Ranking the Top 7 Social Media Platforms of 2023

Social media is a big business.  HUGE in fact.  2023 has seen an overall continued expansion in monthly active users (MAU) compared to 2022.  In 2023, there are an average of 4.9 Billion MAU on a multitude of platforms. 

Social media is for just about everyone, including personal use, discriminating news, business use, promotion of special interest groups, politicians, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses alike.  Truly social media is unique in many ways, even if it can encourage a herd-like mentality and require many special algorithms to help users try to navigate the overwhelming and impressive amount of content added every second of the day.

Are you wondering how the different social media platforms stack up when considering the overall number of monthly active users?  With 2023 close to completion, I recently took a look at how the most commonly used social media platform numbers are fairing so far, and decided to write this blog to help share all the interesting facts I’ve found.

First, let’s get to the rankings.  If you like videos, watch this cool video I made on YouTube.  I have the top 7 most popular social media platforms (excluding the chat room type platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger) based on their monthly average visitor count.

1. Facebook with over 3 Billion Monthly Active Users
2. YouTube with over 2.5 Billion Monthly Active Users
3. Instagram with over 2 Billion Monthly Active Users
4. TikTok with over 1.2 Billion Monthly Active Users
5. X (formerly Twitter) with 700 Million Monthly Active Users
6. Pinterest with 500 Million Monthly Active Users
7. LinkedIn with 310 Million Monthly Active Users

The first interesting thing to note is that 5 of the 7 of these platforms saw year-over-year growth, the only exceptions were X and LinkedIn.  X formerly Twitter lost users do to the change in ownership of the platform and some of the management changes that came with it.  LinkedIn actually decided to clean out accounts it thought were no longer active, and the loss was relatively small for overall growth as they went from 320 Million MAU in 2022 to 310 MAU here in 2023 so far.

Bold Prediction for 2024

I firmly believe that YouTube, the platform that has realized the most growth in 2023 by a whopping 1.5 Billion monthly active users, will overtake Facebook for the top spot.  If my math is correct and the growth stays constant, it’ll happen before the end of spring, however, I am hedging my bet a little by predicting it’ll happen in the month of July, 2024.  Will my prediction come true?  Only time will tell, but stay tuned and I’ll update the website rankings on my social media page.

Fun Global Demographics on Social Media Usage

• As of 2023, the number of social media users worldwide was 4.89 billion. That is over half the world’s population.
  • globe with social media icThat’s more than half of the entire population of earth.
  • graph representing the percentage of world population on social media
• Globally, people spend an average of 2 hours and 26 minutes per day using social media. That’s the equivalent to spending over 52 days a year on social media.
• Users in Brazil are spending the most time on social media: 3 hours and 49 minutes, followed by the Philippines (3 hours and 34 minutes) and Indonesia (3 hours and 12 minutes).
• 10.5% live in Latin America, 9.2% in the Middle East and Africa, 7.1% in Central and Eastern Europe, 6.7% in North America, and 6.7% in Western Europe.
• Asia-Pacific will also see the greatest social network user growth in 2023 at 2.7%, followed by Latin America (2.2%) and the Middle East and Africa (2.1%).
• The Philippines holds the title of being the country with the highest social media penetration among internet users, boasting an impressive 98.6% penetration rate.
• The USA loves social media.  Social media use in the United States is widespread, with a staggering 82% of the population aged 12 and above actively engaging in social media platforms, reaching an estimated 235 million people. This immense figure highlights the pervasive influence of social media in shaping the daily lives and interactions of individuals across the country.

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and it is only going to continue to grow in popularity. Brands need to be aware of these trends and adapt their strategies accordingly to reach their target audience.

Social Media Consumer Data for the USA

The following data comes from PEW Research:

• Social commerce, the practice of buying and selling goods and services directly on social media platforms, is rapidly gaining traction in the United States. In 2023, the average annual U.S. retail social commerce sales per buyer is expected to reach $641. This figure is projected to grow significantly, reaching $938 by 2025.
• From old to young, social media is for everyone.  Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and it is only going to continue to grow in popularity. In fact, 92% of Internet users aged 16 to 64 visited or used social networks in the past month. This means that almost everyone who uses the internet is also using social media.
• Social media has become an increasingly popular tool for connecting, sharing, and staying informed among U.S. adults of all ages. In 2023, nearly half (45%) of U.S. adults aged 65 and older use social media platforms, representing a remarkable 400% increase since 2010. This growth highlights the expanding reach of social media across generations.
• Among younger adults, social media usage remains high. A staggering 84% of adults aged 18 to 29 use social media, followed by 81% of those aged 30 to 49. These figures reflect the deeply integrated role of social media in the lives of younger generations, who use these platforms to stay connected with friends and family, consume news and entertainment, and engage with their communities.

