Launched in 2006 as a microblogging platform, Twitter has grown massively. Initially, it allowed users to share short, 140-character posts (tweets).
Twitter became more popular after its usage increased to 60,000 tweets per day. Ever since then, Twitter has become a place for daily updates. People also use this platform to make connections and talk about their interests.
Later in 2017, Twitter increased the character limit to 280, but it still encourages people to use short messaging. Additionally, this platform has emerged as a valuable tool for marketers to expand their online presence.
As of 2022, Twitter grew its user base to 368 million active users. But this number is likely to decrease by 2024 by 5%.
Read on to know about Twitter statistics and data.
Twitter Key Statistics
Over the years, Twitter has added new features, but overall, the platform has kept the same look and feel.
Here’s a quick sneak peek into Twitter’s key statistics:
- In 2022, Twitter generated around $4.4 billion in revenue. It’s an 11% decline from the previous year.
- More than half of Twitter’s revenue is generated via advertising.
- Of 368 million monthly active users, 63 million are from the USA.
- In the US, 92% of tweets are made by the top 10% of users.
- US Twitter users are expected to spend 158.2 minutes monthly on the platform.
Twitter Overview
- Launch Date: 21 March 2006
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- People: Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey
- Business Type: Private
- Owner: Elon Musk
- Industry: Social Networking
Twitter Revenue
In Q2 2022, Twitter’s revenue amounted to over 1.17 billion. By the end of 2022, Twitter had generated 4.4 billion in revenue.
While the revenue is less than the previous year, Twitter is still profitable and doing well.
Twitter Annual Revenue ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
| 2012 | 0.3 |
| 2013 | 0.6 |
| 2014 | 1.4 |
| 2015 | 2.2 |
| 2016 | 2.5 |
| 2017 | 2.4 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 3.4 |
| 2020 | 3.7 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 4.4 |
Twitter Revenue by Segment
A majority of Twitter revenue is generated through advertising. By Q2 2022, Twitter had generated 1.1 billion in revenue through advertising.
Its other revenue source is data licensing.
Twitter Annual Revenue by Segment ($bn)
| Year | Advertising | Data Licensing and Other |
| 2015 | 1.9 | 0.2 |
| 2016 | 2.2 | 0.2 |
| 2017 | 2.1 | 0.3 |
| 2018 | 2.6 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | 2.9 | 0.4 |
| 2020 | 3.2 | 0.5 |
| 2021 | 4.5 | 0.5 |
| 2022 | 4 | 0.4 |
Twitter Revenue by Region
Twitter US users are only 17%, but they make 50% of the revenue.
Twitter Annual Revenue ($bn)
| Year | USA | Rest of World |
| 2018 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| 2019 | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| 2020 | 2 | 1.6 |
| 2021 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| 2022 | 2.4 | 2 |
Twitter User
By the start of 2022, Twitter had 368 monthly active users. Since 2018, the user base of Twitter has increased by 40%.
Twitter Annual Users (mm)
| Year | Users (mm) |
| 2010 | 40 |
| 2011 | 85 |
| 2012 | 151 |
| 2013 | 218 |
| 2014 | 271 |
| 2015 | 304 |
| 2016 | 313 |
| 2017 | 310 |
| 2018 | 298 |
| 2019 | 312 |
| 2020 | 347 |
| 2021 | 362 |
| 2022 | 401 |
Regarding monetizable daily active users, Twitter has 187 million users worldwide, out of which 37 million are from the USA.
Around 52% of the users in the USA use Twitter daily.
Twitter Users by Region
The number of Twitter users in the USA has declined in the past two years. But the platform has successfully penetrated the international markets.
A good amount of Twitter growth is happening in Asia, mainly Japan and India. The users of these two countries combined more than the US.
Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UK, Brazil, and Indonesia also have more than 10 million user bases.
Twitter Annual Users by Region (mm)
| Year | US | Rest of World |
| 2017 | 72 | 238 |
| 2018 | 66 | 232 |
| 2019 | 66 | 246 |
| 2020 | 70 | 277 |
| 2021 | 66 | 296 |
| 2022 | 63 | 305 |
Twitter Age Demographics
Most Twitter users fall under the age bracket of 18 to 44 years, with 35-44 years making up the majority.
Twitter Age Demographics 2022 (%)
| Age Bracket | Percentage of Users |
| 13-17 | 7.8 |
| 18-24 | 25.2 |
| 25-34 | 26.6 |
| 35-44 | 28.4 |
| 45+ | 12 |
Twitter Gender Demographics
Of all the social media sites, Twitter has the highest gender dispute, as 68.1% of the users are male.
Twitter Gender Demographics 2022 (%)
| Gender | Percentage of Users (%) |
| Male | 68.1 |
| Female | 31.9 |
As you can see, Twitter is mainly dominated by the male audience.
But other social media sites like LinkedIn and Instagram are reported to have an equal gender distribution of users.
Most Followed Twitter Accounts
With so many people using Twitter, it is not easy to maintain a vast following on the platform. But a few celebrities, politicians, entrepreneurs, and brands have maintained a good following of more than 50 million.
Ex-US President Barack Obama remains the highest followed person on Twitter.
Most Followed Twitter Accounts 2022 (mm)
| Account | Followers (mm) |
| @barackobama | 131 |
| @justinbieber | 114 |
| @katyperry | 108 |
| @rihanna | 106 |
| @cristiano | 99 |
| @taylorswift13 | 90 |
| @ladygaga | 84 |
| @ElonMusk | 82 |
| @narendramodi | 78 |
| @theellenshow | 77 |
Why People Use Twitter
Most people in the US use Twitter for news. Besides this, the platform is also used for entertainment, following corporate accounts, and making connections.
Here’s why people used Twitter in 2022
| Reason | Percentage of Respondents (%) |
| For News | 48 |
| For Entertainment | 48 |
| To Stay in Touch with Friends and Family | 34 |
| To Follow Brands/Companies | 33 |
| To Maintain Contact | 14 |
| Other Purposes | 12 |
Twitter FAQ
What percentage of people in America use Twitter?
Around 12% of people in America use Twitter.
How many brands use Twitter?
More than 66% of brands with over 100 employees use Twitter to increase their online presence.
How many users operate Twitter through mobile?
Twitter usage through mobile devices happens for 80%.
How many Indian users does Twitter have?
Twitter has about 55 million users from India.
In terms of privacy, where does Twitter rank?
On the list of 9 popular social media sites, Twitter ranks 7 in terms of privacy and data concerns.
What is the rank of gaming as a topic on Twitter?
By the year 2022, gaming as a topic on Twitter ranks at 6th position.
