Facebook integrations and measurement methods must fit the website’s current technology and privacy choices. Tie platform demographics to a country, age definition and measurement date before using them for audience selection. Before installation, identify the data being shared, the consent required and whether Meta still supports the feature.
Facebook demographics differ by country, age, device and measurement period. This article mainly describes data available around 2020. Use it as historical context and verify current figures before planning a campaign.
Understanding Facebook’s audience
A caveat to discussing the demographics of Facebook users is that gaining a true picture of Facebook’s audience is tricky, as it depends on your definition of what counts as ‘Facebook’. For instance, in addition to Facebook itself, Facebook also owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Each of these apps has different audiences, but should they all count towards Facebook? Likewise, the Facebook app is installed by default on many phones and can’t be uninstalled, but that doesn’t mean people actively use it. Should those installs count towards Facebook’s demographics? This article will focus on users who actively visit the Facebook website, but different articles may have different interpretations.
Active monthly users
Monthly active users indicate the scale reported by a platform, but not the attention available or the reach of a specific campaign. Facebook registered nearly 2.5 billion monthly active users in the last quarter of 2019. Keep this historical figure tied to that date.
Popularity by country
In terms of where Facebook is most popular, India is a clear winner with over 260 million users. This is followed by the United States at 180 million users, then Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico.
Mobile vs desktop usage
When it comes to which device most people use to interact with Facebook, there is a clear winner. A staggering 98% of users use their phone to access Facebook. Only 2% of users choose to use Facebook with only a laptop or desktop device. This makes sense when you consider the above demographic of where Facebook is most popular; in markets like India and Indonesia, virtually everybody uses a mobile phone and desktop usage is comparatively rare.
Facebook users by age and gender
Facebook’s most popular demographic is male users aged 25-34, which represent 19% of monthly active users. The most active age demographic among female users is also 25-34, which represents 13% of monthly active users. Both males and females aged 18-24 represent the second most active age demographic, collectively accounting for 24% of monthly active users.
Facebook as a social platform
The average Facebook user has 155 friends. However, the definition of ‘friend’ is very vague and this number more generally represents social reach than the number of people a Facebook user knows well.
Facebook users by educational attainment
Facebook started off as a social network for college and university students and required using an email address from such an institution to register. Those requirements are long gone, but it seems these origins still leave their mark, as over 70% of Facebook users have some level of college education.
Facebook by level of income
Facebook market penetration reaches deeply into all strata of society. Facebook reaches 85% of US households with an income of <$30k and 86% of households with an income of >$100k. This information is particularly useful, since Facebook advertising allows you to target demographics by income level. Whatever income range you target, market penetration does not dip below 81% of households at a specified income level.
How to update the data
Record the date, region, age group and definition for every figure. Compare Meta reports, available estimates in advertising tools and a recent independent source. A global audience does not necessarily describe the people a local campaign can reach.
Check the technology and data flow
Map the route from the browser to the analytics or advertising platform and test realistic scenarios. Define each measured event and prevent duplicate records. Check loading speed, accessibility and use without a social account; an integration should not block the site’s main function.
