In 2012, Facebook paid $1 billion for Instagram.
10. In 2018, Instagram was estimated to be worth $100 billion.
11. In 2020, Instagram generated $20 billion in ad revenue.
How many Instagram users are there?
12. In October 2020, the total number of Instagram users was estimated at 1.16 billion active users.
To put this in context, Facebook has 2.14 billion users and TikTok has 689 million users.
Instagram daily active users
13. Instagram has 500 million daily active users.
14. In the US, 63% of users visit daily.
Instagram monthly active users
15. Instagram has one billion monthly users.
16. However, Instagram might have as many as 95 million faker bot accounts – just under 10% of its total user count.
Instagram account growth statistics
17. September 2011, Instagram had 10 million users.
18. February 2013, Instagram had 100 million monthly users.
19. June 2016, Instagram had 500 million users.
20. June 2018, Instagram had 1 billion monthly users.
21. October 2021, Instagram had 1.16 billion users estimated.
Instagram Top Influencers
22. The Instagram account with the most followers is actually the Instagram account, with just under 390 million followers.
23. The top influencer on Instagram is the ultra-dedicated Cristiano Ronaldo. He has 275 million followers compared to Lionel Messi’s follower count of 195 million.
24. Seven out of ten of the top Instagram influencers are American.
25. Removing brands from the list to reveal accounts from individuals, the top ten influencers across Instagram are:
| Influencer | Followers* | |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 275 million |
| 2 | Ariana Grande | 230 million |
| 3 | Dwayne Johnson | 228 million |
| 4 | Kylie Jenner | 225 million |
| 5 | Selena Gomez | 221 million |
| 6 | Kim Kardashian | 214 million |
| 7 | Lionel Messi | 196 million |
| 8 | Beyoncé | 172 million |
| 9 | Justin Bieber | 170 million |
| 10 | Kendall Jenner | 158 million |
*Instagram followers, April 2021
How much can you earn on Instagram?
Over the last decade, Instagram and YouTube have significantly contributed and given rise to the career choice of ‘Influencer’ with content creators able to earn an income from their posts and videos.
Even a micro-influencer can earn some income as a side hustle with only a modest amount of followers:
26. A micro-influencer with only 10k followers can earn $88 per post – they would need to post daily to make the average median wage.
27. A mid-level influencer with 100k followers can earn $200 per post – they would need to post over 3 times a week to make the median wage.
28. A high-level influencer with a million followers can earn $670 per post – they would need to post once a week to make the median wage.
Top Brands on Instagram
29. As mentioned above, the top account with the most followers on Instagram, is Instagram, with 390 million followers. Removing Instagram’s own account from the list, National Geographic is the top followed brand.
By removing the individual influencer’s accounts, we can reveal the brands with the most followers on the platform. Sports and especially football are the predominant niche that are heavily investing into their Instagram account.
30. The top brands on Instagram are as follows:
| Brand | Followers* | |
| 1 | 390 million | |
| 2 | National Geographic | 157 million |
| 3 | Nike | 142 million |
| 4 | Real Madrid C.F. | 96.8 million |
| 5 | FC Barcelona | 95.6 million |
| 6 | UEFA Champions League | 72.1 million |
| 7 | Victoria’s Secret | 68.8 million |
| 8 | NASA | 65.1 million |
| 9 | 9GAG | 56.1 million |
| 10 | NBA | 55.2 million |
*Instagram followers, April 2021
Instagram photo with most likes
31. Top influencers dominate the individual images with the most ‘like’ counts. However, as an outlier, the image with the most likes is a photograph of an egg that made the bid for the world record in January 2019.
32. Second, to the egg, the rapper XXXTentacion posthumously gained the most likes for his last post before dying in 2018.
33. Billie Eilish has managed to achieve two listings in the top ten of ‘likes’ with two posts about her blonde hair. Surprising for a singer who is so against portraying a personal brand based on ‘image’.
34. And, Kylie Jenner achieved two top posts with a photo of her new baby daughter and a birthday message for her daughter’s father.
| Influencer | Description | Likes* | Date of post |
| World Record Egg | Photo of an egg | 55 million | January 4, 2019 |
| XXXtentacion | Last post before death | 24.1 million | May 20, 2018 |
| Billie Eilish | Selfie of new blonde hair | 22.2 million | March 17, 2021 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | On Maradona’s death | 19.8 million | November 25, 2020 |
| Chadwick Boseman | Announcement of death | 19.2 million | August 28, 2020 |
| Kylie Jenner | New baby daughter | 18.5 million | February 6, 2018 |
| Billie Eilish | Selfie with blonde hair | 17.6 million | March 21, 2021 |
| Jennifer Aniston | Friends selfie | 16.4 million | October 15, 2019 |
| Lionel Messi | On Maradona’s death | 16.4 million | November 25, 2020 |
| Kylie Jenner | Birthday message for her daughter’s father | 15.9 million | April 30, 2020 |
*Instagram likes, April 2021
Top Instagram Hashtags of 2021
35. Hashtags were introduced to Instagram in January 2011 and are integral to navigating content on the platform. In December 2017, users could follow specific hashtags to keep track of trends and show relevant content in their feed.
Popular hashtags are used to try and build follower counts and gain more traction on posts.
36. The top Instagram hashtags of 2021 are:
| Hashtag | Posts* | |
| 1 | #love | 2.062 billion |
| 2 | #instagood | 1.326 billion |
| 3 | #fashion | 943.0 million |
| 4 | #photooftheday | 908.1 milion |
| 5 | #Art | 781.2 milion |
| 6 | #photography | 734.5 million |
| 7 | #beautiful | 732.6 million |
| 8 | #picoftheday | 640.9 million |
| 9 | #happy | 628.2 million |
| 9 | #cute | 621.1 million |
*Instagram posts, April 2021
(Source)
Instagram statistics by country
37. The US and India are the most prominent global audiences for Instagram with 140 million users each.
Aside from the dominant countries, the platform has a worldwide reach and spread of users globally.
38. Instagram global audience size, January 2021
| Country | Users |
| US | 140 million |
| India | 140 million |
| Brazil | 99 million |
| Indonesia | 85 million |
| Russia | 56 million |
| Turkey | 46 million |
| Mexico | 32 million |
| UK | 31 million |
(Source)
Instagram demographic statistics
As social media has become such an integral part of our lives, user statistics reflect how essential the platform is for the younger demographic.
Social platforms are now the most important channel for consuming news, media and entertainment.
39. In the US, 63% of adults visit Instagram daily – that’s the majority of the population – and 42% visit Instagram several times in a day.
40. In the US, Instagram is dominated by a younger demographic, unlike Facebook, which has many older users. 75% of 18-24-year-olds use Instagram.
41. Globally, the gender split that uses Instagram is 50.8% female and 49.2% male.
42. Instagram Users in the US, by age group
| Country | Users |
| 18-29 | 47% |
| 30-49 | 47% |
| 50-64 | 23% |
| 65+ | 8% |
43. Instagram Users worldwide, by age group
| Country | Users |
| 18-24 | 29.8% |
| 35-44 | 16% |
| 45-54 | 8.1% |
| 55-64 | 3.8% |
| 65+ | 8% |
44. Instagram Users by generation (who use the app multiple times daily)
| Country | Users |
| Gen Z | 67% |
| Millennials | 57% |
| Gen X | 38% |
| Baby Boomers | 21% |
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