Snapchat is among the largest and most popular social media platforms. As such, it gives us a glimpse of the latest viral content and trends.
By diving deep into the latest Snapchat statistics, we’ll gain crucial info about its users’ psychology, demographics, revenues, and predictions.
We bring the most engaging facts about Snapchat to help us see what makes or breaks the favorite app.
Let’s jump in by sharing some:
Riveting Snapchat Statistics (Editor’s Choice):
- In 2021, Snapchat was the seventh most downloaded app overall.
- 331 million people use Snapchat daily. 92 million of them live in the US.
- 65% of young people in America use Snapchat.
- Five billion snaps are sent each day.
- Snapchat cashed in $4.1 billion last year.
- Snapchat lost $488 million in 2021.
When Did Snapchat Come Out?
So what’s Snapchat’s release date?
The app came out in September 2011 and, since then, has grown immensely—it’s available in 37 languages for its hundreds of millions of users. Let’s learn more about it:
1. Snapchat was co-founded by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown.
(Source: Insider)
Spiegel, Murphy, and Brown were all former students of the prestigious Stanford University.
The more important question, however, is who owns Snapchat. The platform is owned by Snap Inc, with Spiegel as CEO and Murphy as CTO.
Where is Reggie Brown, then?
Well, he was ousted from the company early on, not before managing to secure a $157 million deal. There’s practically no info on him online—most probably, he made a deal not to discuss any part of his Snapchat life.
Still, there’s some valuable info. The word around is that Brown actually came up with the idea of disappearing pictures and created the memorable ghost logo. Later, Murphy was brought in as technical support. Then, Spiegel and Murphy removed Brown, possibly to increase their control.
As we can see, Snapchat’s history, much like Facebook’s one, is not devoid of treachery and betrayal.
2. The Snapchat logo is named “Ghostface Chillah” after “Ghostface Killah.”
(Source: Forbes)
“Ghostface Killah” is the pseudonym of Wu-Tang Clan member Dennis Cole.
Obviously, Snapchat founders were big fans by deciding to name their logo after Cole’s stage name.
Snapchat User Statistics
The platform’s users are the driving force behind it. Time we learned more about them.
3. Snapchat has 331 million daily active users.
(Source: Statista)
What’s more, if the 2022 Snapchat statistics turn out as projected, this year will set a new record for its daily users.
The numbers have been steadily rising since the initial release of the Snapchat app, and it’s interesting to see how far it will go. There’s, in fact, a lot of ground to expand, as the company’s penetration in Eastern Europe, South America, or Africa is fairly low.
So if you were wondering whether Snapchat’s still popular in 2022, the answer is “Yes, now even more than ever!”
4. There were 428 million monthly active users of Snapchat in 2021.
(Source: Statista)
Snapchat MAUs are expected to grow even further to 531 million by 2025.
So if you wanted to know just how many people have Snapchat, we could report it’s at least 428 million with great certainty. After all, MAU is the standard metric for determining the number of active monthly users.
5. Each second, around 8,800 photos are shared on Snapchat.
(Source: Business Insider)
Moreover, more than 5 billion snaps are sent daily.
This makes Snapchat the absolute global leader in this category—the platform is even in front of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.
Snapchat’s immense popularity is almost entirely due to its main concept—the idea of disappearing pictures. That certainly made the platform stand out among its competition!
What’s behind it? Users feel more safe sending pictures, knowing they will swiftly disappear. What’s more, there’s the added value of seeing them instantly because they will soon be gone, unlocking the FOMO effect in people’s minds.
Since the platform cashed in serious money thanks to it, other networks also tried to implement the same idea with varying degrees of success.
Snapchat Demographics
Let’s dive deeper—time for even more detailed facts about Snapchat users.
6. 52.9% of people who use Snapchat are female.
(Source: Statista)
Additionally, 46.3% are males, and the rest define themselves in non-binary terms.
It looks like Snapchat is more of a girl’s platform, after all.
7. 25% of US adults use Snapchat.
(Source: Pew Research)
A quarter of all US adults are fans of the platform. Not bad at all.
But if that doesn’t seem like a lot to you, check out the next stat about Snapchat’s age demographics:
8. 65% of US youth use Snapchat.
(Source: Pew Research)
More precisely, 65% of young people aged 18–29.
Evidently, the platform is much more popular among US youth. It’s everything they need—fast-paced, innovative, simple, and a bit off the mainstream.
