Instagram Shopping Statistics By Generation, Category And Facts (2025)
Updated · Jun 24, 2025
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Instagram Online Stores
- Preferred Social Platform For Shopping
- Instagram Shopping Activities
- Distribution of Instagram Audience By Age And Gender
- Instagram Shopping By Generation
- Instagram Shopping By Category
- Instagram Ad Revenue
- Instagram Accounts With The Most Followers Worldwide 2025
- Instagram Marketing Statistics
- Instagram E-commerce Statistics
- Conclusion
Introduction
Instagram Shopping Statistics: From 2024 onwards, Instagram Shopping has become the platform for finding products for purchase. Being a focal platform for worldwide commerce, sales, and shopping activity, it holds a position on the commercial side for both brands and consumers. Presently, Instagram is an in-app marketplace where over 25 million businesses use the shoppable posts and Checkout features. Traders are followed; however, users very actively tap on product tags about 200 million times a day.
This article will demonstrate that Instagram Shopping statistics, leveraging the visual charm and convenience of Instagram, are increasingly becoming the cornerstone of e-commerce marketing.
Editor’s Choice
- With 1.4 billion users worldwide in 2024, Instagram will grow at a CAGR of 26% till 2028.
- Over 25 million businesses use Instagram Shopping features like shoppable posts and Checkout.
- Customers tap on product tags 200 million times every day on Instagram.
- 86% of the top 500 most-visited online shops in the USA have an Instagram presence, whereas in the UK, this number is around 81%, and in Germany, it’s pegged at around 75%.
- Facebook leads as the social platform for shopping (24%), followed by Instagram (20%), and TikTok (13%).
- The year 2024 witnessed social commerce sales worth US$37.2 billion by Instagram.
- Over 75% of companies in the United States are thought to market with Instagram.
- As of April 2024, 16.5% of Instagram users were men between the ages of 18 and 24, while more than half of the users were under 34.
- Instagram is bulldozed third by Snapchat and TikTok among U.S. teens.
- In contrast, 35% of teens with defined poor emotional health report being bullied online compared to 5% of individuals with strong emotional health.
- In the U.S., 46.1% of Gen Z consumers shop on Instagram monthly, followed by 37.7% of Millennials, 18.5% of Gen X, and 2.1% of Boomers.
- 36% of Gen Z adults use Instagram to discover products, which is 89.5% higher than average.
- Clothing/apparel is purchased monthly by 46.5% of Instagram shoppers, with 28.6% getting food and beverages, and 28.4% getting beauty products.
- Instagram ad revenues in 2024 are projected at US$70.9 billion, with average revenue per user of more than US$50.
- Revenue from ads grew 16% in 2023 and 2,000% from 2017 to 2024.
- Instagram saw its biggest revenue growth in 2021, soaring by 70.1% from US$28.4 billion to US$48.3 billion.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has 628 million followers on Instagram, the most ever for any individual.
- The official Instagram account is the most followed account with 672 million followers.
- The number of U.S. Instagram users was estimated at 114 million in 2020 and was forecast to exceed 127 million by 2023.
- Victor Ronaldo is using Instagram to engage audiences and offer sponsored content of high value to them. The estimate puts his post value at US$985,441.
Instagram Online Stores
(Reference: statista.com)
- As per a Statista report, Instagram Shopping statistics state that analysis of social media use within the 500 best online shops in various nations shows that 86% of retailers in the United States advertise on Instagram.
- This is the highest percentage recorded among all the countries considered, solidifying Instagram as the prime marketing and engagement platform for the leading U.S. e-commerce businesses.
- In comparison to this, 81% of the top 500 online shops of the United Kingdom keep an Instagram profile, while 75% of Germany’s top online retailers also have one.
- These numbers show that Instagram plays a strong role in retail marketing across countries, with strong adoption in the U.S.
