Looking for some interesting X/Twitter statistics you can use in your next article, presentation, or dinner conversation with friends?
In this simple, easy-to-read post, I’m sharing 13 X statistics that’ll catch you by surprise, plus 7 “obvious” ones that’ll have you nodding your head in agreement (or shaking it in disbelief).
Let’s dive right into the first one.
13 Surprising X/Twitter Statistics (You Probably Didn’t Know)
1. Contrary to Popular Opinion, X/Twitter is Setting Record Usage Numbers
In the second quarter of 2024, X/Twitter hit 363.6 billion daily user seconds and 8.9 billion daily video videos.
This marks increases of 12% and 43% year-over-year, respectively.
2. Over 500 Million Tweets are Sent Each Day
500 million tweets are sent per day, which is around 200 billion tweets per year.
To put that into perspective, that breaks down to:
- Over 350,000 tweets per minute
- 6,000 tweets per second
3. The Tweets Per Second Record is 143,199
While 6,000 tweets are sent per second today, the tweets per second (TPS) record was set back in 2013.
The number?
An incredible 143,199 tweets in a single second.
Source: X/Twitter
It happened on August 3, 2013, when people in Japan were watching and tweeting about the movie Castle in the Sky.
4. X/Twitter is Now the 12th Biggest Social Media Platform in the World
As of April 2024, X/Twitter had 611 million monthly active users.
These numbers place Twitter ahead of Reddit and Quora, but behind competitors such as Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube.
5. Elon Musk Has the Most X/Twitter Followers
Elon Musk (@elonmusk), the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX (and, as of 2024, the owner of X), has more X/Twitter followers than anyone in the world.
With 207 million, Musk has more followers than Barack Obama (@BarackObama), musicians Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) and Katy Perry (@katyperry), and even X’s own account (@X).
6. The Biggest Influencer on X/Twitter Might Surprise You
Taylor Swift is the most influential person on X/Twitter.
Even though she has fewer followers than Obama, Musk, and others, data suggests that Swift has created the highest level of genuine X/Twitter engagement over time.
7. The Late Actor Chadwick Boseman Has the Most Popular Tweet
On August 28, 2020, the X/Twitter account for Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) announced he had passed away after a long battle with colon cancer.
A beloved actor who had starred in Black Panther, Draft Day, and 42, Boseman’s shocking tweet has the most likes and retweets in X/Twitter’s history.
8. More People Use X/Twitter for News & Current Events Than Any Other Social Platform
According to GWI, a whopping 59.6% of people say they use X/Twitter to stay up to date with news and current events.
Source: GWI
However, less than 17% say they use X/Twitter to message friends and family.
9. X/Twitter’s Most Popular Emoji Has Been Used 4 Billion Times (and Counting)
The “Face With Tears of Joy” emoji has been used over 4 billion times in tweets over the years, making it X/Twitter’s most popular emoji.
And the least popular? Well…
10. The LEAST Popular Emoji on X/Twitter is One You’ve Probably Never Used
According to Emojitracker, the “Input Symbol for Symbols” emoji is the least popular emoji on X/Twitter.
But don’t let the “least popular” distinction fool you.
Despite its unpopularity, the “Input Symbol for Symbols” emoji has been used in tweets over 237,000 times.
11. The Most Popular Brand on X/Twitter is NOT X/Twitter
It’s NASA.
With over 76 million followers, NASA (@NASA) beats out X (@X), ESPN (@ESPN), and YouTube (@YouTube) for the brand with the most followers on X/Twitter.
12. The First Tweet From Space Was Sent in 2010
On January 22, 2010, the first live tweet from space was sent by Timothy “TJ” Creamer:
Prior to Creamer’s tweet, astronauts had to email their messages so they could be posted to X/Twitter on their behalf.
13. A “NFT” for the First Ever Tweet Sold for $2.9 Million
Jack Dorsey — co-founder of X/Twitter along with Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass — has the distinction of sending X/Twitter’s first tweet on March 21, 2006:
Fifteen years later, Dorsey created a non-fungible token (NFT) out of his tweet and sold it at auction to Sina Estavi (@sinaEstavi), the CEO of Bridge Oracle, for a whopping $2.9 million.
Now that we’ve covered 13 of the most surprising X/Twitter statistics, let’s look at a few not-so-surprising ones that you’ll love (or hate).
7 Seemingly Obvious X/Twitter Stats (That’ll Make You Go “Hmmm”)
1. A Majority of X/Twitter Users are Male
Approximately 60.9% of X/Twitter users in the world are male, compared to 39.1% who are women.
In the United States, 63.1% of X/Twitter users are male, compared to 36.9% who are women.
2. 73.2% of X/Twitter’s Users Are Under Age 35
Only 26.7% of the world’s X/Twitter users are 35 or older. A whopping 73.2% are under 35.
In the United States, the numbers are even more extreme. In the U.S., 42% of X/Twitter users are between the ages of 18 and 29.
3. The United States Has the Most X/Twitter Users
Per Statista, 106.23 million of X/Twitter’s 611 million monthly active users reside in the United States.
Japan (69.28 million) and India (25.45 million) rank second and third, respectively.
4. Only 10.5% of Female Users Say X/Twitter is Their Favorite Social Media Platform
For comparison, 18.8% of males say X/Twitter is their favorite.
5. Most X/Twitter Users Don’t Check the Site Daily
According to Pew Research, 46% of X/Twitter users say they visit the site daily.
For comparison, 54% of YouTube users say they visit the site at least once per day, and 36% say they visit the site several times per day.
6. Democrats Use X/Twitter More Than Republicans
Back in 2021, 32% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents said they use X/Twitter, compared to only 17% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents
However, this has shifted in the years since.
In 2021, only 17% of Republicans said that X/Twitter was “good for democracy.” By 2023, it had increased to 43%.
7. Most Tweets are Replies or ReTweets
Between October 2022 and April 2023, 75% of the tweets recorded were either replies or retweets.
Only 15% were original tweets.
Which of These X/Twitter Statistics is Your Favorite?
Was it the record-breaking usage numbers?
The 500 million tweets sent per day?
The ridiculous $2.9 million spent on an NFT of the first-ever tweet?
Let me know in a comment below!
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