In 2021, Instagram introduced plenty of new features and upgraded existing ones. New features mean new stats, which means you might need to update your Instagram marketing strategy. To make it easier for you to sort through, we’ve categorized the Instagram stats.

Instagram user and usage statistics Instagram content statistics Instagram advertising statistics Instagram statistics for brands

Instagram user and usage statistics

Instagram’s popularity isn’t going away anytime soon. These IG user stats will reinforce your brand’s decision to use the network as a marketing channel.

Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users

In June 2018, Meta stopped reporting Instagram usage when it reached one billion active users. In late 2021, CNBC reported that the social network reached the two billion monthly active user benchmark.

Instagram was the most downloaded app in Q4 2021

Instagram leaped four places from number five to the most downloaded app in 2021’s 4th quarter, narrowly edging out TikTok. The social network had its best quarter since 2014.

17.9% of global IG users are men between ages 18-24

In terms of social media demographics, more than half of global Instagram users are aged 34 years or younger. The largest age group is 18-34 years old, consisting of 62.2% of all users.

Among the US teenage population, Instagram ranks third in preferred social networks behind Snapchat and TikTok. It may not be the favorite app among teens but a good portion of them are still present on it. According to the Pew Research Center, user salary ranges are somewhat evenly distributed. Forty-seven percent of US adults who make more than $75k say they have used Instagram. This number is significant for brands that want to take advantage of Instagram’s ads and shopping features.

59% of Instagram users log in daily

The Pew Research report also explains how often Instagram is used by account holders.

Almost six in ten US adult IG users log in at least once a day while 38% will do so several times a day. Having users that are this active is great news for brands. Craft engaging posts to stay relevant with your fans.

Key takeaways

Instagram’s app popularity is still on the rise so remember to optimize your content for mobile use. The network’s users are very active with a significant number who log in multiple times a day. While it is not the most preferred app for US teenagers, Gen Z and millennials make up the majority of users.

Instagram content statistics

With a wide selection of content types to choose from, it’s good to know which ones are preferred by users.

Average engagement rate per post is 0.98%

Does it feel like your posts aren’t getting as much interaction as they have in the past? You’re not imagining things. RivalIQ’s benchmark report in 2021 notes that Instagram engagement rates dropped by 25%. The median across all industries is now 0.98%. For influencers, though, the engagement rate per post is much higher at 1.42%. This rate far surpasses the ones on Facebook (0.19%) and Twitter (0.04%).

There are several feed post types available to you: carousel, video and image. If your strategy is to utilize all three, how do you know which one to focus more on? Let’s start with the average engagement rate per impression. SocialInsider found that the carousel type is the winner for every account size. This is noticeable if you have a smaller account. Accounts with under 5000 followers have the highest engagement rates per impressions (8.01% for carousel posts). But what about Stories? You should post up to five stories a day. Doing so ensures that you have a retention rate of over 70%. This leads us to which type of Story post you should make.

91% of active IG users watch videos weekly

In Stories, you have the option of posting image or video content. For accounts with fewer than 100k followers, image content beats out video content for story reach. This study shows that brands should focus more on images in their story content. However, those are just Story stats. If you’re looking at videos in general, 91% of active users watch videos on IG weekly so having a video marketing strategy is crucial. Based on the Sprout Social Index™ 2022, 66% of consumers found short-form video to be the most engaging type of in-feed social content, up from 50% in 2020. Another study found that 68% of video marketers plan to include Instagram video in their 2022 video marketing strategy, up 10% from the previous year. Don’t be the brand that gets left behind.

Tuesday is the best day to post on Instagram

According to Sprout’s analysis, the best times to post on Instagram are Tuesday 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and Monday through Friday 11 a.m. The worst day to post is Sunday.

Key takeaways

Instagram Stories are still popular. Get up to speed on best practices. Instagram organic engagement fell significantly. If you aren’t already doing so, schedule your content for maximum engagement. There are several ways to post a video on the network. With new features being introduced all the time, you need a video marketing strategy.

Instagram advertising statistics

Are you trying to convince upper management to increase your Instagram ad spend? Here is some data to help you make your case.

50% of Instagram users visit a website after seeing it in Stories

It’s daunting to choose where you want your IG ads to be placed. If your goal is to drive action to your website, you’re in luck. Instagram found that “50% of Instagrammers have visited a website to buy a product/service as a result of seeing it in Stories.” To make it easier for consumers to visit your website, add a product tag to the post.

Using product tags increase product page visits

In the last few years, Instagram turned its feature focus to creating a better consumer shopping experience. Adding a product tag on at least five posts a month increases product page visits and purchases. The same study found that adding the product as a mention in the feed caption triples the Product Detail Page view count from feed tagging alone.

Average IG CPC is $1.23

The average Instagram cost per click (CPC) is $1.23 in the US. This cost varies by campaign objective and time of year. In February 2022, the video view campaign objective CPC was $4.33 while the catalog sales CPC was $0.383. When planning your ad campaigns, campaign objectives matter. For certain objectives, you might be better off planning the ad for a different month if the CPC is too high for your budget.

93% of marketers plan to use Instagram for influencer marketing

The influencer marketing industry is still growing. A survey found that 93% of marketers and agencies planned on using Instagram. When broken down into types, 83% named Instagram Stories and 36% said Instagram Reels. When you find the right creator to partner with, both parties benefit. This natural fit is found to be 25% more relevant for users. Instagram makes it easy to showcase a partnership with the Branded Content tag. And when you mix Branded Content Ads with a brand ad, you’re 90% more likely to drive cost-effective action than either tactic individually.

Key takeaways

Tag products wherever you can and tag frequently. Consider using Branded Content ads alongside your usual brand ads. Using Instagram advertising is a good way to counteract the diminishing engagement rates.

Instagram stats for brands

Use Sprout’s social analytics reports and the usage stats below to benchmark your brand’s performance.

90% of Instagram users follow a brand

According to Instagram, 90% of people follow a brand on the social network. But since there are over 200 million business accounts on the network, you’ll need to be creative with your content.

70% of shoppers look to Instagram for their next purchase

Instagram’s research shows that 70% of shoppers use the network to research their next purchase. Combined with ads, Instagram is a great place for a brand awareness campaign.

75% of brand posts are single images

According to Sprout’s Content Benchmark Report, single-image posts make up 75% of a brand’s posts. But when marketers were asked which types were most valuable to achieving goals, 54% said video and 53% said images. This dissonance means there’s still room for marketers to improve on their content types.

Key takeaways

Develop a content marketing plan that aligns with your goals. Take advantage of Instagram’s shoppable content features. Use Instagram for brand awareness campaigns.

Which IG stat is most important to you?

Phew, that was a lot of numbers. Did any of them stand out to you? Instagram’s usage and growth aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Brands need to stay on top of the latest stats and trends to remain relevant. Use these stats to perfect your Instagram marketing strategy.