20+ Mind-Blowing Instagram Stats and facts you need to Be aware of

Feb 9, 2023
Instagram stats

In 2010, the platform was first launched. Instagram was a no-cost photo and video sharing service which was initially available only for iOS. In a couple of short years, it became a staple of social media as Facebook purchasing it for $1 billion in 2012.

One of the most significant recently made changes to the platform was ditching app-exclusivity, making it possible for users to login via the web. Additionally, the social network took smart decisions by switching from a chronological feed, to an algorithmic feed. This allows for some variability in photo and video size, crushing it by introducing Instagram Stories, and introducing influencer marketing.

The flurry of adjustments along with many others, each of them contributed to Instagram users surpassing 1 billion monthly number this year.

However, this isn't where the amazing Instagram stats and facts end... But it's not over yet, we're only starting to build.

The past of Instagram Instagram Stats and Facts

From the very first European arrival in the Americas until the first person on the moon, whoever succeeds first to be remembered as a legend.

Then, who was the first person to post an Instagram picture? Instagram founder Mike Krieger cheated the rest of the world out of the chance by posting his first Instagram picture on July 17, 2010. This was way before the app even was launched.

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    A shared post by Mike Krieger (@mikeyk)    on      July 16, 2010 at 10:26am PDT

After just two months of being open to the public, Instagram stats were pointing it towards the top leagues when it reached the scales at one million Instagram users. The number of users grew to 10 million one year later.

A few days before Facebook purchased Instagram for $1 billion (April 9 in 2012) The platform was made open to Android.

In November that year, Instagram users were able to take advantage of web profiles. Then, in February 2013 the firm launched its feed on the web, the celebration of one hundred million Instagram users.

Instagram launched videos in June 2013and began rolling out direct messaging in December.

With an enormous number of users, Instagram moved to further monetizing its assets and pushing Instagram to increase its growth. It did this through the introduction of advertising on select brands in October 2013 which was made available to everyone else by September 2015.

Then, a month before Facebook's footsteps, the site followed the Facebook's example and changed from a chronological feed to algorithmic feed in June 2016 The company rebranded its name by making changes to it's logo.

Instagram changes logo
Instagram's logo is changed (Image Source: Adweek)

Instagram ended 2016 with an attack on Snapchat, stepping into the fray and kicking it into the ring with Instagram Stories, it's version of Snapchat's temporary video content, which only lasts for up to 24 hours.

Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories (Images source: TechCrunch)

Digging into Instagram Demographics

Instagram monthly active users
Monthly active Instagram users (Image Source: Statista)

According to a 2017 Social Media Usage research conducted by Pew Research, 35% of people say they utilize Instagram, up from 28% in 2016.

Instagram used by adults
Instagram is used by adult users (Image source: Pew Research Center)

In actuality, the platform is dominated by people aged 18 to 34 this is not a huge surprise as Instagram is mostly associated with millennials as those aged 18-24 years old demographic comprising 32% of Instagram users. Americans in this age group have a significant impact on the figures, as evidenced by an Pew Research study revealing that 71 percent of Americans aged 18-24 are on Instagram.

Instagram users worldwide by age and gender
Instagram users worldwide by age and gender (Image source: Statista)

One interesting Instagram statistic that throws most users off their feet is its popularity as a social network among Americans, 80% of Instagram users do not originate from the US.

However, no matter the country from which they are, Instagram users are addicted to the site and growing even more so. According to an Pew Research study, 60% of Instagram users use the app every day, which is which is up from 51% in 2016. In the average, Instagram users have between 24-32 minutes scrolling through Instagram or sharing content each day.

Interacting via Instagrams Stats on Engagement

Based on Instagram Instagram, more than 40 billion photos have been posted on the social network, with over 95 million photos posted per day.

Naturally, the huge figures don't end with the postings: Instagram users also dish out around 3.5 billion shares and likes per day--double taps to add heart for that Instagram statistic!

Average Instagram engagement
Average Instagram engagement (Image source: WebStrategies)

Another way to help Instagram users to gain engagement is by including an Instagram user's handle within posts, increasing engagement by 5percent.

But, for Instagram users who want to see a bigger boost in engagement, using at least one hashtag per day is expected to result in an average of 12.6 percent increase in engagement and the addition of a location's hashtag will see engagement skyrocket by 79 percent.

Location tagging increases engagement on Instagram
The use of location tags increases engagement on Instagram

Furthermore, including faces into the content you post is a fantastic way to see the number of people who like the content increase by about 38 percent.

