Share of Instagram influencers worldwide 2023, by category

According to the findings of a study examining the state of influencer marketing on Instagram, 8.35 percent of influencers on the platform were focused on the beauty topics, making it the third most popular category among global Instagram influencers in 2023. Lifestyle was the most popular category covered by Instagram influencers that year, with a share of 13.73 percent.

A candidate for the ultimate social network: Instagram

Launched in 2010, Instagram ranked fourth among the most popular social networks worldwide as of October 2023, with roughly two billion monthly active users. Only Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp had more users than Instagram. As of July 2023, after Instagram's own account, the account with the most followers on Instagram was that of world-famous football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who had almost 600 million followers. He was followed by superstar Lionel Messi, who led the Argentina national team at the World Cup in 2022, with 477 million followers.

A major competitor: TikTok

TikTok's short-form video hack has gained massive traction in recent years. Its rapidly growing influencer base has put social media celebrities on a pedestal. Unlike the starry top five on Instagram, the most followed person on TikTok was Khaby Lame - a lifestyle influencer with nearly 162 million followers as of August 2023. A former competitive dancer, Charli D'Amelio, and singer, Bella Poarch, followed the Italian influencer with 151.1 million and 92.8 million followers, respectively.