The Most Astonishing Facebook Statistics in 2020

Look, some people claim to have seen the ghost of Elvis walking in Memphis.

So when you hear some saying Facebook is dead — don’t think too much of it.  

Because Facebook is still going strong.

In fact, today it is more popular than ever — something which the latest statistics also prove.

Mind-Blowing Facebook Statistics

• 2.45 billion people used Facebook monthly in 2019’s Q3.
• Facebook.com is the third-most visited site in 2019.
• 68% of Americans were using Facebook in 2018.
• 1.6 billion people used the platform daily in Q3, 2019.
• Facebook was the fifth-most popular brand in 2018.
• 93% of businesses use it for marketing.
• Facebook is worth $138 billion.

Two things are pretty clear:

First, the Facebook juggernaut has no intention of slowing down.

Second, the platform offers marketers a plethora of opportunities to grow — something which most businesses acknowledge.

That’s why recent social media marketing and FB stats show 9 in 10 marketers leverage Facebook.

That said, using it for marketing is one thing, and using it effectively is another.

To do that you must understand how people use Facebook.

This is where this post can help.

Here’s a list of all important Facebook facts you need to know. But first, let’s introduce you to some…

Fascinating Facts

Alright, let’s get started. Have you ever wondered how many people in the world are on Facebook?

1. 2.45 billion people used Facebook at least once a month in Q3, 2019.

(Source: Statista)

Facebook is the number one social networking site. Given its huge popularity, you might be wondering: How many Facebook users were there in 2019?

The answer is a lot. It had nearly 2.45 billion monthly users. That’s about 7 times the US population!

2. Facebook users make 5000 status updates every minute and upload 4000 photos every second in 2019.

(Source: Omnicore)

To put this in perspective — 16,000 photos were uploaded and 330 status updates were made by the time you finished reading this stat!

3. 68% of Americans used Facebook in 2018.

(Source: Pew Research Centre)

When you consider Facebook is the top social networking site in the US, it’s natural to ask yourself, ”How many people are on Facebook, exactly?”

Well, the answer is a lot. 68% of US adults use it, and a staggering three-quarters of them log in every day!

4. Facebook users uploaded 350 million photos every single day in 2017.

(Source: Statista)

Nearly 55% of users upload photos regularly — making sharing photos the second-most popular Facebook activity.

5. Facebook gets 8 billion daily video views.

(Source: TechCrunch)

Recent Facebook video statistics prove users love watching videos, including commercial ones. This means businesses that don’t post engaging videos might be doing themselves a huge disservice (and their competitors a huge favor).

6. 88% of people use Facebook on mobile.

(Source: Hootsuite)

Almost 9 in 10 users access the site via their smartphones or tablets. This fact underlines the importance of optimizing content for mobile.

7. A whopping 93% of marketers advertise on Facebook regularly.

(Source: Sprout Social)

The latest Facebook advertising statistics show most businesses leverage it for marketing — and understandably so. After all, it has more users than any other social networking site.

8. More than 60 million businesses benefit from having a Facebook business page.

(Source: VB)

A business page helps companies to reach out to more people, improve customer engagement, and win more sales. Given these advantages, it’s not surprising Facebook marketing statistics show millions invest time and energy in creating one.

9. Facebook made a profit of $22.1 million in 2018.

(Source: Statista)

Facebook’s net income was $22.1 million in 2018 — up by 28% from 2017.

General Facebook Facts & Stats

What began as a networking site for college students has now grown into the world’s largest social network — something which the following general stats prove beyond doubt.

10. 1 out of every 3 people was on Facebook in 2019.

(Source: Statista)

When you consider Facebook is the most popular social network, it’s natural to ask yourself: “How big is it really? Exactly what percentage of the world’s population is on Facebook?”

Going purely by the number of accounts, nearly 30% of the world uses it.

However, the actual figure might be lower. This is because many profiles are fake.

11. Facebook disabled 583 million fake accounts in the first quarter of 2018.

(Source: Facebook Newsroom)

Looks like someone has been busy spring cleaning! But the problem for Facebook is thousands of new fake accounts are created every day. So keeping the house clean is a huge challenge (if not a Sisyphean task).  

12. 32.7 million people used Facebook in the UK in 2018.

(Source: eMarketer)

Brits use this social network platform more than others. Given this, you might be wondering: What percentage of the UK is on Facebook? Well, the answer is roughly 50%.

13. Facebook was the fifth most valuable brand in 2018.

(Source: Inc.)

The social network behemoth is fast climbing the ranks to become one of the most powerful brands, as branding statistics also demonstrate. Currently, it’s ranked fifth — behind Samsung, Google, Apple, and Amazon.

