Instagram Statistics in Canada

Instagram has become a household name in most countries around the world and now has over two billion active users across the world. In Canada too, Instagram has become one of the most popular social media platforms. But what do Instagram statistics look like in Canada?

In this article, we explore the latest Instagram statistics in Canada, including user demographics, rates of engagement, and popular content. From these statistics, we can gain insights into how Canadian Instagram users are engaging with the platform and what strategies content creators and businesses can use to reach their target audience. We have also included key global statistics for brands and marketers who are looking to reach a global audience.

Instagram Statistics for Canadians

• There are between 13.8 million and 20.65 million Instagram users in Canada – the numbers vary between sources.
• Women are more likely than men to have an Instagram account in Canada.
• Canadians aged 25-34 represent 30% of Instagram users in Canada.
• 27% of Canadian Instagram users engaged with advertising on the platform in 2020.
• Gen Z and Millennial Instagram users in Canada are over three times as likely to engage with Instagram ads than users from Gen X or baby boomer generations.
• Over 60% of Instagram users across the world are aged between 18 and 34.
• Global Instagram audiences spend over 11 hours per month on the platform.
• 61% of Instagram’s advertising audience is between 18 and 34 years old.
• Instagram advert conversion rates vary between 0.3% and 2.6% on average.

Background on Instagram

Instagram is a social media platform created for users to share their photos and videos with friends and followers. The platform launched in 2010 and has since become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion active users across the world.

On April 9, 2012, Instagram was bought by Facebook. At the time of the acquisition, Instagram was growing rapidly and had about 30 million users. The purchase price was approximately one billion USD in a combination of stock for the company and cash. Since the acquisition, Instagram has continued to operate as a separate platform.

However, there is some integration with other products owned by the parent company, Meta, such as the ability to cross-post pictures, videos, and stories between Facebook and Instagram. Today, Instagram is also a powerful marketing tool and many brands and businesses use the platform to reach new audiences as well as to engage with their existing customers.

Instagram in Canada

According to Statista, there were 13.8 million Instagram users in Canada in 2022 and the number of users is predicted to continue growing, reaching 14.3 million in 2023. However, according to other sources, such as Global Statistics, there are 20.65 million Instagram users in Canada, representing 57% of the population, and according to Napoleon Cat, there were 19,144,000 Instagram users in February 2023.

While there may be differing figures available on the exact number of Canadian Instagram users, the majority of sources show that the platform’s audience is growing year-on-year in Canada.

Instagram User Demographics in Canada

In Canada, women are more likely than men to have an Instagram account. Approximately 58% of Canadian women have an Instagram account compared to 43% of Canadian men. Women in Canada make up 53.9% of Instagram users. Female Instagram users outnumber male Instagram users in all age groups in Canada.

It is common for young people to use social media platforms in larger numbers, and Instagram is not an exception. People aged 25-34 form the biggest group of Instagram users in Canada, representing 30.6% of all users. The percentages for other age groups in order of size are:

• 18-24 – 22.4%
• 35-44 – 18.8%
• 45-54 – 11.2%
• 55-64 – 7.1%
• 13-17 – 5.3%
• 65 and over – 4.6%

Canadians’ Instagram Habits

On average, Canadian Instagram users spend 9.4 hours per month on Instagram using their smartphones to access the app. For 53% of Canadian social media users, Instagram is the social media network they use the most often. The platform’s popularity is consistent across all income groups in Canada as well as across different educational backgrounds.

Overall, the most popular time for Canadians to post on Instagram is in the evening‌ between 7 and 9 pm, but this varies between target audiences. Content that is most popular in Canada is relatable and authentic and includes educational and socially conscious content, while categories such as travel, health and beauty, food and drink, fitness, and fashion remain popular among Canadian Instagram users.

Justin Bieber has the most popular Instagram account in Canada with over 276 million followers. The median follower count in Canada is approximately 200 followers. However, this is the average for all accounts, including those that are not public.

Instagram Advertising in Canada

Instagram is an effective and popular way for companies to grow brand awareness and reach new customers. It can be especially beneficial for small businesses because Instagram advertising can be done for free, with a careful selection of appealing and informative content. That said, Instagram’s global revenue from advertising was 33.25 USD in 2022, according to data from Oberlo.

While the number of Canadians clicking on Instagram ads varies depending on a range of factors, on average 27% of Canadian Instagram users said they had clicked on Instagram ads in 2020.

