Hidden Truth: Social Media Usage Statistics That Will Surprise You [2025 Data]

The latest numbers show 5.41 billion people actively use social media worldwide as of July 2025 – that's 65.7% of everyone on Earth. Social media platforms keep attracting new users faster than ever, with 241 million people creating accounts in the last year alone.

An average person now uses about 7 different social media platforms each month. People spend 14½ billion hours watching and sharing content on these platforms every day – the equivalent of 1.7 million years of human time. A typical user devotes 2 hours and 21 minutes daily to social media.

This detailed breakdown of social media statistics teaches us about user demographics, platform popularity, and the patterns behind our online behavior. YouTube and Facebook still top the list of most accessible platforms. The data we've gathered shows interesting changes in the way users connect with newer social networks.

These 2025 statistics will help marketers, business owners, and anyone curious to learn about how the digital world keeps changing.

How many people use social media in 2025?

Social media users worldwide have reached a mind-blowing 5.41 billion, making up 65.7% of everyone on Earth. Two out of three people now actively use at least one social platform. These numbers show how social media has become part of daily life for people everywhere.

Global user count and growth rate

Social media keeps growing steadily, though not as fast as before. The user base grew by 241 million new accounts in the last year, showing a 4.7% yearly increase. This means about 7.6 people sign up for social platforms every second.

Different sources show slightly different numbers. Some reports say there are 5.24 billion users (63.9% of global population), while others put it at 5.42 billion. Whatever small differences exist between these numbers, one thing stays clear: social media keeps expanding worldwide, just at a slower pace as markets get full.

The addition of 206-266 million new users in the last 12 months shows social media hasn't peaked yet. Growth continues strong, especially in markets where mobile access just started getting better.

Percentage of internet users on social media

The raw numbers tell only part of the story. 95.7% of all internet users worldwide now use social media monthly. This shows how social media has changed from a simple way to chat into a must-have digital tool.

Adult internet users show even more impressive numbers. About 97.3% of connected adults use at least one social network or messaging platform monthly. Social media has evolved from something new and exciting into a basic part of being online.

The space between general internet use and social media keeps getting smaller each year. Many people, especially younger users, see these platforms as their main gateway to everything digital.

Average number of platforms used per person

People rarely stick to just one social platform these days. The average person actively uses 6.84 different social platforms every month. This shows how different services meet different needs in people's digital lives.

Some interesting patterns in how people use multiple platforms:

• Most users have accounts on one big platform (like Facebook or YouTube) plus several smaller specialized ones
• Age groups, regions, and reasons for use shape platform priorities
• Messaging apps blend more with traditional social networks
• New platforms must fight for attention in an already packed digital world

Using many platforms creates both problems and opportunities for users and businesses. Users get specialized spaces for different content types but must juggle multiple online identities.

The average number of platforms might be high, but time spent on social media seems to level off rather than grow with platform count. Users appear more selective about how they split their time between social accounts.

The most used social media platforms worldwide

Facebook leads the pack as the most popular social media platform with 3.07 billion monthly active users in 2025. The platform connects about 37% of people worldwide who log in at least once every month. The digital world has clear frontrunners among the growing number of social platforms.

Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp

Meta rules the social media world by owning four of the biggest platforms. YouTube comes in second with 2.53 billion monthly active users and dominates video content. Instagram and WhatsApp share third place with 2 billion monthly active users each.

Facebook's power goes beyond just numbers – 90% of social media users have a Facebook account. The platform stands as marketers' top choice, with 86% using it to run their campaigns.

Each platform attracts different types of users.

Men between 25-34 years (12%) and 35-44 years (10.1%) make up YouTube's biggest audience. TikTok users are mostly male (55.7%), and 35.3% of them fall between 25-34 years.

TikTok's growth story deserves attention with 2.65 billion monthly visits in January 2025. The platform has earned its spot among the top social networks with 1.59 billion monthly active users.

Popular platforms also include:

• WeChat with 1.38 billion users
• Telegram with 950 million users
• Facebook Messenger with 947 million users
• Snapchat with 850 million users

Emerging platforms: Threads, Bluesky, BeReal

New platforms are making waves among the 2-year old giants. Threads, Meta's text-first Twitter alternative, has grown fast since its 2023 launch. The platform reached over 320 million users by early 2025, up from 275 million in Q4 2024.

