Facebook was once the most popular social media platform, but in recent years it has faced declining usage, especially among younger demographics. However, Facebook still has billions of users worldwide, so it remains one of the top social networks.
How Many People Use Facebook?
According to Facebook’s own statistics from 2023, the platform has around 2.91 billion monthly active users globally. While growth has slowed in North America and Europe, Facebook continues to add users in Asia, Africa, and South America. This makes Facebook the largest social network worldwide based on monthly active users.
Facebook’s number of daily active users is 1.96 billion on average. So almost 2 billion people log onto Facebook every single day. The percentage of worldwide internet users who visit Facebook each month is around 75%.
Facebook Users by Age
There is a generational divide when it comes to Facebook usage. Over 80% of online adults between 18-29 years old say they use Facebook. But that percentage declines in older demographics. Only around half of internet users 65+ say they use Facebook.
| Age Group | Percentage Who Use Facebook |
|---|---|
| 18-29 years old | 81% |
| 30-49 years old | 77% |
| 50-64 years old | 73% |
| 65+ years old | 48% |
Younger people are moving away from Facebook and toward platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. But Facebook remains popular among middle-aged and older demographics.
Facebook Usage by Country
Facebook is the top social media platform in most countries across North and South America, Europe, Australia, and much of Asia. Some countries where an unusually high percentage of the population uses Facebook include:
- Phillipines: 97%
- Thailand: 94%
- South Africa: 92%
- Malaysia: 91%
- Mexico: 91%
However, Facebook is either banned or not widely used in China, Iran, and North Korea due to government restrictions. And younger demographics in developing nations are skipping Facebook to adopt newer social apps instead.
Is Facebook Losing Users?
The number of Americans who say they use Facebook has dropped in recent years from 79% in 2017 to 61% in 2022, according to Pew Research surveys. And globally, Facebook’s user growth has stalled.
Facebook reported losing daily users for the first time ever in Q4 2021, with a drop of roughly 1 million daily users in North America. In 2022, Facebook’s global daily active users declined slightly once again. This indicates Facebook may have reached saturation in developed nations.
| Year | Facebook Daily Active Users |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1.84 billion |
| 2021 | 1.93 billion |
| 2022 | 1.96 billion |
Competition from other social apps like TikTok is also drawing users away, particularly Generation Z. And Facebook has taken hits to its reputation in recent years, like the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This has likely contributed to some users leaving.
Teen Usage Declining
Among teenagers, Facebook use is plummeting. A Piper Sandler survey found only 22% of teens in Fall 2022 said they use Facebook, down from 72% in Spring 2016.
Meanwhile, 95% of teens surveyed said they use YouTube and 67% said they use TikTok. These visual-forward, video-centric apps are stealing Facebook’s thunder among younger generations.
Why Do People Still Use Facebook?
Despite Facebook’s stagnating growth and loss of younger users, there are still several reasons why billions continue using it:
Network Effect
Facebook has over 2.9 billion active accounts. For many people, a huge portion of their friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances already have Facebook accounts. This network effect incentivizes ongoing use of Facebook.
Features
Facebook offers a range of features including news feeds, messaging, groups, events, games, dating, and more. The breadth of Facebook’s app ecosystem helps retain users.
Brand Recognition
Facebook is one of the most famous technology brands worldwide. It has great brand recognition even among non-users. Familiarity with Facebook’s interface and capabilities leads some to continue using it.
Older Demographics
While younger people use Facebook less, it remains popular among users 30 and older. Older demographics may not be as aware of newer social media apps. Sticking with familiar Facebook makes sense to them.
International Users
Facebook growth is stagnating in the US and Europe. But it’s still rapidly expanding its user base in developing nations. For many international users, Facebook meets their social media needs.
Will Facebook Disappear?
Given Facebook’s slowing growth and loss of younger users, could the platform eventually meet the fate of once-dominant sites like MySpace and AOL and fade into obscurity?
Facebook will likely remain one of the world’s largest social networks in the near future. It still sees growth in developing markets. And it owns other popular services like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus.
But Facebook may evolve into more of a legacy platform in the long run – widely used by older demographics but abandoned by the youth in favor of the next big social app.
Threats to Facebook
Here are some of the biggest threats facing Facebook over the long term:
- Stiff competition from TikTok and other emerging social media apps.
- A growing negative reputation and lack of trust, particularly among younger generations.
- A shift in preferences away from broadcast social media toward private messaging apps.
- Failure to attract and retain younger users who crave new features and experiences.
On the other hand, Facebook is investing heavily in metaverse technologies like virtual and augmented reality. Facebook has also tried to copy features from competitors to retain users. The company’s massive resources could help it to remain relevant.
The Path Forward
Facebook has a few options to maintain its dominance amid these industry shifts:
- Acquire rising competitor apps like TikTok.
- Build new social media apps targeted at younger demographics.
- Aggressively add video, live-streaming, ecommerce, and other trending features to Facebook’s apps.
- Pivot Facebook’s brand to the metaverse and VR/AR technologies.
- Provide more value to international users in developing nations.
With smart strategy shifts, increased innovation, and acquisitions, Facebook can likely keep its platform relevant. But it faces an uphill battle in regaining its trendiness, especially among teens and young adults.
Conclusion
While Facebook faces declining usage among younger demographics in developed nations, it still has an enormous user base worldwide. Over 2.9 billion people actively use Facebook every month. It remains the top social media platform in most countries.
Facebook’s growth is slowing, but the network effect keeps people engaged. Billions find value in Facebook’s features and convenience, especially older users. However, competition from visually focused apps like TikTok poses a threat. It remains to be seen how Facebook will evolve and maintain relevance in the long run.