28 Social Media Statistics Marketers and Creators Need to Know for 2025

Individual social media platforms may come and go. But social media as a whole is here to stay and will likely remain deeply ingrained within modern society.

If you’re looking for statistics to better understand what social media has in store for marketers and content creators this year, it’s your lucky day. Below is a compilation of some of the most relevant social media statistics every marketer and content creator should know in 2025 and beyond.

Social media data: General usage statistics

• As of October 2024, the total number of internet users worldwide was 5.52 billion. That’s about 67.5 percent of the world’s population. Of these, 5.22 billion were social media users.
• In the past year, approximately 256 million new users joined social media, marking an annual growth of 5.2 percent or an average of 8.1 new users per second.
• As of April 2024, Facebook leads globally as the most popular social platform with 3.065 billion monthly active users (MAU), followed by YouTube (2.5 billion), WhatsApp and Instagram (2 billion each), and TikTok (1.5 billion). X/Twitter ranks 12th with 611 million, just above Sina Weibo’s 598 million.

• As of September 2024, over half of US adults (54 percent) obtain news from social media platforms. Facebook leads the pack, with 30 percent of adults regularly accessing news there, followed by YouTube at 26 percent. Notably, 39 percent of adults under 30 regularly get news from TikTok, highlighting a generational shift in news consumption habits.

Social media marketing stats: User engagement

• On average, individuals spend 2 hours and 19 minutes daily on social media, which is about 14 percent of their waking hours, engaging with approximately seven platforms each month.

• A 2024 HubSpot survey found that social media marketers saw the most audience engagement on YouTube (23 percent), Instagram (23 percent), and Facebook (22 percent).

• The average engagement rate on Facebook is dishearteningly low, with most pages seeing just 0.07 percent. Image posts perform best, generating slightly more fan interaction at 0.12 percent. Link posts, meanwhile, generate the lowest engagement at only 0.03 percent.
• On Instagram, photo posts lead in engagement for business accounts with a rate of 2.69 percent, surpassing previous top-performing carousel posts. As of February 2024, carousel posts have a 1.16 percent engagement rate, while video posts stand at 2.21 percent.
• Four out of 10 LinkedIn users organically engage with a business page every week.

Social media insights: Video statistics

• According to HubSpot’s 2024 Global Social Media Trends Report, YouTube has surpassed Instagram and Facebook as the top platform for brands, growing 79 percent in the past year. Long-form videos and YouTube series have become go-to strategies for brands to connect with audiences and build engagement.
• More than eight out of 10 consumers (81 percent) want brands to release more short-form videos in 2024.

• Viewers find short-form videos 2.5 times more engaging than long-form videos.
• According to Wyzowl, in 2024, video is widely used for marketing, with social media videos among the top types at 34 percent. Video testimonials lead at 39 percent, followed by explainer videos (38 percent) and product demos (32 percent).

2024 stats: Influencer marketing

• According to Influencer MarketingHub, in 2024, 84.8 percent of marketers continue to believe in the power of influencer marketing, an increase from 83 percent the previous year. Of firms that have engaged in influencer marketing, 85.8 percent plan to dedicate a budget for it.
• According to HubSpot’s State of Consumer Trends Report, Gen Z (ages 18-24) primarily discover new products through social media, internet searches, and word-of-mouth, with Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok as their top platforms. In the past three months, 37 percent of Gen Z purchased products recommended by influencers.
• A study analyzing nearly 2 million global purchases and multiple European field studies found that a typical $50 product investment with a nano influencer (under 10,000 followers) yields an average return exceeding $1,000. In contrast, macro-influencers (100,000+ followers) often charge more than $1,000 per endorsement but generate an average return of only $6,000.
• Since 2019, the global influencer marketing market has more than tripled, reaching an estimated $24 billion in 2024.

• According to the 2024 State of Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report, TikTok has become the top platform for branded marketing content, with 68.8 percent of brands using it for influencer marketing, compared to 46.7 percent on Instagram and 33.1 percent on YouTube.

2024 data: Social media advertising

• X/Twitter has lost popularity, and Threads hasn’t fully taken its place. Meanwhile, about 20 percent of social media marketers use Pinterest and Snapchat, with 10 percent using Reddit and Threads. As platform popularity shifts, brands must stay flexible — especially with potential TikTok bans in the US.
• Among all social media platforms, YouTube tops the list in terms of advertising reach, with YouTube ads connecting with 2.53 billion monthly users, 10 percent more than Facebook’s 2.22 billion.
• Global social media ad spending will reach $255.8 billion by 2028.
• A 2024 survey found that the top benefits of social media for marketing are increased exposure (80 percent), expanded traffic (73 percent), and lead generation (65 percent), according to marketers.
• Social media is now the top global media channel for advertising investment after overtaking paid search last year. Social media ad spend is expected to reach $247.3 billion by the end of 2024, a 14.3 percent increase from last year. Meta is set to exceed linear TV in global ad revenue by 2025.
• Social media brand perception in the US is mixed, with widespread use but concerns about trust, misinformation, and data privacy. While platforms like Facebook and TikTok have high awareness (94 percent and 91 percent, respectively), favorability is lower, with only 68 percent for Facebook and 43 percent for TikTok. LinkedIn is seen as the most privacy-protective, while only 18 percent of US users trust Facebook with their data.

Insights for 2024: AI usage in social media

• The Hootsuite Social Media Trends 2024 Survey reveals that social media managers, often managing tasks solo and pressed for time, are increasingly turning to AI to lighten their workload, with 61 percent citing this as their top motivation.
• There is audience hesitancy toward AI-generated social media content, with 62 percent of consumers saying they’re less likely to engage with or trust AI-generated content.
• As of May 2024, nearly four in 10 marketers worldwide (38 percent) say generative AI boosts social media marketing efficiency, while 34 percent highlight easier idea generation.
• The growth of AI in social media is fueled by several factors, including the increasing volume of user data, the need for personalized experiences, targeted advertising, and efficient content moderation.
• Seventy-one percent of social media marketers currently use AI tools, and 87 percent believe these tools are essential for a successful strategy. Among those using generative AI, 71 percent report better performance from AI-created content than non-AI content.

Market Insights: Powering Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

Data informs decision-making. With the right data sets, organizations can make objective decisions based on facts. The above social media statistics provide insights into users’ preferences and behavior, helping brands tailor their marketing messaging to the right audiences via the right platform.

Need help crafting content that resonates? Connect with a content specialist to discover how a managed content partner can help you create the social media content you need.