75 Instagram Growth Statistics You Need to Know in 2026

Instagram continues to be one of the most powerful platforms for creators, businesses, and brands looking to build an audience and drive revenue. With three billion monthly active users and a rapidly evolving algorithm, understanding the latest instagram growth statistics is essential for anyone serious about social media success in 2026.

Outfame is an AI-powered Instagram growth platform used by more than 65,000 creators and businesses worldwide. We compiled this comprehensive roundup of 75 instagram growth statistics from authoritative sources including Meta, Statista, DataReportal, eMarketer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and our own proprietary data to give you a complete picture of where Instagram stands today and where it is headed.

General Instagram Growth Statistics

1. Instagram reached three billion monthly active users in September 2025, as announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Threads.

2. Instagram has more than 2.2 billion daily active users, meaning roughly 27 percent of the global population accesses the platform every single day.

3. Instagram is the second-largest social network in the world after Facebook, which has 3.12 billion monthly active users.

4. The platform has been downloaded 3.8 billion times since its launch in 2010.

5. Instagram adds approximately 70 million new users every year, a pace that has remained consistent since 2020.

6. Users share more than 95 million photos and videos on Instagram each day.

7. The average Instagram user spends 33.9 minutes per day on the platform.

8. Instagram's ad-reachable audience grew by 90.8 million users year-over-year, with 54.4 million added in a single quarter between October 2024 and January 2025.

9. Seventy percent of Instagram users are under the age of 35, though the percentage of users over 35 has increased every year since 2018.

10. Fifty percent of Instagram users engage with brands on a regular basis, and 44 percent interact with shoppable content or browse for products at least once per week.

Sources: CNBC, DemandSage, Backlinko, DataReportal

Instagram User Growth Over Time

Instagram's growth trajectory has been remarkable, though the rate of expansion has gradually slowed as the platform matures. Here is a year-by-year breakdown of Instagram's estimated monthly active users and growth rates.

Year	Estimated MAU	YoY Growth Rate
2018	1.0 billion	—
2019	1.08 billion	8.0%
2020	1.33 billion	23.5%
2021	1.48 billion	11.3%
2022	1.59 billion	7.4%
2023	2.0 billion	6.9%
2024	2.6 billion	5.7%
2025	3.0 billion	4.4%
2026 (projected)	3.1 billion	3.6%

11. Instagram's year-over-year user growth rate has decelerated from 23.5 percent in 2020 to an estimated 3.6 percent in 2026, following a pattern common among mature social platforms.

12. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 produced the largest single-year growth spike, with Instagram exceeding one billion users for the first time after a 23.5 percent annual increase.

13. Instagram took just three years to grow from two billion to three billion monthly active users, reaching the milestone in Q3 2025.

14. Daily active users on Instagram increased 340 percent between 2017 and 2025, from 500 million to 2.2 billion.

15. The platform's U.S. user base has grown 142 percent since 2015.

Sources: Statista, Oberlo, Business of Apps, eMarketer

Instagram Growth by Account Size

One of the most striking patterns in instagram follower growth data is the inverse relationship between account size and growth rate. Smaller accounts consistently outperform larger ones in both percentage growth and engagement.

16. Small accounts with 1,000 to 5,000 followers experience an average growth rate of 38 percent, making them the fastest-growing segment on the platform.

17. Mid-size accounts with 10,000 to 50,000 followers see an average growth rate of 33.8 percent.

18. Medium influencers with 50,000 to 100,000 followers have a follower growth rate of 3.92 percent, with engagement rate growth at 49.75 percent.

19. Macro influencers with 100,000 to 500,000 followers maintain a steady follower growth of 3.01 percent per month.

20. Mega influencers with more than 500,000 followers see the lowest growth rate at 2.58 percent, reflecting the challenge of maintaining momentum at scale.

21. The average follower growth rate for verified creators increased to 6.3 percent monthly in Q1 2025.

22. Micro-influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers see a 13.4 percent higher engagement rate than mega-influencers.

23. Nano-influencers constitute 75.9 percent of Instagram's influencer base, dominating the creator ecosystem.

24. Accounts that post at least three times per week experience the best engagement rates, while accounts posting 10 or more times per week can boost growth by 79 percent.

