Twitter's global user base reached 429 million in early 2024, despite X's major changes under Elon Musk's ownership.
The platform's monthly active users present an intriguing pattern. Some analysts predict growth to 586 million monthly active users by 2025. Other sources suggest user decline with current estimates around 388 million monthly active users. X's revenue reached $2.5 billion in 2024, showing a 13.7% drop from the previous year. The platform's demographics have evolved since
Musk's takeover, with male users now dominating at 71.2% of the total user base.
This detailed analysis examines X's real numbers in 2025. You'll discover everything from user demographics to engagement metrics that help explain this evolving social media platform.
Twitter’s Real Numbers in 2025
Latest numbers show X (formerly Twitter) going through substantial changes in 2025. The platform keeps evolving under Elon Musk's leadership, and the data tells us an interesting story of wins and setbacks.
Monthly active users (MAU)
X now has 429 million users worldwide in early 2025, with slight growth from earlier numbers. Reports don't agree on this number. Some positive forecasts suggest user count could hit 586 million by late 2025, about 6.9% of people worldwide.
Some market watchers predict things might level off or drop slightly, with other estimates putting current users closer to 388 million. These different numbers show how hard it is to track user data since the company went private, which made reporting less open.
Regional patterns have shifted too. North American users make up 22% of all users, Europe accounts for 19%, while Asia-Pacific leads with 41% of monthly users.
Daily active users (DAU)
Daily user numbers help us understand how people use the platform. X says it has 258 million daily users in early 2025, about 60% of its monthly users. This ratio, used as a social media standard, points to steady user loyalty.
Daily users show clear habits:
- People spend about 31 minutes each day
- Users check the platform 6-7 times daily
- Mobile makes up 93% of daily use
- Most people use it during morning commutes (7-9am) and evening downtime (8-11pm)
Comparison with previous years
X's growth story has some interesting turns. User numbers have gone up and down in the last five years:
|
Year |
Monthly Active Users (millions) |
Year-over-Year Change |
|
2021 |
397 |
+4.2% |
|
2022 |
368 |
-7.3% |
|
2023 |
402 |
+9.2% |
|
2024 |
416 |
+3.5% |
|
2025 |
429 |
+3.1% |
The biggest change came in 2022 when Musk bought the company and users left. The platform bounced back in 2023 and managed to keep growing slowly through 2025.
Growth rates look different from before the buyout. Between 2018-2020, Twitter grew about 8.7% yearly, while post-buyout growth stays around 3-4% per year.
Where Twitter ranks among social platforms
X holds its ground as a key player in 2025's social media world, though not the biggest. It sits at 6th place worldwide for monthly users, behind Facebook (2.9 billion), Instagram (2.2 billion), TikTok (1.8 billion), YouTube (1.5 billion), and WhatsApp (1.4 billion).
User engagement numbers look good in some areas. X ranks 4th in time spent per visit (about 31 minutes) and 3rd in how often active users open the app daily. This means X's core users stay highly engaged, even with fewer total users than its rivals.
X still leads when it comes to immediate news discussions and breaking events, beating larger platforms in current events engagement. Being the top choice for quick information and discussions remains X's biggest strength in 2025, especially among journalists, politicians, and news followers.
Who Uses Twitter: Demographics Breakdown
X's evolving influence in 2025 becomes clear when we look at who uses the platform. The user base shows unique patterns in age, gender, and location. These patterns have changed subtly but meaningfully since Elon Musk bought the company and rebranded it.
Age distribution of users
Young adults, not teenagers or older users, make up X's main audience. The platform's biggest user segment as of February 2025 is the 25-34 age group at 37.5% of all global users. Users aged 18-24 come in second at 32.1%.
These two age groups make up almost 70% of X's total audience. This shows how popular the platform is with millennials and older Gen Z users. Teenagers barely use the platform – those under 18 make up just 2% of users. Older adults aren't big users either, with people over 50 making up only 7.3% of the total.
This age breakdown is quite different from platforms like TikTok or Instagram, where you'll find many more teenage users. X has become a platform that young professionals and adults use rather than the youngest social media fans.
Gender split in 2025
The most eye-catching Twitter statistic in 2025 is its big gender gap. X has more male users than any other major social network – men make up 63.7% of global users as of February 2025. Women account for just 36.3% of users.