Preferred Social Platform For Shopping
(Reference: capitaloneshopping.com)
- As per Capitaloneshopping, Instagram Shopping statistics state that when it comes to social platforms for shopping, Facebook has the top spot, with 24% of users selecting it as their platform of choice for discovering and purchasing products. Instagram’s share is close to 20%, thus bearing the stamp of artist-created commerce.
- Meanwhile, with its rapidly growing social commerce space, TikTok is preferred by 13% of users.
- As a medium for video content and reviews, YouTube rubs shoulders with shopping preferences, with 7%. While 8% of people use WhatsApp for shopping, it is mainly a messaging app, with direct communication between buyer and seller being more common in these markets.
- The variety of figures just shows different ways people get involved with the platform in their shopping journey.
Instagram Shopping Activities
(Reference: capitaloneshopping.com)
- Instagram, being touted to be the next big shopping platform, is estimated to have generated US$37.2 billion in sales of social commerce in 2024. In the U.S., 11% of all social media users actively shop on Instagram, showing strong buy-in from online consumers.
- Instagram is big on product discovery, wherein 81% of Instagram users use it to discover new products or brands.
- An astounding 61% of users say they found a product or brand on Instagram that they now regularly use.
- Advertisers, make note: 70% of users either liked or were neutral toward interrupting video ads on their screens, thus proving their efficacy.
- About three-fourths of the companies in the United States are set to use Instagram in their sales and marketing efforts; such companies will weigh heavily on the economy.
Distribution of Instagram Audience By Age And Gender
(Reference: statista.com)
- As of April 2024, 16.5% of active Instagram users worldwide were males between 18 and 24 years old, and more than half of the total user base was younger than 34 years.
- This reflects a significant appeal of Instagram to younger groups, particularly in the teen and young adult categories.
- The platform was ranked among the top social networking sites for teenagers U.S. by late 2020, third only to Snapchat and TikTok.
- For female Gen Z users, Instagram is known to be a significant advertising medium that influences their buying decisions.
- A lot of teenagers say that social media platforms like Instagram make them feel more confident, popular, and better about themselves, which helps them with their mental well-being by alleviating loneliness, anxiety, and depression.
- On the contrary, the upside-down side to social media exists too: for some teens, especially those with a rare emotional well-being struggle, the process can become traumatic.
- About 35% of teens with poor social-emotional health reported being victims of online bullying, compared to just 5% of teens reporting good emotional well-being.
Instagram Shopping By Generation
(Reference: capitaloneshopping.com)
- In the U.S., 46.1% of Gen Z consumers born between 1997 and 2012 browse or buy products on Instagram monthly, making them the most active generation shopping on the platform.
- Gen Z shops more than 22.3% on Instagram than its older generations, showing that they lean toward visual and social shopping experiences.
- Among Millennials (1981-1996), 37.7% shop on Instagram monthly; meanwhile, 18.5% of Gen Xers (1965-1980) do the same.
- For Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, only 2.1% report shopping on Instagram, showcasing a sharp generational divide.
- In contrast, 49% of Gen Z social media users have purchased at least one item through Instagram, marginally ahead of Millennials at 46%.
- Gen Xers, 36% have completed a purchase on the platform, and 14% of Boomers have done the same.
- In terms of discovery, 36% of Gen Z adults scour Instagram for products, which is 89.5% higher than the average %age across all consumer age groups.
- Gen Z also takes the lead when it comes to niche interests: in the U.S., 27%, 19%, and 12% of users seek out fashion brands, gift ideas, and consumer electronics, respectively.
- These trends illustrate how younger consumers have been remaking Instagram into a powerful shopping and discovery platform.
Instagram Shopping By Category
(Reference: capitaloneshopping.com)
- Clothing sales already dominate the class of Instagram shopping among 46.5 % of social buyers. Consumers are 12 % more likely to buy clothing on Instagram than on any other social platform, setting Instagram apart in this area.
- Also performing well after fashion are food and beverages, with 28.6 % of social buyers making monthly purchases in this category on Instagram.
- The beauty segment follows at 28.3 %, as its buyers purchase skincare or cosmetics on the platform.
