Number of Twitter Users 2024: Demographics, Breakdowns & Predictions

We live in a very fast-paced world nowadays and people can’t be bothered to spend a lot of time reading blogs or full-length news articles. Thus, the birth of microblogging—allowing people to share their thoughts or information in 280 characters (up from 140) or less.

Can you imagine fitting everything you want to say in one single tweet? Well, no need to. This article will discuss the relevant Twitter statistics as well as where its future in order to better understand the microblogging site.

What is the number of Twitter users per country?

Twitter is particularly popular in the US and as of January 2021, the microblogging site had 69.3 million active users (DataReportal, 2021). Japan and India were ranked second and third with 50.9 and 17.5 million users, respectively. Twitter’s user base represents only a fraction of the total social media users in 2020.

Who has the most number of Twitter followers?

As of May 2020, former US President Barack Obama is the top Twitter celebrity figure with over 118.09 million followers. Coming in second is singer Justin Bieber who was followed by 111.78 million.

Who has the most popular tweet of all time?

A tweet from an unlikely person, a Japanese billionaire named Yusaku Maezawa, has become the most retweeted post of all time (Brandwatch, 2020). The entrepreneur offered one million yen ($910,400) each to 100 randomly selected individuals who retweeted the post and followed his account—to celebrate the bumper sales of his clothing line (Zozo) over the holidays.

Until January 2019, the top spot on the ranking belonged to Carter Wilkerson, who asked fast-food chain Wendy’s for free chicken nuggets in exchange for retweets.

How many Twitter users in the US?

As of the third quarter of 2020, there are 36 million daily active users of Twitter in America (Twitter, 2020). Meanwhile, The number of US Twitter users is 69.3 million as of January 2021 (DataReportal, 2021). Overall, the top 10% of Twitter users in the US generate roughly 80% of tweets on the platform. The number of monthly active US Twitter users in the first quarter of 2019 totaled 68 million, an increase from 66 million in the previous term.

Though recently, Twitter’s user growth is not at par with its investors’ expectations—compared to the previous quarter, the growth only amounted to 3% and has hovered in the low single digits since 2017 as the company continues to struggle to attract and retain users.

What is the number of Twitter users by age?

Unlike other social networking websites like Instagram, which is more popular among teenagers, Twitter users are primarily in the 35-49 years old age bracket (DataReportal, 2021). The social networking site also declared that 80% of its users are “affluent millennials.”

But it’s a different case in the US where 40% of Twitter users are between the age of 18 and 29 years (Omnicore, 2021). Usage among US adults decreases as age increases. Pew Research reports that 27% of those are aged 30-49, 15% are between 50-64 years old, and 8% are from the 65 and above age bracket (Pew Research, 2019).

How many Twitter users are there by gender?

Globally, male users on the Twitter platform outnumber female users. Based on January 2021 data, 68.5% of Twitter users are male compared to only 31.5% of females (DataReportal, 2021).

How many followers does an average Twitter user have?

The last significant research on this was done by Beevolve back in 2012 when they analyzed 36 million profiles and found that the average Twitter user had 208 followers (Beevolve, 2012).

Kickfactory updated this metric in 2016, and since Twitter does not share this data, they had to look at roughly 96 million Twitter profiles to get an answer (Kickfactory, 2016). As of 2016, the average number of followers a Twitter user has is 707 followers, up 340% since 2012.

What are the top social media accounts aside from Twitter?

Almost two billion internet users are using social networks and these figures are expected to grow as the use of mobile devices and mobile social networks continuously gain traction. The top social media networks are generally available in multiple languages and allow users to connect with friends or people beyond geographical, political, or economic confines.

As of January 2021, based on the number of active accounts, Facebook is still the market leader and also the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts while Pinterest was the fastest independently launched site to reach 10 million unique monthly visitors (DataReportal, 2021).

How many tweets are sent per day?

Twitter’s appeal comes from the fact that users can tweet random posts with no filter needed – users can literally post one after the other without being judged for posting too much. On average, 6,000 tweets are sent every second, which corresponds to over 350,000 tweets per minute, 500 million tweets per day, and roughly 200 billion tweets per year (Dsayce, 2020).

What is Twitter used for today?

Aside from self-indulging uses like sharing brainfarts and funny memes, Twitter is actually useful in a lot of other ways. It’s most commonly used for getting specific answers and advice directly from the sources of such knowledgeable people (Lifewire, 2020).

A lot of companies use Twitter to provide instant customer support. It provides faster communication lines than traditional customer support via phone. Some of the top brands that have Twitter customer support are Amazon, UPS, Intel, Starbucks, and Linkedin among many more (Top Rank Marketing).

How much time do users spend on Twitter?

