At one time, social media was just that.
It was an online space for people to engage and for friends and family to communicate.
Today, social media, while still used to engage and communicate, has become a highly competitive digital realm among several platforms.
Even though Facebook and Instagram are owned by Meta, they are each their own entities in the digital realm.
Each is used for marketing and for building brand awareness, but which one is best for your needs?
In this article, we’ll discuss Facebook vs Instagram users demographics that drive engagement on each platform.
Post Contents
- 1 Key Statistics
- 2 Facebook vs Instagram Users Demographics
- 2.1 General Statistics for Facebook and Instagram
- 2.1.1 1. Facebook was launched in 2004 and Instagram in 2010.
- 2.1.2 2. April 2023 data shows Facebook has 2.989 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
- 2.1.3 3. August 2023 data shows Instagram has 2.35 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
- 2.1.4 4. Facebook and Instagram users combined account for over a third of the global population.
- 2.2 Global Gender and Age Statistics for Facebook and Instagram
- 2.2.1 5. Facebook’s largest user base identifies as males aged 25 to 34.
- 2.2.2 6. Instagram’s largest user base identifies as males between 18 to 34.
- 2.2.3 7. 12.3% of those who identify as female aged 25 to 34 account for the largest use base on Facebook.
- 2.2.4 8. The largest female demographic on Instagram includes those aged 18 to 34 at 13.9% respectively.
- 2.3 Regional Demographics for Facebook Vs Instagram
- 2.3.1 9. India accounts for the largest location demographics using Facebook.
- 2.3.2 10. The United States sends the most desktop traffic to Facebook with a share of 22.31%.
- 2.3.3 11. India is also the largest user of Instagram with 229.55 million users.
- 2.3.4 12. 496.3 million Facebook users are in Southern Asia.
- 2.3.5 13. Southern America has 261.2 million Facebook users.
- 2.3.6 14. The most Instagram users live in Southern Asia.
- 2.3.7 15. There are 224.5 million Instagram users in Southern America.
- 2.4 Shopping and Engagement Demographics for Facebook and Instagram
- 2.4.1 16. In 2023, an estimated 37% of Facebook users were expected to buy something on the platform.
- 2.4.2 17. 44% of users on Instagram use it to shop each week.
- 2.4.3 18. On average, organic engagement is 0.07% on Facebook Pages.
- 2.4.4 19. Instagram’s average organic engagement percentage is 0.65% on business accounts.
- 2.4.5 20. Facebook generates more of Meta’s ad revenues while Instagram drives growth.
- 2.1 General Statistics for Facebook and Instagram
- 3 FAQs
- 4 Conclusion
Key Statistics
- Facebook has 2.989 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
- Instagram has 2.35 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
- Facebook and Instagram users combined account for over a third of the global population.
- Facebook’s largest user base identifies as male aged 25 to 34 years.
- Instagram’s largest user base identifies as male aged between 18 to 34 years.
- The largest female demographic on Instagram are those aged 18 to 34 at 13.9% of total users.
- India accounts for the largest location demographic using Facebook.
- The United States sends the most desktop traffic to Facebook with a share of 22.31%.
Facebook vs Instagram Users Demographics
First, we take a look into some general user demographics relevant to Facebook and Instagram.
General Statistics for Facebook and Instagram
1. Facebook was launched in 2004 and Instagram in 2010.
One of the differences between Facebook and Instagram comes from their individual launches.
Facebook was launched by Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, and Eduardo Saverin (Cambridge, Massachusetts) while Instagram was launched in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger (Silicon Valley, California).
(Wordstream)
2. April 2023 data shows Facebook has 2.989 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
Facebook is currently home to nearly 3 billion monthly active users, or MAUs in the marketing realm.
It’s number one in the social media world in terms of user base.
This means that brands, businesses, influencers, and marketers have an audience of nearly 3 billion globally and across all demographics.
(Buffer, DataReportal FB)
3. August 2023 data shows Instagram has 2.35 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
Instagram, now owned by Meta just like Facebook, has over 2.3 billion MAUs.
Instagram is fourth in a top 20 list of social media networks, according to Buffer.
While some users have multiple accounts across Instagram and Facebook, this is still a large audience for marketing.
This is why we see more marketers and brands using both platforms for paid advertising and free marketing.
(Buffer, DemandSage IG)
4. Facebook and Instagram users combined account for over a third of the global population.
The combined user bases of Facebook and Instagram account for over one-third of the world’s total population.
Can you imagine that?
That’s a significant figure for marketers and brands to consider when promoting offers and creating brand awareness.
With over a third of the world’s population, you could have a very broad reach for free and paid advertising.
(SFGate)
Global Gender and Age Statistics for Facebook and Instagram
Let’s take a glimpse into gender and age demographics related to Facebook and Instagram.
Who is using Facebook and Instagram?
5. Facebook’s largest user base identifies as males aged 25 to 34.
In terms of gender and age, the largest portion of Facebook’s user base identifies as male at 56.3% according to early 2023 data.
The female database accounts for 43.7% of Facebook’s user base.
