{
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "id": "datareportal-5-66-billion-social-media-user-identities",
  "slug": "datareportal-5-66-billion-social-media-user-identities",
  "url": "https://groundedkit.com/claims/datareportal-5-66-billion-social-media-user-identities/",
  "api_url": "https://groundedkit.com/api/claims/datareportal-5-66-billion-social-media-user-identities.json",
  "claim": "There are 5.66 billion social media user identities, 68.7% of the world's population (Kepios, Oct. 2025)",
  "commonly_cited_as": "\"How many people use social media?\" / \"5 billion social media users\"",
  "verdict": "verified",
  "verdict_definition": "Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.",
  "confidence": "high",
  "rating": {
    "value": 5,
    "best": 5,
    "worst": 1
  },
  "origin": {
    "publisher": "Kepios (DataReportal, with Meltwater and We Are Social)",
    "title": "Digital 2026 Global Overview Report (published Oct. 2025)",
    "year": "2025"
  },
  "quote": "Kepios analysis reveals that global social media user identities now stand at 5.66 billion, with that figure equivalent to 68.7 percent of the global population.",
  "method": "Kepios analysis of platform advertising-audience and user data.",
  "drift": [
    "Unit: 'user identities' may not be unique people, as the report notes"
  ],
  "interest": "DataReportal reports are produced with Meltwater and We Are Social, which sell marketing services.",
  "safe_rephrasing": "Kepios counted 5.66 billion social media user identities in October 2025, equal to 68.7% of the world's population; identities are not necessarily unique people.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "DataReportal — Digital 2026 Global Overview Report",
      "url": "https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-global-overview-report",
      "primary": true
    }
  ],
  "kind": "reference_fact",
  "as_of": "October 2025",
  "last_checked": "2026-10-16",
  "stale": false,
  "date_reviewed": "2026-10-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}