Bluesky started as Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's side project and grew into a full open-source alternative. The platform attracted 34 million users by 2025 after going public in February 2023. Users love its decentralized approach that offers more transparency and fewer limits.

BeReal brings something different to the table. Users get one daily prompt to share unfiltered photos from both cameras without preparation. The platform keeps over 21.6 million monthly active users, mostly in the U.S. and U.K., despite slower growth since 2022. Users appreciate its authentic approach compared to carefully planned feeds.

Monthly active users vs ad reach

The difference between monthly active users and advertising reach shows key patterns in social media usage. Ad reach shows how many users might see ads on a platform, which is usually less than total monthly active users.

YouTube tops the chart for social media advertising audience, reaching 2.54 billion users monthly. This number beats Facebook's 2.36 billion ad reach.

Facebook slightly leads YouTube in reaching adults over 18, with just a 20 million gap. Instagram can reach 1.67 billion users over 18 with ads, while TikTok reaches 1.59 billion.

These numbers tell marketers and businesses an important story: raw user counts matter, but a platform's ad capabilities give a better picture of potential reach. People typically use 6-7 different platforms each month, so spreading efforts across platforms often works best.

Surprising behaviors in social media usage

Social media usage statistics paint a picture that goes beyond just numbers. These stats show how these platforms have become part of our everyday lives.

People around the world spend about 14 billion hours on social media daily. That's the same as 1.6 million years of human attention every day.

Time spent daily on social media

People spend 2 hours and 21 minutes each day on social activities. Different sources show small differences in their numbers – some say 2 hours 23 minutes, others say 2 hours 24 minutes. The time has dropped a bit from 2024, down about 2 minutes.

In spite of that, these average numbers don't tell the whole story. Women spend more time on these platforms than men of all ages. Young women between 16-24 spend almost 3 hours daily on social media. Men the same age spend about 25 minutes less.

The pattern changes for older adults (55-64). Women in this age group actually added 6 minutes to their social media time in the last two years.

Each platform gets different amounts of attention:

• TikTok users spend 47-59 minutes daily
• YouTube comes next with 49-60 minutes per day
• Facebook users clock 31-32 minutes daily
• Instagram sessions last about 32 minutes

Gen Z stands out here. 51% of teenagers spend at least four hours each day on social apps. Young females tend to become "super users" more often than males.

Number of platforms used monthly

The average internet user now manages 6.8 different platforms monthly. Some reports put this number even higher at 7.2 accounts. These numbers keep growing, which suggests users add new platforms instead of replacing old ones.

Different regions show different patterns. UAE users visit 8.62 social platforms monthly. Users in the Philippines and Malaysia follow close behind with 8.36 and 8.12 platforms. Japanese users stick to fewer than 3.5 platforms monthly.

Brands must now be present on multiple platforms to stay visible. This multi-platform world creates complex patterns that users and marketers need to understand.

Cross-platform usage overlaps

The way people split their attention between platforms creates unique patterns. 70% of video content watched online runs under 60 seconds. Direct messages (DMs) make up 41% of all social media communication. Public comments keep becoming less common.

"Dark social" has changed the game. People share content through DMs, closed groups, and messaging apps. This private sharing makes up about 60% of referral traffic in 2025. Facebook Groups and Discord servers keep users 40% longer than public platforms.

Different age groups use the same platforms in their own ways. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) attract users of all ages, but how they use them varies. Gen Z loves video-first platforms and creates more content. Older users prefer to watch rather than make content.

Social media means more than entertainment to younger users, especially Gen Z. 42.9% of them get their daily news from these platforms.

Why people use social media today

Social media users' reasons for logging on tell us a lot about modern digital behavior. The "why" behind social media use matters just as much as how many people use social media in the first place.

Staying in touch with friends and family

People mainly use social media to keep up with friends and family. About 67% of social media users say this is their main reason for logging on. Women (72%) are much more likely than men (55%) to focus on family connections.

Social media becomes a lifeline for military families and people who move often. These platforms help them stay close during deployments and make moving to new places easier.

This need to stay connected matters to users of all ages, though people under 50 care about it the most. Nearly 70% of them say this is a major reason they use social media.