Trends that increase engagement on Instagram
Changes in the way that can increase participation on Instagram (Image Source: SocialMediaToday)

What's truly mind-blowing is that despite having the highest level of engagement among the social media platforms, Instagram's brand new algorithmic system means that about 70% of the posts aren't seen even once. This means that 30% of the photos that are uploaded each day receive an incredible amount of attention with a highly-engaged user base.

One of the main reasons that people, including influencers, marketers and companies study their Instagram stats is to find out the ideal time to post material. Unmetric had the same question. The company conducted a research study on more than 100 US companies, and found that the most effective days for posting to get the greatest engagement were Thursdays and Tuesdays. They also found that the average number of interactions per post was uniform overall even though companies post more on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Average interactions per post on Instagram
Average interactions per post on Instagram

Instagram and User-Generated Content

Because people on Instagram are gene (UGC). From ridiculous candid moments caught by cameras to stunning professional drone footage UGC is the dominant force. Indeed, more than 50% of leading content marketers are based upon UGC. UGC is also a factor that impacts conversion rates for industries like jewellery, fashion, footwear as well as beauty and electronic consumer products.

According to the projections of the International Data Corporation, there is expected to be greater consumer-generated content than marketer-created content by 2020.

Instagram Is Making the Video Stars

In the initial days that Instagram began to offer video content, more than 5 million of them were uploaded within one day. It's over 208,000 videos per hour.

And though, for the duration of time, pictures were able to attract more attention over videos, that's not the case. Responding to Instagram the enthusiasm of users for video, the social media giant continues to grow. Instagram is now allowing users to post videos in various formats: Live Posts, Stories, Posts as well as ads.

In addition, Instagram recently introduced video chat using its direct messaging feature, along with IGTV, which lets users post longer video clips, which opens the way for even more inventive ways to allow Instagram users to produce engaging video content.

Please Tell Me About Stories with Some Instagram Stats

Snapchat may have helped popularize the game of social media that is ephemeral however it's losing its position as top of the line. In the wake of Instagram Stories being used by more than 400 million people daily and growing, the amount of Instagram Stories daily active users (DAU) has overtaken Snapchat.

Instagram stats show that businesses certainly prefer Instagram Stories to Snapchat, because they publish two times as many on Instagram Stories. The increasing popularity of Instagram Stories with brands is likely due with Instagram's "Swipe Up" feature, which allows users with over 10,000 followers to share links from outside, thus improving click-through rates and conversion rates.

A recent bonus feature for people who are addicted to Instagram Stories includes music. This feature allows Instagram users to record Stories featuring music from Instagram's in-house library. Though only available in select countries, it is expected to become available in other countries shortly.

As if music and the Swipe Up feature were not enough for many marketers and influencers, Instagram also allows users to shop via Instagram Stories!

Instagram is Rolling Out New Features - Staying Relevant

The two major functions Instagram is releasing recently include IGTV as well as the video chat.

IGTV
IGTV (Image source: Instagram)

Ever consider making a movie in the blink of an eye for Instagram? If so, IGTV is precisely the feature you've been waiting for. IGTV allows users to create vertical videos up to 10-minutes long for regular users and up to an hour long for users who have greater followers.

Though IGTV can be accessed in its own separate app, you are able to view IGTV videos on Instagram. Instagram app. It's Instagram's version of YouTube.

It's true that IGTV allows you to watch videos from people who you follow on Instagram. In addition, you are able to search for users' videos that can be found on their IGTV channel.

Its video chat feature on Instagram Direct is also a serious expansion into an online space which is in fierce competition with Facetime, Google Chat, as well as Facebook Messenger. The feature does allow Instagram users to host a video chat with up to four other people in a single session.

Hashtags to be Smashed

Hashtags make up a significant part of Instagram. They help make content searchable and help users find Instagram users who share like preferences. They are also used by brands and influencers to gauge how successful their campaigns on social media are, as well as to collect data on how their brands are seen by the public as well as to track the number of people who are talking about these on Instagram.

There are two types of hashtags that are used on Instagram: community and branded. Community hashtags are more general hashtags like #Love, #InstaFood, #ootd, #TBT, and others. These may be the hashtags that people are most familiar with. However, branded hashtags that are created for a specific brand to monitor their campaigns created by users have the upper hand. In fact, 70% of hashtags are branded.

One Instagram stat that marketers and influencers pay particularly keen attention to is the many hashtags they include in the caption of a post. Although Instagram users are allowed to include up to 30 hashtags however, it may not be the best idea to do so. As it would turn out, the most effective number of ashtags is 11.