- Additionally, 12% of Instagram users search for fashion brands, thus putting it on the list as the most searched product category on Instagram.
- These numbers confidently point out how much Instagram, with its visual-first approach, supports lifestyle- and trend-based shopping.
Instagram Ad Revenue
|
Year |
Annual revenue |
Annual growth |
|---|---|---|
|
2017 |
$3.4 billion | |
| 2018 | $8.6 billion |
+152.94% |
|
2019 |
$18.9 billion | +119.8% |
| 2020 | $28.4 billion |
+50.3% |
|
2021 |
$48.3 billion | +70.1% |
| 2022 | $51.1 billion |
+5.8% |
|
2023 |
$61.1 billion | +19.6% |
| 2024 | $70.9 billion |
+16.0% |
(Source: oberlo.com)
- By 2024, Instagram ad revenues are projected at US$70.9 billion, operating with a worldwide user base of approximately 1.4 billion users.
- This means an ad revenue of just above US$50 per user. This figures to a 16% increase from US$61.1 billion in 2023, whereas the previous year was highly productive at a 19.6% growth rate.
- What makes this relevant growth is a very negligible slowdown from the 2023 growth margin of 19.6%.
- Moving back, Instagram ad revenues were US$48.3 billion in 2022 after a small 5.8 % rise from 2021. Yet, in 2021, it made the largest growth jump ever, from US$28.4 billion in 2020 to US$48.3 billion, which is US$19.9 billion plus.
- That peak growth is expected to remain the highest year-on-year growth rate during the 2020-2024 period.
- From 2017 to 2024, Instagram’s total ad revenue is forecast to grow by US$67.5 billion or by almost 2,000%.
- During this entire period, the average annual growth rate for the platform has been 62.1%, which is a clear indication of how big Instagram advertising is becoming and how big its role is becoming for digital marketers worldwide.
Instagram Accounts With The Most Followers Worldwide 2025
(Reference: statista.com)
- Cristiano Ronaldo is believed to maintain an Instagram account that is one of the most visited and followed since April 2024, attracting an extraordinary 628 million followers. Ronaldo, therefore, stands as the most followed individual on this platform.
- Nevertheless, Instagram itself is at the top of the most-followed accounts, boasting nearly 672 million followers at least.
- The simple photo-sharing platform allows users to capture, edit, and share images and videos with other users in their network.
- Instagram experienced phenomenal growth over the years. By June 2018, it had gained one billion monthly active users.
- Within the U.S. alone, around 114 million people were using Instagram in 2020, and experts forecasted that the user count would exceed 127 million by 2023.
- The current user base is mostly young, with about 60% of Instagram users in the United States being 34 years old or younger. This demographic dominance has helped place the platform among the top modern social media networks for the young crowd.
- The platform has been widely considered one of the most famous social media platforms for teens in the United States, alongside other top platforms in terms of daily usage and cultural relevance. Celebrities, athletes, and influencers alike leverage Instagram not only for fan engagement but also as a major commercial avenue to attract advertising agencies and sponsors.
- In particular, Cristiano Ronaldo isolated himself by practically becoming IPO-worthy as an Instagram phenomenon, whereby the average value of a single Instagram post from him has been gauged to be an astounding US$985,441, emphasising the commercial muscle wielded by big-hitter accounts on the platform.
Instagram Marketing Statistics
- Springing back to Instagram, it is still very active in promoting businesses because 79% of social media marketers are using it to promote products and engage with audiences.
- It tends to stand out in terms of usage and customer loyalty-building, whereas 33% of marketers say that Instagram helps them build the most loyal customers compared to all other platforms.
- Furthermore, 25% of social media marketers said that Instagram is the channel through which they spend their advertising budgets.
- Future plans of 56% of marketers include ramping up their Instagram marketing in the forthcoming year, signalling a bullish sentiment about the platform’s effectiveness. Influencer marketing on Instagram is riding an uptrend.
