Selfies, Celebs, and Stories - Oh My! 30 Shocking Snapchat Statistics

Ever since the internet’s humble beginnings we have found ways to embarrass ourselves online. After all, what better way to herald a new age of enlightenment than by flooding the internet with pictures and videos that you’ll soon wish you’d never taken in the first place?

One such incident birthed the idea of Snapchat, a social media phenomenon that we’ll be examining in this article. Back in 2011, Reggie Brown, a junior at Stanford, had the idea of making an app with photos that disappear after a certain time. Eight years later and here we are, ready to discuss a global social networking phenomenon. So, without further ado, here are some Snapchat statistics to check out.

Snapchat User Statistics

1. There are currently 210 million daily active users on Snapchat worldwide.

(Snap Inc.)

Snapchat user demographics show that the number of daily active users has been steadily rising over the years. Indeed, Snapchat's user growth was 13% between 2018 and 2019. For comparison’s sake, in the second quarter of 2018, Snapchat had 188 million users.

2. The United States leads the world with 97.55 million registered Snapchat users.

(Statista)

You can find Snapchat users across the globe, but the United States has a Snapchat user base almost five times larger than the next country on the list.

If you were wondering how many people use Snapchat in other countries, France holds second place with 20.3 million registered users, the United Kingdom has 18.3 million, Brazil, 16.95 million, and Saudi Arabia, 15.4. While Germany has the largest population in Europe, only 11.5 million Germans are registered on Snapchat.

3. With 84 million people, the United States has the largest percentage of daily active users on Snapchat.

(Statista)

The US Snapchat numbers are in the lead with 84 million active daily users. When it comes to Snapchat users online each day, all of Europe accounts for about 65 million, with the rest of the world combined only adding up to 61 million. This is due to the fact that aside from India’s 15.1 million registered Snapchatters, the app is not very popular in Asia.

4. 24% of adults in the United States use Snapchat.

(Pew Research)

According to Pew Research’s Snapchat statistics for 2019, just over one in five adults in the United States use Snapchat. When it comes to Snapchat competitors, the percentage of people who use other social media channels are as follows: YouTube leads the pack with 73%, followed by Facebook with 69%. Instagram comes in third place, with 37% of the population. LinkedIn also edges out Snapchat with 27%, while Twitter lags behind with 22%.

5. Snapchat is most popular with people aged 18 to 24.

(Pew Research)

Snapchat age demographics show that the app clearly appeals to the younger generations. Around 73% of those in the 18-to-24 age bracket and 62% of those aged 18 to 29 who were interviewed by Pew Research said they use Snapchat. In comparison, only 3% of those over 65 said they had used the app at least once. Millennial social media statistics generally show a much higher number of users among younger populations, and this is particularly pronounced when it comes to people using Snapchat.

6. 41% of US teenagers cite Snapchat as their favorite social network.

(Statista)

Statistics about Snapchat paint a very clear picture - it’s a network aimed at and used mostly by younger people.

As such, it’s no surprise that Snapchat beats all other competitors for the title of the most popular social network among US teenagers. These days it’s really a battle of Snapchat vs Instagram. Instagram is nearly as popular as Snapchat, with 35% of US teens voting it their favorite. Facebook and Twitter are far behind, getting only 6% each.

7. Globally, more than six in 10 Snapchat users are women.

(Statista)

Statista’s look at Snapchat demographics worldwide paints a rather interesting picture. Of those who use the platform, 61% identify as female, while only 38% are male. As we’ll see, this statistic is somewhat at odds with the next one from Pew Research, and implies that outside of the US, women represent the almost overwhelming majority of Snapchat’s user base.

8. There is an equal percentage of the male (24%) and female (24%) population using Snapchat in the US.

(Pew Research)

Snapchat statistics gathered by Pew Research indicate that the same percentage of men and women use Snapchat in the US. As the US is by far the largest

market for Snapchat worldwide, this statistic is interesting considering that Statista’s statistics on Snapchat have found it to be a female-dominated social network globally.