14. Facebook.com is the third most visited site in 2019.

(Source: Lifewire)

Facebook is the biggest social media platform, with billions of daily users. So it’s no surprise Facebook statistics for 2019 show it features in the list of the top 3 sites. Only Google.com and YouTube.com get more visitors than Facebook.

15. Facebook is the second-most downloaded mobile app.

(Source: Inc.)

Millions of apps have come and gone — but Facebook has stood the test of time. Currently, it is the second-most popular app. In case you’re wondering, WhatsApp (owned by Facebook) is the number one.

16. 2 billion people have watched a Facebook Live broadcast.

(Source: Engadget)

Facebook entered the live-streaming niche quite late in 2016 — but gained momentum quickly. The latest Facebook live stats in 2019 confirm this. It is now one of the most popular live-streaming platforms, even though it lags severely behind Twitch.tv.

17. Facebook acquired WhatsApp for a staggering $19 billion in 2014.

(Source: TechCrunch)

The social network behemoth paid a hefty sum for WhatsApp. However, the purchase has turned out to be a great one. Today, WhatsApp is the most downloaded app — with a mind-blowing 1.5 billion users!  

18. Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in 2012.

(Source: The New York Times)

Looks like Mark Zuckerberg has the Midas touch! Instagram’s value was $100 billion in 2018 — that’s a 100-fold return on investment in only 6 years! Would you like to find out more about Facebook’s younger sibling? Then check out these incredible Instagram statistics.

19. Facebook’s net worth is nearly $138 billion.

(Source: Mail Online)

According to Facebook statistics, the online giant is worth $138.3 billion. To put this in perspective, if Facebook were a country, it would be richer than Kuwait (the sixth largest oil producer in the world)!

20. Users spend 927 million hours per month playing Facebook games.

(Source: jeffbullas.com)

The social gaming bug has bitten millions of people. In a survey involving 500+ million Facebook users, 53% said they use the platform to play games.

21. Nearly 1.6 billion people used Facebook daily in 2018.

(Source: Facebook)

Facebook has a wider user base than any other social network. Given this, you might be wondering: How many Facebook users use it daily?

The answer is a lot. 1.62 billion people log in every day!

22. Facebook had more than 35,000 employees in 2018.

(Source: Statista)

To keep up with nearly one-third of the world’s population, you require a lot of employees.

23. Facebook was the first social network to have 2 billion active users.

(Source: Statista)

Facebook reached the 2-billion-users mark in 2017.

Considering 2017 was a special year for the social network giant, you might be wondering: How many users did Facebook have in 2017?

Well, the answer is 2.1 billion.

24. 400 new users join Facebook every minute.

(Source: Omnicore)

That’s almost 7 new users per second!

25. Facebook is banned in China.

(Source: Mother Jones)

Beijing declared Facebook off limits in 2009. Since then, Mark Zuckerberg has made many attempts to get the ban lifted — including shaking hands with President Xi Jinping! But nothing has worked so far.

26. There are 210 million Facebook users in the US in 2019 (but there’s one country that has more).

(Source: Statista)

Want to know the number of Facebook users by country? You might be in for a surprise. Facebook penetration is highest in the US — but it is India that has the maximum number of users.

India has 300 million while the US has 210 million. Only two other countries have more than 100 million Facebook users: Brazil and Indonesia.

27. Cristiano Ronaldo has 122 million likes.

(Source: The Daily Dot)

The Juventus and Portugal soccer superstar is the most liked person on Facebook. He has a hefty lead of 22 million likes over singer Shakira, who’s second.

Now let’s check out what all these billions of people actually do on Facebook.

Facebook Usage Statistics!

Have you ever wondered how much time people spend on Facebook every day? Well, let’s find out.

28. The average user spent 41 minutes per day on Facebook in 2018.

(Source: The Motley Fool)

This statistic proves people continue to spend a lot of time on Facebook.

29. People open Facebook 8 times a day on average.

(Source: Smart Insights)

Users not only spend a considerable amount of time on Facebook daily — but also check it pretty frequently.

30. 65% of monthly users opened Facebook daily in 2018.

(Source: market.us)

There are 2.32 billion Facebook unique users. Out of these, 1.52 billion use the platform every day.

31. 200 million people have joined meaningful Facebook Groups.

(Source: Hootsuite)

Meaningful groups offer like-minded users a space to share ideas, seek advice, and have more candid conversations. Many of these are secret groups, meaning you can join them only through an invite.

32. Over 300 million people used Facebook Stories every day in 2018.

(Source: Engadget)

Facebook launched the Stories feature in 2017. Within just 12 months, more than 300 million people were using it daily. If the recent Facebook stats are any indication, this number will only increase. In a survey, 6 out of 10 users said they plan to use Stories more.

