The Latest Instagram Statistics & Trends in 2024

February 24, 2023

Get key Instagram statistics to fully unlock Instagram’s full potential as a marketing avenue and learn about exciting new advertising features!

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This Instagram Statistics article was updated on 17 February 2023, and 17 April 2024.

In the digital era, social media platforms have become arguably the most powerful tool for marketers. With billions of users spread across the globe, marketers now have easy access to a large audience.

In recent years, Instagram has emerged as one of the top marketing tools. A forecast from October 2020 estimates that there would be nearly 1.2 billion Instagram users worldwide in 2023. This was surpassed by the app with more than 2 billion active monthly users, a level of demand that is very enticing to marketers.

It is now the most downloaded app in the world. On Google, it is among the top ten search queries.

Before you can draw marketing value from this platform, you must first understand the key Instagram statistics.

Key Instagram Statistics for 2024

Instagram has more than 2 billion active monthly users.
⅔ of Instagram users are aged between 18 and 34.
200+ Million users visit a business profile at least once daily.
Half of Instagram users use Instagram to shop weekly, 70% use the app for product discovery.
There are 375 million monthly Instagram Direct Message users.
79% of users search Instagram for product information.
Brand engagement is 10x higher on Instagram than on Facebook.
Median engagement rate on Instagram is 1.6%.

1. Instagram has more than 2 billion active monthly users

According to a recent Meta earnings call, the platform currently has more than 2 billion active monthly users worldwide. Considering the present opportunities Instagram already presents, such growth indicates that it will have a bigger role to play in digital marketing in the future.

2. ⅔ of Instagram users are aged between 18 and 34

Even with 2 billion users, your marketing efforts will be ineffective if your ideal target market does not use the social media channel. This is why it is crucial to have key demographic insights. Instagram is more popular among the younger generations, which means that marketers must have a presence here to reach this large market segment. Here’s a breakdown of the percentage of each age group that uses Instagram as of January 2023.

8% of people aged 13-17
31% of people aged 18-24
30% of people aged 25-34
8% of people aged 45-54
4% of people 55-64
3% of people 65+

Also, it is important to note that the gender mix is slightly skewed towards women. Of all Instagram users, 52% are female.

3. 200+ Million Users Visit a Business Profile at Least Once Daily

As the number of active users increases, so does the number of businesses on Instagram. At present, there are over 25 million business profiles on Instagram and 2 million monthly advertisers. More than 200 million users visit a business profile at least once daily.

Here are some additional Instagram statistics for business that paint a picture of the marketing landscape:

Over 200 million Instagram users visit one or more business profiles each day
An estimated 71% of US businesses claim to use Instagram for business purposes.
Instagram is a crucial tool for product discovery among 70% of shopping enthusiasts
1/3 of the Instagram stories with the most views are posted on business profiles
69% of US marketers plan to dedicate the largest portion of their influencer budget to Instagram

4. Half of Instagram users use Instagram to shop weekly, 70% use the app for product discovery

Ultimately, the goal of marketing is not just to reach many people but to generate sales from your audience. With the Instagram shop feature, customers can purchase without leaving the Instagram app. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Instagram, nearly half of Instagram users say they use Instagram to shop weekly. Also, 70% of users are on Instagram for product discovery.

To capitalize on this feature, make sure your storefront is attractive and immersive for users to explore products comfortably.

5. There are 375 Million Monthly Instagram Direct Message Users

One of the biggest challenges for marketers is connecting with their audience. Instagram has a direct message feature that allows businesses to communicate directly with individual users and there are over 375 million people that use Instagram Direct Message.

75% of consumers also prefer to engage with brands using private messaging channels vs traditional channels. Yet, one out of three people finds it difficult to remember where to find a certain conversation thread.

Facebook has already integrated Instagram Direct and Facebook Messenger, and is working to integrate WhatsApp into one streamlined messaging experience that can be accessed from all three apps as well.

When it comes to messaging platforms, Instagram Direct message is only behind Facebook messenger as the most used and is tied in second place with Snapchat.

6. 79% of Users Search Instagram for Product Information

Shopping through Instagram is continuing to grow, with 79% of users using the platform to find product or service information for brands. Users trust the platform to provide valuable product information and feedback.

It is essential that brands are available on Instagram to answer questions and provide product recommendations. Leveraging DM automation through Spectrm will ensure that you are reaching every customer, every time.

7. Brand Engagement is 10x Higher on Instagram than on Facebook

Though it came after Facebook, Instagram is proving to possibly be an even more important channel for brands to reach their target audience. A study concluded that brands see engagement rates 10x higher on Instagram than they do on Facebook.

