64 Facebook Video Statistics You Can’t Ignore: 2024 Data Analysis & Market Share

Approaching three billion users, Facebook is unquestionably the biggest social media site on the planet. The platform has linked people together with unparalleled connectivity and its expansive breadth of content. As such, one of its biggest draws is its videos, which account for billions of views daily. In fact, Facebook has gone on to rival some of the largest dedicated video streaming platforms in terms of viewership. It has also become a viable avenue for video marketing campaigns.

In this article, we have compiled some of the most critical Facebook video statistics to help you learn more about this increasingly popular content type. Among the topics we will tackle are the number of Facebook video views, the engagement rates of videos, and the platform’s biggest video publishers. Moreover, this write-up imparts knowledge of how to fully leverage Facebook’s video features, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on video viewing. By reading this piece, business owners and marketers will have an idea of how effective Facebook videos are as a promotional medium.

General Facebook Video Statistics

Facebook may not entirely focus on video content, but the video viewership on the site outperforms a lot of streaming platforms. After all, Facebook has the most users among all social media websites, lending to the over 1 billion monthly users of Facebook Watch. Delving in further, the latest Facebook video statistics indicate that nearly half of the site’s userbase views video content at any time. This goes to show that the social media giant has become ingrained in most people’s daily routines worldwide.

• According to the latest available data, the number of daily Facebook video views is 8 billion (The Verge, 2015).
• Watching a video of any length for 3 seconds on Facebook and Instagram counts as a view (Marketing Land, 2019).
• Facebook Watch attracts more than 1.25 billion monthly users (Variety, 2020).
• Videos account for 15.1% of all posted content on Facebook (DataReportal, 2021).
• And 71% of the videos on Facebook were from accounts with more than 100,000 fans (Socialinsider, 2020).
• Also, the average engagement rate of videos posted on Facebook is 0.26% (Hootsuite, 2021).
• Meanwhile, the median video engagement rate of pages with less than 10,000 fans is 1.08% (Socialinsider, 2020).
• Moreover, videos account for 22.2% of content shared by  Facebook users (Hootsuite, 2021).
• Furthermore, live videos account for 12.8% of all Facebook video content (Socialinsider, 2020).
• In addition, the maximum duration of a live video on Facebook is 8 hours (Facebook, 2019).
• Facebook videos amass 7 billion engagements per quarter or 300 million per week (Newswhip, 2019).

Facebook Video Viewing Statistics

• 46% of United States Facebook users are watching videos on the platform at any given time (eMarketer, 2019).
• As far as viewership is concerned, 60% of US digital viewers use Facebook to watch videos (AudienceProject, 2019).
• Viewers, on average, spend 26 minutes per day watching Facebook videos (Variety, 2019).
• Also, the average watch time per brand video is 4.57 seconds (WARC, 2019).
• Moreover, 48% of watch time on Facebook comes from shared videos (Facebook).
• In addition, 69% of consumers watch Facebook videos with the sound off in public places. And 25% do so in private (Forbes, 2019).
• Unfortunately, 76% of video ads require sound to be understood (Instapage, 2020).
• Meanwhile, the viewership of Facebook live videos jumped by 50% due to COVID-19 (Facebook, 2020).
• And the time spent on group video calls doubled week-over-week in March 2020 due to the pandemic (Facebook, 2020).
• As of 2016, 100 million hours of videos are watched daily (Buffer).

Interesting Facebook Video Statistics

• The most-watched Facebook video publisher is LADBible with a total of 1.6 billion views, followed by UNILAD (1.5 billion), Viral TRND (1.5 billion), 5-Minute Crafts (1.4 billion), and Tasty (961 million) (Tubular Labs, 2019).
• Meanwhile, the Facebook pages with the highest video engagements in 2020 are The Dodo (188.01 million), Funniest Family Moments (118.86 million), 5-Minute Crafts (90.85 million), 9GAG (69.83 million), and Varun Pruthi (68.16 million) (Newswhip, 2020).
• In addition, BLOSSOM’s video on 17 kitchen hacks received the most likes among all Facebook posts in the first quarter of 2020 with 1,339,933 total likes (Newswhip, 2020).
• The shortest video among the top 100 Facebook videos in 2020 has a runtime of 16 seconds (Newswhip, 2020).
• Meanwhile, the longest one is at 12 minutes and 77 seconds (Newswhip, 2020).
• In addition, the average length of Facebook’s top 100 videos is 3 minutes and 23 seconds (Newswhip, 2020).
• Among the three types of video content for the top 10,000 Facebook video posts, native videos received the highest average engagements at 221,652, followed by live videos (194,562) and embedded videos (153,531) (Newswhip, 2020).
• Meanwhile, embedded videos gained the highest average shares (81,418) and live videos obtained the most comments on average (38,038) (Newswhip, 2020).
• The most-watched live video on Facebook is Candace Payne’s “Chewbacca Mom” video, which has 179 million views as of April 2021 (Guinness World Records, 2017; Candace Payne, 2021).

