LONDON | December 6, 2023 - Instagram has come a long way since its early days. In just over a decade, it became the third-largest social media app globally and the most popular platform among social media users. But thanks to its massive user base, which continues surging, Instagram has also become the most popular social media platform marketers use outside of Facebook.

According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, Instagram’s advertising audience hit 1.64 billion in October, or 420 million more than TikTok’s potential ad reach.

Instagram’s Advertising Audience Increased by 18% Year-over-Year
According to Statista data, over 80% of marketing professionals integrated Instagram into their digital marketing campaigns in 2023, and more than 65% plan to use it even more in the future. One of the main reasons why marketers flock to the app is its large global user base, which has increased by a massive 60% in the past three years.

Although Instagram is used less among teens than Snapchat or TikTok, it still enables brands to reach millions of people, especially the tech-savvy audiences who look for shopping inspiration on social media feeds. Moreover, its global advertising audience continues to grow year after year.

According to the latest DataReportal survey, Instagram’s advertising audience has increased by 215 million year-over-year and hit a whopping 1.64 billion in October. That means that Instagram ads can potentially reach 20% of the world’s total population, much more than TikTok.

TikTok ads have the potential to reach roughly 15% of the global population or 1.22 billion people, 420 million less than Instagram. However, TikTok’s advertising audience has grown faster, increasing by 272 million or 28% year-over-year.

India is Instagram’s Largest and the Fastest Growing Advertising Market, but Turkey and UEA Lead in Total Ad Reach
The DataReportal survey also showed India is Instagram’s largest and fastest-growing advertising market, with close to 359 million people in the fourth quarter of the year, almost 8% more than in the previous quarter. The United States ranked as the second largest market, with an advertising audience of over 158 million people, while Brazil and Indonesia follow with 123 million and 105 million, respectively.

Although far behind India and the United States in total user count, Turkey, Instagram’s fifth-largest advertising market, has the biggest ad reach of all countries. Statistics show that Instagram ads have the potential to reach 85% of the population aged 18 and older in the country, only 1% more than in the UEA, which has the second-best ad reach.

Western countries are far below these figures. The Datareportal survey showed Instagram’s ad reach in the United States is 59%, almost the same as in the United Kingdom. Still, that is considerably more than the 27% share on a global level. China had the smallest ad reach of all countries, with only 0.4% of the population aged 18 and older using the popular video-sharing app and engaging with its platform.