80% of the world’s population expected to use social media by 2028
According to data from Statista Market Insights, more than 5 billion people worldwide were using social media in 2024, representing a global penetration rate of nearly 71 percent. Statista projects that this figure will rise to 82.6 percent by 2029, meaning roughly four out of five people globally will be active on social platforms.
80% of the world’s population expected to use social media by 2028
According to data from Statista Market Insights, more than 5 billion people worldwide were using social media in 2024, representing a global penetration rate of nearly 71 percent. Statista projects that this figure will rise to 82.6 percent by 2029, meaning roughly four out of five people globally will be active on social platforms.
Facebook launched in 2004 as a Harvard experiment and quickly became the defining social media platform of its era, reaching one million users within ten months. Founder Mark Zuckerberg grew the network to one billion users by October 2012. By then, platforms such as Twitter, launched in 2006, and Instagram, launched in 2010, had also become household names.
More than two decades after Facebook first reshaped the digital landscape, social media usage has become nearly universal. Rising concerns about mental health, online safety, and digital addiction have led governments to tighten regulations on children’s access. In November 2024, Australia passed the Online Safety Amendment banning social media use for those under 16, with significant fines for platforms that fail to comply. Several European countries are pursuing similar measures, and comparable legislation will take effect in Brazil in March 2026.
A recent World Health Organization survey found that one in ten adolescents worldwide is a problematic social media user, highlighting the challenges of rapid digital expansion.