33. 43% of Americans used Facebook to get their news in 2018.

(Source: Pew Research Centre)

Facebook is the number one platform for online news consumption. 43% of US adults use it to get at least some of their news. YouTube — used by 21% of US adults — is second.

Now let’s check out some facts about:

Facebook Demographics

Almost everybody loves Facebook — but not equally. Certain age groups use it more than others. Which are those? Let’s find out.

32. 6 in 10 US adults aged 50-64 used Facebook in 2018.

(Source: Pew Research Centre)

This statistic debunks the popular belief that older adults do not like social networking sites. 65% of them have a Facebook profile.

35. The number of American Facebook users aged 65 and up doubled to 41% in 2018.

(Source: Pew Research Centre)

More senior citizens are using Facebook than ever before. In 2012, only 20% of older American adults used the platform — while 41% used it in 2018.

36. The average age of Facebook user in the US is 40.5 years.

(Source: Chron)

This comes as no surprise because most of its users are 45 or younger.

37. Only half of American teens were on Facebook in 2018.

(Source: Pew Research Centre)

Facebook is losing its teen users thick and fast. 21% of them have abandoned the platform in the last 3 years.

Given this, it comes as no surprise Facebook is no longer the most popular social media platform among America’s youth. YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat are all ahead of it.

38. 83% of women in the US are on Facebook, compared to 73% men.

(Source: Sprout Social)

Wondering who uses Facebook more — men or women?

The answer is the latter. Arguably, women are more expressive and willing to share, which might explain this.

39. 1.1 billion Facebook users post in English.

(Source: we are social)

Spanish is the second-most popular language on Facebook — with 310 million users. Indonesian (170 million) is third, while Arabic and Portuguese share the fourth spot — with 150 million users each.

40. About 9 out of every 10 online users aged between 18 and 29 are on Facebook.

(Source: ADWEEK)

Recent Facebook demographics stats show 18-29 year-olds are most active. 88% of online users in this age bracket use the platform. The next most active group is 30-49, with 84% having a profile.

41. Nearly 8 in 10 Facebook users are college graduates.

(Source: Sprout Social)

Facebook users tend to be well educated. 82% of them have attended at least some college, while 79% are college graduates.

Now let’s look at the latest

Facebook Marketing Statistics

Here are some facts to give you an overview of how people are engaging with brands on Facebook.

42. 39% of people follow brands on Facebook to receive a special offer.

(Source: Kentico)

There’s no such thing as a free lunch — or a free Facebook like, for that matter! If you want users to follow your brand, you’ll have to offer them something in return.

Strategies that can help you build a strong following include running a contest, handing out a discount, and hosting a sweepstake.

43. Nearly 8 out of every 10 American consumers have discovered new products on Facebook.

(Source: Kleiner Perkins)

Facebook is boosting new product discovery — 78% of 18-34 year-olds use it to find new products.

44. The average organic reach of a post is 6.4% of the Page’s total likes.

(Source: we are social)

Recent Facebook statistics show having a large number of page likes doesn’t guarantee a high viewership. If you want more people to read your posts, you’ll have to produce engaging content.

45. Facebook influences purchasing decisions more than similar platforms.

(Source: Marketing Dive)

Social media influences the purchasing decisions of 57% of consumers — with Facebook being the most inspiring platform. A whopping 44% of users said it influenced their buying decisions more than other platforms.

46. Content longer than 1500 words enjoys 22.6% more Facebook likes.

(Source: SWEOR)

The latest Facebook user stats show people engage more with long-form content.

47. 32% of users engage with brands regularly.

(Source: ecommerceCEO)

To put this in perspective, 742.4 million people regularly interact with brands on Facebook.

48. 9 out of 10 social media advertisers use Facebook Ads.

(Source: Marketing Wire)

Facebook is advertisers’ favorite platform— and understandably so. It has 2.32 billion users, significantly more than any other social media platform.

49. The best time to post on Facebook is between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

(Source: Hootsuite)

When you post content matters more than you might think. Facebook post statistics show content published on weekdays — except Tuesday — gets more likes, shares, comments, and click-throughs.

50. 70% of marketers use Facebook to attract new customers.

(Source: soravjain.com)

Considering 2.32 billion people use Facebook, it is hardly surprising 7 out of every 10 marketers use it for marketing.

51. 47% of marketers said Facebook has the biggest impact on purchases.

(Source: soravjain.com)

More and more people are using the platform to find new products, engage with their favorite brands — and make purchases.