25. Posting two to three times weekly drives an average of 19 percent growth across all account sizes.

Sources: SocialInsider, SQ Magazine, eMarketer, Flick

Instagram Growth by Country

Instagram's user base varies dramatically by geography, with emerging markets in Asia and Latin America driving the largest raw growth numbers while Western markets lead in revenue generation.

Country	Instagram Users (2025)	Global Share
India	414 million	13.8%
United States	172 million	5.7%
Brazil	141 million	4.7%
Indonesia	103 million	3.4%
Turkey	58.5 million	2.0%
Japan	57.5 million	1.9%
Mexico	48.8 million	1.6%
United Kingdom	33.4 million	1.1%
Germany	31.3 million	1.0%
Argentina	28.9 million	1.0%
South Korea	24.7 million	0.8%
Italy	22.1 million	0.7%
France	21.8 million	0.7%
Russia	19.4 million	0.6%
Colombia	18.6 million	0.6%

26. India leads the world with 414 million Instagram users, holding nearly a quarter of the platform's global audience.

27. The United States is Instagram's largest revenue-generating market despite ranking second in user count with 172 million accounts.

28. Brazil's 141 million users make it the largest Instagram market in Latin America.

29. In India, where TikTok remains banned, Instagram has seen year-over-year growth of 14 percent, driven largely by Reels adoption.

30. Instagram's user growth in Europe plateaued at 1.2 percent year-over-year, while TikTok grew at 3.9 percent in the same region.

31. Southern Asia represents the largest regional share of Instagram's ad audience at 448 million users.

32. Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil have the highest Instagram penetration rates, with more than 86 percent of each country's internet-using population active on the platform.

33. Turkey has an Instagram audience uptake rate of 88.8 percent, one of the highest in the world relative to its population size.

Sources: Backlinko, DataReportal, Business of Apps, SpreadThoughts

Instagram Growth by Niche and Industry

Engagement and growth on Instagram vary significantly by industry. Understanding where your niche falls in these benchmarks can help you set realistic instagram growth rate targets.

34. Construction and manufacturing accounts lead all industries with a 4.4 percent engagement rate on Instagram in 2025.

35. Education accounts achieve a 4.2 percent engagement rate, likely driven by strong community involvement and informational content.

36. Financial services and marketing agencies both see engagement rates of 3.8 percent.

37. Retail and media accounts average around 3.0 percent engagement, suggesting content fatigue and oversaturation in those verticals.

38. Among influencer niches, animal content leads with a 2.00 percent engagement rate, followed by arts and culture at 1.82 percent and design at 1.69 percent.

39. B2B industries typically see engagement rates of 0.5 to two percent, while lifestyle and entertainment brands often achieve rates above three percent.

40. A general benchmark of one to three percent is considered average, three to six percent is good, and anything above six percent is excellent on Instagram.

41. There are now more than 350 million business accounts on Instagram, reflecting 17 percent year-over-year growth.

42. Small businesses make up nearly 65 percent of all business accounts on the platform.

43. Ninety-four percent of marketers say Instagram is critical to their influencer marketing strategy.

Sources: SocialInsider, Hootsuite, Popular Pays, SQ Magazine

Organic vs Paid Growth Statistics

The tension between organic and paid growth on Instagram has intensified in recent years. As organic reach continues to decline, understanding both sides of the equation is critical for anyone tracking instagram growth statistics.

44. The average Instagram post reaches just 3.5 percent of a brand's followers organically in 2025, meaning more than 96 percent of your audience may never see your content without paid promotion.

45. Organic reach on Instagram fell from approximately 10 to 15 percent of followers in 2020 to just two to three percent in 2025.

46. Instagram's average reach rate decreased 12 percent year-over-year to 3.50 percent in 2025.

47. Global social media ad spend reached $219.8 billion in 2024, representing nearly 30 percent of all digital advertising spending.

48. Instagram's U.S. ad revenue will reach $37.13 billion in 2025, a 15.9 percent year-over-year increase.

49. Instagram is projected to generate $42.52 billion in U.S. ad revenue in 2026, contributing 53.1 percent of Meta's total ad revenue and surpassing Facebook for the first time.