Entertainment and passing time

Worldwide, people use social media mostly to kill time when they're bored. This explains why platforms now have "endless feeds" as a standard feature. Many users lose track of time as they scroll, and some spend three hours daily just on TikTok.

Different age groups look for different kinds of fun. Young users chase trending content and viral hits, while older folks stick to their specific interests. This helps explain why video platforms like

TikTok and YouTube keep users glued to their screens for so long, as we saw earlier.

News, shopping, and brand discovery

Social media has beaten search engines at helping people find new brands in some markets. In the UK, 38% of consumers find brands through social media, while 37% use search engines. Now, half of all adult users visit these platforms to learn about brands and see what they're posting.

News still draws people in, with 34.5% of users saying they're there to read news stories. Gen Z especially relies on social media for news, with 42.9% getting their daily updates this way.

Shopping has changed dramatically as social commerce becomes normal.

People now depend on these platforms to research products and read reviews before buying. TikTok stands out here – 59% of its users stumble upon new products while scrolling.

Work-related networking and research

Professional use has become a big deal, with more than 1 in 3 active users (38.3%) using social media for work. Surprisingly, it's not the youngest crowd leading this trend. People aged 35-44 use these platforms most for work, with over 45% of male users in this age group doing so.

The career benefits are clear:

• 78% of workers say social media helps them network and find jobs
• 71% use it to keep industry connections strong
• 56% connect with experts this way
• 20% solve work problems through social media

These numbers show how social media has grown from simple social tools into platforms that serve many purposes. Personal and professional use now overlap more than ever, creating new possibilities and challenges for everyone using these digital spaces.

Who is using which platform?

Social media usage statistics reveal fascinating demographic patterns that shape today's digital world. User segments show unique platform choices that go beyond mere numbers.

Usage by age group

Age plays a crucial role in how people choose their social platforms. Millennials (ages 27-42) lead U.S. social media usage at 30.3% with 68.5 million users. Gen Z (ages 11-26) follows with 56.4 million users. Gen Z's usage will grow and this is a big deal as it means that it will surpass other generations.

Each generation shows distinct platform preferences:

• Ages 18-29: YouTube (93%), Instagram (76%), Facebook (68%), Snapchat (65%)
• Ages 30-49: YouTube (94%), Facebook (78%), Instagram (66%), Pinterest (43%)
• Ages 50-64: YouTube (86%), Facebook (70%), Instagram (36%), LinkedIn (30%)
• Ages 65+: YouTube (65%), Facebook (59%), Pinterest (22%), Instagram (19%)

YouTube's appeal spans all age groups. TikTok tells a different story, attracting 59% of 18-29 year-olds but only 10% of users 65 and older.

Gender-based platform preferences

Platform choices vary between genders. Males make up 53.7% of social media users, while females account for 46.3%. These numbers tell only part of the story.

Women dominate several platforms: Pinterest (57% of Gen Z females vs. 15% of males), TikTok (76% vs. 60%), and Instagram (83% vs. 69%). Men gravitate toward gaming and discussion platforms like Twitch (34% of males vs. 19% of females), Discord (35% vs. 22%), and Reddit (22% vs. 15%).

Facebook sees higher female engagement (78% women vs. 61% men), similar to Snapchat (31% women vs. 23% men). X/Twitter stands out with 63.7% of its global users being male.

Regional and cultural differences

Location shapes how people use social media. China leads with 1.1 billion users (74.68% of its population). India follows with 462 million users, and the United States has 239 million users (69.19% of its population).

Different regions show varying adoption rates. Eastern Asia leads with 97% of internet users on social platforms. Middle Africa's numbers tell a different story, with only 3 in 10 internet users on social media.

Northern Europe shows strong adoption at 81.7%, while Eastern and Middle Africa lag at 10.1% and 9.6% respectively. These gaps reflect internet access, cultural norms, and economic development.

Platform preferences vary by region too. India's YouTube community exceeds 476 million users. German professionals choose Xing over LinkedIn for their networking needs.

Hidden trends marketers should know

Social media's latest statistics reveal unexpected patterns that marketers should know to connect with their audience better. These analytical insights give brands a competitive edge as they work to improve their social presence.

Engagement by content type (video, image, text)

Each platform shows unique content performance patterns that challenge what we thought we knew. Facebook users react more to photos than other content types. Photos get 35% more engagement than text posts and 44% more than videos. This goes against the popular belief that video content always performs best.

