Social Media User Growth Report from 2017 to 2028

Growth Drivers: The global penetration of smartphones, improving internet access, and the rise of mobile apps.
Popular Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and WeChat.

2. 2018: 3.10 Billion Users

Year-over-Year Growth: 13.6% increase.
Trends: Increased use of video content on platforms like YouTube and the rise of Instagram Stories.

3. 2019: 3.48 Billion Users

Year-over-Year Growth: 12.3% increase.
Key Developments: Growth of TikTok as a major player in the social media space, especially among Gen Z.

4. 2020: 3.78 Billion Users

Year-over-Year Growth: 8.6% increase.
Impact of COVID-19: A surge in social media usage as lockdowns and remote work took place globally.
Popular Platforms: Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram saw significant growth.

5. 2021: 4.26 Billion Users

Year-over-Year Growth: 12.7% increase.
Key Changes: Increased use of social media for shopping (social commerce) and live streaming on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

6. 2022: 4.59 Billion Users

Year-over-Year Growth: 7.7% increase.
Trend Shift: Short-form video content dominated, with Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts becoming more popular alongside TikTok.

7. 2023: 4.89 Billion Users

Year-over-Year Growth: 6.5% increase.
AI Influence: Greater use of AI-powered content creation and personalized feeds.
Key Focus: Privacy concerns and increasing regulations on platforms like Facebook and TikTok.

8. 2024 (Forecast): 5.11 Billion Users

Expected Growth: 4.5% increase.
Key Trends: Integration of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) features in social media apps, like Facebook’s Metaverse.
Regional Growth: India, Brazil, and Southeast Asia continue to drive new user growth.

9. 2025 (Forecast): 5.32 Billion Users

Expected Growth: 4.1% increase.
AI-Powered Social Media: Continued rise of AI-driven tools, further transforming user engagement through personalized and automated content generation.

10. 2026 (Forecast): 5.50 Billion Users

Expected Growth: 3.4% increase.
Platform Evolution: Increased blending of social media and e-commerce platforms.

11. 2027 (Forecast): 5.66 Billion Users

Expected Growth: 2.9% increase.
Innovation: Expected development of immersive experiences with more advanced VR and AR, making social platforms more interactive.

12. 2028 (Forecast): 5.82 Billion Users

Expected Growth: 2.8% increase.
Trend: Social media will likely become more integrated into daily routines with seamless technology integration across devices.

Summary of Growth Trends (2017 to 2028):

From 2017 to 2028, the global number of social media users has been on a steady rise, with significant growth expected to continue in the coming years.

2017: 2.73 billion users
2018: 3.10 billion (+13.6%)
2019: 3.51 billion (+13.2%)
2020: 3.91 billion (+11.4%)
2021: 4.26 billion (+9.0%)
2022: 4.59 billion (+7.7%)
2023: 4.90 billion (+6.8%)
2024: 5.17 billion (+5.5%)

The global social media user base is expected to exceed 6 billion by 2028. While the growth rate will slow, social media will remain a crucial part of daily life, with smartphones playing a key role in this expansion.

Regional insights:

Asia dominates with nearly 3 billion users.
The Americas have 819 million users, while Europe follows with 681 million.
CAGR: The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for social media users worldwide from 2017 to 2028 is expected to be around 7-8%.
Key Drivers: Technological advancements, mobile internet penetration, social commerce, and the rise of emerging platforms (e.g., TikTok, Threads).
Challenges: Privacy concerns, data security, increasing regulatory scrutiny, and market saturation in developed regions.

This data shows continuous growth, although the rate of new user adoption slows down after 2025 as most of the global population gains access to social media.

Data Sources:

Datareportal

1. 2017: 2.73 Billion Users