The gap gets even wider in some markets. Take the United States, where men make up 63% of X users in early 2025. This gap started small but grew over time. The percentage of male users went up by about 6% since January 2023.
Looking at other social platforms makes this gender gap really stand out:
- X (Twitter): 63.7% male, 36.3% female
- Facebook: 55.3% male, 44.7% female
- Instagram: 55.2% male, 44.8% female
- TikTok: 53.7% male, 46.3% female
Brands targeting male audiences find X especially valuable, particularly in news, politics, sports, and technology sectors.
Top countries by user count
A few key markets dominate X's global presence. The United States leads with about 103.96 million users in February 2025. This means roughly one-quarter of all X users worldwide are American.
Japan holds strong in second place with over 70 million users. The platform's popularity in Japan is remarkable – about 60% of Japanese citizens have an X account, the highest percentage worldwide.
India comes in third with around 25 million users, and Indonesia follows close behind with 24.09 million. The UK takes fifth place with 24.3 million users, adding 2.8 million new users since 2022.
Brazil (21.48 million), Turkey (19.74 million), and Mexico (17.45 million) are also major players. China bans X officially, but about 8.6 million Chinese users still access it through VPNs. This shows how popular X is globally, even in restricted markets.
The platform's strong presence in Western and Asian markets leaves room to grow in emerging economies as internet access expands.
How People Use Twitter Today
X (formerly Twitter) has become the digital world's immediate pulse in 2025. Users flock to the platform for quick updates, conversations that matter, and content that's trending right now. The platform shows unique patterns in how people use and consume content since Musk took over.
Time spent on the platform
People spend about 34 minutes each day on X. American users clock in close to this average at 34.1 minutes daily, though numbers vary quite a bit by region. Japanese users lead the pack with 8 hours and 25 minutes monthly. Saudi Arabia comes next at 7 hours and 40 minutes, while South Africa follows with 7 hours and 25 minutes.
The platform's usage patterns tell an interesting story. A typical user checks the app 120.4 times each month. This shows how people rely on X throughout their day for quick updates. While each session might be brief, the total attention is huge – users worldwide spend 7.8 billion minutes on X daily.
This creates a great opportunity for brands and content creators. The average post now gets 2,121 impressions in 2025, which is 76% more than in 2023.
Top reasons people use Twitter
News stands out as the biggest reason people use X, with 48% of users saying it's their main motivation. This number jumps to 65% for American users. The platform's immediate nature makes it perfect for breaking news and quick commentary.
Entertainment matches news at 48%. About 81% of American users say they're on the platform "because it's entertaining". Other key reasons include:
- Connecting with others who share interests (62% of users)
- Following sports or pop culture (59%)
- Keeping up with politics (59% of U.S. users)
- Staying in touch with friends and family (34%)
- Following favorite brands and companies (33%)
X remains the go-to platform for staying current. Around 72% of users agree that X provides the most current commentary and updates for live events. This cements its role as the digital town square for immediate conversation.
Most active user segments
The sort of thing i love about X statistics is how content creation clusters around a small group. Just 10% of users create 92% of all tweets. These power users post about 157 times monthly, while the average user tweets once per month.
Media organizations lead industry posting with 50.2 tweets weekly. Sports teams come close with 41.5 tweets weekly. They need to provide quick updates during events and keep fans engaged between games.
Japanese users don't just spend the most time on X – they also check it most often at 211.1 times monthly. Indonesia follows with 194.5 opens, and Finland comes next with 181.2 opens.
Popular content types and features
Video rules X content in 2025, taking up 80% of user sessions. These visual posts get 10 times more engagement than text-only content. Users watched 8.3 billion videos daily in 2024, showing a 40% jump from the previous year.
Beyond video, engagement numbers show:
- Tweets with images get 35% more retweets
- Live streaming boosts engagement by 91%
- Polls attract 20% more engagement than regular tweets
- Interactive content drives 22% engagement overall
Conversation patterns reveal that 84% of posts are replies, retweets, or quote tweets. Only 15% are original standalone content. This shows X's true nature as a place where interactions matter more than broadcasting.
Twitter Revenue and Financial Performance
X's financial story shows both major challenges and signs of recovery. 2024 revenue declined to $2.50 billion but profit margins started improving due to Musk's cost-cutting measures. These statistics give us vital insights into the platform's business viability beyond user metrics.