Demographics of Facebook Video Statistics

While Facebook enjoys a sizable user base from all age groups, users who are 25 to 34 years old frequent the site the most. And this goes for both genders. Similarly, recent Facebook statistics reflect the site’s high usage rate across all income brackets and levels of educational attainment. In fact, the rate is over 60% across the board. As such, digital marketers view the platform as a highly critical channel for campaigns.

• Users belonging to the 25-34 age bracket comprise the largest share of Facebook users at 31.6% (DataReportal, 2021).
• If we break it down by gender, the largest male group of Facebook users belongs to the 25-34 age bracket, accounting for 18.8% of all users. Meanwhile, the largest female group also belongs to the 25-34 bracket (12.8% of all users) (DataReportal, 2021).
• Moreover, in the US, 32% of 12-34-year-olds use Facebook the most (Edison Research, 2020).
• Facebook also has a usage rate of 69.25% across all income brackets. The platform’s usage breakdown is 70% of workers who earn less than $30,000, 77% of those who make $30,000-$49,999, 61% of those who take home $50,000-$74,999, and 70% of those who earn more than 75,000 (Pew Research Center, 2021).
• When it comes to educational attainment, college graduates have the largest share of Facebook users with 73%, followed by those who had some college (71%) and high school graduates or less (64%) (Pew Research Center, 2021).
• Furthermore, 47% of social media users use Facebook more than any other app. Of whom, 70% are over 55 years old, 60% are 35-54, and 21% are 12-34 (Edison Research, 2021).
• Meanwhile, the country with the most Facebook users is India with 320 million, followed by the US (190 million), Indonesia (140 million), Brazil (130 million, and Mexico (93 million) (DataReportal, 2021).
• As of March 2021, 75.83% of social media users visit Facebook using their mobile devices (StatCounter, 2021).

Facebook Video vs Other Content Types

Although more Facebook users view photos, videos drive the most engagement, on average, among all content types. And among the three main types of videos, native ones enjoy the most engagement while embedded ones have the most shares. However, the other content types also rule their own categories. As such, it’s a good idea to mix things up rather than singularly posting videos to draw more people to your content.

• In terms of average engagements, Facebook video tops other content types with 1,638 engagements per post, followed by photos (1,090) and links (366) (Newswhip, 2020).
• However, when it comes to total engagements, videos, at 3.65 billion, lag behind links (5.17 billion) and photos (5.11 billion) (Newship, 2020).
• The most prevalent activity on Facebook is viewing photos at 65%, followed by posting or sharing content (57%) and watching videos (46%) (eMarketer, 2019).
• However, in terms of the type of content posted, links come out on top as they make up 47.2% of all Facebook posts. They are followed by photos (35.6), videos (15.1%), and status messages (2.1%) (DataReportal, 2021).
• Conversely, status messages have the highest average engagement rate per post at (0.19%), followed by photos (0.18%), videos (0.13%), and links (0.05%) (DataReportal, 2021).
• Moreover, Facebook might be the most used social media platform by adults (69%) as of February 2021, but it is second only to YouTube (81%) if the usage rates of video streaming platforms are included (Pew Research Center, 2021).

Facebook Video for Marketing

It’s no surprise that Facebook is at the heart of digital strategies given its massive number of users. What’s surprising, however, is Facebook outranking YouTube as the most critical video channel for marketers. According to recent statistics on video marketing, marketers plan to increase their video activities on the platform further. Moreover, Facebook live is drumming up more interest since it’s a magnet for engagements.