Hashtags per post on Instagram
Hashtags for posts on Instagram (Image Source: SocialMediaToday)

This is the Big Reveal of Instagram Statistics for Business

According to Instagram the number of users is 80percent of Instagram users are following at least one business on Instagram in the end of November, there are 25 million users with active Instagram Business profiles. This is a massive rise from the 15 million profiles that were active in July of that same year. In 2017, an estimated seven percent of companies use Instagram increasing from 48.8% in 2016.

Instagram for Marketing
Instagram is a marketing tool for marketers (Image Source: eMarketer)

This rapid increase in the number of profile pages for businesses could be due to features that are only accessible for business profiles that allow them to post contact information, and also having access to Instagram advertisements and analytics tools.

Businesses are investing time, cash, and effort into Instagram for good reasons. At the time of writing, March 17 there were more than 120 million people have contacted a company, visited a website, or called and received directions from a company via Instagram. Clearly, people are interested in engaging with businesses and using Instagram as a resource for engaging with companies.

Initially, Instagram's limitations in regards to the amount of links that could be posted disrupted the process of shopping through the application. In response to this issue, Instagram introduced the Shoppable Feed that is accessible only to accounts for businesses.

Shoppable feeds allow brands to tag their products on Instagram posts. It is easy to tell if posts are Instagram shoppable by the a shopping bag icon at the top left edge in the caption.

If users tap on the image it will show them the specifics about the product. Clicking on the details leads to an external website which allows users to buy the item without leaving the application.

Staggering Stats of Instagram's Influencer Marketing

Instagram has been identified as the most popular social network for B2C influencers and 92% of the influencers who use it saying it was their most focused-on social network in 2017.

B2C Instagram
B2C Instagram (Image source: MarketingProfs)

The reality is that Instagram is way ahead in terms of what influential people like. Around 80% claim that Instagram is the preference for collaborations with brands. Second in line, though not far behind, is blogging, which is at 16 percentage.

Social influencers
Social influencers (Image source: eMarketer)

What's a more mind-blowing Instagram number than influence on marketing via the platform being estimated at $1.6 billion? It's the fact that this figure is expected to double in the coming year!

Instagram influencer growth
Instagram influencer growth (Image Source: Mediakix)

However, there are some risks for companies and influential individuals marketing through Instagram. A study has found that 8percent of Instagram accounts are fraudulent, with the same study revealing that 29.9% of Instagram accounts are unactive.

Mediakix conducted a test that involved creating fake Instagram accounts using followers purchased from. They managed to get four brand sponsorships paid for by brands, two each.

Fake Instagram account
A fake Instagram account

Add up the ads and Revenue from Instagram

Since 70 percent of Instagram posts do not get seen, businesses invest in advertisements to ensure that they can guarantee their posts get views by targeted followers. More than two million advertisers using Instagram. Six months ago the number was only one million users.

With that many advertisers making use of the platform, it doesn't need a huge amount of investment by each one of them to allow Instagram to make big money. The platform expected to scoop around the sum of $4 billion in ad revenues in 2017. It is also expected to earn estimates for 2019 climbing to $10 billion.

Random Instagram Facts--Because They're Interesting

Certain Instagram facts aren't going to win anyone a chair in a board meeting however, they could come in handy on quiz night.

Who is the brand with the largest number of fans? Which brand is losing it? Which photo is most liked? What's also the most popular filter?

The person with the highest number of followers in Instagram is Selena Gomez ( @selenagomez) who has the number of followers 138 million. Second place goes to soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo ( @cristiano) and has 133 million fans. Rounding out the top three is Ariana Grande ( @arianagrande) who has 123 million followers.

Instagram itself crushes on its own platform when it comes to being the most popular brand, with 241 million people following it. National Geographic ( @natgeo) is second with 89.1 million followers.

The picture with the highest number of likes is Kylie Jenner's first photo featuring her child Stormi that has 17.9 million followers and counting.

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stormi webster

A shared post by      Kylie     (@kyliejenner) on      February 6 on, 2018 at 1:14 pm PST

The filter isn't Juno, Reyes, Valencia, or Ludwig. The most popular Instagram filter as per Canva is Clarendon.

Last Thoughts: Amazing Stats and facts about Instagram

From the introduction of influencer marketing, to its success in challenging Snapchat, Instagram is clearly going to continue to dominate in the battle between the social media giants. Facebook has got to be pleased with its acquisition of Instagram at only $1 billion, especially considering the fact that it is projected to be earning $10 billion in ad revenue in 2019.

In the current direction, without a doubt, Instagram's statistics will continue to make headlines.

You didn't find your top Instagram statistic? Let us know about it in the comments section below!

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