Total revenue in 2024 and 2025
X's total revenue reached $2.50 billion in 2024, dropping 13.7% from the previous year. The platform's revenue fell from $4.40 billion in 2022 to about $3.40 billion in 2023 after Musk's acquisition.
The future looks brighter for 2025. X's U.S. ad revenue should grow by 17.5% to $1.31 billion, and global ad sales are expected to rise by 16.5% to $2.26 billion. This growth is a big deal as it means that X's revenue still lags behind its pre-acquisition performance, with the company reporting ad revenue of $4.51 billion in 2021.
X's adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) hit about $1.20 billion in 2024, staying flat compared to pre-acquisition numbers. Musk's aggressive cost-cutting helped maintain stable adjusted earnings despite lower revenue.
Revenue by region
X shows a striking geographic imbalance in its revenue. The United States brings in more than 50% of the platform's total revenue while having only 17% of Twitter's users. American users generate money at a much higher rate.
X earned $1.30 billion from the United States in 2024 and $1.20 billion from all other countries. This pattern hasn't changed much – the US generated $2.40 billion of the total $4.40 billion revenue in 2022.
Net income and losses over time
X's profits have been up and down over the years. The company made $942.37 million in 2024, up by a lot from $489.57 million in 2023. Profits should reach $1.14 billion in 2025, growing 20.62% from 2024.
The company's profit history shows big swings:
|
Year |
Net Income (Billion USD) |
|
2021 |
-0.22 |
|
2020 |
-1.14 |
|
2019 |
1.47 |
|
2018 |
1.21 |
|
2017 |
-0.11 |
These numbers show X's struggle to maintain steady profits. Whatever happened in the past, things look better now. Profits should grow to about $1.40 billion in 2026.
Advertising vs subscription income
Ads remain X's biggest money maker at 68% of total revenue in 2024. This share used to be larger before many advertisers left after Musk's takeover. Ad revenue dropped nearly 30% to $3.31 billion in 2023.
Musk launched X Premium (formerly Twitter Blue) to reduce dependence on ads. But subscription services make up less than 10% of the company's revenue. Third-party analysis shows X earned about $200 million from in-app purchases since launching subscriptions.
Monthly subscription revenue reached $14.70 million in September 2024. Musk admitted to ongoing money problems in January 2025, saying "user growth is stagnant, revenue is unimpressive, and we're barely breaking even".
The Musk Effect: Changes Since the Takeover
Elon Musk bought Twitter in October 2022. His takeover led to big changes that changed the platform's direction and user experience.
Timeline of acquisition and rebranding
Musk quietly built a 9.2% stake in Twitter by April 2022. He offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion at $54.20 per share on April 14, 2022. He tried to back out of the deal in July, but legal pressure made him complete the purchase on October 27, 2022.
The biggest change came in July 2023 when Musk renamed Twitter to "X" and replaced its blue bird logo with an X symbol. This matched his earlier move to merge Twitter into X Corp in April 2023. He wanted to turn the platform into an "everything app" like WeChat.
Layoffs and organizational changes
Musk fired Twitter's top executives right after taking control, including CEO Parag Agrawal. The workforce shrank from about 7,500 to 1,500 employees – an 80% drop in staff.
Musk told staff in November 2022 to commit to "extremely hardcore" work hours or leave with severance. This led many more employees to quit. Business Insider reported that fewer than 2,000 employees stayed. Teams handling content moderation, ethical AI, and election integrity lost many members.
New features and monetization efforts
Twitter Blue (now X Premium) started in November 2022. Users could get a verification checkmark for $8 monthly ($11 on iOS). This changed the old system that verified authentic accounts of public figures.
Other major changes included:
- Bringing back banned high-profile accounts like Kanye West and Donald Trump
- Adding temporary reading limits
- Charging new users $1 yearly in some regions to stop bots
- Letting users sell premium content
Impact on user and advertiser trust
Advertisers lost faith after Musk's takeover. Only 4% of marketers in 2024 think X is brand-safe, while 39% trust Google. Many big advertisers stopped spending, which led to a 24% drop in ad spending in the first half of 2024.
Linda Yaccarino became CEO in June 2023 to win back advertisers. But Kantar's research shows this might not work: "Advertisers have been moving their marketing spend away from X for several years. The stark acceleration of this trend in the past 12 months means a turnaround currently seems unlikely".