Snapchat’s largest competitor in the US - Facebook - has a 75/63 percentage split in favor of women. Women also tend to use Instagram more than men (43% vs 31%). Notable networks that have more male than female users in the US are LinkedIn (29% vs 24%) and Twitter (24% vs 21%).

9. 20% of people with college degrees use Snapchat.

(Pew Research)

How popular is Snapchat among people with different education levels? A Pew Research survey already found the app to be most popular with those between 18 and 24. Therefore, it comes as little surprise that “some college education” was the most common answer given by 29% of the respondents. Of the platform’s users, 22% claimed to have a high school education or lower.

10. 29% of Snapchat users in the US live in urban areas.

(Pew Research)

As is the case with other social networks, the majority of people on Snapchat come from urban areas. Pew Research found that only 20% of people in both suburban and rural areas use Snapchat. Most other social networks such as Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter have a significant drop off between suburban stats and those in rural areas, so it’s interesting to note the even split for Snapchat.

11. 61% of Snapchat users visit the platform at least once a day.

(Pew Research)

Snapchat engagement statistics gathered in Pew Research’s study show that 46% of users visit Snapchat several times a day, 15% do so once a day, and about 39% are less active on the app. This Snapchat data places it in third place when it comes to engagement stats. It sits behind Facebook with 74% and Instagram with 63% of the user base visiting the site/app at least once daily. Snapchat edges out YouTube and Twitter, though, which manage 51% and 42%, respectively.

Snapchat Usage Statistics

12. With 48.91 million monthly users, Snapchat is the sixth-most popular social networking mobile app in the US.

(Statista)

With nearly 50 million Snapchat monthly active users, the app is more popular than Reddit, WhatsApp, Tumblr, and Google Hangouts. However, if we compare these Snapchat statistics to Facebook-owned apps, things don’t look quite so rosy. Facebook’s main app is accessed at least once per month by around 171 million people, Instagram by roughly 123 million, and Facebook Messenger by over 107 million people. With just over 66 million, Pinterest also edges out Snapchat, according to Statista.

13. Over 50% of US mobile users accessed Snapchat in August 2019.

(Statista)

Or, to be exact, 53.4%.

For reference, the world’s most popular social network - Facebook - had a reach of 69.7% of the smartphone audience, while Google Maps was accessed by 64.7% of mobile users in August 2019. Snapchat data usage is constantly rising, though, so these numbers are predicted to increase in the future.

14. There are 3.5 billion snaps created daily as of Q2 2019.

(Snap Inc.)

These snap statistics really put into perspective how active the Snapchat community really is. When you take a photo or video, or receive one, it is known as a “snap.” This means people take billions of pictures or videos on a daily basis and send them to their friends. It would take an average person well over 10 years just to see the content created by Snapchat people in a single day.

15. There are 2.1 million snaps created by Snapchat users globally every minute.

(Statista)

If snaps per day are a bit too much to wrap your head around, consider the following Statista stat: Every 60 seconds, 2.1 million snaps are made. That means that 35,000 Snapchat photos, videos, or messages are being exchanged every single second between people using the app. For comparison, people send around 50,000 photos per minute on Instagram.

16. Users in the US spend an average of 26 minutes a day using Snapchat.

(eMarketer)

The industry leader is still Facebook with an average of 38 minutes a day. Instagram also beats out Snapchat narrowly, with people spending an average of 27 minutes a day using the app. What’s interesting, though, is that Facebook is projected to lose one minute per day in the future, while Snapchat metrics will stay the same and Instagram will actually improve to 29 minutes per day by 2021.

17. 32% of people use Snapchat on the go.

(Murphy Research)

Murphy Research did a survey on Snap Inc.’s behalf and came up with some pretty interesting facts about Snapchat. It turns out that, as a platform, it is very popular among people on the move. In addition to the nearly one-third of respondents who said they use Snapchat on the go, 29% use it while commuting and 24% while travelling.