As mentioned above, Twitter’s popularity as the go-to source of real-time news worldwide is the top reason why people visit social networking site. It’s a popular outlet to report breaking news. As a matter of fact, journalists make-up almost a quarter of all verified accounts on Twitter (Oberlo, 2020).

As such, the average time spent on Twitter clocks in at 11.05 minutes per session (SimilarWeb, 2021)—which is not surprising at all, given the fact that a tweet only has a lifespan of 15 to 20 minutes (Oberlo, 2020).

How is Twitter used as a marketing tool for brands?

Traditional marketing is not enough these days to maintain brand recall with the business’ target audience. Social media platforms play a huge role when it comes to promoting products and connecting with customers.

How does Twitter impact public opinion and social movements?

Twitter has become a powerful platform for shaping public opinion and driving social movements, enabling users to spread messages quickly and mobilize support for various causes. Its real-time nature and wide reach allow for immediate responses to events, making it an essential tool for advocacy, activism, and awareness campaigns.

• Amplification of social movements: Twitter has been instrumental in the growth of social movements like #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and #ClimateStrike. The platform’s hashtags make it easy to rally people around a cause, allowing movements to gain global traction and visibility.
• Rapid dissemination of news and information: Twitter’s role as a source of real-time updates means that it can shape public opinion swiftly, often ahead of traditional media outlets. Breaking news stories often gain momentum on Twitter before being covered by mainstream news, influencing how the public perceives events.
• Hashtag activism: The use of hashtags on Twitter has turned activism into a digital activity. Hashtags like #EndSARS and #StopAsianHate have raised awareness about social justice issues, drawing attention to underreported events and pressuring policymakers to act.
• Crowdsourcing support and resources: Twitter is not just about spreading messages; it also serves as a platform for coordinating resources. Users can crowdfund for causes, share petitions, or mobilize volunteers, demonstrating the platform’s utility in organizing grassroots efforts.
• Influence on political discourse: Political figures, activists, and organizations use Twitter to shape public discourse, share policy positions, and directly engage with constituents. The platform’s open nature enables a two-way dialogue that can sway opinions and influence voter behavior.
• Misinformation and fact-checking: While Twitter is a powerful tool for activism, it also poses challenges related to misinformation. The platform has taken steps to address this by flagging misleading content and promoting verified information, especially during events like elections and public health crises.
• Viral campaigns and pressure on corporations: Viral Twitter campaigns can pressure companies and public figures to respond to consumer demands or social issues. The platform enables users to quickly hold corporations accountable, often prompting changes in business practices or public apologies.

Is Twitter losing popularity?

According to Forbes, Twitter has experienced a steady decline in popularity from 2012-2018 (Forbes, 2019). It is down more than 100 million users who tweet on a daily basis and down almost 200 million daily tweets while no new users have been recorded.

In response to the steep decline, Twitter is ditching the monthly active user metric and is moving towards monetizable daily active users (mDAU) count to better measure the number of users for stakeholders and advertisers (The Verge, 2019). This number doesn’t include the total user base, but instead incorporates users that are using portions of the network that display ads.

What’s next for Twitter?

Twitter remains a popular social media platform for marketers. In fact, 53% of marketers worldwide used it as a channel for their marketing activities in 2020 (Social Media Examiner, 2020). Social media in general gives brands the possibility to personally engage with consumers.

Twitter has a great impact on consumer behavior. Digital Marketing Institute reported that about 40% of Twitter users disclosed that they purchased something after seeing it on Twitter (Twitter). This is an excellent reflection of the steady increase in influence social media has on the purchasing habits of consumers.

However, getting your brand involved on Twitter is not enough. Brands need to consider the power of social media influencers. Twitter themselves reported that the intent of users to purchase increased over five-fold when they are exposed to tweets from both influencers and brands, compared to merely 2.7 times with just brand tweets (Twitter).

Moreover, influencers on social media like Twitter are also rivaling friends in building consumer trust. When looking for product recommendations, 56% of consumers asked friends for guidance, while 49% of respondents said they relied on influencers. On Twitter, recommendations from influencers resulted in 20% of respondents saying a Tweet from an influencer inspired them to share a product recommendation. Based on these data, we can surmise that branding and marketing strategies should have a combination of tweets from brands and influencers.

Whether you are a startup business or an already established brand, it’s crucial to recognize the importance of Twitter when formulating brand strategy. With about 340 million active users, there’s an extensive pool of consumers to tap on and engage with. You can also look into general social media trends to see where Twitter’s larger sphere of influence is heading.

