social media users worldwide — more than 2 in 3 people
Source: DataReportal (2026)The key numbers on social media in 2026 — usage, engagement, marketing ROI, AI and small business. Every figure links to a reliable source, so you can cite it with confidence in pitches, reports and presentations.
Last updated: June 2026
Social media is no longer a niche — it is where your audience is every single day.
social media users worldwide — more than 2 in 3 people
Source: DataReportal (2026)average time per day on social media (≈ 2 hours 21 min)
Source: DataReportal (2026)different platforms the average user uses each month
Source: DataReportal (2026)of all internet users use social media every month
Source: DataReportal (2026)Where your brands need to show up — reach among adult internet users.
Facebook — the largest reach among adult internet users
Source: DataReportal (2026)YouTube — second in reach worldwide
Source: DataReportal (2026)Instagram — third in reach, strong for visual branding
Source: DataReportal (2026)Reach is not everything — this is how many people actually interact. Note: definitions differ per source.
TikTok — highest average engagement, up 49% year-over-year
Source: Socialinsider (2026)Instagram — average engagement per post
Source: Socialinsider (2026)how much higher TikTok's engagement is than Instagram's
Source: Socialinsider (2026)Why brands (and their agencies) keep investing in social.
spent on social media marketing worldwide in 2025
Source: Statista (2025)average ROI on social ads — roughly €2.50 for every €1
Source: Sprout Social (2025)higher ROI from short-form video versus other formats
Source: Sprout Social (2025)of marketers report higher social-driven sales than last year
Source: Sprout Social (2025)AI has gone from experiment to standard — those who skip it fall behind.
of marketers now use AI in their daily work
Source: Social Media Examiner (2025)use AI for text — ideas, drafts and captions
Source: Social Media Examiner (2025)consider AI important to their social strategy (another 48% "somewhat")
Source: Social Media Examiner (2025)Almost every small business is on social — but consistency is their biggest struggle.
of small businesses use social media for marketing
Source: Marketing Dive (2025)struggle to keep content fresh and keep up with trends
Source: Marketing Dive (2025)of SMBs use AI for their marketing and social media
Source: Marketing Dive (2025)Content creation has become a mature industry — with serious numbers.
people worldwide identify as content creators
Source: Influencer Marketing Factory (2026)size of the creator economy in 2025 — heading toward $480B by 2027
Source: Influencer Marketing Factory (2026)global influencer marketing spend in 2025 (+35.6%)
Source: Influencer Marketing Factory (2025)Plan, create and analyse all your social media from one platform — with AI content and automatic reports. 14 days free, no credit card.
In 2026 there are roughly 5.79 billion social media users worldwide — more than 2 in 3 people on Earth. That number is still growing at about 5% per year (source: DataReportal).
TikTok has the highest average engagement at around 3.70% — roughly 7× that of Instagram (≈ 0.48%). Note: there is no global standard definition of "engagement", so figures vary by research firm (source: Socialinsider).
The average ROI on social ads is about 250% (roughly €2.50 per €1 invested), and 59% of marketers report higher social-driven sales than last year. Short-form video delivers about 71% more ROI than other formats (source: Sprout Social, Statista).
By now 88 to 90% of marketers use AI daily, and 90% use AI for text such as ideas, drafts and captions. 43% call AI important to their social strategy (source: Social Media Examiner).
Yes — around 96% of small businesses use social media for marketing. At the same time, 54% struggle to keep content fresh and keep up with trends, exactly where tools and planning help (source: Marketing Dive).
Figures are rounded and come from the sources listed below. Definitions differ per source — engagement rates especially, as there is no global standard for them.