50. The average cost-per-click on Instagram is $1.42 and the average CPM is $9.68 in 2025, reflecting continued increases in advertising costs.

51. Instagram's average revenue per user is $223, more than both Facebook and TikTok.

52. Instagram advertising reach increased by 13.1 percent between 2024 and 2025, with an estimated ad-reachable audience of 1.91 billion.

53. Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated in January 2025 that the algorithm does not suppress post reach because of sponsored content, prioritizing watch time, likes, and shares as the primary signals.

Sources: Social.Plus, Hootsuite, eMarketer, DemandSage

Instagram Reels and Content Format Growth

Reels has become the dominant content format on Instagram, driving the majority of reach, engagement, and follower growth on the platform.

54. Instagram Reels are played more than 200 billion times per day across Facebook and Instagram, doubling the 100 billion daily plays reported just one year earlier.

55. Reels account for approximately 35 percent of all time users spend on Instagram and nearly 45 percent of total engagement.

56. Reels are reshared 4.5 billion times per day through Direct Messages, making DM shares one of the strongest algorithm signals.

57. Reels generate two times more impressions than other content formats on Instagram.

58. Creators who publish Reels regularly gain followers 25 percent faster than those who do not.

59. Brands posting Reels three times per week see an average 23 percent follower growth.

60. The average engagement rate for Reels is 1.48 percent, compared to 0.91 percent for carousel posts and 0.69 percent for image posts.

61. As of 2025, Reels make up nearly 59 percent of posts published by creators on Instagram.

62. Business usage of Instagram Reels increased by 57.4 percent year-over-year in 2025.

63. More than half of all ads on Instagram ran in Reels in 2025, up from 35 percent in 2024.

64. Meta's Q3 2025 earnings report confirmed that video time spent on Instagram increased 30 percent year-over-year.

65. Eighty percent of users are more likely to watch a video to completion if captions are available.

Sources: DemandSage, SocialInsider, CNBC, Blogging Wizard, Sprout Social

Instagram Algorithm and Growth Factors

Instagram's algorithm has undergone significant changes in 2025 and 2026. Understanding these shifts is essential for maximizing your instagram growth rate through organic strategies.

66. Instagram has officially transitioned to Views as the primary metric across all content formats in 2026, unifying how performance is measured for Reels, Stories, photos, and carousels.

67. DM shares are now the strongest algorithm signal for content distribution. If users send your content to friends, the algorithm treats it as highly distributable to new audiences.

68. Instagram now actively penalizes aggregator accounts that repost content without adding significant original value, often replacing reposted content with the original creator's version in recommendations.

69. The first 24 to 48 hours of engagement after posting are critical. Posts that receive strong early engagement in likes, comments, shares, and saves are significantly more likely to reach larger audiences.

70. Videos receive approximately 2.5 times more reach than photos on Instagram in 2026.

71. Instagram launched AI-powered translations for Reels in late 2025, automatically translating both text and audio into Hindi, Portuguese, English, and Spanish, with more languages planned.

72. Average comments per post fell 16 percent on Instagram in 2025, signaling a shift toward more passive engagement. However, shares per post increased by 12 percent.

Sources: Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, SocialInsider

AI-Powered Instagram Growth Statistics

As organic reach becomes more difficult to sustain, AI-powered growth tools have emerged as a key strategy for creators and businesses. Outfame has analyzed data from its platform of more than 65,000 active accounts to reveal how AI-driven approaches impact instagram follower growth.

73. Accounts using AI-powered targeting gained an average of 1,247 new followers in their first 30 days, based on data from 65,000+ Outfame accounts.

74. Profiles that combined AI growth tools with consistent posting grew 347 percent faster than those relying on content alone.

75. The average Outfame user saw a 215 percent increase in profile visits within the first two weeks of activation.

These findings align with the broader industry trend toward automation and AI in social media marketing. The global influencer marketing industry is expected to exceed $40 billion by 2026, and 63 percent of marketers plan to incorporate AI tools and machine learning into their strategies. For creators looking to capitalize on these trends, Outfame offers a free three-day trial that lets you experience AI-powered growth firsthand.

