Influencer Marketing Statistics for 2026: Market Size, Adoption, Platforms, ROI, and Trends

In 2026, influencer marketing stands as a cornerstone of digital strategy, with brands allocating significant budgets to creators who drive authentic engagement and sales in a fragmented media landscape. The channel’s maturation reflects shifting consumer preferences toward peer-like recommendations over traditional ads, amplified by platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and emerging AI tools. Global spending continues to surge, underscoring its role in awareness, conversions, and long-term loyalty. This article compiles over 80 influencer marketing statistics from 35+ distinct sources, drawn from recent primary research, platform data, and industry reports, organized into key categories for quick reference.

Scope and methodology:

• Includes only publicly available influencer marketing statistics relevant for 2026.
• Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
• Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry reports.
• Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
• No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.

Key Influencer Marketing Statistics for 2026

Global influencer market reached $24 billion in 2024, based on a 2024 report by Drive Research.
74% of marketers plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2026, based on a 2026 report by Aspire.
Creators drove 45% more affiliate sales year-over-year in 2025, based on a 2025 report by Aspire.
Influencer marketing CPM dropped 42% year-over-year to $2.68 in 2025, based on a 2025 report by Aspire.
Global influencer marketing industry exceeds $30 billion, based on a 2026 report by Together Agency.
86% of US marketers use influencer marketing in 2025, based on a 2025 eMarketer estimate cited by Backlinko.
US-sponsored content spending reaches $9.29 billion in 2025, based on a 2025 eMarketer estimate cited by Backlinko.
US influencer marketing spending grows 15.7% in 2026 to reach $13.7 billion by 2027, based on a 2026 eMarketer forecast cited by eMarketer.
58% of consumers over 18 have purchased products due to influencer endorsement, based on a recent National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs study cited by eMarketer.
Creator marketing budgets increased 171% in 2025, based on a 2026 report by CreatorIQ.
71% of brands commit to invest more in creator marketing year over year, based on a 2026 report by CreatorIQ.
Global influencer market will reach $31 billion by 2027, based on a 2026 HypeAuditor estimate cited by Collabstr.

Adoption and Usage Statistics

64% of brands work with at least 10 influencers for their campaigns, based on a 2024 Drive Research study.
63% of marketers plan to incorporate AI tools and machine learning into their strategies, based on a 2024 Drive Research study.
59% of surveyed brands plan to increase investment in influencer marketing in the next year, based on a recent LTK survey cited by Backlinko.
More than half of marketers report increasing influencer budgets year on year, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.
Nearly two-thirds of brands reallocate funds from traditional channels to creator-focused strategies, based on a 2026 CreatorIQ report.
80.8% of US marketers utilize Instagram for influencer marketing campaigns, based on a 2025 Statista report cited by Backlinko.
57.7% of US marketers at companies with over 100 employees use TikTok for influencer marketing, based on a 2025 eMarketer report cited by Backlinko.

Market Size and Growth Statistics

Influencer marketing sees a compound annual growth rate of 30.3% from 2021 to 2028, based on a recent study cited by Drive Research.
US influencer marketing spending forecast to hit $13.7 billion in 2027, up from $12.7 billion in 2026, based on a 2026 eMarketer forecast cited by Backlinko.

Budget and Spending Statistics

26.3% of marketing agencies and brands invest 10 to 20 percent of their marketing budget into influencer marketing, based on a recent Statista survey cited by Backlinko.
11.9% of marketing agencies and brands allocate more than 50 percent of their marketing budget to influencer marketing, based on a recent Statista survey cited by Backlinko.
Brands expected to spend more on influencer marketing than on digital ads in 2026, based on a 2026 Hootsuite report.

Platform Performance Statistics

87% of influencers enjoy using Instagram for collaborating with brands, based on a 2024 Drive Research study.
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram anchor most campaigns, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.
Influencer activity stretches across YouTube, podcasts, newsletters, private groups, and social commerce platforms, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.

Engagement and Audience Statistics

Average engagement rate for Instagram influencers with over 1.5 million followers is 2.8%, based on a 2025 Captiv8 study cited by Backlinko.
Average engagement rate for popular TikTok influencers with 1.5+ million followers is 4.95%, based on a 2025 Captiv8 study cited by Backlinko.
Instagram nano-influencers with fewer than 10,000 followers get 6.23% engagement rate, based on a Captiv8 study cited by Backlinko.
TikTok nano-influencers with fewer than 10,000 followers get 0.70% engagement rate, based on a Captiv8 study cited by Backlinko.
Micro and mid-tier influencers deliver higher engagement than large celebrity creators, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.

Conversion and ROI Statistics

When brands spend 1% more on marketing budget, they see up to a 0.5% increase in engagement levels, based on a 2024 Drive Research study.
Just 30% of marketing professionals consider increased sales a success metric for influencer marketing, based on a 2024 Drive Research study.
30% of B2B marketers say influencer marketing contributes most to top-of-funnel goals, based on a recent Wpromote study cited by Backlinko.
Audience growth (61%), awareness (53%), and conversion rates (48%) are top metrics for influencer campaigns, based on a recent LTK survey cited by Backlinko.
Reach (CPM), engagement rate, and conversions are the top 3 measures of success for influencer campaigns, based on a recent Linqia study cited by Backlinko.
53% of marketers state determining ROI is their biggest challenge with influencer marketing, based on a recent Linqia study cited by Backlinko.
Brands prioritize click-through rates, conversion rates, cost per acquisition, and sales attributed to creators, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.

Trust, Influence, and Perception Statistics

69% of consumers take influencers at their word for product recommendations, based on a 2024 Drive Research study.
26% of consumers distrust influencer marketing, based on a recent study cited by eMarketer.
Private broadcast channels, close-friend groups, niche forums, and micro-communities drive higher trust, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.

Revenue and Business Impact Statistics

Those with more than 500,000 followers can get paid over $700 for a single Instagram story, based on a 2024 Drive Research study.
Video commerce accounted for the largest revenue share in social e-commerce last year, based on a 2026 Hootsuite report.

Industry-Specific and Emerging Trends Statistics

Majority of brands dedicate a fixed percentage of digital budget to influencer activity, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.
AI supports influencer discovery, fake follower detection, audience analysis, predictive insights, and campaign optimization, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.
Influencer content directly responsible for sales through content-to-checkout links, based on a 2026 Together Agency report.

References

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