Executive Summary

Instagram will mark a major milestone in 2020: The number of monthly users worldwide will reach 1.00 billion. Due largely to the effects of the pandemic, that will happen at least four years earlier than we had previously predicted.

How has the pandemic changed our 2020 forecast for Instagram users globally?

Instagram will add 186.3 million new users between 2019 and 2020, representing year-over-year (YoY) growth of 22.9%. That’s more than double the rate we predicted prior to the pandemic. (Our forecasts differ from Instagram’s figures as we factor out fake, duplicate, nonhuman, and business accounts.)

How does Instagram compare with Facebook?

Instagram’s user base will still be about half the size of Facebook’s globally; in 2020, Facebook will have 1.90 billion users. But in Japan, South Korea, and Russia, Instagram will actually have more users than Facebook. Instagram will also be more popular than Facebook among US teens and young adults and is now closing the gap in the 25-to-34 bracket.

Can Instagram keep up the momentum it gained in 2020?

In short, yes. Even though worldwide growth will drop to 7.3% next year, that’s still a stronger rate than we had expected before the pandemic. And Instagram will be growing from a newly elevated base. After 2020, most of its growth will be due to changes in the competitive landscape, including the ban on TikTok in India, rather than the pandemic.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report explores our updated forecast for Instagram users worldwide, including breakouts by country and region.

KEY STAT: The pandemic will help add 146.3 million more Instagram users than we had expected in our November 2019 forecast, bringing the worldwide total to 1.00 billion in 2020.