These are chart-topping stats if we compare Snapchat vs Facebook or other networks such as LinkedIn and Twitter, whose users generally beat Snapchat when it comes to indoor usage statistics. That said, 66% of people use Snapchat at home as well, proving that all social networks are still primarily used while indoors.

18. 34% of people use Snapchat while hanging out with friends.

(Murphy Research)

According to Murphy Research, Snapchat really puts the social in social networking; it’s the leading social network when it comes to usage as part of other social interactions. Judging by the Snapchat info gathered in the Murphy survey, over a third of people like using the platform while hanging out with their friends. Compare that to YouTube (10%), Twitter (16%), Facebook (17%), and Instagram (20%) and you get a clear picture - Snapchat is the most social of all social networks around.

19. More than 600,000 custom AR lenses were created in Q3 2019 through Lens Studio.

(Snap Inc.)

We’ve covered many Snapchat facts in this article. One of the most notable trends is the company’s policy of thinking ahead and investing into new products and solutions. One of the key areas of development historically has been augmented reality. The company’s bleak 2017 revenue/expenses balance was mostly due to the launch of its AR lens and the creation of the Lens Studio service in December of the same year.

This turned out to be a worthy gamble, though, as AR lenses not only provide an avenue for advertisers, but have proven immensely popular within the Snapchat community as well. According to the company’s website, 70 million Snapchatters play with the app daily, so it’s got the potential to reach huge audience for advertisers.

Snapchat Financial Statistics

20. Snapchat had a revenue of over $1.1 billion in the first three quarters of 2019.

(Snap Inc.)

This figure was $1,154 million, to be precise, with Q3 alone accounting for $446 million. Snapchat financials during the third quarter increased 50% from around $297 million in 2018. The predicted Snapchat revenue for the last quarter of 2019 is between $540 and $560 million, which represents another sharp rise from last year’s $390 million.

21. Snapchat reduced its net losses by 30% in Q3 2019 compared to Q3 2018.

(Snap Inc.) (Snap Inc.)

Snapchat trends in recent years show not only an increase in revenue, but a decrease in losses, too. The net losses for Snap Inc. in the third quarter of 2019 were $227 million, compared to $335 million for the same time period last year. The company’s operating losses were also cut down significantly from $323 million to $228. These are significant numbers if we consider that Snapchat has operated with some heavy losses in the past, such as the $2.2 billion net loss in the first quarter of 2017, with only $149 million net earnings during the same time period.

22. Snapchat made 99% of its revenue in 2018 through advertising.

(Snap Inc.)

Snapchat subscriptions and advertising are clearly the main driver of the app’s financial success. Despite starting out strong, ad revenue has been increasing progressively from 97% in 2017 and 96% in 2016. The company’s largest income comes from sponsored AR Lenses, which start at $450,000 and can reach as high as $700,000 per lens during holidays and special events such as the Super Bowl.

Considering how many people watch these ads, and that estimates have 30-second ads at this year’s Super Bowl costing around $5 million, investing in AR lens technology by Snapchat is worth it for any company looking to reach a huge audience nationwide.

23. Snapchat is predicted to earn $1.53 billion in worldwide ad revenue in 2019.

(Statista)

Snapchat growth statistics have been impressive over the last few years, and the trend is not looking to stop anytime soon. According to Statista’s predictions, the company should end 2019 $1.53 billion richer from ads alone. This represents a huge growth from 2016, which netted Snapchat a comparatively minor $343.6 million in ad revenue.

24. $832.1 million of Snapchat’s estimated ad revenue in 2019 will come from the US alone.

(eMarketer)

Considering that the vast majority of Snapchat users worldwide come from the US, it’s no surprise that Snapchat stats for ad revenue show the largest chunk advertising revenue comes from the United States. This year’s projected $832.1 million is up 24.3% from 2018, which itself saw a 21.5% increase over the $550.7 million earned in 2017. Statista’s Snapchat stats tracker also lists projections until 2021, and it shows a steady growth trend. US ad revenue for 2021 is predicted to reach $1.21 billion, a figure that’s just shy of 2019’s total figures across the globe.