• 25% of marketers cite Facebook video as the most important video channel, followed by YouTube (24%), Instagram Stories (14%), Facebook Stories (7%), and LinkedIn (5%) (Social Media Examiner, 2020).
• Moreover, 49% of marketers leverage Facebook videos for their campaigns (Social Media Examiner, 2020).
• In addition, 38% of marketers use Facebook Live for their campaigns (Social Media Examiner, 2020).
• Therefore, it’s no surprise that 64% of marketers believe Facebook Live is the most important live streaming platform (Social Media Examiner, 2020).
• With this, 66% of marketers plan to increase their Facebook video activities while 21% intend to stick with the same amount of activities (Social Media Examiner, 2020).
• Furthermore, 77% of B2C marketers want to learn more about Facebook videos (Social Media Examiner, 2020).
• Also, Facebook’s ad delivery targets users who are likely to watch at least 15 seconds of a video (Marketing Land, 2019).

How to Make the Most Out of Facebook Videos

Posting Facebook videos for promotion without adhering to a sound strategy won’t do a brand a lot of favors. This is why marketers devote time to studying the platform’s audience and algorithm, on top of their clientele’s market, before proceeding with content creation. Ideally, video posts should have captions and detailed but concise descriptions. This way, prospective viewers know what to expect.

• The ideal length of Facebook videos to maximize engagement is between 2 and 5 minutes (Socialinsider, 2020).
• To be more exact, Facebook stated that videos with a length of at least 3 minutes get shown to more people (Animoto, 2020).
• Placing captions increases the viewership of Facebook ads by 12% (3Play Media, 2021).
• In fact, 80% of viewers are more likely to watch Facebook videos if they have captions (Forbes, 2019).
• It’s also worth noting that call-to-action clicks decline by 26% if video captions are removed (Instapage, 2020).
• Moreover, having a video description of over 300 characters may increase engagement by around 0.39% (Socialinsider, 2020).
• Meanwhile, vertical videos generate the most engagement at 0.35%, higher than landscape (0.25%) and square (0.18%) orientations (Socialinsider, 2020).
• With this, a vertical video with a description of over 300 characters can raise engagement from 0.18% to 0.39% (Socialinsider, 2020).
• 47% of value in a Facebook video is delivered in the first 3 seconds (Animoto, 2020).
• As such, small businesses are advised to post videos that are 15 seconds in length (Animoto, 2020).
• Also, for monetized content, a video should be at least 3 minutes in length to qualify for ad placement (Facebook, 2019).
• According to a Facebook marketing expert, the ideal Facebook content ratio is composed of 70% video posts, 20% images, and 10% link posts (Socialinsider, 2020).
• Facebook allows video ads of up to 241 minutes with a maximum file size of 4GB and dimensions of 120 x 120 pixels (Facebook).

What time of day is best for posting Facebook videos?

The timing of video posts can significantly affect their reach and engagement on Facebook. Although video content performs well in general, posting at optimal times can help maximize visibility and interaction. Here are some key points to consider:

• Midweek afternoons show the highest engagement: Data indicates that the best days to post videos are Wednesday and Thursday. Posting between 1 PM and 3 PM often yields higher engagement, as more users are active during this period.
• Avoid early mornings and late nights: Posting videos during early morning hours (before 8 AM) or late at night (after 9 PM) tends to result in lower engagement. Users are generally less active on Facebook at these times.
• Weekends can be less predictable: While weekends may not be as strong for business-related content, Saturday afternoon (around 12 PM to 2 PM) can still see decent engagement for videos with a broad appeal, such as lifestyle or entertainment content.
• Leverage Facebook Insights for specific audience behavior: Facebook’s analytics tools provide data on when a page’s followers are most active. By analyzing this information, businesses can tailor their posting schedule to match their audience’s activity patterns.
• Experiment with different times to find the sweet spot: Although general trends suggest midweek afternoons, different audiences may engage better at other times. Running tests at various times can help identify the best schedule for a specific audience.
• Consider time zone differences: For businesses with a global audience, posting times should account for different time zones to ensure content reaches viewers during their peak activity hours.

The Importance of Facebook Videos for Businesses

As we have covered, the total daily Facebook video views amount to 8 billion and videos draw the highest average engagement among all content types. Also, nearly half of users watch video content at any given time. For these reasons, marketers see a lot of value in them and even hold them on par, in terms of importance, with content from the world’s largest video platform, YouTube. After all, Facebook has more users than YouTube. And more people have time for social media due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

That said, brands stand to benefit much from leveraging videos on the platform for their marketing initiatives. Based on the Facebook video insights we’ve gathered, posting video ads on the site vastly increases brand awareness, especially if the content is interesting enough to draw audiences to them. They can also be boosted to target specific markets with maximized reach. Should the videos gain traction online, your brand and its products are slated to gain more followers and ultimately buyers.