Demographics and Analytics for Facebook in 2023

1. Facebook had over 3 Billion MAU in 2023, up slightly from 2022 but significant because it crossed from 2 Billion to 3 Billion this year.
2. Facebook is averaging over 2 Billion users per day, more than any other platform.  Their users are loyal.  That is an average of 68% of their overall monthly active users, are also daily users.
3. People spend on average 3.8 hours per week on Facebook.
4. Almost 25% of users on Facebook are 45 years old or older.
5. Half of Facebook users are ages 25 to 34 years old.
6. 32% of American teenagers use Facebook, which is less than it was a decade ago.
7. Commerce is alive and well on Facebook, with over 65 million yearly commerce buys in 2023 happening on the platform.
8. The gender breakdown of Facebook is 56% Male and 44% Female.
9. Facebook Retains its Position as the Social Media Giant. Facebook continues to reign supreme as the world’s most popular social media platform, with a staggering 55% of social media users worldwide accessing it in 2023. This dominance extends to the United States, where Facebook boasts an even higher user base, reaching 61% of the population aged 12 and above.
10. India has more users on Facebook than any other country, maybe not a surprise given it is now the largest populated country in the world, however 314 Million people in India use Facebook.

Demographics and Analytics for YouTube in 2023

1. Over 2.5 Billion people use YouTube each month.
2. No social media platform grew faster year over year than YouTube, as they were averaging 1 Billion MAU in 2022.
3. YouTube is popular across all demographics, with respect to income, education, gender, race and beyond.
4. People spend on average, over 5 hours per week on YouTube.
5. USA teenagers love YouTube and 95% of them use it monthly and almost 20% say they use it constantly.
6. 2 Billion of the 2.5 Billion users on YouTube watch “shorts” while on the platform.
7. More than 500 hours worth of content is uploaded every minute on YouTube.

Demographics and Analytics for Instagram in 2023

1. Instagram is the most popular social media platform of Americans aged 12-34.
2. Second to Facebook, Instagram commerce will reach 43 million commerce buys for 2023 in the USA.
3. Nearly 70% of global users on Instagram are under 35 years old.
4. 62% of American teens use Instagram.
5. India has the highest number of users on Instagram at 230 million.
6. Instagram is the best platform to follow brands, find and share their videos according to Statista
7. Instagram doubled the number of monthly active users from 2022 to 2023 going from 1 Billion to 2 Billion per month.
8. Instagram users are evenly split between male and female at roughly 50% each.

Demographics and Analytics for TikTok in 2023

1. TikTok is thought to be poised for the largest global growth starting in 2024 by most experts, even though I believe it will continue to be YouTube.
2. 94% of all Americans have now heard of TikTok, way up from just a few short years ago.
3. TikTok will have 33 Million US consumer buyers in 2023.
4. TikTok users stay on the platform longer than any other social media platform, for an average of nearly an hour per day.
5. TikTok is the third most popular social media website amongst Americans 12 years old and older.
6. TikTok is the most downloaded app in more than 40 countries.
7. TikTok has 150 Million MAU in the USA alone.  Americans like TikTok.
8. Over 18% of internet users worldwide use TikTok.

Demographics and Analytics for X in 2023

1. Twitter.com is the 5^th most visited website in the world.  Interesting that they have not changed the URL to X.com, however, if you type that into your browser, it will redirect you to Twitter.com
2. X is the platform where most users are likely to take extended breaks (weeks/months at a time) from.
3. Elon Musk bought Twitter for 44 Billion Dollars and changed the name to X this past year.  It is now reported to be worth less than half of that by various news outlets.
4. X is popular with Gen Z.  42% of Americans 12-34 use X on a monthly basis.
5. People follow on average 400 others on X.
6. Over 60% of users on X are male making it the most male-dominated of all the major social media platforms.
7. X has become the most prominent social media platform for breaking news.

Demographics and Analytics for Pinterest in 2023

1. 60% of Pinterest users are female, the most female-dominant social media platform.
2. The largest growth population of Pinterest are males from Gen Z, so the balance of male to female is expected to become more equal into 2024 and beyond.
3. The USA has the largest population of Pinterest users, rare for any of the major platforms.
4. There will be almost 17 Million commerce buyers in the USA on Pinterest in 2023.
5. Nearly 30% of Pinterest users are females between the ages of 25 to 35.
6. Only 1.5% of people claim Pinterest as their favorite social media platform.
7. Pinterest is a growing space for video, with nearly 1 Billion videos per day being watched on the platform.
8. The happiest social media platform, 8 out of 10 users surveyed say Pinterest makes them feel happy.

Demographics and Analytics for LinkedIn in 2023

1. LinkedIn has over 950 Million members worldwide however on 310 Million of them use the platform on a monthly basis.
2. 63 Million companies have profile listings on LinkedIn.
3. LinkedIn has a current ratio of 56% males and 44% females.
4. 8 people each minute are hired from LinkedIn on average.
5. LinkedIn has a younger demographic base.  Only 3% of people 55 or older use LinkedIn, compared to 17% ages 35-54 and 81% ages 18 to 34.
6. LinkedIn has 206 Million American-based users.  India is second with 115 Million users.
7. 78% of all users on LinkedIn are outside the USA.
8. LinkedIn is the favorite platform for B2B Marketing professionals.
9. People only spend 7.5 minutes per day on average on LinkedIn, making it one of the lowest time commitments of any of the social media platforms.