Whether it’s at the start of the year or the end of a quarter, your social media strategy needs a constant refresh based on the latest trends and data. A tactic that works today may no longer be as relevant a year down the line. This makes it crucial for marketers to stay up to date with the latest data points and statistics involving social media. To start with, you’ll need the latest social media demographics to update your strategy for 2024.
With more networks available than ever before, you need to spend your time and budget wisely. Specifically, you should focus on where your customers are.
Check out the latest social media platform demographics so you know where to focus your efforts in 2024.
Social media demographics: the numbers you need to know
Demographic data shows you which social media channels to prioritize in your strategy. It reveals where your target audience is and, in the process, which platforms are best for conducting market research.
Want to know which apps are up-and-coming? Curious about new opportunities to cross-post your content? Worried that a network might be “dying?”
We’ve got you covered.
Below, we give you a platform-wise breakdown of must-know social media demographics for 2024 (and beyond). These numbers come from the latest research and social media statistics available at the time of writing. They highlight the facts about social media that could inform how you approach each platform.
And as a bonus, we’ve also highlighted strategic takeaways for each network to guide your social marketing strategy.
Before we get started, here’s a quick summary of a few key insights.
What is the most used social media platform?
Facebook continues to be the most used social media platform.
What is the most used social media by age?
Below is a breakdown of social media usage by age range:
- 18-29 years – Snapchat (41%), TikTok (35%), Instagram (32%)
- 30-39 years – LinkedIn (34%), X/Twitter (34%), Snapchat (33%), Instagram (32%)
- 40-49 years – LinkedIn (25%), Facebook (22%), X/Twitter (21%)
- 50-59 years – Facebook (29%), LinkedIn (24%), Pinterest (24%)
Source: Statistia
What age range is the most active demographic on social media?
Millennials are the most active demographic on social media, with 68.8% of them estimated using social in 2024. In terms of daily time spent on social media, Gen Z tops the list with 35% using it more than two hours a day.
Source: McKinsey
What social media does Gen Z use the most?
YouTube is the most used social media among Gen Z.
Facebook demographics and usage
Takeaways from Facebook demographics for 2024
- Facebook remains the most popular social media platform among consumers and marketers. For the first time, it hit the 3 billion monthly active users, making it the first social media platform to do so.
- Time spent on Facebook sees a slight increase from the previous year’s 30 minutes per day. However, a 9-second increase isn’t enough to suggest that people are spending significantly more time on Facebook daily.
- Similar to the previous years, younger users continue to flock to TikTok and Snapchat. The platform’s usage among 13-17-year-olds stands at a sordid 4.8%, suggesting that it’s not the best place to target a younger audience.
Source: Statista
Learn more about other vital Facebook statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Instagram demographics and usage
Takeaways from Instagram demographics for 2024
- The platform’s growth remains steady in spite of a slowdown in recent years.
- As far as social media age demographics go, Instagram maintains a firm hold on both Gen Z and millennials. These groups make up roughly two-thirds of their base.
- Time spent on the platform increased from the previous year’s 30.1 minutes. A 2-minute increase indicates that people are spending more time engaging with Instagram content.
Learn more about other vital Instagram statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
TikTok demographics and usage
Takeaways from TikTok demographics for 2024
- TikTok hasn’t surpassed Facebook and Instagram in number of monthly active users. But its growing popularity and increased usage could soon change that.
- Gen Z is driving this growth in popularity, with 78% of US Gen Z using it in 2023.
- Not only is TikTok’s user base booming but also its daily activity. TikTok boasts the highest average time spent per day of any network. Daily time spent on the platform grew by almost 10 minutes compared to the previous year’s 45.8 minutes.
Source: Insider Intelligence
- The fact that the platform’s gender demographics are leveling out is also notable. In fact, there are now more male users than female, but only with a slight difference. Last year, the split was 54% female and 46% male. This signals TikTok’s status as a staple social app among the population at large.
Learn more about other vital TikTok statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
X (formerly Twitter) demographics and usage
Takeaways from X demographics for 2024
- After rebranding to X, the platform saw a 13% decline in daily active users during the first year.
- Some reports note a spike in activity while others note a migration away from the app. eMarketer predicts that X’s user base will drop to 335.7 million in 2024.
- In spite of this, people are still spending much more time on X than on Facebook and Instagram.
- There’s a slight increase in the number of female users (from the previous year’s 34.1%). That said, X is still one of those platforms with an overwhelmingly large male user base.
Learn more about other vital Twitter statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
YouTube demographics and usage
Takeaways from YouTube demographics for 2024
- YouTube’s popularity has grown among Gen Z users, particularly in the United States. It’s now the most frequented online platform among U.S. Gen Z adults.
- Gender distribution on the platform started to level out in the previous year with 51.4% female and 48.6% male users. This has completely flipped in 2024. Now there are more male users than female users on the platform.
- People are also spending over 3 minutes more on the platform per day, highlighting the growing adoption of video content.
- Still, most users claim to use YouTube for entertainment rather than to find brands and products. Brands still have a lot of work to do on the platform, finding a balance between entertainment and advertising.
Learn more about other vital YouTube statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
LinkedIn demographics and usage
Takeaways from LinkedIn demographics for 2024
- Conventional wisdom might say that LinkedIn exclusively caters to an older audience. However, Millennials dominate the platform.
- Moreover, LinkedIn adoption among the Gen Z population is growing too as they start to enter the workforce. Comscore reports a 53% increase in the platform’s reach within the 18-24 age group. This makes it the second fastest-growing platform among Gen Z, following the relatively new BeReal.
- 53% of LinkedIn users come from highly monthly income households. This makes the platform a potential goldmine for ads.
- Daily usage has grown significantly over the past four years. Only 22% of users were accessing the platform daily in 2020. This highlights an increase in highly engaged users on the platform, making it ideal for B2B content marketing.
Learn more about other vital LinkedIn statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Pinterest demographics and usage
Takeaways from Pinterest demographics for 2024
- Pinterest has seen a steady growth over time. After a slight dip in 2022, the number of monthly active users has picked back up in 2023.
Source: Statista
- Although there’s been an uptick in the number of male users, the platform’s user base is still overwhelmingly female.
- People may not be spending as much time on Pinterest as on other platforms. But that doesn’t mean you should write it off. The platform promotes discovery, with 80% of weekly Pinners having discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest.
Learn more about other vital Pinterest statistics to prepare your 2024 strategy.
Snapchat demographics and usage
Takeaways from Snapchat demographics for 2024
- Snapchat may not be the most talked-about network anecdotally. But the platform continues to see steady growth indicating that it’s not going anywhere.
- Snapchat is still huge with the younger crowd. In fact, it has the highest number of Gen Z users among leading social media platforms putting it ahead of Instagram and TikTok. Statista predicts that Snapchat will have 49.6 million Gen Z users in 2024.
Source: Statista
- Even if you aren’t active on Snapchat, it’s a prime place for trendspotting and learning what younger consumers want.
Are social media demographics part of your strategy?
The above demographics of social media platforms come from generalized data across billions of users. As such, it serves as a starting point for brands looking to prioritize their social platforms.
We recommend looking into the demographic data from your own social presence to see how it compares to the averages above.
As you gear up for a successful 2024, make sure to use our free social media templates to organize your efforts.