52. 24% of consumers who contact a brand expect a Facebook customer service response within 30 minutes.

(Source: Convince&Convert)

Consumers don’t just want quality customer service. They want it fast. 24% of consumers want a reply within half-an-hour — while 42% aren’t ready to wait a minute longer than an hour.

53. 71% of social media complaints are logged on Facebook.

(Source: Hubspot)

3 out of every 10 people use Facebook — and many access it multiple times daily. So it’s not surprising nearly three-fourths of consumers prefer to use it to lodge a complaint.

54. 57% of consumers expect the response time at nights and on weekends to be as quick as during standard working hours.

(Source: Brand24)

When customers contact Facebook customer service, they want a quick resolution — regardless of the time and day.

55. The most effective length for Facebook ad headlines is 5 words.

(Source: Adespresso)

If those 5 words don’t capture your readers’ imagination, you will lose them — like sand falling through the fingers.

56. 8 out of every 10 consumers don’t like videos with auto-playing sound.

(Source: Facebook Business)

Many people check their Facebook feed in public, e.g. in a cafe. Playing noisy content in such places can make them unpopular. So it’s not surprising that recent Facebook ad statistics show 80% of users prefer ads that don’t play sound automatically.

If you’re using Facebook for marketing, make sure viewers can easily and comprehensively understand your videos with the sound turned off.

57. Captioned video ads increase view time by 12%.

(Source: Facebook Business)

Adding a nice, descriptive caption could prove to be the difference between whether people watch your content or not.

58. 1 out of every 5 Facebook videos is a live broadcast.

(Source: Facebook Business)

According to the latest Facebook live stats, 20% of videos are live stream. Also, people spend three times more time watching live videos than those that are no longer live.

59. Facebook users are 5 times more likely to view videos on their smartphones.

(Source: Facebook Business)

This shows businesses that don’t optimize their Facebook videos for mobile viewing are missing out on a huge audience. Are you one of them?

60. People share video content more than other types of content.

(Source: Mari Smith)

Recent Facebook statistics show users are more likely to share videos with their Facebook friends.

61. Your video ads have just 3 seconds to capture viewers’ attention.

(Source: Facebook Business)

The average user has a shorter attention span than a goldfish! If you fail to impress them straight away, you probably never will.

62. The average cost per click (CPC) for Facebook Ads is $1.72.

(Source: WordStream)

However, recent stats on Facebook show CPC varies greatly from one industry to another. Therefore, use your industry’s average — not the overall average — to measure your campaign’s effectiveness.

63. The average click-through rate (CTR) is 0.9%.

(Source: WordStream)

Just like CPC, CTR varies from one industry to another. So consider using your industry’s average CTR rather than the overall average.

64. Facebook earned $40 billion in revenue in 2017. Only in Q3 of 2019, the social media got $17.7 billion.

(Source: Investopedia, Statista)

Facebook statistics show 9 out of every 10 marketers advertise on Facebook. Given this, it’s hardly surprising the platform makes billions of dollars every year.

65. Nearly 1 in every 5 people who click on ads make a purchase.

(Source: Sparkcentral)

According to a survey, 26% of users who click on Facebook ads end up making a purchase.  This goes to show there’s a strong selling potential if you can connect with your target audience.

66. 60% of consumers will spend more time watching videos in the future.

(Source: Facebook Business)

Facebook user statistics for 2019 showed businesses that continue to invest in video marketing will have a better reach than those who don’t.

67. The average cost per ad increased by 17% in Q2 2018.

(Source: Facebook)

An increase of 17% at one go is indeed steep — but not completely surprising. Facebook has more users than any other social media platform. Hence, there’s a massive demand for its ad space.

68. The ad impressions have also increased by 21%.

(Source: Facebook)

Here’s some good news for marketers. Even though ad costs have increased, recent Facebook stats show more people are watching them now.

Now, let’s look at the:

Latest Developments

What does the future of Facebook look like? Will user base continue to grow? Let’s find out.

69. Facebook will have nearly 223 million users in the US in 2023.

(Source: Statista)

223.2 million Americans will be on Facebook in 2023 — up from 221 million in 2019.

70. Facebook will use artificial intelligence (AI) to stop telling users to invite dead people to their parties.

(Source: The Guardian)

The biggest social networking site is a colossal digital graveyard — something which the latest Facebook statistics prove. Nearly 50 million of its users are no longer alive.  

At present, Facebook can’t tell the living from the dead. Because of this, it sends reminders to people to say hello to their dead friends.

Such messages cause a lot of distress to those who are grieving. Facebook wants to make the site easier for these people by using AI to stop sending such reminders.

