Instagram has more than doubled its user base in the past two years according to new data released Tuesday.
The photo and video-sharing app now has more than 500 million monthly active users, including more than 300 million people who use it every day. The app is truly global in scope, with more than 80% of its user base residing outside of the United States.
Earlier this month, Instagram revealed that its Canadian user base has grown to 8.5 million people, with the average user checking his or her app 11 times a day, six days a week.
The platform generates more than 95 million posts and 4.2 billion likes every day, with different areas of interest around the world. Golden retriever-related accounts are hugely popular in Brazil, for example, while “sneakerhead” accounts are big in Morocco and Algeria.
The site has also featured more than 325 million “Throwback Thursday” posts and more than 82 million outfits of the day.
Instagram’s growth has been meteoric since Facebook purchased the company for US$1 billion in 2012, when it boasted fewer than 22 million monthly active users. The move was initially met with scepticism, but Instagram continues to emerge as a key growth engine for the social media giant.
It also claims 200,000 advertisers from around the world, with research firm eMarketer predicting that it will earn US$1.53 billion in mobile advertising revenue this year, a 144% increase from 2015.
But while its user base might be global, its advertiser base is predominantly American, accounting for 85% of its total revenues. eMarketer is predicting that Instagram will represent 8.4% of Facebook’s worldwide mobile advertising revenue this year, climbing to 18% by 2018.
