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Research Summary. Frequented by politicians and average citizens alike, Twitter is always buzzing with information about the latest news stories. Overall, Twitter’s unique format, as well as its steady popularity, have solidified its place as one of the largest social media platforms in the world. And that’s not even to mention the recent Elon Musk drama.
To better understand why Twitter is so big and what makes it an interesting platform, we’ve gathered the latest statistics. According to our extensive research:
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Twitter has over 300 million monthly active users (MAUs).
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As of 2020, there were over 500 million tweets sent every single day.
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Up to 80% of Twitter users access the site via mobile.
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As of 2021, Twitter had 217 million monetizable daily active users (mDAUs).
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82% of B2B businesses market themselves on Twitter.
For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
General | User Demographics | Global | Trends and Projections | User Behavior | Business Users
General Twitter Statistics
Founded in 2006, Twitter is one of the oldest social media platforms that’s still popular today. Today, the site harbors opinions from all of your favorite celebrities, as well as most of America’s most important officials. To understand what makes this platform tick, we’ve gathered some general facts you should know:
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On an average day, there are at least 6,000 tweets per second.
Twitter is a constant stream of new and trending information, and while 6,000 is the average, the all-time record for tweets per second is actually over 143,000.
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At least 22% of U.S. adults are on Twitter.
While one-fifth of the population is a considerable number, it’s considerably lower than Facebook (69%) or YouTube (73%). Percentage-wise, Twitter’s use among the population is closer to Snapchat or WhatsApp, which are used by 24% and 20% of the U.S. population, respectively.
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52% of U.S. Twitter users use the platform daily.
However, this doesn’t mean that half of all Twitter users are tweeting every single day. For instance, 49% of Twitter users Tweet less than five times per month, regardless of how many times they access the site.
Twitter Statistics by User Demographics
Unlike some of the more widely used social media platforms, such as Facebook or YouTube, Twitter has very noticeable demographic trends. According to our research:
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56.4% of Twitter users are male, compared to only 43.6% being female.
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42% of U.S. adults between 18-29 use Twitter, double that of any other age group.
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Only 7% of U.S. adults who are 65+ years old use Twitter.
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Twitter is especially popular with those who have higher incomes, as 53% of those making $100K+ per year use the site.
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Comparably, only 38% of those making under $30K use Twitter.
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Worldwide, 38.5% of Twitter users are 25-34, while 20.7% are 35-49, 17.1% are 50+ or 18-24 respectively, and only 6.6% are 13-17.
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35% of Asian Americans use Twitter, compared to 31% of Latino Americans, 30% of White Americans, and 28% of Black Americans.
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At least 80% of all Twitter users are “affluent millennials.”
| Age | % Of Adults Who Use Twitter |
|---|---|
| 18-29 | 42% |
| 30-49 | 27% |
| 50-64 | 18% |
| 65+ | 7% |
Global Twitter Statistics
Twitter is exceptionally popular in the U.S., especially with high profile individuals, but there are also plenty of people who use Twitter around the world. When it comes to global Twitter use, here are the facts:
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A whopping 72% of Twitter accounts are based outside of the U.S.
While the U.S. does account for the largest percentage of Twitter accounts (28%), the majority of Twitter accounts are actually from other countries.
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Behind the U.S., Japan has the second-highest number of Twitter users at 58.95 million.
In recent years Twitter is becoming more and more popular in Japan, but there are other countries with a significant number of Twitter users as well. For example, others among the top five include: India (23.6 million), Brazil (19.05 million), and Indonesia (18.45 million).
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80% of world leaders are on Twitter.
The majority of world leaders around the world have Twitter, allowing them to regularly share their thoughts with the public.
Overall, the top five world leaders account with the most followers include: Donald J. Trump (81.1 million), Narendra Modi (72.4 million), Pope Francis (51.2 million), Tayyip Erdoğan (16.1 million), and Joko Widodo (13.8 million).
| Country | Number Of Users (In Millions) |
|---|---|
| United States | 76.9M |
| Japan | 58.9M |
| India | 23.6M |
| Brazil | 19.1M |
| Indonesia | 18.4M |
| United Kingdom | 18.4M |
| Turkey | 16.1M |
| Saudi Arabia | 14.1M |
| Mexico | 13.9M |
| Thailand | 11.4M |
Twitter Trends and Projections
Popular in the U.S. and around the world, Twitter has come a long way since 2006. To understand Twitter’s current state and where it might be heading, here are some facts about current trends and projections:
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Between 2017-2021, Twitter’s mDAUs increased by 88.7%.