Micro-influencers on Instagram achieve an average engagement rate of 3.86 percent, while mega-influencers generate about 1.21 percent. This gap highlights why targeted, authentic growth through tools like Outfame delivers better long-term results than simply chasing vanity metrics. You can explore Outfame's pricing plans to find the right fit for your growth goals.

Sources: Outfame (2026, proprietary data), DemandSage, Backlinko

Instagram Growth Predictions for 2027 and Beyond

Based on current trends and analyst forecasts, here is what the data suggests about Instagram's future trajectory.

Instagram's user growth rate is expected to continue decelerating, from an estimated 3.6 percent in 2026 to approximately 2.5 to three percent by 2028. However, the platform's ability to add tens of millions of new users annually at its current scale remains impressive.

Instagram's ad revenue is expected to grow at double-digit rates through at least 2028, driven by Reels monetization, AI-powered ad targeting, and the continued shift of marketing budgets from traditional media to social platforms. U.S. influencer marketing spending alone is projected to exceed $10.52 billion in 2025 and continue climbing.

Key predictions include further integration of AI tools for content creation and discovery, expansion of shopping and commerce features, continued growth of Reels as the dominant content format, and Meta's development of a connected TV app for Reels that would extend Instagram's reach to television screens.

The influencer marketing industry is projected to reach a compound annual growth rate of 30.3 percent between 2021 and 2028, with Instagram remaining the preferred platform for brand partnerships. As the platform matures, the creators and businesses who succeed will be those who combine high-quality content with smart growth strategies, including AI-powered tools like Outfame that help identify and engage the right audiences.

Sources: Oberlo, eMarketer, DemandSage

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people use Instagram in 2026?

Instagram has approximately 3 billion monthly active users and more than 2.2 billion daily active users as of late 2025. The platform is projected to reach 3.1 billion monthly active users by the end of 2026, making it the second-largest social network in the world after Facebook.

What is a good follower growth rate on Instagram?

A good monthly follower growth rate depends on your account size. Small accounts with 1,000 to 5,000 followers can expect around 38 percent growth, while larger accounts with more than 100,000 followers typically see two to three percent monthly growth. Verified creators averaged 6.3 percent monthly growth in Q1 2025. AI-powered growth tools like Outfame can help accelerate these rates regardless of account size.

Is Instagram still growing in 2026?

Yes, Instagram is still growing but at a decelerating rate. The platform's year-over-year growth has slowed from 23.5 percent in 2020 to approximately 3.6 percent in 2026. Despite this slowdown, Instagram continues to add tens of millions of new users each year and shows no signs of declining. The platform reached the milestone of three billion monthly active users in September 2025.

What content format grows followers the fastest on Instagram?

Reels are the most effective format for follower growth on Instagram in 2026. Creators who publish Reels regularly gain followers 25 percent faster than those who do not, and Reels generate two times more impressions than other content formats. For the highest engagement, Reels between 60 and 90 seconds perform best, and adding captions increases the completion rate by 80 percent.

How much does Instagram advertising cost in 2026?

The average cost-per-click on Instagram is $1.42 and the average CPM (cost per thousand impressions) is $9.68 as of 2025. These costs have been steadily increasing year-over-year. Instagram's total U.S. ad revenue is projected to reach $42.52 billion in 2026, reflecting the platform's growing importance to advertisers.

Methodology

This article compiles data from a range of primary and secondary sources. Platform-level statistics come from official Meta announcements, earnings reports, and press releases. Third-party data was sourced from research firms including Statista, eMarketer (EMARKETER/Insider Intelligence), DataReportal, and Sensor Tower. Industry benchmarks were gathered from SocialInsider, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, and Blogging Wizard, all of which analyze large datasets of Instagram content and accounts.

Outfame proprietary statistics are based on aggregated, anonymized data from more than 65,000 active accounts on the Outfame platform, collected between January 2025 and January 2026. Individual results vary based on niche, content quality, posting frequency, and other factors.

Note that user counts from different sources may vary due to methodological differences. Meta's official figure of three billion monthly active users includes all account types, while third-party estimates like eMarketer's may use different criteria that exclude certain account types. We have cited the most widely accepted figures and noted discrepancies where relevant. All statistics were verified as of February 2026.