X (Twitter) ranks low in terms of user base compared to major social media platforms

Social media platforms are continuing to break records in terms of the number of users they have and some of the platforms already have over billions of active users. X, formerly known as Twitter, remains one of the few popular social media platforms that has not reached the 1 billion mark in terms of user count.

As of April 2026, X (Twitter) had around 450 million monthly active users worldwide, which is too low compared to popular social media platforms with the most users.

Looking at social media numbers alongside other digital platforms help in putting these trends into perspective. For example, the analysis of Spotify statistics as a leading audio streaming platform shows how different digital platforms experience user growth, engagement, and market expansion despite serving completely different purposes.

X/Twitter vs top social media platforms

Social media platforms are continuing to attracting millions of audiences each month but Facebook, Instagram and other platforms currently have over 1 billion users which is much higher than their competitor X (see chart 1 below).

Chart 1: Graph showing top social media platforms and the number of users. Data Source:- DataReportal

According to available advertisement reach data of leading social media platforms, YouTube has 2.65 billion monthly active users followed by Facebook with 2.39 billion active users, making them the top two platforms with the most number of users worldwide. TikTok ranks closely behind the top two with 2.21 billion users, while Instagram and LinkedIn each boast over a billion users.

With other major platforms recording billions of users as seen in chart 1 above, X user base growth has reduced, with the platform recording around 450 million active users as of April 2026, a reduction from 455 million users as reported in January 2026.

X/Twitter number of users trend from 2017 to 2026

X, previously known as Twitter, experienced user growth until two years ago when it lost over 100 million users. I have summarized X/Twitter user statistics in the previous years and added them in the table below.

Chart 2: Graph showing number of X/Twitter trend. Data Source:- Our world data, Statista, X/Twitter, Analyzify, X Business, DataReport

This statistical report about X comes as a surprise given that this is a platform with so much impact globally due to its communication power.

Statistics on how X/Twitter is used by the audience

With the surprising trend of user, the interesting part is that X(Twitter) keeps showing that influence in this digital age is not always about numbers but all about the conversations, culture, and real time engagement it has.

An example is that X is the social media platform that is majorly used for news and updates, with 57% of its users focus on getting news from it (see chart 3).

Chart 3: Graph on how X users use the platform for news. Data source:- Pew Reaserch Center

X/Twitter operates in a different lane, it may not compete in numbers of users but it dominates when it comes to some valuable conversations.

Without actually praising the platform, we have seen that most of the news is first communicated through the platform before it spreads anywhere else making it a place of real time information, where trends begin. This shows why having one billion users is not actually a measure of global dominance.

Other statistics on how people use X are as summarized below on the table below.

How useful is X/Twitter number of users?

If you are planning to use X as a marketer, content creator or just a business person what should bother you is not about the platform number of users but the perfect people to communicate with. Do some market research for your objective and strategies with the smaller number you have gained from a particular platform.

Businesses should evaluate each platform based on their campaign objectives and audience rather than choosing the one with the largest user base. I even wrote a comparison of the best social media platform for running ads targeting Kenyan consumers that explains how Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X perform for different marketing goals, so if you target is in that country you can have a glimpse of it. Cheers!