Social Media Marketing Statistics for 2026: Users, Ad Spend, ROI, Platform Benchmarks, Social Commerce, and B2B Data

In 2026, social media marketing operates at a scale that touches more than two-thirds of the world’s population. As of October 2025, there were 5.66 billion social media user identities globally, representing 68.7% of all people on Earth and adding 259 million new users over the prior 12 months at an average rate of 7.8 new users every second. The typical internet user now spends 18 hours and 36 minutes on social media every week more than one full waking day and actively uses or visits an average of 6.75 different platforms each month.

That audience has made social media marketing one of the highest-ROI channels in the digital mix. In 2025, 71% of marketers report that social media delivers measurable ROI, up from 63% in 2023. Brands that allocate more than 20% of their marketing budgets to social media report 33% higher ROI compared to those investing less. For B2B marketers specifically, paid social media ranked as the second-highest driver of ROI in 2024, with LinkedIn alone driving 80% of all B2B social media leads. And for B2C brands, paid social media content ranked second only to email marketing in revenue generation, according to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report.

The advertising infrastructure supporting these returns is substantial. Total global social media ad spend reached $207 billion in 2025, a 15% year-over-year increase, with the U.S. contributing $78.2 billion or 38% of that total. Social commerce the integration of shopping directly into social platforms generated $87.02 billion in the U.S. alone in 2025, a 21.5% year-over-year increase, with TikTok Shop accounting for nearly 20% of that total. AI capabilities are transforming how campaigns are built and optimized, with 82% of social media marketers now using AI tools in their workflows.

This article compiles over 70 social media marketing statistics for 2026, drawn from more than 30 distinct primary sources. Data is organized across 10 thematic sections covering global users and adoption, ad spend and budget allocation, channel ROI and performance, platform-specific benchmarks, social commerce, B2B social media marketing, audience and behavioral data, content formats, geographic findings, and influencer marketing. All figures are drawn from publicly available data published within the last two years.

Scope and Methodology

Includes only publicly available social media 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 Social Media Marketing Statistics for 2026

There were 5.66 billion social media user identities globally as of October 2025, representing 68.7% of the world’s total population, based on analysis by DataReportal.
Total global social media ad spend reached $207 billion in 2025, a 15% increase from 2024, with U.S. social media ad spend at $78.2 billion, representing 38% of the global total, based on data cited by SocialPulseStats.
71% of marketers report that social media delivers measurable ROI in 2025, up from 63% in 2023, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
Brands allocating more than 20% of their marketing budget to social media report a 33% higher ROI compared to those investing less, based on research by Sprinklr.
U.S. social commerce sales reached $87.02 billion in 2025, a 21.5% year-over-year increase, based on data from EMARKETER.
83% of marketers say social media has become their primary customer acquisition channel, based on research by Sprinklr.
82% of social media marketers use AI-powered tools in 2025, especially for content scheduling and personalization, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
LinkedIn drives 80% of all B2B social media leads, based on research cited by Riaz Kanani.
The average ROAS across all social media advertising platforms is 4.2x in 2025, based on data cited by SocialPulseStats.
Social media advertising spend is forecast to increase 50% by 2029, exceeding $345 billion, based on data cited by DSMN8.

Global Users and Adoption Statistics

Social media grew at an average rate of 7.8 new users every second between October 2024 and October 2025, adding 259 million new user identities in total over that period, based on analysis by DataReportal.
As of July 2025, over 5.41 billion people use social media, more than double the 2015 figure of 2.07 billion, based on analysis by Backlinko.
93.8% of the world’s internet users, regardless of age, use social media each month, based on analysis by DataReportal.
The typical social media user actively uses or visits an average of 6.75 different platforms each month and spends 18 hours and 36 minutes per week using social media, based on data from DataReportal.
The world spends 15 billion hours consuming content on social platforms each day, the equivalent of more than 1.7 million years of human existence, based on analysis by DataReportal.
Facebook is the world’s most widely used social media platform, with 56.9% of adult internet users aged 16 and above reporting use in the past month, based on GWI Q2 2025 survey data cited by DataReportal.
Facebook has 3.07 billion monthly active users, YouTube has 2.7 billion, WhatsApp has 2.4 billion, Instagram has 2.35 billion, and TikTok has reached 1.67 billion, based on platform data cited by SQ Magazine.
74% of the U.S. population, approximately 253 million Americans, has a social media account, based on 2025 data from Backlinko.