In terms of male users by age, the largest age demographics include those between 25 and 34 at 17.6% among all age groups.
The lowest male age demographics show that only 2.6% of males 65 and over, use Facebook.
This tells marketers, brands, and businesses the age group that uses Facebook the most.
However, that doesn’t mean that marketing to 10.9% of men aged 35 to 44 and the 6.1% of men aged 45 to 54 is a waste of time.
(Statista, Statista³)
6. Instagram’s largest user base identifies as males between 18 to 34.
Instagram also has a larger gender demographic among those who identify as male, though this social platform is more equally distributed across genders.
For comparison, 51.8% identify as male and 48.2% female on the Instagram platform.
The largest age group accounts for males between 18 and 24 years old at 16.9%.
Among the 25 to 34 age group, there are 16.4%.
The smallest Instagram age demographics, like Facebook, is 65 and older with 1.1% of males.
(Statista², Statista⁴)
7. 12.3% of those who identify as female aged 25 to 34 account for the largest use base on Facebook.
In terms of those who identify as female, Facebook users in this demographic between 25- and 34-years old account for the largest among women who use Facebook.
We know that overall, the global female Facebook demographic accounts for 43.7%, which is significant for brands and businesses selling on the platform through Marketplace, Facebook Ads (Meta), or through their groups or pages.
(Statista, Statista³)
8. The largest female demographic on Instagram includes those aged 18 to 34 at 13.9% respectively.
We’ve used the word “respectively” because both the 18-24 age group and the 25-34 age group for women on Instagram each account for 13.9%.
Combined, these two age groups account for 27.8%.
The lowest user age demographic among women users on Instagram accounts for 1.5% of those 65 and older.
Does this mean you should neglect to market to the 33.7% of 13–17-year-olds, 8.1% of 35–44-year-olds, 4.7% of 45–54-year-olds, or the 2.6% of 55–64-year-olds on Instagram?
Certainly not.
Even if your market is for those 65 and older, Facebook can still be an effective avenue for marketing.
(Statista², Statista⁴)
Regional Demographics for Facebook Vs Instagram
Now let’s look at global regions and countries to see how Facebook and Instagram demographics look.
Where are people using Facebook and Instagram?
9. India accounts for the largest location demographics using Facebook.
According to early 2022 data, India Facebook users account for 329.65 million people of the population.
By January 2023, this figure declined some to 314.6, according to Statista.
During the same period, the United States accounted for 179.65 million users (2022).
Indonesia was third in line with 129.85 million Facebook users in 2022.
Furthermore, Brazil had a share of 116 million Facebook users and Mexico had 89.7 million according to 2022 data.
(Statista⁵, WebTibunal)
While the U.S. comes in second in Facebook users to India, the country has the largest share of desktop users going to the website.
Desktop traffic means they are using a computer (desktop or laptop) to use Facebook from its website and not from the mobile app.
For reference, Vietnam has a share of 4.29% of desktop Facebook users and the United Kingdom 3.83%.
(WebTribunal)
11. India is also the largest user of Instagram with 229.55 million users.
January 2023 data revealed that India accounts for the largest audience on Instagram with 229.55 million users.
The United States accounts for 143.35, which is second to India.
More countries with a significant Instagram audience include Brazil (113.5 million), Indonesia (89.15 million), Turkey (48.65 million), and Japan (45.7 million).
(Statista⁶)
12. 496.3 million Facebook users are in Southern Asia.
Southern Asia has the most Facebook users in the world with 496.3 million people on the platform.
Southeastern Asia has another 415.2 million Facebook users.
Therefore, Asia has the largest overall share of Facebook users at the global level.
Western Asia has 111.1 million Facebook users and Eastern Asia has 50.7 million.
In Asia, the lowest number of Facebook users is in Central Asia at 5.8 million.
(DataReportal)
13. Southern America has 261.2 million Facebook users.
In terms of the “Americas”, Southern America has the most users at 261.2 million.
The next closest region is Northern America where 208.6 million Facebook users reside.
In Central America, 121 million people use Facebook.
The most European Facebook users reside in Western Europe which accounts for 80.8 million people.
Southern Europe is home to 73.2 million Facebook users.
Moreover, Eastern Europe has 63 million and Northern Europe 58.4 million Facebook users.
(DataReportal)
14. The most Instagram users live in Southern Asia.
Instagram has the highest number of users that come from Southern Asia with 354.2 million.
So, both Facebook and Instagram have the highest usage in Asia.
Southeastern Asia accounts for 183.20 million Instagram users and Western Asia has 127 million.
Moreover, Eastern Asia accounts for 98.8 million Instagram users.
The least amount of Instagram users in Asia are in Central Asia where there are 24.3 million users.
(DataReportal)
15. There are 224.5 million Instagram users in Southern America.
Southern America is the largest demographic in terms of Instagram users in the Americas.
Also, 187.2 million live in Northern America.
Active Instagram users in Central America account for 57.1 million.
In Europe, the most Instagram users come from Western Europe at 85.2 million.
Another 76.1 million Instagram users live in Southern Europe.