The same holds true for Instagram, where carousel posts now get more engagement than Reels. TikTok's video content gets just 18% more views than text posts. Twitter/X stands out from the crowd—plain text posts receive 30% more engagement than videos and 37% more than pictures.

Best times to post by platform

The right timing can make your content perform better on each platform:

• Facebook: Weekday mornings (9 a.m.–noon), especially Mondays
• Instagram: Weekday afternoons (10 a.m.–4 p.m.), with Friday at 3 p.m. showing peak performance
• TikTok: Afternoons (noon–5 p.m.) with Wednesdays being optimal
• YouTube: 1 p.m. works best most days, but Wednesday posts do well at 10 a.m.
• Twitter/X: Mid-morning (9 a.m.–3 p.m.) with Wednesday having the longest engagement window

Instagram posts do best between 3–6 p.m. on weekdays. LinkedIn users engage most between 7 a.m.–4 p.m. during business days.

Fastest-growing platforms to watch

TikTok leads the pack in growth since its 2017 launch and continues to alter the social media map in 2025. Threads has become another fast-rising network with over 270 million monthly active users. The platform faces engagement challenges—Android users spend just 39 minutes monthly on the app.

Bluesky shows impressive growth with 35 million active users and 658 million posts. Users have liked content 2.9 billion times, which shows strong user participation despite its smaller user base.

Short-form video leads growth trends on every platform. Meta reports that 60% of time spent on Facebook and Instagram comes from video content. This format's popularity continues to grow steadily.

Conclusion

Social media plays a vital role in our global experience, with 5.41 billion users making up almost two-thirds of the world's population. The numbers in this piece show more than just widespread adoption – they reveal how different groups of people use various platforms in unique ways.

Platform diversity shapes today's social media world. Users actively engage with about 7 platforms each month, creating intricate usage patterns across tech giants like Meta's ecosystem. Facebook leads with over 3 billion users, and YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp follow right behind.

People spend an average of 2 hours and 21 minutes daily on these platforms, showing their powerful hold on our attention. The total time adds up to 14 billion hours spent worldwide each day. Usage patterns vary between groups – women tend to spend more time than men, and younger users dedicate more hours than older generations.

User motivations have grown way beyond just connecting with others. Keeping in touch with friends and family remains the top reason people use social media. Entertainment, news, shopping, and professional networking have become equally compelling reasons to use these platforms. Social networks now work as multi-purpose tools rather than just spaces to socialize.

Demographics paint an interesting picture. Each age group has its preferred platforms – TikTok and Instagram attract Gen Z and Millennials, while Facebook appeals more to older users. Gender plays a big role in platform choices too. Pinterest and Instagram see more female users, while Reddit and Twitter draw more male users.

Marketers and businesses can learn valuable lessons from these patterns. Content preferences change dramatically by platform, challenging the belief that video always performs best. Each network has its prime posting times, requiring specific strategies to maximize engagement.

New platforms like Threads, Bluesky, and BeReal hint at social media's future direction. These networks haven't reached the size of today's giants yet, but they point to trends focused on authenticity, decentralization, and specialized experiences.

Social media has grown from a simple novelty into a core part of modern life. Platforms keep evolving and user behaviors change, making these statistics crucial for anyone who wants to understand our digital world better.

FAQs

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

As of 2025, approximately 65.7% of the world's population, or 5.41 billion people, are active social media users. This represents a significant increase from previous years and demonstrates the continued growth of social media adoption worldwide.

Q2. Which social media platform has the most users in 2025?

Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform in 2025, with 3.07 billion monthly active users. This is followed by YouTube with 2.53 billion users, and Instagram and WhatsApp, both with 2 billion users each.

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

On average, people spend 2 hours and 21 minutes per day on social media platforms. However, this varies significantly across demographics, with younger users and women generally spending more time than older users and men.

Q4. What are the main reasons people use social media today?

The primary reasons for social media use include staying in touch with friends and family (67% of users), entertainment and passing time, accessing news and information, shopping and brand discovery, and work-related networking and research.

Q5. How many social media platforms does the average person use?

The average internet user actively engages with 6.84 different social media platforms each month. This multi-platform approach reflects how different services fulfill distinct needs in users' digital lives, from communication to entertainment and professional networking.