Ad Spend and Budget Allocation Statistics

Between 2019 and 2024, global social media advertising spend increased by 140%, from approximately $97 billion to $234.14 billion, based on data cited by DSMN8.
The share of social media in total marketing budgets dropped slightly from 18% to 17% in 2025, with TikTok investment dropping by 8 percentage points, while Meta bounced back to 60% of social investment after dropping to 55% in 2024, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks Report cited by Morningstar.
Search maintained the highest share of all channel spending in 2025 at 25%, followed by linear TV at 19%, social media and streaming video both at 17%, and display at 15%, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks Report cited by Morningstar.
Social media advertising accounts for 28.8% of all digital advertising spend globally, based on data cited by DSMN8.
Marketing budgets allocated to social media are expected to rise by 12.5% in 2025, driven primarily by short-form video trends, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
67% of social media ad budgets are allocated to video content in 2025, based on data cited by SocialPulseStats.
Top brands average a ROAS between 3x and 5x on social media in 2025, while paid ads typically deliver a cost per lead of around $65, based on data cited by Quimby Digital.
46% of B2B marketers who know their content marketing budget expect it to increase in 2025 compared to 2024, based on data from Content Marketing Institute cited by DSMN8.

Channel ROI and Performance Statistics

Website, blog, and SEO is the top ROI-generating channel with 27% of marketers citing it, followed closely by paid social media with 26%, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026 published by HubSpot.
In 2024, the top marketing channels driving ROI for B2B brands were website, blog, and SEO; paid social media content; and social media shopping tools, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2025 cited by HubSpot.
For B2C brands in 2024, the channels with the best ROI were email marketing, paid social media content, and content marketing, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2025 cited by HubSpot.
29% of global marketers report Facebook delivers the greatest ROI among all social media platforms, based on a survey cited by Keywords Everywhere.
Instagram offers the highest ROI for product-based businesses, with 44% of marketers citing it as their top performer, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
32% of marketers say TikTok consistently offers the highest ROI, making it the fourth-highest platform overall, and it is the social media channel most marketers plan to invest in most for 2026, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026 cited by HubSpot.
TikTok ads deliver an average 1.9x ROAS in retail campaigns and the best-performing platform for social media advertising with a 5.1x ROAS and $1.80 average CPC, based on data cited by SocialPulseStats.
69% of small businesses report that social media advertising is more cost-effective than paid search, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.

Platform-Specific Statistics

YouTube has the potential to reach 2.49 billion users with ads, making it the second-most popular advertising platform after Facebook, based on the Digital 2024 Global Overview Report cited by Keywords Everywhere.
YouTube Shorts generates more than 50 billion daily views, and YouTube reached over 100 million paying monthly subscribers in 2024, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
Instagram’s engagement rate was 0.48% in 2025, down slightly from 0.50% in 2024, which is still more than three times higher than Facebook’s engagement rate of 0.15%, based on data cited by Sprout Social.
Instagram Reels have an average reach rate of 30.81%, double the reach of other content formats, and Reels now account for more than 35% of time spent on the app, based on a Socialinsider study cited by Keywords Everywhere.
Pinterest has approximately 578 million monthly active users with 10% year-over-year growth in Q1 2025, and Gen Z now comprises 42% of its user base, based on data cited by Sprinklr.
Pinterest users are 1.4 times more likely to take shopping actions than users on other platforms, and 70% of Pinterest users interact with brand content at least once per week, rising to 78% among Gen Z, based on data cited by Sprout Social.
TikTok users now average 55 minutes of daily use, up from 52 minutes in 2024, and TikTok has a 2.5%+ engagement rate, making it the most cost-effective channel for rapid awareness, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
97% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for content marketing, and LinkedIn drives a higher visitor-to-lead conversion rate of 2.74%, nearly three times higher than Twitter and Facebook combined, based on data cited by Sprout Social.

Social Commerce Statistics

U.S. social commerce sales will grow 18.0% in 2026, surpassing $100 billion for the first time, while global social commerce sales reached $997.8 billion in 2024 and are projected to reach $1.10 trillion in 2025, based on data from EMARKETER.
TikTok Shop makes up nearly 20% of U.S. social commerce in 2025, with sales projected to exceed $20 billion in 2026 and surpass $30 billion in 2028, based on data from EMARKETER.
TikTok Shop generated over $500 million in sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025, with a nearly 50% year-over-year increase in shoppers making a purchase, based on data from EMARKETER.
104.7 million or 36.2% of American online consumers are projected to shop on social media in 2025, based on data from Capital One Shopping.
51.8% of social media users aged 14 and older also shop on social media, based on data from Capital One Shopping.
57.3% of U.S. internet users research brands or products they are considering buying on social media, and globally that number reaches 72.9%, based on data cited by AWISEE.
China leads globally in social commerce adoption with 95% of consumers engaging in social shopping, followed by Thailand at 94% and Peru at 92%, based on data cited by Amra and Elma.
The average cart value from social commerce has risen to $63.41, up 11% from 2024, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.