- According to projections, spending will touch US$3.17 billion in 2025, a tune-up of 43.4% from the US$2.21 billion projected in 2024.
- Growing largely due to Instagram Reels, which are fast becoming a preferred influencer campaign format, 62.2% of marketers now use Reels for influencer marketing, an 8.38% uptick from 58.2% in 2024.
Instagram E-commerce Statistics
- Instagram’s social commerce revenue is expected to surpass US$37 billion by 2024, showing its evolution from a social platform into a global digital marketplace.
- Instagram takes the second rank as the social platform used for shopping in the world, after Facebook.
- It has taken the lead as the preferred shopping platform among younger people, affirming its position in youth-oriented e-commerce trends.
- With TikTok rising up as a contender, particularly in the U.S., it has unseated Instagram from the ranks of top product discovery and social shopping platforms for younger users.
- An essential contributor to Instagram’s E-commerce success is influencer marketing, whereby brands gain access to audience bases through voices that are widely trusted.
- In 2024, the influencer marketing spending on Instagram in the U.S. will amount to US$2.2 billion.
- Influencers with 1,000 to 10,000 followers entertain the highest engagement on Instagram, courtesy of their relatability and perceived authenticity.
- Extremely useful for establishing trust and generating personal ties with the audience, these micro-influencers effectively improve brand marketing outcomes.
Conclusion
Instagram Shopping Statistics – In 2024, Instagram remains a powerful social commerce platform, offering features such as Reels, Stories, shoppable posts, and in-app Checkout that provide opportunities for brand discovery and direct purchase. The widespread adoption across all demographics, strengthened especially by Gen Z and Millennials, gives brands a major opportunity to reach highly engaged audiences.
As visual content continues its increasing dominance, Instagram Shopping is not just a fad; it is a strategic component of retail in the present day. Any company that has not yet dived into it would miss out on an important market opportunity.
FAQ.
Instagram Shopping is actively used by more than 25 million businesses with features such as shoppable posts, Checkout. The platform generated social commerce sales worth about US$37.2 billion in 2024, an indicator of how this platform has risen to the zenith of global e-commerce, especially for the younger audience, and for those product categories that rely on visuals, such as fashion, beauty, food, etc.
Gen Z heads Instagram shopping dynamics with 46.1% of Gen Z consumers in the U.S. who shop on the platform monthly, while product discovery happens through Instagram 89.5% more than it does for an average consumer. Next comes Millennials at 37.7%, with Gen X and Boomers obviously falling too low at 18.5% and 2.1%, respectively.
The best-selling products in terms of sales were: Clothing/Apparel: Bought by 46.5% of users monthly. Food & Beverages: Purchased by 28.6%. Beauty Products: Purchased by 28.4%. Instagram is considered an effective site for fashion shopping, with users being 12% more likely than on other platforms to purchase apparel.
Instagram is the second-most preferred social platform for shopping globally at 20%, after Facebook (24%) and above TikTok (13%). However, TikTok is catching up to Instagram in product discovery among Gen Z, even if Instagram still dominates in the engagement and conversion rate for shopping.
Instagram is still an important marketing platform, being used by 79% of social media marketers. 33% declare that it enables them to develop the most loyal customer base. In 2025, the influencer marketing spend is projected to reach US$3.17 billion. Micro-influencers (with 1,000-10,000 followers) prove to be most productive in establishing trust in promotions, thanks to their top engagement rates.
Maitrayee Dey has a background in Electrical Engineering and has worked in various technical roles before transitioning to writing. Specializing in technology and Artificial Intelligence, she has served as an Academic Research Analyst and Freelance Writer, particularly focusing on education and healthcare in Australia. Maitrayee's lifelong passions for writing and painting led her to pursue a full-time writing career. She is also the creator of a cooking YouTube channel, where she shares her culinary adventures. At Smartphone Thoughts, Maitrayee brings her expertise in technology to provide in-depth smartphone reviews and app-related statistics, making complex topics easy to understand for all readers.