Super Bowl sponsored lenses and ads are especially effective. Taco Bell’s sponsored lens alone was viewed 224 million times… and that was in the one day it was available.

25. Only 30.7% of US social media marketers will use Snapchat in 2019.

(eMarketer)

Despite the large potential that Snapchat’s AR lenses present for advertising, Snapchat on social media is not yet a big hit with advertisers. Nevertheless, it does show a growth trend according to eMarketer’s predictions, from 17.3% in 2016 to 32.7% the following year.

For comparison’s sake, Facebook is used by 86.7% of social media marketers, Instagram by 75.3%, Twitter by 66.5%, and YouTube by 53%. Even Pinterest beats out Snapchat, with 34.1% of marketers in the US preferring to conduct social media marketing through it.

This trend can probably be explained by looking at Snapchat age demographics and usage patterns. Considering that the vast majority of its users are between 13 and 24 years old, it can be surmised that marketers don’t see this target group as particularly profitable. In addition, people use Snapchat much differently than they use Facebook. It’s a platform mostly conceived for the purpose of one-on-one photo and video sharing, and Snapchat account stats show that very few people follow news and advertisements while using the app.

Fun Facts

26. Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel became the world’s youngest billionaire in 2015.

(Forbes)

He was only 24 at the time. His friend Bobby Murphy, who created Snapchat together with Spiegel, was 26, making him the world’s second-youngest billionaire, behind Evan. Spiegel’s net worth in 2019 is estimated at around $3 billion. This is still small beans when compared to the likes of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (who is worth $69 billion), but is double the $1.5 billion estimated net worth of Instagram’s founder, Kevin Systrom.

27. Snapchat’s stock lost $1.3 billion after a single tweet by Kylie Jenner.

(CNN Business)

The juiciest of all Snapchat statistics in 2018 shows us how influential celebrities truly are in both the online and offline worlds. As many Snapchat posts around the time show, people were very unhappy with last year’s Snapchat’s UI redesign.

Thus, when Kylie tweeted about not using the app anymore, it sent major ripples through the community. The result was a net drop of 6% on the global stock market and a $1.3 billion loss in the company’s market value. Many Snapchat profiles were closed. Since then, more than 1.2 million people have signed a petition on Change.org requesting the app to be reverted to its previous design.

28. 95% of its users say Snapchat makes them happy.

(Murphy Research)

First off, it’s fair to note that this research was done for Snapchat specifically, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, it’s telling about the nature of the platform and people who create and download Snapchat stories. If we compare it to the competition, Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube all spark only positive responses.

People using these social networks say that using their apps makes them feel creative, smart, inspired, and adventurous. On the other hand, the world’s most popular social networks - Facebook and Twitter - have users complaining about feeling anxious, guilty, isolated, lonely, and overwhelmed.

29. As of October 15, 2019, the longest Snapchat streak was 1,621 days.

(TechJunkie)

Whether you’re sending Snapchat selfies, exchanging messages or getting Snapchat views on your stories and videos, a Snapchat streak is simply a daily exchange between two people recorded on Snapchat servers. As long as you and a friend both send and receive at least one piece of content over Snapchat per day, you are contributing to a streak. That means that, according to TechJunkie, a certain Luke and Alex have been messaging each other at least once per day for nearly four-and-a-half years. If that’s not dedication, we don’t know what is!

30. 28 million people saw the final episode of a Snapchat Originals series called Endless Summer.

(Observer)

Snap Originals, a platform for finding original Snapchat videos has rapidly been gaining popularity since it launched about a year ago. Other popular shows include Co-Ed, The Dead Girls Detective Agency, Van Life, and Deep Creek. Snapchat video length is well-suited to the fast world we live in; many of the platform’s live-streamed shows have episodes that last only around five minutes each. They are also filmed vertically, which makes them well-suited for mobile viewing.