However, there are certain standards when posting videos, and knowing them could put you above other brands that leverage the platform. Knowing the best time to post on Facebook is critical as the specifics of creating effective video ads. Videos should be at least three minutes to qualify for monetization but also post shorter ones, within the range of 10-15 seconds, which gets the point across to viewers in an instant. Keep in mind that viewers click out of brand videos after 4.57 seconds. Furthermore, prepare a content calendar that documents all your future posts so you can spread out your content well.

Keeping abreast of the latest developments in video marketing also helps when leveraging Facebook for your brand. In doing so, you would know if there are any changes in the platform’s algorithm and if there are shifts in best practices.

Key Insights

• Facebook Video Popularity: Facebook boasts a staggering 8 billion daily video views, with nearly half of its user base watching video content at any given time.
• User Engagement: Videos have the highest average engagement rate among all Facebook content types, making them a critical tool for marketers.
• Demographic Reach: The platform attracts a diverse age group, with the largest user demographic being 25-34 years old. Facebook is widely used across all income brackets and educational levels.
• Video Content Types: Native videos receive the highest average engagements, while live videos and embedded videos also perform well in terms of shares and comments.
• COVID-19 Impact: The pandemic has significantly increased video consumption on Facebook, with live video viewership jumping by 50% and group video call time doubling.
• Video Marketing: Facebook video is considered the most important video channel by 25% of marketers, surpassing even YouTube. Marketers plan to increase their video activities on the platform.
• Optimal Video Characteristics: Videos should ideally be 2-5 minutes long, include captions, and have detailed descriptions. Vertical videos generate the most engagement.

FAQ

1. Why is Facebook video important for businesses? Facebook video is important for businesses because it drives the highest average engagement among all content types on the platform. With billions of daily views, videos can significantly increase brand awareness and audience interaction.
2. What is the optimal length for Facebook videos? The optimal length for Facebook videos to maximize engagement is between 2 and 5 minutes. Facebook also recommends videos to be at least 3 minutes long to be shown to more people.
3. How do captions affect Facebook video viewership? Captions significantly increase viewership and engagement for Facebook videos. About 80% of viewers are more likely to watch a video with captions, and removing captions can lead to a 26% decline in call-to-action clicks.
4. What type of videos perform best on Facebook? Native videos perform best on Facebook in terms of average engagements. Live videos also generate high engagement, particularly in comments, while embedded videos receive the most shares.
5. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected Facebook video consumption? The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a 50% increase in live video viewership on Facebook and doubled the time spent on group video calls. This indicates a significant rise in video consumption on the platform during the pandemic.
6. Which age group is the largest demographic for Facebook video viewers? The largest demographic for Facebook video viewers is the 25-34 age group, making up 31.6% of the platform’s users. This age group is the most active in both male and female categories.
7. How can businesses increase engagement on their Facebook videos? Businesses can increase engagement on their Facebook videos by ensuring they are between 2-5 minutes long, adding captions, providing detailed descriptions, and using vertical video formats, which have the highest engagement rates.
8. What are the most important metrics for Facebook video marketing? The most important metrics for Facebook video marketing include the number of views, engagement rates (likes, shares, comments), average watch time, and the effectiveness of captions and descriptions.
9. What is the role of Facebook Live in video marketing? Facebook Live is a crucial component of video marketing, as it drives high engagement. About 38% of marketers use Facebook Live for their campaigns, and it is considered the most important live streaming platform by 64% of marketers.
10. What should businesses consider when creating Facebook video ads? When creating Facebook video ads, businesses should consider making videos at least 3 minutes long for monetization, include engaging captions, and ensure the first 3 seconds are compelling since they deliver 47% of the video’s value.

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By Nestor Gilbert

Nestor Gilbert is a senior B2B and SaaS analyst and a core contributor at FinancesOnline for over 5 years. With his experience in software development and extensive knowledge of SaaS management, he writes mostly about emerging B2B technologies and their impact on the current business landscape. However, he also provides in-depth reviews on a wide range of software solutions to help businesses find suitable options for them. Through his work, he aims to help companies develop a more tech-forward approach to their operations and overcome their SaaS-related challenges.