Twitter for Brands and Marketers
Twitter will become a powerful marketing channel for businesses in 2025, with 79% of users actively following brands on the platform. Companies can connect directly with consumers, which makes X stand apart from other social networks.
B2B and B2C usage stats
82% of B2B content marketers use the platform as an organic marketing tool. X ranks as the top network for brand interaction and is a great way to get business communication insights. Twitter works better for B2C companies – 67% of B2C companies achieve their marketing goals through Twitter, while only 47% of B2B companies succeed.
Ad engagement and performance
Users spend 26% more time viewing ads on Twitter compared to other leading platforms. These numbers translate into real results – businesses earn $1.22 for every dollar spent, giving an average ROI of 122%. Ad engagement grew 22% between 2023 and 2024, even though X only has 1.6% of the U.S. social media ad market.
Brand interaction trends
Modern consumers just need quick responses – 60% expect replies within an hour. Responsive brands see a 19% increase in customer satisfaction. Successful brand accounts keep complete profiles with matching imagery on all platforms. They show more personality on Twitter through regular posts that include images or videos.
Influencer and creator monetization
X has transformed its creator economy. Nano-influencers (1,000-5,000 followers) earn $56.30 per tweet, while accounts with over 25,000 followers make $125.78 per tweet.
Brand partnerships vary in cost based on influencer levels:
- Nano-influencers: $11.00 per post
- Micro-influencers: $60.00 per post
- Mega-influencers: $11,000 per post
Video content delivers exceptional results for influencers on X, reaching an engagement rate of 0.42% compared to 0.08% for photos. This explains why 85% of businesses on X now create video content.
Conclusion
X's rise from Twitter stands as one of the most remarkable changes in social media history. The platform still boasts 429 million monthly active users in 2025 under Elon Musk's leadership, though growth has slowed compared to pre-acquisition years.
X holds a special place in the social ecosystem. The platform can't match Facebook's or Instagram's user numbers but shines with up-to-the-minute engagement and breaking news delivery. The user base has changed to become mostly male (63.7%), and content creation now concentrates among a small group – just 10% of users create 92% of all tweets.
The financial picture looks brighter after the original post-acquisition struggles. Revenue dropped to $2.50 billion in 2024, but analysts expect 17.5% growth in 2025. This comeback comes mainly from aggressive cost-cutting rather than user growth, showing Musk's business-minded strategy.
The biggest changes appear in X's brand identity and trust. The platform's move from verification as proof of identity to a premium feature has changed how users and brands connect. On top of that, advertisers remain cautious – only 4% of marketers trust X for brand safety compared to 39% for Google.
All the same, X offers real value to brands that participate actively. Users spend 26% more time looking at ads on X than other platforms, with average ROI reaching 122%. Companies that stay responsive see clear benefits, including 19% higher customer satisfaction.
X faces its share of challenges in 2025, but its role as the digital town square for instant conversation stays strong. The platform has adapted through dramatic changes while keeping its core purpose as the internet's pulse. Musk's dream of an "everything app" may or may not come true, but X's ability to adapt suggests it will remain vital to our digital world.
FAQs
Q1. How many active users does Twitter (X) have in 2025?
Twitter, now known as X, has approximately 429 million monthly active users globally in early 2025. This represents modest growth from previous years, though estimates vary among different sources.
Q2. What are the main reasons people use Twitter in 2025?
The primary reasons for using Twitter in 2025 are consuming news (48% of users), finding entertainment (48%), connecting with others who share interests (62%), and following sports or pop culture (59%). It remains the go-to platform for real-time updates and discussions.
Q3. How has Twitter's revenue changed since Elon Musk's acquisition?
Twitter's revenue declined to $2.50 billion in 2024, a 13.7% decrease from the previous year. However, projections for 2025 show signs of recovery, with expected growth in both U.S. and global ad revenue.
Q4. What major changes occurred after Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter?
Key changes include rebranding Twitter to "X," significant workforce reductions (about 80% of staff), introducing a paid verification system (X Premium), and implementing new features like content subscriptions and reading limits for users.
Q5. How effective is Twitter for brands and marketers in 2025?
Twitter remains a powerful marketing tool in 2025, with 79% of users actively following brands on the platform. Advertisements on Twitter receive 26% more viewing time compared to other leading platforms, and the average ROI for Twitter ads stands at approximately 122%.
