Top 10 Social Media Platforms in the World in 2024: We live in the 21st century, an era marked by rapid technological advancements, where the dynamic virtual space of social media has become an essential means of communication and information sharing across the globe.
Social media has blurred the boundaries between the virtual and real world, transforming the world into a global village where distance is no longer a barrier.
More than 66% of the world's population uses the internet, with the total number of users worldwide standing at 5.35 billion, according to the latest data from DataReportal. Furthermore, with 97 million new users added so far in 2023, the number of internet users has grown by 1.8% over the past 12 months.
Moreover, according to Kepios analysis, the number of active social media users exceeds 5 billion, accounting for approximately 62.3% of the world's population.
This jump of 266 million users in just one year represents an annual growth rate of 5.6%, highlighting the important role social media plays in our daily lives.
According to an analysis by DataReportal and Kepios, India has around 821 million internet users and 462 million active social media accounts, with internet users growing by 19 million (2.6%).
With the rise of Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and countless other social media platforms, it’s clear that social media is no longer just a fad but has become a fundamental means of communication in today’s world.
Top 10 most popular social media platforms in the world by 2024: Ranking by number of users worldwide:
Not that it comes as much of a surprise, but Facebook remains the undisputed leader in terms of being the most popular and widely used social media platform, with an impressive user base of around 3.1 billion people worldwide.
It's also interesting to note that Facebook's parent company, Meta, owns four of the top ten most popular social media platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger, further solidifying the company's dominance in the industry.
Interestingly, Chinese social media platforms are also gaining importance in the global market, with TikTok becoming a popular video-sharing app globally despite controversy having been banned in India over national security concerns and the US Senate passing a bill that could potentially ban the app.
Other platforms such as WeChat lead the way as China's most popular messaging app with over 1.36 billion active users. This is followed by Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, which has emerged as the dominant player in the short-video content space. These platforms are indicative of China's unique digital ecosystem.
Ranking Social Media Platform Active Users (2024, Million) 1 Facebook 3,070 2 YouTube 2,500 3 WhatsApp 2,000 4 Instagram 2,000 5 TikTok 1,600 6 WeChat 1,360 7 Facebook Messenger 977 8 Telegram 900 9 Snapchat 800 10 Douyin 755
Source: DateReportal
But Telegram, which is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet republics, ranks as the eighth most popular social media platform in the world, with more than 950 million active users.
The app currently faces possible bans in several countries over concerns about its content moderation practices, and its billionaire founder and CEO Pavel Durov was recently arrested in Paris.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was traveling from Azerbaijan when he was arrested. (File photo/Reuters)
According to French newspaper Le Monde, the allegations relate to “lawsuits accusing Telegram of complicity in a number of cases related to drug trafficking, supporting terrorism and cyberstalking.”
The Indian government has also launched an investigation into Telegram, which could lead to a ban in the country, as the government is investigating whether the app is being used for blackmail and gambling.