In Q4 of 2017, Twitter had approximately 115 million monetizable daily active users. However, as of today, that number has nearly doubled to 217 million.
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Between 2019-2020, Twitter’s video content views increased by 67%.
Videos, and specifically video ads, are becoming more and more popular on Twitter. As of 2020, the site had over 2 billion video views each day. In part, this trend can likely be attributed to the fact that advertisers save money and gain higher engagement from videos. In fact, Twitter videos attract 10x more engagements for half the cost.
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As of 2021, Twitter’s annual revenue reached $5.07 billion.
Over the course of ten years (2011-2021), Twitter’s annual revenue has grown 47X larger. While in 2011, the platform only generated $106 million in revenue, that number is now over $5 billion.
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Between 2017-2020, the number of Twitter users worldwide increased by 69%.
In 2017, there were approximately 110 million global Twitter users. That number has been increasing steadily over time, and as of 2020, the number of users reached 186 million.
| Year | Total Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $28.3M |
| 2011 | $106.3M |
| 2012 | $316.9M |
| 2013 | $644.9M |
| 2014 | $1.40B |
| 2015 | $2.22B |
| 2016 | $2.53B |
| 2017 | $2.44B |
| 2018 | $3.04B |
| 2019 | $3.46B |
| 2020 | $3.72B |
| 2021 | $5.07B |
| Year | Number Of Users (In Millions) |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 110M |
| 2018 | 112M |
| 2019 | 139M |
| 2020 | 186M |
Twitter Statistics by User Behavior
Twitter is all about the latest “hot takes” of millions of users. Overall, user behavior drives the site, as well as what ends up on the trending list. To understand Twitter’s interesting user behavior, here are some telling facts:
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70% of U.S. adults say they get their news and headlines directly from Twitter.
That’s 18.6% more people than in 2015 when only 59% of respondents said the same. In many ways, this might not be surprising, seeing as how popular and prominent political figures and celebrities are on the site.
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There are over 2 billion video views on Twitter each day.
Twitter is well known for being a place where videos go viral, and there’s a reason why. If there are 2 billion video views on the site per day, that equates to a staggering 730 billion views every year (nearly 100X larger than the global population).
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Former President Barack Obama has the highest number of Twitter followers in the world, at 130.1 million.
Following Barack Obama, others among the top ten largest Twitter accounts include: Justin Bieber (114 million), Katy Perry (108.7 million), Rihanna (103.3 million), Cristiano Ronaldo (95.3 million), Taylor Swift (88.9 million), Ariana Grande (84.6 million), Lady Gaga (83.8 million), Ellen DeGeneres (77.7 million), and Narendra Modi (72.4 million).
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44% of Twitter users have never tweeted.
Believe it or not, Twitter is heavily divided between those who tweet and those who don’t. In fact, only 25% of Twitter users are responsible for a whopping 97% of all Tweets.
| Account | Number Of Followers (In Millions) |
|---|---|
| Barack Obama | 130.1M |
| Justin Bieber | 114M |
| Katy Perry | 108.7M |
| Rihanna | 103.3M |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 95.3M |
| Taylor Swift | 88.9M |
| Ariana Grande | 84.6M |
| Lady Gaga | 83.8M |
| Ellen DeGeneres | 77.7M |
| Narendra Modi | 72.4M |
Twitter Statistics by Business Users
Besides being used by celebrities, world leaders, and ordinary people, Twitter is also a popular site for advertisers and businesses. With that in mind, here are some interesting facts about Twitter business users:
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79% of Twitter users follow brands on Twitter.
Over three-fourths of Twitter users are ready and eager to follow brands on the platform. That means it can be easy for businesses to gain followers and, in turn, gain engagement and sales.
