Instagram announced that it has enlisted its 400-millionth user, putting it ahead of Twitter, which was reported by Statista to have 316 million users as of August. Facebook is the undisputed leader with 1.5 billion users worldwide.
Instagram busted out marketing-wise earlier this year with “shoppable grams,” paid posts that include buy buttons. Following that move, eMarketer released a forecast expecting Instagram ad sales to grow by a factor of five over the next two years to $2.81 billion.
In a blog announcing its milestone, Instagram noted that more than half of the last 100 million people to join the network hailed from Europe and Asia and that more than 75% of its users live outside the United States. Individual newcomers included David Beckham, South Korean rapper T.O.P., and Caitlyn Jenner (a re-registration?).
Instagram still trails several apps for user base, the biggest of which is the QQ international messaging app from China, with 832 million users, according to Statista. Next comes What’sApp (800mm), Facebook Messenger (700mm), QZone (668mm), and WeChat (549mm).
