21+ Top Twitter Statistics For 2024: Usage, Demographics, Trends
Thinking of using Twitter as part of your digital marketing strategy?
Almost every company has a Twitter account, but many favor more popular platforms like Instagram and Facebook when planning their ad campaigns.
However, Twitter is a formidable platform with a lot of potential, and it shouldn’t be overlooked.
In this article, we will cover over 21 Twitter statistics & trends that every marketer should know.
Editor’s picks
- 1 in 5 US adults use Twitter. (Pew Research)
- Around 48 Million Twitter ‘users’ are thought to be bots. (CNBC)
- 339.6 million people can be reached with ads on Twitter. (We Are Social)
Twitter usage statistics
Let’s start with some Twitter usage statistics to give you an idea of just how popular the platform is in 2022.
1 in 5 US adults use Twitter
According to a study conducted by Pew Research into US adults using social media, 1 in 5 reported using Twitter on a regular basis. Although this is slightly less than use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, it’s still a hugely popular social media platform amongst US adults.
Source: Pew Research
In 2020, Twitter had 178 million monetizable daily, active users
In 2020, Twitter switched from reporting their actual users to reporting their monetizable daily average users. This refers to actual people that are logging into Twitter on a daily basis. A whopping 178 million people use Twitter on a daily basis, with the number of overall users standing at around 330 million.
Source: Twitter
The number of Twitter users is expected to grow by 2.4% in 2021
Although Twitter has been around for a long time, it’s still growing in popularity year on year. According to eMarketer’s research, they predict a 2.4% rise in users in 2021. Comparatively, in 2020, eMarketer predicted a similar rise in users, and the actual rise was around 8.9%, showing that Twitter’s growth is exceeding predictions year on year.
Source: eMarketer
Around 48 Million Twitter ‘users’ are thought to be bots
Twitter has a huge amount of active users, but a study referenced by CNBC shows that around 48 million accounts or more are actually bot accounts. That equates to almost 15% of Twitter’s total users. However, this figure isn’t as shocking as it seems, as most social platforms have a similar amount of bot activity.
Source: CNBC
Approximately 500 Million tweets are made every day
If you were unsure whether Twitter was still an active platform, this figure gives us a firm answer — yes! 500 million tweets per day equates to 350,000 tweets per minute or 2 billion per year.
Source: David Sayce
Twitter demographics statistics
Here are some statistics about Twitter demographics to give you an idea of what types of audiences can be reached by Twitter.
70% of Twitter users are men
Unlike platforms like Instagram, Twitter is a fairly male-dominated arena. According to a study by Statista around 70% of its users are male adults. This statistic was as of October 2020. This is great to know if your business’s target audience is predominantly male.
Source: Statista
The US has the highest number of Twitter users by country
According to Statista, 68.7 Million Twitter users are from the US. This is the highest number of users in a single country, which isn’t that surprising given the size of the US and the population’s inclination to using social media.
Source: Statista
However most Twitter users are outside the US
Although 67.8 million US are US-based, the total of all users outside the US is actually higher than this. Around 261 million users live outside of the US and after the United States, Twitter is most used in Japan and India.
Source: Statista
38% of Twitter Users are 18-29 years old
Like most social platforms, Twitter is extremely popular amongst young adults. According to Pew Research, 38% of US adults that reported using Twitter regularly fall into the 18-29 age bracket. Alternatively, Twitter is extremely unpopular with older age groups. Only 7% of US adults that reported using Twitter were 65+.
Source: Pew Research
31% of Twitter users earn $75,000 or more per year
The same Pew Research study showed that 31% of US adults who reported using Twitter earn $75,000+ per year. Alternatively, only 20% reported earning less than $30,000 per year.
Source: Pew Research
Twitter trends statistics
Want to understand what makes Twitter users tick? These stats are all about popular Twitter trends and users.
Barack Obama is the most followed person on Twitter with 111m followers
Twitter is a great platform for staying abreast of politics, so it comes as no surprise that Barack Obama is the most followed person on Twitter. With over 110 million followers, Obama has held the top spot for quite a while, as he was particularly active on the platform during his presidency.
Source: Brandwatch
But Taylor Swift is the most influential
Despite having fewer followers than Obama, Taylor Swift was dubbed most influential in a study by Brandwatch last year. The queen of pop was closely followed by Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Source: Brandwatch
#COVID19 was used around 400 million times on Twitter in 2020
It comes as no surprise that the 2020 most used hashtag on Twitter was #COVID19. As many people use Twitter as their first point of contact with world events, it’s common for news-related hashtags to trend. Other popular hashtags in 2020 related to the BLM movement and the Australian bushfires.
Source: Twitter
The ‘face with tears of joy’ or ‘crying laughing’ emoji was used over 2 Billion times on Twitter in 2019
Although politics and news are the main points of conversation on Twitter, most tweets are thought to be overwhelmingly positive. The most used emoji is ‘laughing with tears of joy’ which indicates the positive nature of most tweets and comments.
Source: Emoji Tracker
Donald Trump was the #1 most tweeted about person in 2020
It hardly comes as a surprise that Donald Trump was the most talked-about individual on Twitter in 2020. Whether you love him or hate him, he certainly managed to make waves during his midnight tweeting session throughout the year. Of course, this was until his account got canceled…
Source: Twitter
Twitter marketing statistics
Interested in how Twitter can be used to inform your marketing strategy? Here are some statistics about marketing and advertising on Twitter.
339.6 million people can be reached with ads on Twitter
In 2020, WeAreSocial and Hootsuite teamed up to do a study into the advertising reach of social media. When studying Twitter stats they found that advertisements on Twitter can reach 339.6 million people. From a marketing perspective, this shows just how lucrative Twitter marketing could be for the right type of business.
Source: WeAreSocial, Hootsuite
54% of users reported taking action after seeing a brand mention on Twitter
According to Twitter, brand mentions carry a lot of stock amongst Twitter users, with 54% reporting that they took action after seeing a brand mention. This could mean following the brand account, responding to a call to action, or making a purchase from the brand in question.
Source: Twitter
79% of users reported taking action after seeing a brand mention by the brand and other users on Twitter
In the same way, 79% of Twitter users said that they were more likely to take action after seeing multiple brand mentions for the same brand. According to an article published by Twitter, securing brand mentions from Twitter users and influencers as well as your brand can have a big impact on the success of advertising campaigns.
Source: Twitter
Time spent viewing ads on Twitter is 26% higher than any other social platform
According to Twitter’s own statistics, time spent viewing ads on the platform is as much as 26% higher than any other social platform. If you’re considering running social media ads, this could be something to consider when choosing which platforms to target.
Source: Twitter
59% of B2B businesses use Twitter for digital marketing purposes
Although social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are extremely popular places to run B2B ad campaigns, many B2B businesses also realize the value of running campaigns on Twitter too.
Twitter is a popular platform for businesses making it a hotspot for marketing to other businesses. 59% of B2B businesses are already getting a slice of the Twitter action, perhaps it could be right for your business too!
On a side note, If you want to save time marketing to other businesses on Twitter, check out our posts on Twitter automation tools or tweet schedulers.
Source: Statista
Final thoughts
And that’s a wrap — over 21 interesting and useful Twitter statistics that help us to better understand just how Twitter works.
With so many people using the platform, it’s always a good idea to have a Twitter presence for your business but Twitter also offers some great advertising opportunities.
From a marketing perspective, Twitter has a lot of potential and could be the right platform for you depending on the demographic of your target audience.
Hopefully, these stats have helped you decide whether Twitter is the right place to devote your social media marketing budget.
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