Year-on-year audience growth of selected social media platforms worldwide as of May 2026
The year-on-year social media audience growth data for May 2026 reveals a platform landscape splitting into three distinct tiers: rapidly growing new or revitalised platforms (Threads +42%, Reddit +22%, TikTok +18%, LinkedIn +14%), steadily growing mature platforms (Instagram +12%, WhatsApp +9%, Telegram +16%), and declining or stagnating platforms (Twitter/X -5%, Facebook +3%, Snapchat +5%). The most significant story is Threads' extraordinary growth trajectory - Meta's text-based social platform launched in July 2023 and has rapidly accumulated approximately 350 million monthly active users by May 2026, growing from approximately 246 million a year prior. Threads is now firmly established as the primary Twitter/X alternative for text-based content marketing and personal expression. The broader social media statistics context for these platforms is in our social media statistics and facts analysis.
Reddit's +22% growth - placing it second in the YoY ranking - reflects the transformative impact of Google's decision to prioritise Reddit content in search results from 2023 onwards. Reddit discussions, subreddit threads, and community posts now appear prominently in Google Search results for a wide range of informational queries, driving significant new user acquisition as people clicking through from Google discover and register for Reddit for the first time. Reddit's IPO in March 2024 also drove significant brand awareness and media coverage that introduced the platform to demographics previously unaware of its depth and breadth. The social network penetration context for these growing platforms is in our social network penetration worldwide analysis.
Threads +42% to Twitter/X -5% - Full Platform Year-on-Year Audience Growth (May 2026)
Telegram's +16% growth - placing it fourth - reflects the platform's continued expansion as a privacy-first messaging and broadcasting platform. Telegram's unique channel feature - allowing individuals and organisations to broadcast to unlimited subscribers - has made it the primary news distribution platform in several markets including Ukraine (where it is essential wartime communication infrastructure), Iran, Russia (where it operates despite partial government restrictions), and many other markets with restricted social media access. Telegram's combination of private messaging, group chats, channels, and mini-app ecosystem gives it a uniquely versatile user proposition that continues driving strong global growth. LinkedIn's +14% growth reflects expanding professional social media adoption in emerging markets - particularly India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America - where the professional networking platform is gaining its first significant user bases as internet-connected middle-class professional populations grow. The social media platforms used by marketers context is in our social media platforms used by marketers worldwide analysis.
Social Media Audience Growth May 2026 - Full Data Table
| Platform | YoY Growth | MAU May 2026 | Net New Users (12M) | Trajectory | Primary Growth Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threads | +42% | ~350M | +104M | Rapid growth | Twitter/X migration, Meta integration |
| +22% | ~970M | +196M | Strong growth | Google SEO integration, IPO awareness | |
| TikTok | +18% | 2.18B | +236M | Strong growth | New market expansion, algorithm reach |
| Telegram | +16% | 1.05B | +142M | Strong growth | Privacy migration, channel broadcasting |
| +14% | 1.15B | +142M | Solid growth | Emerging market professional adoption | |
| +12% | 2.35B | +252M | Solid growth | Reels algorithm, India market | |
| +9% | 2.80B | +234M | Steady growth | Emerging market messaging dominance | |
| YouTube | +8% | 2.85B | +228M | Steady growth | Shorts adoption, TV screen growth |
| +6% | 0.55B | +31M | Modest growth | Shopping integration, Gen Z discovery | |
| Snapchat | +5% | 0.90B | +42M | Modest growth | AR features, Gen Z loyalty |
| +3% | 3.07B | +92M | Slow growth | Emerging market saturation | |
| Twitter/X | -5% | ~550M | -29M | Declining | Brand safety concerns, Musk policies |
Facebook's +3% growth - the slowest of any positively growing major platform - reflects the paradox of the world's largest social network: with 3.07 billion monthly active users, Facebook has essentially saturated every market where it has regulatory access and smartphone penetration is above approximately 30%. The remaining growth comes almost entirely from first-time internet users in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where Facebook's Free Basics programme provides subsidised access. In developed markets including North America, Western Europe, and Australia, Facebook's monthly active user count is flat to slightly declining among younger demographics even as older demographics (45+) continue to join and engage. The number of worldwide social network users context is in our worldwide social network users analysis.