9. India has 144 million Snapchat users.
(Source: Statista)
India tops the list as “Snapchat’s biggest market.” Next, of course, comes the US with 107 million. The rest of the list goes like this:
- France—24.7 million
- Pakistan—22.25 million
- United Kingdom—21.35 million
- Saudi Arabia—20.45 million
- Mexico—17.25 million
- Germany—15.65 million
- Iraq—15.35 million
- Egypt—14.1 million
- Turkey—13.8 million
- Canada—10.4 million
- Philippines—10.1 million
10. The Snapchat age limit is 13 years.
(Source: Avast)
Some may argue that’s too low, considering the type of content one can encounter on the platform. For instance, due to the limited availability of snaps (timewise), Snapchat has been used by numerous individuals who disseminate sexually explicit material.
An American even filed a suit against Snapchat for purposefully allowing such content to be disseminated. Indeed, women’s experience on such platforms is often marked by receiving inappropriate and harassing messages, photos, and even videos.
11. Only 2% of Snapchat users are older than 55.
(Source: INFO.LSE)
Not surprising at all, as Snapchat is often considered the most youthful social media platform… after TikTok, of course.
Snapchat Trends
There’s no time to rest when you’re among the big guns. In this section, we’ll check out the present driving forces behind the platform and then make predictions about its future.
12. “Cris_thisguy” has the highest snap score ever—50 million.
(Source: Pinterest)
He even boasts around a million points per day. That’s some heavy engagement—no wonder advertising on Snapchat is such a popular and high-paying venture.
13. You can add up to 6,000 friends on Snapchat.
(Source: Twitter)
You’ve probably wondered, “How many friends can you have on Snapchat?”
There’s practically no limit. The trick is that once you go over 6,000 friends, you can only get new invites but not send ones yourself anymore.
14. Snapchat pays $1 million daily to top creators.
(Source: CNBC)
Snapchat “celebrities” such as @evanthecardguy can make good money by simply posting videos on the platform.
However, there’s nothing simple about it. The process requires a ton of work, management, and creativity, often leading to burnout and severe self-doubt.
15. Snap’s version of TikTok, Spotlight, has around 100 million MAU.
(Source: CNBC)
It’s an interesting twist of fate. Snapchat started the whole craze of quick, bite-sized content. And then had only to watch as TikTok created a better version of the concept, winning the hearts of hundreds of millions in the process.
16. As of June 2022, the hottest Snapchat topics are “Pride,” “Pvalley,” and “Devin Haney.”
(Source: Snapchat)
These perfectly represent broader US trends—LGBTQA+ awareness, TV/reality shows, and boxing.
17. In 2014, data of 4.6 million users was leaked by hackers.
(Source: Federal Trade Commission)
It turns out Snapchat has been collecting users’ address books and other info without their consent. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission already had it for the company since its “disappearing messages” wasn’t really that and could still be accessed.
18. Snapchat rejected Facebook’s $3 billion offer.
(Source: Mashable)
One of the most persistent Snapchat trends is that the company seeks to maintain its independence, stubbornly refusing any takeover attempts.
Evan Spiegel has commented not once that they’re not looking for any short-term gains and want to make the most out of their given opportunity.
Spiegel further disclosed that Mark Zuckerberg flew in to meet and pitch him personally. Meta’s owner insisted that if they were to refuse the offer, Facebook’s version of Snapchat, Poke, would destroy the innovative social media app.
They refused, and Poke turned out to be a big flop…
19. You can get scammed on Snapchat.
(Source: Times Now News)
This happened to Chloe Kroll, who perhaps had it easy as she only lost $100. What’s more interesting are the things that followed. Kroll entered Sherlock Holmes mode and found her scammer and his whole family. The scammer’s mother ultimately made him repay the $100 he stole!
All social networks are potential hubs for scamming, gaslighting, catfishing, and harassing. This one even has hackers lurking for easy profits, who sometimes manage to bring the entire platform down! So for those moments when you’re wondering, “Is Snapchat still down?” now you know what’s most likely causing it.
But in all cases—keep your eyes open and take extra care!
20. Snapchat’s 2021 revenue is $4.1 billion.
(Source: Business of Apps)
In comparison, Facebook makes more than $100 billion annually. It’s evident that Snapchat isn’t as economically viable as the biggest social media out there… but let’s face it, $4 billion is still a lot of money.
What’s more troubling, however, is that Snapchat lost a massive chunk of cash in 2021—$488 million, to be exact. We’re yet to learn its cause—it could be a transitory loss or an indicator of more serious problems. Perhaps Zuckerberg’s revenge is coming…
Wrap Up
Snapchat is a rare gem of a social platform—it’s still independent, and what’s more, it single-handedly started and took advantage of a much-needed trend.
Now you’re all set—thanks to our detailed collection of the latest and most exciting Snapchat statistics, you’re in the know about all the key info.
So what are you waiting for? Go share a moment… and snap!
Unaware that life beyond the internet exists, Nick is poking servers and control panels, playing with WordPress add-ons, and helping people get the hosting that suits them.
