Written by: Amandeep Singh
July 16, 2024

Social media usage is growing at an average rate of 8.4 new users every single second, and over 62.3% of the global population will use social media in 2024.

With the increase in social media users and platforms, the average time spent on social media also increases rapidly every year.

In this article, I have gathered statistics about social media users, usage, top social platforms, and the effect of overusing social media in 2024.

Social Media Usage Statistics In 2024 (Top Picks)

  • More than 5.04 billion people use social media in 2024.
  • The average time spent on social media is 2 hours and 23 minutes per day.
  • Users aged between 20 and 29 comprise 31.8% of social media users.
  • 53.9% of social media users in the U.S. are female, and 46.1% are male.
  • Asia has more than 2.94 billion social media users.
  • Depression due to high social media usage increased by 50% in girls and by 21% in boys.
  • 89% of marketers use Facebook to promote their content on social media.

Social Media Usage Statistics

More than 5.3 billion people use the internet in 2024. This makes up more than 60% of the global population.

The majority of internet users are primarily using social media, and a small portion of users use the internet for purposes other than social media.

This section will talk about social media usage statistics.

How Many People Use Social Media?

According to the latest data, there are more than 5.04 billion social media users globally. This makes up almost 62.3% of the world’s population.

The number of social media users has been increasing at an average of around 250 million users yearly.

There were about 2.73 billion social media users in 2017, and this number is expected to reach around 5.85 billion by 2027.

Growth of global social media users

Here is a table with the number of social media users over the years: 

YearNumber of Social media users 
2027*5.85 billion
2026*5.64 billion
2025*5.42 billion
2024*5.17 billion
20234.89 billion
20224.59 billion
20214.26 billion
20203.9 billion
20193.51 billion
20183.1 billion
20172.73 billion

Source: DataReportal, Statista    *Projected numbers

The United States Is Expected To Have Over 320.6 Million Social Media Users In 2024

The United States registered more than 314.76 million social media users in 2023. The number of social media users are expected to increase by 1.86%, reaching 320.6 million in 2024.

The number of social media users in the United States increased by 22.25 million between 2020 and 2023.

By 2029, the number of social media users in the United States is forecast to reach 342.6 million.

\United States social media users

The table below shows the number of social media users in the United States over the next few years:

YearNumber of Social media users in the U.S.
2029*342.6 million
2028*339.38 million
2027*335.24 million
2026*330.77 million
2025*325.91 million
2024*320.6 million
2023314.76 million
2022308.39 million
2021301.64 million
2020292.51 million

Source: Statista  *Projected Numbers

An Average Social Media User Spends 2 Hours and 23 Minutes Per Day On Platforms

Internet users spend the majority of their time using social media. 

The amount of time spent on social media peaked in 2023. Social media users spent an average of 2 hours and 31 minutes on platforms last year. 

This number has decreased by around 8 minutes, and users spend around 2 hours and 23 minutes on social media in 2024.

Here is a table showing time spent using social media over the years:

YearTime spent using Social media
20232 Hours and 31 Minutes
20222 Hours 27 Minutes
20212 Hours 25 Minutes
20202 Hours 25 Minutes
20192 Hours 25 Minutes
20182 Hours 22 Minutes
20172 Hours 14 Minutes
20162 Hours 8 Minutes
20151 Hour 51 Minutes
20141 Hour 44 Minutes
20131 Hour 35 Minutes
20121 Hour 30 Minutes

Source: DataReportal, Statista

Northern Europe Region Has The Highest Social Network Penetration Rate Of Around 81.7%

Northern and Western Europe regions have the world’s highest social network penetration rates, at 81.7% and 80.2%, respectively.

North American region has a penetration rate of about 71.3%, while the global average is around 62.3%.

With a penetration rate of below 15%, Africa has the lowest social network penetration rate.

Here is a table with the global social network penetration rate by various regions:

RegionSocial network penetration rate
Northern Europe81.7%
Western Europe80.2%
Southern Europe74.8%
Eastern Asia74%
Northern America71.3%
Southern America71.3%
Eastern Europe 70.4%
Western Asia66%
Central America65.1%
Global 62.3%
Southeastern Asia60.3%
Oceania60.3%
Caribbean50.8%
Southern Africa41.6%
Northern Africa40.4%
Central Asia34.9%
Southern Asia32.4%
Western Africa15.8%
Eastern Africa10.1%
Middle Africa9.6%

Source: Statista

49.5% Of People Use Social Media to Stay In Touch With Their Friends And Family

The reason to use social media varies from person to person. Social media is primarily used to connect with families and friends online.

A Statista survey revealed that 38.5% of people use social media to fill their spare time, while 47.1% use it to keep in touch with friends and family.

Around 34.2% of users read news stories on social media and 26.1% search for products to buy. 

People Use Social Media to Stay In Touch

The table displays the percentage of social media users and why they use social media:

ReasonPercentage of Social media users
Keeping in touch with friends and family49.5%
Filling spare time38.5%
Reading news stories34.2%
Finding content30.2%
Seeing what’s being talked about28.7%
Finding inspiration for things to do and buy26.7%
Finding products to purchase26.1%
Watching live streams22.7%
Sharing opinions with others22.7%
Making new contacts22.5%
Seeing content for favorite brands22.1%
Watching sports22%
Work-related networking and research21.3%
Posting about their lives19.7%

Source: Statista 

Social Media User Demographics

Users of every age and gender use social media for various reasons in 2024.

This section will discuss demographic statistics about social media users’ age, gender, etc.

More Than 31.8% Of Social Media Users Are 20 To 29 Years Old

Social media platforms are majorly used by Gen Z and Millennials.

The majority of social media users are aged between 20 and 29 years. This age group makes up 31.8% of the total social media users.