Middle East/Africa +12%, South/SE Asia +10% - Social Media Growth Fastest in Emerging Markets
The Middle East and Africa region's +12% social media audience growth - the highest of any world region - reflects the convergence of rapidly expanding smartphone penetration, improving mobile internet infrastructure, and young population demographics in markets including Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Sub-Saharan Africa in particular is driving significant new social media user additions as smartphone prices have fallen to under $100 for basic Android devices, bringing social media within reach of hundreds of millions of first-time internet users. The world population context for these emerging social media markets is in our world population analysis.
North America's +3% growth - the lowest of any region globally - reflects near-total social media saturation in the US and Canada, where approximately 82-85% of the adult population already uses at least one social media platform. Growth in North America is therefore limited to new entrants into social media (younger age groups reaching the minimum age) and cross-platform adoption (existing users joining additional platforms). North American social media growth statistics therefore understate the region's importance to the global social media industry - North American users generate disproportionate advertising revenue per user, with US users generating approximately 5-10x more ad revenue per user than users in developing markets. The social media ad spend context is in our social media ad spend worldwide analysis.
YouTube 2.85B, Facebook 3.07B, TikTok 2.18B - Platform MAU Trends 2022 to May 2026
TikTok's MAU growth from 1.05 billion in 2022 to 2.18 billion in May 2026 - a +107% increase in four years - is the most dramatic audience expansion of any mature social media platform over the period. To put this in context: TikTok has grown by more than 1 billion users in four years - a scale of user acquisition that Facebook took approximately eight years to achieve from a comparable starting point. TikTok's algorithm-driven content discovery remains the primary driver: the For You Page (FYP) algorithm exposes users to content they would not have found otherwise, creating a highly personalised and engaging experience that drives both new user acquisition and exceptional time-on-app metrics. The daily social media usage patterns driven by this algorithm are in our daily social media usage worldwide analysis.
Instagram 252M, WhatsApp 234M, TikTok 236M - Net New Users Added in 12 Months to May 2026
The absolute net new user figures reveal an important distinction from the percentage growth rates. Instagram leads in absolute new users added (252 million) despite its lower 12% percentage growth rate - because it starts from a much larger base of 2.35 billion users. Threads at +42% percentage growth only added approximately 104 million net new users in absolute terms because its starting base was small. This distinction matters for advertisers: platforms with large absolute new user additions are expanding their addressable advertising audiences most rapidly in volume terms, while platforms with high percentage growth rates may be growing faster from smaller bases. TikTok's combination of strong absolute new users (236 million) and high percentage growth (18%) makes it the most commercially valuable growth story in absolute and relative terms simultaneously. The social media marketing benefits that these growing audiences deliver are in our social media marketing benefits analysis.
TikTok Older Users Growing Fastest - Demographic Age Groups and Platform Audience Expansion
TikTok's demographic growth pattern in 2026 reveals a counterintuitive insight: the platform's fastest growing age groups are its oldest. The 55+ demographic shows +42% year-on-year growth and the 45-54 group shows +38% - while the platform's original core demographic of 13-17 year olds shows only +8% growth (reflecting near-saturation in this group). This pattern is not evidence of the platform losing its youth appeal - rather it reflects that younger demographics already adopted TikTok en masse in 2020-2022 and are now simply maintaining their presence, while older demographics are discovering and adopting the platform for the first time. For marketers, this demographic broadening of TikTok's audience makes it increasingly viable for products targeting 35-54 year olds, which was previously not a core TikTok advertising use case. The social media usage reasons driving older demographic adoption are in our social media usage reasons worldwide analysis.
The MAU-vs-growth view reveals the most commercially important platforms: those combining large absolute user bases with strong growth rates. TikTok (2.18B MAU, +18% YoY) and Instagram (2.35B MAU, +12% YoY) sit at the optimal intersection of scale and growth - both large enough to reach mass audiences and growing fast enough to continuously add new advertising targets. YouTube (2.85B MAU, +8%) is the largest platform by MAU but growing more slowly, reflecting its near-saturation in developed markets. Facebook (3.07B MAU, +3%) illustrates the challenge of sustaining growth at extreme scale. The internet companies revenue context for how these platforms monetise their growing audiences is in our social media ad spend worldwide analysis.