With these levels of engagement, brands can have multiple opportunities to connect with customers every day, though posts, stories and DMs.

8. Median Engagement Rate on Instagram is 1.6%

With social media platforms, marketers gain access to hundreds of millions of users each day. However, the most important thing is the level of engagement your brand gets. It is from this that you will get leads that translate to sales.

When it comes to Instagram posts, expect an average engagement level of 1.6%. As little as it may seem, this is actually a significant level of engagement. Compared to Facebook and Twitter, it is 17× and 33× higher, respectively. And, you can expect 38% more likes on posts that include faces.

However, due to fluctuating user activity levels across the day, it is best to time your posts during times with the highest activity level for your target audience. In general, the best time to post on Instagram is on Wednesday at 11 am or Friday between 10 am and 11 am.

It is important to note that posting many times on Instagram does not directly translate to higher engagement. Therefore, your focus should be on creating high-quality content.

Instagram Marketing Trends

If there’s one quality that sets a top-notch digital marketer from the rest, it’s the ability to pick up or set new marketing trends. Instagram marketing is continuously evolving. One trend, the growth of Instagram Messaging, is expected to shape Instagram marketing in the coming years.

DM Automation on Instagram

Consumer demand for messaging businesses is growing fast, accelerated by e-commerce growth due to COVID-19. In the first half of 2020, online spending in the US grew by 30.1% to reach $347.26 billion. The adoption of e-commerce increased from previously infrequent online shoppers by 160%. With 75% of consumers now preferring to engage brands in private messaging channels vs traditional channels, conversational marketing platforms, like Spectrm, are seeing rapid adoption by consumer brands.

For every business, social media marketing aims to gain a wide audience. However, as this audience grows, handling individual queries becomes a marketing and customer support nightmare. This is why businesses are turning to Spectrm to automate their DMs on Instagram.

Power Your Marketing With DM Automation

Get this free ungated Playbook and embrace conversational commerce for Instagram Direct Messages.

How to Capitalize on Instagram Messaging for your Marketing

Undoubtedly, automating your Instagram messaging should be part of your Instagram marketing strategy.

Spectrm’s Instagram Messaging Solutions help marketers identify and convert pre-purchase messages automatically on Instagram, respond to FAQs, and hand over customer service requests to live support agents in the app. The launch follows Facebook’s release of cross-app messaging for Instagram and Messenger, which means businesses can now reach 2.3 billion customers via the Messenger API by using Spectrm. It’s a step towards unifying the architecture of Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp that Zuckerberg announced in 2019.

“We are thrilled that Spectrm is launching Instagram Messaging Solutions. Businesses and people are messaging with each other more than ever, and Instagram is an important channel to connect with customers and build relationships,” said Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, VP of Platform Partnerships at Messenger. “Messenger API support for Instagram means businesses and developers can now handle more complex person-to-business messaging at scale.”

Why Automate Your Instagram Messaging?

Your customers want to connect 1:1 on Instagram. Identify and convert pre-purchase messages automatically. Don’t ghost a valuable relationship or risk giving them a poor brand experience.

Instagram Messaging automation enables you to engage your audience on the channel they already trust. Declutter your inbox, reduce time to response and increase customer satisfaction.

You can instantly respond to customers and turn every message you receive on Instagram from a service pain to a marketing gain. On average, 70% of incoming messages on social media are pre-purchase. Reduce the manual effort of replying and give customers what they want, when they want it. If they need to speak to a live agent, you can collect relevant details before transferring the chat to support teams.

“We’re excited to add Instagram to the growing list of messaging channels our conversational marketing platform integrates with,” said Max Koziolek, CEO at Spectrm. “Private messaging is the most popular form of social communication today. It’s increasingly how people want to engage with brands. Messaging offers customers the personalized and instant connection to brands they want. For brands, it enables marketers to identify preferences and tailor buyer journeys at scale in real-time. The result? Better customer experiences that generate more revenue and build stronger long term customer relationships. Making it easier for people and brands to connect with Instagram messaging is a big step for the industry.”

Reach out to us to learn how spectrm will help you with Instagram DM automation.

Awareness content to reach marketing directors and other top personas who may be wondering if Instagram is a valuable marketing channel and may not know about Instagram Direct and the new launch of chatbots for DM marketing automation on Instagram. This article should focus on real data, while tieing Spectrm in as the number one choice for Instagram Direct automation. This is a new service that Instagram is rolling out.

2020 Instagram Usage Statistics & Trends

Leverage the full potential of instagram for your social marketing strategy by learning key demographic statics and trends on the platform.