About 12.7% of social media users are 13 to 19-year-olds, while 21.9% are 30 to 39.

Social Media Users Age Demographics

Here is a table showing the age demographics of social media users:

Age groupPercentage of Social media users
13 to 19 years12.7%
20 to 29 years31.8%
30 to 39 years21.9%
40 to 49 years15%
50 to 59 years10%
60+8.6%

Source: Oberlo

53.9% Of Social Media Users In The United States Are Female And 46.1% Are Male

Female users have a bigger share in the distribution of audiences using social media.

More than half of the United States social media users are female, and about 46.1% are male.

In the United States, Facebook is used by 43.7% of females and 56.3% of males. Instagram’s 48.2% of users are female, and 51.8% are male. 

Social Media Users Gender Demographics

Source: Statista 1, Statista 2

China Has Over 1.02 Billion Social Media Users 

Due to its huge population, China has the highest number of social media users in the world. Asian countries have over 1.02 billion social media users collectively, and the number in this region is further expected to reach 1.21 billion by 2027.

India has over 755 million social media users, which is set to surpass the 1.17 billion mark by 2027.

With 314 million social media users, the United States is the first non-Asian country with the most number of social media users.

Here is a table with the number of social media users by country: 

CountrySocial media users in 2022Expected Social media users by 2027*
China1.02 billion1.21 billion
India755 million1.17 billion
United States302.25 million327.2 million
Indonesia217.53 million261.7 million 
Brazil165.45 million188.35 million
Russia115.05 million126.37 million
Japan101.98 million113.03 million
Mexico98.21 million122.07 million
Philippines84.07 million92.98 million

Source: Statista

Asia Has More Than 2.94 Billion Social Media Users

Asia region has the largest number of social media users. Eastern Asia consists of over 1.2 billion social media users, and Southern Asia has over 961.81 million users.

The Americas region has over 819 million social network users, while Europe has around 681.56 million users.

With only 24.71 million, Central Africa recorded the lowest number of social media users.

The table below shows the number of social media users by region:

RegionNumber of Social media users
Asia2.94 billion
Eastern Asia1.24 billion
Southern Asia961.81 million
Americas819.29 million
Europe681.56 million
North America447.82 million
Africa427.05 million
South America316.78 million
Western Africa105.91 million
Central America28.99 million
Central Africa24.71 million

Source: Statista

Popular Social Media Platforms

The number of social media users is spread out across the most popular social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and others.

In this section, we will explore the statistics about the most popular social media platforms.

Facebook Is The Most Used Social Media Platform, With 3.04 Billion Active Users

A social media user accesses an average of 6.7 different social media platforms. Therefore, social media users overlap between various social media platforms.

More than 3.04 billion people use Facebook every month, and it is considered this age’s oldest and most popular social media platform. 

With over 2.49 billion users, YouTube is the second most-used social media platform. YouTube is also the biggest video-sharing platform on the internet.

Due to the prevalence of social media among young users, over 2 billion people use Instagram. 

People use Facebook every month

Here is a table with the most popular social media platforms according to the number of active users:

Social media platformNumber of active users
Facebook 3.04 billion
YouTube2.49 billion
WhatsApp2 billion
Instagram2 billion
TikTok1.56 billion
WeChat1.33 billion
Facebook Messenger979 million
Telegram800 million
Snapchat750 million

Source: DataReportal

89% Of Marketers Use Facebook To Promote Their Content On Social Media

Social media marketing is becoming marketers’ most productive and efficient way to reach a target audience in 2024.

Facebook has the highest number of monthly active users. Hence, most marketers leverage Facebook to run their marketing campaigns to capitalize on the large user base.

Around 80% of marketers use Instagram, while 64% use LinkedIn to promote their business through social media in 2023.

Here is a table showing the percentage of marketers using social media platforms:  

Social media platform Percentage of marketers
Facebook89%
Instagram80%
LinkedIn64%
YouTube54%
Twitter44%
TikTok26%

Source: Statista

Social Media And Its Effects On Mental Health 

Social media is a great escape for many who use it for catching up with loved ones and entertainment. 

But everything has limits, and so does social media usage.

The overuse of social media in children and young adults is on the rise, and some major adverse effects are visible on their mental and physical health.

Symptoms Of Major Depression Increased By 52% From 2005 To 2017

The high use of smartphones and social media has resulted in the rise of mental health issues in adults and young ones.

Children aged between 11 and 17 years experienced increased depression in a year by 52%. 

Adults aged between 18 and 25 years faced severe depression at a rate of 63% per year due to overuse of social media during 2009 and 2017.

In addition, the rate of suicidal thoughts in young adults increased by 47% between 2008 and 2017

Source: Etactics

Depression In Boys Increased By 21% And In Girls By 50%

Increased social media usage has impacted child and teen behavior. 

The bad effects of high social media usage have largely affected girls compared to boys.

Depression due to social media usage increased by 50% in girls and by 21% in boys during 2015 and 2017.

In addition, 22% of girls reported being cyberbullied, while 10% of boys were cyberbullied.

Source: Childmind

Conclusion

More than 60% of the global population uses social media every day, and the number of users is only going to increase with time.

Due to the latest social media marketing trends, many users are also utilizing social media for marketing and business purposes.

Social media sure has helped connect people and provide a means of entertainment.

Apart from entertainment, social media needs to be used controllably, as the harmful effects of social media are evident among children and adults alike.

The article discussed some key statistics about social media users, usage, and platforms.

Read more social media articles here:

About the Author
Amandeep Singh

I'm Amandeep Singh, a passionate Blogger, Tech Geek & YouTube Mentor. I have a Media Studies degree and over 5 years of experience in digital technology. I’m sharing all my insights and learnings on TechTipsWithTea as a lead writer.