Finally, Northern Europe has 53.5 million Instagram users and Eastern Europe has 46.3 million.
(DataReportal)
Shopping and Engagement Demographics for Facebook and Instagram
16. In 2023, an estimated 37% of Facebook users were expected to buy something on the platform.
According to Hootsuite, 37% of Facebook users were expected to buy from this social media platform in 2023.
In fact, data revealed that 63.5 million Facebook users are considered to be social shoppers.
Moreover, roughly 19% of American consumers begin their online shopping searches through the Facebook platform.
(Hootsuite Blog)
17. 44% of users on Instagram use it to shop each week.
More data about social shopping suggests that 44% of Instagram users go through the app to shop weekly.
Sometimes these social shoppers are doing their research on products they want and sometimes they are looking to make a purchasing decision now.
Regardless, Instagram does make it easy for users to research and to engage in social shopping.
(Hootsuite Blog²)
18. On average, organic engagement is 0.07% on Facebook Pages.
Facebook Page owners with businesses who sell on the platform get organic engagement on average of 0.07%.
Remember that organic engagement comes without paying for ads or promotions.
Organic engagement requires a lot of work and specialized knowledge of SEO to ensure you get the best organic results on your Facebook Page.
This average result accounts for all Facebook Pages across all niches, so your Page could achieve more or less organic engagement.
(WebTribunal)
19. Instagram’s average organic engagement percentage is 0.65% on business accounts.
Instagram’s business pages have a 0.65% average organic engagement rate compared to the average Facebook Page that gets 0.07% organic engagement.
Both Instagram and Facebook offer organic engagement rates for specific audiences.
These figures are averages across industries and business “pages” and accounts.
Therefore, your niche may seem more or less than the average.
(Hootsuite Blog²)
20. Facebook generates more of Meta’s ad revenues while Instagram drives growth.
Even after all these years and all the competition between Facebook and Instagram (both Meta assets), Facebook still reigns in terms of generating more of Meta’s ad revenues while Instagram drives the most growth.
Therefore, the platform you use to market your products or services depends on your audience demographics and what kind of engagement you need.
(Insider Intelligence – eMarketer)
FAQs
Let’s discuss some frequently asked questions about Instagram and Facebook demographics.
Why does it matter to know the differences in demographics on Facebook and Instagram?
Demographics have long been one of the ways marketers, businesses, and brands target their audiences.
Knowing the penetration or concentration of users on Facebook and Instagram is just the tip of the iceberg for marketing and promoting to your target audience.
Marketers, brands, and businesses have a variety of audiences in terms of geo-location, age, gender, and other demographics.
Most advertising platforms have a process for choosing your audience which can even include people who are shoppers and buyers.
The overall goal of improving brand awareness, gaining new customers, and building relationships with a specific audience is to convert them to not only sales, but loyal, repeat customers for the long-haul.
What are the benefits of using Facebook for business?
1. Facebook Business Manager: This feature allows you to manage all of your pages and advertising accounts in one place.
2. Website Traffic: Posts, ideas, and display products all offer ways to drive people to your site.
3. Lower Marketing Costs: Facebook’s huge audience of nearly 3 billion monthly active users gives you less expense for offline or online marketing.
4. Brand Awareness: Facebook is known for increasing brand awareness and showcasing your business to others.
5. Customer Support: You can improve your customer support through Facebook communications that occur faster and more efficiently.
You can also enjoy a boost in productivity, personalization options, a better customer experience, and better and deeper brand loyalty through Facebook.
Facebook may have a few more users from the older crowd like Baby Boomers, but this audience has the highest spending power and is the most influential in the financial and political realms.
What are the benefits of using Instagram for business?
1. Audience Reach: Instagram also has a solid audience reach that offers brand engagement 10 times higher than on Facebook.
2. Building Your Brand: Instagram, like Facebook, is helpful for building your brand.
3. Visual Marketing: Instagram is more visual in that more of its users watch videos than on Facebook.
4. Creative Marketing: Instagram features like Reels, Stories, Explore, and IGTV let you expand your creativity.
5. Business Analytics: An Instagram business account offers features like analytics to improve your marketing.
Instagram also offers higher engagement rates, lead and sales tracking, more use of user-generated content, and free advertising.
You have a younger crowd on Instagram, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it if your target audience is made up of Gen X and/or Baby Boomers.
You don’t have to choose just one platform over the other for your marketing efforts, but you do need to decide which one to focus on the most.
Conclusion
While there are many differences between Facebook and Instagram, marketers and brands use them both for their own unique features.
Keep in mind that video and imagery get more engagement than textual content.
You can, and probably should utilize both Facebook and Instagram in your marketing efforts.
It’s wise to learn the benefits and features that each of these social platforms offer businesses and brands to properly adjust how, when, and how much you use each one.
However, you should make the appropriate adjustments to your marketing plan accordingly to match each platform and your audience.
For instance, if your audience is younger, Instagram may be where you focus your video marketing the most.
We hope these Facebook vs Instagram user demographics have cleared up which platform is best for your use as a marketer or brand.