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64% of customers who use Twitter would rather message customer support on Twitter than call a business.
The majority of customers who use Twitter are more comfortable messaging a business on the platform than they are making a call. This highlights how important it is for businesses to make themselves readily available to talk to Twitter users.
Twitter Statistics FAQ
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How many active users does Twitter have?
Twitter has at least 300 million monthly active users. At least 22% of all U.S. adults use Twitter, and many of these adults access the site on a daily basis. In total, Twitter has approximately 217 million monetizable daily active users (mDAUs).
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Which country uses Twitter the most?
The United States has the most Twitter users, at 76.9 million. Behind the U.S., Japan has the second-highest number of Twitter users at 58.95 million, followed by India (23.6 million), Brazil (19.05 million), and Indonesia (18.45 million).
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Is Twitter growing or shrinking?
Twitter’s growth has been fluctuating over the past decade, but the site has never been shrinking. Most recently, the platform has seen a 16% increase in revenue as Elon Musk prepares to assume a leadership role. Additionally, Twitter had an 8.4% user growth rate in 2020.
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Does Twitter make a profit?
Yes, Twitter makes a profit. While Twitter’s 2020 profit of $1.1 billion was less than the $1.4 billion earned in 2019, the platform has seen steady profit growth over time. For instance, in 2012, Twitter only made $79 million in profit. That means from 2012 to 2020, Twitter’s profits have grown 13X larger in less than ten years.
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Who uses Twitter the most?
The demographics who use Twitter the most are males, those who make over $70K per year, and those between 25-34. Here are those demographics in more detail:
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56.4% of Twitter users are male, compared to only 43.6% being female.
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52% of U.S. adults who make $70K+ per year use Twitter, compared to only 38% of those making less than $30K.
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38.5% of all Twitter users are between the age of 25-34.
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Conclusion
Now over 15 years old, Twitter is one of the largest social media platforms in the world. In fact, Twitter has at least 300 million monthly active users and earned over $5.07 billion in revenue as of 2021.
Overall, Twitter is a popular destination for world leaders, celebrities, and almost anyone else looking for the latest trending news. And, with the recent trends shown by Elon Musk’s shake-up, the platform likely has a strong future to come.
References
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David Sayce. “The Number of tweets per day in 2020.” Accessed on May 2nd, 2022.
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Statista. “80% Of Twitter’s Users Are Mobile.” Accessed on May 2nd, 2022.
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Statista. “Number of monetizable daily active Twitter users (mDAU) worldwide from 1st quarter 2017 to 4th quarter 2021.” Accessed on May 2nd, 2022.
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KoMarketing. “How to Use Twitter for B2B Marketing in 2021.” Accessed on May 2nd, 2022.
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Pew Research Center. “10 facts about Americans and Twitter.” Accessed on May 3rd, 2022.
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SEJ. “Nearly 50% Of Twitter Users Tweet Less Than 5 Times A Month.” Accessed on May 3rd, 2022.
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Statista. “Worldwide revenue of Twitter from 2010 to 2021.” Accessed on May 3rd, 2022.
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Statista. “Distribution of Twitter users worldwide as of January 2022, by gender.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Statista. “Percentage of U.S. adults who use Twitter as of February 2021, by age group.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Statista. “Percentage of U.S. internet users who use Twitter as of January 2018, by annual household income.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Statista. “Distribution of Twitter users worldwide as of April 2021, by age group.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Statista. “Daily Twitter usage in the United States as of August 2018, by ethnicity.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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VentureBeat. “Twitter a truly global tool with 72% of accounts outside of the U.S.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Statista. “Leading countries based on number of Twitter users as of January 2022.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Statista. “World leaders with the most Twitter followers as of June 2020.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Twitter Business. “How video is reshaping digital advertising.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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BusinessofApps. “Twitter Revenue and Usage Statistics (2022).” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Pew Research Center. “News on Twitter: Consumed by Most Users and Trusted by Many.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Brandwatch. “The Most Followed Accounts on Twitter.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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PC. “44 Percent of Twitter Accounts Have Never Tweeted.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
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Twitter Businesses. “How Twitter has become a key customer support channel.” Accessed on May 4th, 2022.
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