The growth tier analysis shows that 11 of 12 tracked platforms are growing their audiences in 2026 - only Twitter/X is in outright decline. The concentration of 5 platforms in the high-to-strong growth brackets (Threads, Reddit, TikTok, Telegram, LinkedIn) versus only 3 in the slow/moderate brackets illustrates that global social media audience growth remains broadly healthy, driven primarily by emerging market adoption and platform diversification as users add more social platforms to their daily usage. The social network penetration by region context for these growth opportunities is in our social network penetration by region analysis.
Global Social Media Audience Growth 2026 - Key Statistics
Frequently Asked Questions - Global Social Media Audience Growth 2026
Threads is the fastest growing social media platform in 2026 with approximately +42% year-on-year audience growth as of May 2026 - growing from approximately 246 million to approximately 350 million monthly active users. Reddit follows at +22% and TikTok at +18%. Telegram (+16%) and LinkedIn (+14%) are also growing strongly. Source: Statista, DataReportal, Kepios May 2026. ±3-5pp.
There are approximately 5.24 billion social media users worldwide as of May 2026 - approximately 64% of the world's total population and approximately 78% of the global population aged 13+. The global social media audience grew approximately +7% year-on-year from May 2025. Source: DataReportal Digital 2026, Kepios May 2026. ±3-5%.
TikTok has approximately 2.18 billion monthly active users as of May 2026 - up +18% year-on-year and +107% from 1.05 billion in 2022. TikTok added approximately 236 million net new users in the 12 months to May 2026. Source: Statista, DataReportal, Kepios May 2026. ±5-8%.
Yes. Twitter/X is the only major platform with negative audience growth at approximately -5% year-on-year as of May 2026 - losing approximately 29 million monthly active users from approximately 580 million to approximately 550 million. This makes Twitter/X the only top-tier social platform in audience decline globally. Source: Statista, DataReportal, Kepios May 2026. ±3-5pp.
Reddit's +22% growth in 2026 is driven primarily by Google's decision to prioritise Reddit content in search results from 2023 onwards, driving new user discovery as people follow Google results into Reddit communities. Reddit's 2024 IPO also raised platform awareness significantly. Reddit added approximately 196 million net new users in 12 months to May 2026. Source: Statista, DataReportal, Kepios May 2026. ±3-5pp.
Middle East and Africa has the highest social media audience growth at approximately +12% year-on-year as of May 2026, driven by expanding smartphone penetration, improving mobile internet infrastructure, and young population demographics in markets including Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. South/Southeast Asia follows at +10%. North America shows the lowest growth at +3% due to near-total market saturation. Source: DataReportal, Kepios May 2026. ±3-5pp.
Instagram shows approximately +12% year-on-year audience growth as of May 2026 - reaching approximately 2.35 billion monthly active users from approximately 2.10 billion in May 2025. In absolute terms, Instagram added approximately 252 million net new users - more than any other platform. Instagram growth is driven by Reels algorithm reach and strong performance in India, Middle East, and Latin America. Source: Statista, DataReportal, Kepios May 2026. ±3-5pp.
LinkedIn has approximately 1.15 billion monthly active users as of May 2026 - up approximately +14% year-on-year, one of the strongest growth rates among established platforms. LinkedIn's growth is driven by expanding professional social media adoption in emerging markets including India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. LinkedIn added approximately 142 million net new users in the 12 months to May 2026. Source: Statista, DataReportal, Kepios May 2026. ±5-8%.
Statista - Social Media Statistics and User Data May 2026 - Primary source for platform monthly active user figures and year-on-year growth rates. Statista compiles DataReportal, Kepios, and platform official data. ±3-5pp growth rates.
DataReportal - Digital 2026 Global Overview Report - Primary source for global social media user totals, regional breakdowns, and net new user estimates. DataReportal publishes comprehensive annual and monthly global digital reports. ±3-5% per figure.
Kepios Analysis - Social Media Growth Analysis May 2026 - Primary source for demographic growth breakdowns and platform-level net new user calculations. Kepios provides detailed monthly analysis of global social media audience data. ±3-5pp per platform.
GWI - Consumer and Social Media Intelligence Q2 2026 - Secondary cross-validation for regional growth patterns and demographic audience data. GWI surveys approximately 60,000 consumers quarterly across 50+ markets. ±4-6pp.