This percentage suggests that a significant number of Canadians engage with advertising on Instagram. The exact number of Canadians who have bought services or products on Instagram is not publicly available. However, survey results from 2021 show that about 43% of Canadian Instagrammers have bought or researched products on the platform.

Approximately 40% of Canadians feel neutral about Instagram adverts, 33% say they feel either positive or very positive about the ads, and 26% feel negative or very negative about advertising on Instagram. Younger people in Canada are generally more receptive to advertising on Instagram, with 64% of Gen Z and millennial Canadians saying they have engaged with adverts on Instagram. In contrast, only 22% of Gen X and baby boomers have done so.

Global Instagram Statistics

Instagram has over 2 billion global users and is the 8th most visited website in the world. The site receives 4.25 billion visits per month and is the 9th most searched term on Google behind search terms including YouTube, Facebook, and weather.

Instagram is the 4th most-used social platform with Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp taking the top three posts in October 2022. It is currently in front of TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest, but things may change in 2023 as TikTok’s user numbers are growing fast. Instagram is the most downloaded app followed by TikTok, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

Almost 100% of Instagram Users Also Use Other Social Media

User statistics show that only 0.1% of Instagram users do not have other social media accounts. The biggest overlap is with Facebook, with 83% of Instagram users also having a Facebook account. 56% of Instagram users also have a Twitter account and 52% have a TikTok account. Interestingly, 81% of TikTok users also have an Instagram account.

Global User Demographics

While in Canada, women are slightly more likely to have an Instagram account, the global picture is in reverse. Globally, Instagram’s audience is 52.2% male and 47.8% female. At the moment, no other gender options are available for Meta. This is a change from previous years when the global audience was dominated, albeit slightly, by women.

Like all social media platforms, Instagram is more popular with younger audiences, and over 60% of its global audience is aged between 18 and 34. Below is the full breakdown of age groups on Instagram.

• 13-17 years – 8%
• 18-24 years – 30.8%
• 25-34 years – 30.3%
• 35-44 years – 15.7%
• 45-54 years – 8.4%
• 55-64 years – 4-5%
• 65 and over – 2.6%

The fastest-growing group on Instagram is male users aged between 55 and 64. The number of users who identify as male and are 55-64 years old increased by 63.6% in 2021.

The largest audiences on Instagram come from India and the US with 249 million and 147 million users, respectively. Brazil completes the top three with 117 million users. Two countries with large populations that probably would compete for the top spots are China and Russia as Instagram is banned in both countries.

Global Instagram Habits

On average, global Instagram users spend 11.7 hours per month on the platform. This is slightly higher than the Canadian average. The platform ranks fifth after YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Most people access the platform using the mobile app, but some still use laptops and desktops to browse their Instagram feeds.

Global Instagram Advertising Statistics

It is not surprising, considering that 18-34-year-olds make up most global Instagram users, that 61% of the advertising audience on Instagram belongs to this age group. Advertisers will also be interested in the fact that within that age group, males make up the larger proportion of the audience with 33.6% compared to 27.4%. In other age groups, the gender split is more even.

Advertisers in Turkey have the biggest chance of reaching their audience where Instagram ads generally reach 76% of the population aged thirteen or over. In comparison, in Canada, the reach is 49.4%, while it is 51.4% in the US.

50% of Instagram users have said they have become more interested in a brand after seeing its ad on the platform. While stories can entice audiences to click the link for more information, feed adverts on Instagram have a higher click-through rate (CTR). While the CTR for stores ranges between 0.33% and 0.54%, for feed adverts the rate is between 0.22% and 0.88%.

The conversion rates on Instagram are between 0.3% and 2.6% depending on the account’s reach. Generally, brands with up to 10,000 followers see higher conversion rates, while for some of the top brands, the average conversion rate is approximately 1%. The lowest conversion rate at 0.3% is for brands and companies between 51,000 and 100,000 followers.

Conclusion

Instagram is a globally popular social media map, which is gaining more users year after year. In Canada, as well as globally, most users are young, but companies can use the platform to reach older target audiences, too. While women hold a slight majority in Canada, globally, more men have Instagram accounts than women.

Instagram adverts in Canada are likely to reach around 50% of the audience and approximately 27% of Canadians have clicked on Instagram adverts. Overall, Instagram can be a powerful tool for marketers and content creators to reach new audiences.