The number of social media users worldwide has reached 5.66 billion, representing more than 68 percent of the global population, according to the Digital 2026 Global Overview Report released by DataReportal.
The figure marks a sharp rise over two decades, with global users numbering fewer than 500 million in 2005, climbing to 2.27 billion by 2015 and reaching 5.66 billion in 2025, an increase attributed largely to low-cost smartphones and wider internet access.
On average, a social media user spends 18 hours and 36 minutes per week on various platforms, equivalent to roughly two hours and 39 minutes daily, or more than 40 days over the course of a year.
Usage varies significantly by region.
East Asia recorded the highest rate at 88.1 percent, followed by Northern Europe at 79 percent, Western Europe at 77.7 percent and North America at 74 percent, against a global average of 68 percent.
By contrast, usage remains lowest in Central Africa at 12.1 percent, East Africa at 12.6 percent and West Africa at 19 percent.
Data from Statista and Kepios on monthly active users shows Facebook remains the most popular platform, with 3.07 billion users, and Reels has become its primary video format.
Instagram and WhatsApp, both acquired by Facebook in 2012 and 2014 respectively, each have close to three billion monthly active users, while YouTube, owned by Google, ranks third with 2.58 billion users.
TikTok, launched globally in 2017, has an estimated 1.99 billion users.
Rising usage has also brought growing concern over the impact on children and young users. The European Parliament has backed proposals to set a minimum age of 16 for social media use and to ban addictive features such as infinite scroll and autoplay for minors, though no EU-wide law has yet been enacted despite measures introduced by several member states.
Australia became the first country in the world to fully ban social media for children under 16 in December, followed by Indonesia in March, the first such law in Asia.
In the same month, Brazil introduced a digital law for children and adolescents requiring accounts of users under 16 to be linked to a legal guardian, alongside a ban on addictive features.
Turkey passed a law in April restricting social media access for children under 15, while the UK government announced in June that it would ban social media for children under 16, expected to take effect in spring 2027.