Key Insights

• Twitter User Demographics: The majority of Twitter users are from the United States (69.3 million), followed by Japan (50.9 million) and India (17.5 million). Twitter’s primary user age group is 35-49 years old globally, but in the US, 40% of users are aged 18-29. Twitter has a higher percentage of male users (68.5%) compared to female users (31.5%).
• Engagement and Usage Patterns: On average, 500 million tweets are sent daily, highlighting Twitter’s role as a platform for real-time updates and information sharing. The average time spent on Twitter per session is 11.05 minutes. Twitter is widely used for news, viewing photos, watching videos, and sharing content.
• Influence and Popularity: Former US President Barack Obama has the most followers on Twitter, with over 118.09 million followers. The most retweeted tweet of all time is by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, with 4.2 million retweets. Twitter’s popularity has seen a decline since 2012, prompting a shift to monetizable daily active users (mDAU) as a metric.
• Marketing and Brand Engagement: Twitter remains a vital platform for marketers, with 53% of marketers using it for their activities. Twitter has a significant impact on consumer behavior, with 40% of users purchasing something after seeing it on the platform. Combining brand tweets with influencer tweets can increase purchase intent over five-fold.

FAQ

1. What is the current number of Twitter users globally? As of January 2021, Twitter has approximately 353 million active users worldwide.
2. Who has the most followers on Twitter? Former US President Barack Obama holds the record for the most followers on Twitter, with over 118.09 million followers as of May 2020.
3. How many tweets are sent per day on Twitter? On average, 500 million tweets are sent per day, amounting to roughly 200 billion tweets per year.
4. What is the primary age group of Twitter users? Globally, the primary age group of Twitter users is 35-49 years old. However, in the US, the largest age group is 18-29 years old, comprising 40% of the user base.
5. How does Twitter influence consumer behavior? Twitter significantly influences consumer behavior, with 40% of users reporting that they purchased something after seeing it on the platform. Additionally, tweets from influencers combined with brand tweets can increase purchase intent over five-fold.
6. What is Twitter’s average session duration? The average time spent on Twitter per session is 11.05 minutes.
7. Is Twitter losing popularity? Twitter has experienced a decline in popularity since 2012, losing over 100 million daily active users and almost 200 million daily tweets. To address this, Twitter has shifted to measuring monetizable daily active users (mDAU).
8. How is Twitter used as a marketing tool? Twitter is widely used by marketers to promote products and engage with customers. Brands also leverage influencer partnerships on Twitter to boost their marketing efforts and increase consumer trust and purchase intent.
9. What are the most common activities on Twitter? The most common activities on Twitter include reading news, viewing photos, watching videos, sharing content, and networking.
10. Who has the most popular tweet of all time? The most retweeted tweet of all time is by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, offering 1 million yen to 100 randomly selected individuals who retweeted his post.

References:

1. Beevolve (2012). An Exhaustive Study of Twitter Users Across the World. Retrieved from Beevolve
2. Brandwatch (2020, July). The 20 Most-Retweeted Tweets. Retrieved from Brandwatch
3. Burgess, C. (n.d.). 7 Examples of Brands Mastering Twitter for Social Customer Care. Retrieved from Top Rank Blog
4. DataReportal (2021). Most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2021, ranked by number of active users. Retrieved from Statista
5. DataReportal (2021, January). Distribution of Twitter users worldwide as of January 2021, by age group. Retrieved from Statista
6. DataReportal (2021, January). Leading countries based on number of Twitter users as of January 2021. Retrieved from Statista
7. Gil, P. (2020, October). What is Twitter & How Does It Work?. Retrieved from Lifewire
8. Kastrenakes, J. (2019, February 7). Twitter keeps losing monthly users, so it’s going to stop sharing how many. Retrieved from The Verge
9. Kickfactory (2016, June). The Average Twitter User Now has 707 Followers. Retrieved from Kickfactory
10. Leetaru, K. (2019, March 4). Visualizing Seven Years Of Twitter’s Evolution: 2012-2018. Retrieved from Forbes
11. Lin, Y. (2021, January 25). 10 Twitter Statistics Every Marketer Should Know in 2021 [Infographic]. Retrieved from Oberlo
12. Omnicore (2021, January). Twitter by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts. Retrieved from Omnicore
13. Pew Research Center (2019, June). Social Media Fact Sheet. Retrieved from Pew Research Center
14. Sayce, D. (2020). The Number of tweets per day in 2020. Retrieved from Dsayce
15. SimilarWeb (2021). twitter.com Overview. Retrieved from SimilarWeb
16. Twitter (2016, May 10). New Research: The value of influencers on Twitter. Retrieved from Twitter
17. Twitter (2020). Investor Relations. Retrieved from Twitter

By Allan Jay

Allan Jay is FinancesOnline’s resident B2B expert with over a decade of experience in the SaaS space. He has worked with vendors primarily as a consultant in the UX analysis and design stages, lending to his reviews a strong user-centric angle. A management professional by training, he adds the business perspective to software development. He likes validating a product against workflows and business goals, two metrics, he believes, by which software is ultimately measured.