B2B Social Media Marketing Statistics

91% of B2B marketers now use content marketing in some form, and short-form videos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are the top social media marketing channels for B2B in 2025, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing 2025 cited by DSMN8.
78% of B2B marketers now use video, and more than half plan to increase video investment in the year ahead, based on the LinkedIn B2B Marketing Benchmark 2025 cited by DSMN8.
97% of B2B marketers incorporate LinkedIn into their content marketing strategies, and 85% of B2B marketers rate LinkedIn as the best value for paid advertising, based on data cited by Riaz Kanani.
LinkedIn’s ad revenue reached $5.93 billion in 2024, a 9% year-over-year increase, with LinkedIn’s total revenue at $16.37 billion in 2024, based on data cited by LiGo.
Exposure to LinkedIn ads increases purchase intent by 33% and can boost conversion rates by 6x when combined with strong branding, based on data cited by LiGo.
68% of B2B marketers increased their use of LinkedIn in 2024, and 55% of decision-makers use thought leadership as part of their vendor vetting process, based on the Content Marketing Institute 2024 report and 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn Thought Leadership Impact Report cited by DSMN8.
B2B brands see a 2 to 3x lift in brand attributes when advertising on LinkedIn, and pairing LinkedIn ads with display ads led to 50% more clicks and a 33% drop in CPC, based on data from Demandbase cited by Riaz Kanani.
53% of U.S. B2B marketers planned to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2025, based on EMARKETER data cited by DSMN8.

Audience and Behavioral Statistics

Global internet users now spend an average of 141 minutes per day on social media, based on data cited by Sprinklr.
95% of social media usage in 2025 occurs on mobile devices, with TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram each recording over 98% mobile traffic share, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
54% of Gen Z users say social platforms are their main source of product discovery, and Gen Z now comprises 42% of Pinterest’s user base and drives TikTok and Instagram shopping growth, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
44% of users prefer to learn about new products and services through short-form video content, based on data cited by DSMN8.
Consumers find user-generated content 9.8 times more impactful than influencer content, based on data cited by DSMN8.
79% of consumers expect a response from a brand within 24 hours on social media, based on research by Sprinklr.
Mobile-first content such as vertical video outperforms desktop-optimized formats by 3.1x in engagement, and brands optimizing for mobile-first creative see a 24% lower cost per result, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.

Content Format Statistics

Short-form video drives the highest ROI among all content formats for 36% of social media marketers, and is the number-one most-used content format, cited by 60% of marketers in 2025, based on HubSpot research cited by HubSpot.
Short-form social videos drive the highest ROI among all video formats for B2B marketers at 41%, followed by brand storytelling at 38% and testimonials at 34%, and 92% of marketers plan to spend the same or more on video marketing in 2026, based on data cited by Sprout Social.
Ads featuring UGC receive 73% more positive comments on social media than traditional ads, based on data cited by DSMN8.
Text posts drive the most engagement on LinkedIn, performing significantly better than UGC, images, videos, and influencer content in terms of impressions and replies, based on the 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report cited by Sprout Social.
LinkedIn video content saw a 36% increase in views year over year, and video content on LinkedIn is shared 20 times more than any other type of content on the platform, based on LinkedIn platform data cited by Martal.
Over 26% of marketers report that segmentation and personalization are the most effective tactics in paid social media content, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing 2026 cited by HubSpot.

Influencer Marketing Statistics

Influencer marketing is projected to be worth $28 billion in 2025, nearly doubling from $16.4 billion in 2022, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
TikTok is the top choice for influencer marketing, used by 68.8% of influencer marketing brands, followed by Instagram at 46.7%, YouTube at 33.1%, and Facebook at 27.5%, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
Posts created with micro-influencers see engagement rates 60% higher than those from larger influencers, based on data cited by Keywords Everywhere.
78% of TikTok shoppers report discovering new products through influencer content, and creator-led campaigns yield 27% higher ad recall than traditional social or brand ads, based on data cited by Media Mister.
26% of consumers do not trust influencer marketing, more than double the 11% who distrust advertising overall, and 64% of consumers distrust influencers who do not disclose brand relationships, based on National Advertising Division research cited by EMARKETER.
Instagram gives the highest ROI for influencer marketing, with 30% of marketers saying they get the best ROI from this platform for influencer content, and 30% of digital consumers have purchased an item in response to an influencer or creator post, based on data from Capital One Shopping.

Regional and Geographic Statistics

Instagram usage in Africa rose 28% year over year, and the U.S. holds 34% of global influencer spend, making it the largest market for influencer marketing worldwide, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
The Asia-Pacific region has over 2.6 billion social media users, accounting for the largest share of the global user base, with emerging markets like Nigeria, Pakistan, and Vietnam showing the highest year-over-year user growth of 8% to 11%, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
Europe’s GDPR updates in 2024 led to a 9% drop in Facebook ad targeting effectiveness in key European markets, impacting both reach and conversion for affected advertisers, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
In the Middle East, LinkedIn adoption grew by 42%, making it a key tool for cross-border recruiting and B2B marketing in the region, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
Vietnam’s TikTok daily active users grew by 39% year over year, while Indonesia ranks among the top five globally for Instagram Stories usage, with 81% of users posting weekly, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
China has the world’s most advanced social commerce market with a 95% adoption rate and conversion rates of up to 30% through platforms like WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin, compared to global average social commerce conversion rates of 1% to 3%, based on data from Amra and Elma.
The Philippines leads globally in daily average social media time per user at 4 hours and 5 minutes, while Latin America leads regionally in engagement, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.

References

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