Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of the third quarter of 2022. On Facebook, users can connect with friends, family, colleagues, brands, public figures, groups, and more by sending friend requests and following Pages or Profiles. But how exactly does Facebook count the number of followers a user or Page has?
What counts as a follower on Facebook?
On Facebook, a “follower” refers to a user that has subscribed to receive updates from a specific Profile or Page. There are a few ways to become a follower on Facebook:
- Sending a friend request to a Profile that is accepted
- “Liking” or becoming a fan of a Facebook Page
- Following a public Profile or Page without needing approval
So followers on Facebook can include friends, fans of Pages, and subscribers to public Profiles. Friends and subscribers will see posts from that Profile in their News Feed. Fans will see updates from the Pages they’ve liked in their News Feeds.
How are Facebook followers counted?
Facebook displays the number of followers for each Profile and Page. But how does it calculate these follower counts?
Friend Counts
For individual Facebook Profiles, the follower count shown is the number of confirmed friends the user has. Facebook’s algorithm tallies the number of active friend connections for each user to display their friend count.
Specifically, friend counts represent:
- Friends who have accepted the user’s friend request
- Friends who the user has confirmed by accepting their friend request
- Friends who the user sent or received a message from in the last year
Friend requests that are still pending or were rejected do not count as followers. Deactivated or deleted accounts also no longer count towards a user’s friend count.
Page Like Counts
For Facebook Pages, the number of followers shown is the number of users who have liked that Page. Liking a Page automatically follows that Page and signs the user up to see updates from it in their News Feed. Page like counts are a tally of all users who have actively liked that Page and not unliked it later.
Specifically, Page like counts represent:
- Users who have clicked the “Like” button on a Page
- Likes from active users who have not unliked the Page
Unliked Pages and likes from deactivated accounts do not contribute to a Page’s like count. Page likes also include both users liking from desktop and mobile devices.
Public Profile Follower Counts
For public Profiles on Facebook, the follower number shown is the number of users who have actively chosen to follow that Profile. Public Profiles allow anyone on Facebook to follow them without needing approval of a friend request.
Follower counts for public Profiles represent:
- Users who have clicked the “Follow” button on a public Profile
- Follows from users who remain active followers and have not unfollowed
Unfollows and follows from deactivated accounts do not count towards the follower total. Both desktop and mobile follows are included in the count.
How Facebook counts followers over time
Facebook’s follower counts are not just a snapshot – they are calculated dynamically in real-time as followers are added and removed. Facebook uses automated systems to track follows, unfollows, new friend requests, and deactivated accounts to update follower numbers continuously.
Some key points on how Facebook counts followers over time:
- When a new friend request is accepted, the friend count updates immediately for both users.
- Unfriending someone decrements the friend counts for both parties right away.
- New Page likes increment the Page’s like count automatically.
- Unliking a Page subtracts from its like count.
- New follows on public Profiles add to the real-time follower count.
- Unfollowing decrements the follower count.
- Deactivated and deleted accounts are removed from follower counts rapidly.
In addition to automated systems, Facebook also employs human review of suspicious follower activity. This allows them to identify and block fake or bot accounts from artificially inflating follower counts.
Facebook follower counts vs. reach
It’s important to note the difference between Facebook followers and reach. While follower counts reflect subscriptions, reach shows how many unique users actually see content from a Page or Profile.
Examples:
- A Profile may have 500 friends, but a post only reaches 100 of those friends due to News Feed algorithms.
- A Page may have 1 million likes, but a post is only served to 500,000 of those likers based on engagement levels.
So while follower counts indicate the potential audience size, reach determines how many users are actually consuming that content. Pages and Profiles want to drive both followers and engagement to maximize reach.
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook has precise methods for counting followers across Profiles, Pages and public accounts. The key points are:
- Friends represent reciprocal connections between users.
- Page likes come from users who actively liked the Page.
- Profile follows happen when users click to subscribe to public updates.
- Counts are updated dynamically in real time as followers change.
- Reach indicates how many followers actually see content.
Understanding how Facebook tallies followers and the difference between followers vs. reach enables Pages and Profiles to better track their audiences and growth over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Facebook count friends?
Facebook counts friends as the number of reciprocal connections between users who have sent and accepted friend requests. Deactivated or deleted accounts are removed from friend counts.
How does Facebook calculate Page likes?
Page like counts represent the total number of active users who have liked a Facebook Page and not unliked it later. Facebook tracks likes and unlikes in real-time to calculate like counts.
How do public Profiles count followers?
Public Profiles count followers as users who have actively clicked to follow the Profile. Users can follow public Profiles without a friend request.
How often does Facebook update follower counts?
Facebook updates follower counts for Profiles, Pages and public accounts in real-time as users add or remove followers. Automated systems track changes to provide live follower counts.
What’s more important for brands: followers or reach?
While follower counts show potential audience size, reach indicates how many people actually see content. Brands aim to drive both followers and engagement to maximize reach and impact.
Facebook Follower Count Tables
Here are some tables visualizing example Facebook follower data:
| Profile | Followers | Weekly Reach |
|---|---|---|
| John Smith (private account) | 532 friends | 130 friends reached |
| Jane Doe (public account) | 2,417 followers | 852 followers reached |
This table compares follower counts to weekly reach for private and public Profiles.
| Page | Like Count | Weekly Post Reach |
|---|---|---|
| Starbucks | 35.4 million likes | 4.2 million reached |
| Nike | 36.5 million likes | 5.1 million reached |
This table shows Facebook Page like counts compared to average weekly post reach.