71. Facebook will earn nearly $60 billion from mobile ads in 2021.

(Source: Statista)

You can’t complete a long list of Facebook statistics without including this important fact. It shows the platform will continue to be marketers’ top choice in the future as well.

Facebook’s revenue from mobile ads will be $60.68 billion in 2021. That’s an increase of a whopping 43% over 3 years!

72. Facebook is building a censorship tool to re-enter China.

(Source: Al Jazeera)

China has more internet users than any other country — 746 million and counting. Given this, it’s not surprising Mark Zuckerberg badly wants to re-enter the Chinese market. His team is reportedly working on a censorship tool to convince Beijing to give Facebook another chance.

73. Facebook will have 444 million users in India in 2023.

(Source: Statista)

The latest stats about Facebook show India will have the largest number of users in the future as well. 444 million Indians will use the platform in 2023. That’s an increase of nearly 130 million over 4 years!

Finally, it’s time for some:

Fun Facts

Did you know a blogger hired a woman to slap him every time he veered toward Facebook? Here are some lesser known — but very interesting — facts about the largest social network.

74. Al Pacino featured on the original Facebook homepage.

(Source: Business Insider)

The front page used to feature a man’s face obscured partly by binary code. While he was known simply as the “Facebook guy,” his identity was a secret — until recently.

Thanks to David Kirkpatrick — a technology journalist and the author of Facebook Effect — we now know this face was Al Pacino’s.

75. The average Facebook user has more than 300 friends.

(Source: Big Think)

Recent Facebook user statistics show the average user has 338 friends. That’s a lot of virtual friends!

76. Facebook loses $24,420 per minute when its site goes down.

(Source: The Atlantic)

To put this in perspective, a two-and-a-half minute outage costs Facebook what the average American earns in a year!

77. A blogger hired a woman to slap him every time he’s on Facebook.

(Source: Bored Panda)

Ouch, that might’ve hurt! It’s one painful way of becoming less socially networked and more productive in life.

78. 5% of Brits check Facebook during sex.

(Source: Time)

Facebook usage stats don’t get crazier than this! Many Brits just can’t wait until they’re done to find out what their friends are up to!

79. Facebook is blue because Mark Zuckerberg is colorblind.

(Source: CNN)

Mark is red-green colorblind. The color he sees best is blue — and that’s why Facebook has this color. The fact that blue is strongly associated with trust, order, and loyalty helps as well.

80. 39% of Facebook users are connected to people they’ve never met.

(Source: Marketing Wire)

According to the latest statistics on Facebook, almost 4 in 10 users have Facebook friends whom they’ve never met.

81. Mark Zuckerberg earns $6 million a day — even though his salary is $1.

(Source: CNBC)

I guess when you’re that rich, you can afford to work for free!

82. You can change your Facebook language to Pirate.

(Source: instructables)

Turning your Facebook language to English (Pirate) is a lot of fun. The only hazard is you may fall into the habit of calling your friends sea dogs and wenches! Savvy?

83. Facebook is the third-most popular smartphone app.

(Source: Mail Online)

Recent Facebook stats show it is the third-most popular app on mobile — after email and the browser.

84. Smartphone users check Facebook 14 times a day on average.

(Source: NBC News)

Worried you’re turning into a Facebook fanatic? Well, if you don’t log in within 15 minutes of waking up— or l4 times a day — you’re actually normal. Congratulations!

85. 33% of people feel bad about themselves after a Facebook visit.

(Source: Time)

Those Facebook photos of friends partying should be making people happy — but they aren’t. Facebook stats show 1 in 3 users feel worse after visiting Facebook.

86. There are 50 million dead people on Facebook.

(Source: The Sun)

Facebook is the biggest digital graveyard.  It has 10 times more dead people than the world’s biggest cemetery — Wadi-us-Salaam in Iraq!

87. If Facebook were a country, it would be the largest in the world.

(Source: Zephoria)

Facebook has 2.32 billion users — 65% more than China’s population.

Wrapping up

Facebook is the world’s most popular social network site. And there’s every reason to believe it’ll stay at the top position for many more years.

Already 30% of the world is using it — and 720,000 new users join every day.  

That said, the platform is not only popular with the average person. Marketers love it, too.

Recent Facebook statistics show 93% of businesses use it.

If you’re a marketer yourself, this means both your customers and competitors are on Facebook.

In other words, the social network site can help you grow — but first, you’ll have to find a way to pull ahead of the competition.

By keeping these latest statistics in mind, you’ll have a better chance to develop a winning Facebook marketing strategy.

Here’s the bottom line:

A winning Facebook marketing strategy is one that will help you attract new customers, beat the competition, and take your business to the next level.