32 Top Instagram Reels Statistics For 2024
Looking for the latest Instagram Reels statistics? You’re in the right place.
For the last few years, Instagram has invested heavily in Reels to compete with short-form video platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts—but how successful has this been?
To shed light on that and many more questions, I’ve compiled a comprehensive roundup of all the latest stats, facts, and figures about Instagram Reels.
Let’s start with our editor’s top picks…
Top picks
- Instagram Reels’ total advertising audience is 726.8 million (Datareportal)
- Reels account for 50% of time spent on Instagram (Meta Investor Relations)
- Instagram Reels are played over 140 billion times a day (Instagram for Business)
- Over 35% of Instagram feed posts are Reels (Datareportal)
- The average Instagram Reels engagement rate is 1.23% (Socialinsider)
- The average Instagram Reel gets 243 likes, 8 comments, and 28 saves (Statista2)
- 31.6% of Instagram Reels viewers are 25-34 years old, and 54.7% are men (Datareportal)
- Instagram Reels is the 3rd top video marketing channel (Wyzowl)
Instagram Reels usage statistics
First, let’s take a look at some Instagram Reels usage statistics that tell us how many people are posting, viewing, and interacting with Reels on the platform this year, and how that usage has changed over time.
1. Over 2 billion people use Instagram
That’s the estimated number of monthly active users that use Instagram, according to the best data we could find. Unfortunately, Instagram hasn’t shared any official usage figures, so we only have rough estimates to work with.
Source: Datareportal
2. Over 726.8 million people use Instagram Reels
According to data from Meta reported by Datareportal, the number of people that can be reached with ads on Instagram Reels is around 726.8 million.
That’s around 55.1% of Instagram’s total advertising audience and around 11.6% of the global adult population.
Source: Datareportal
3. Instagram users spend 50% of their time on the app watching Reels
According to one of Meta’s latest earnings calls, Instagram users now spend around half of the time on the platform viewing Reels. This shows that even though Reels were only launched on Instagram a few years ago, they’re now a core part of the product.
Source: Meta Investor Relations
4. …and a combined total of around 17.6 million hours watching Reels every day
This is according to an internal Meta document obtained by the WSJ from 2022. At that time, according to the report, users spent 17.6 hours watching Reels a day.
While that might seem like a lot, it’s less than a tenth of the hours users spent watching TikTok videos (197.8 hours) daily and suggests that, back then, Instagram was struggling to compete.
Source: Wall Street Journal
5. There are over 140 billion Instagram Reels plays every day
According to Instagram’s official page for businesses, Reels are played over 140 billion times across Instagram and Facebook every day.
Source: Instagram for Business
6. Over half of Instagram users interact with a Reel at least once a week
Reels are one of the most engaging forms of content on Instagram, which is why every week, over half of all Instagram users will like, comment, or share at least one Reel.
Source: Instagram for Business
7. Instagram is the third most-used app to watch short-form videos in the US
It still falls behind both TikTok (40%) and YouTube Shorts (23%). However, it’s firmly in the top 3 most-used short-form video platforms this year.
Source: Statista5
8. Reels account for 38.5% of all Instagram feed posts
According to Datareportal’s latest yearly report, Instagram users share 1.32 main feed posts a day, on average. Of those, 39.8% are photos, 35.9% are videos (i.e. Reels), and 21.6% are carousel posts.
Source: Datareportal
9. 20.7% of Instagram creators post Reels each month
Again, this is according to the internal document acquired by WSJ in 2022, so it might be a little outdated at this point.
But we do know that at that time, only around a fifth of the 11 million creators on Instagram were posting Reels every month. What’s more, most of those Reels users had no engagement whatsoever.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Instagram Reels benchmarks
Want to know how well your Instagram Reels are performing compared to others? Below, you’ll find some Reels statistics that you can use as benchmarks.
10. Instagram Reels have an average engagement rate of 1.23%
In 2022, the average engagement rate of Instagram Reels was 1.66%. That dropped to 1.23% in 2023.
However, Reels remain the most engaging content type on Instagram. For comparison, Carousels have an average engagement rate of 1.025% and image posts have one of just 0.72%.
Source: Socialinsider
11. Instagram Reels have an average reach rate of 30.81%
Reach rate is a metric used to measure the percentage of unique people who see a post. It’s calculated by dividing the post’s total reach by the profile’s total number of followers and then multiplying it by 100.
Interestingly, Reels have an average reach rate 2x greater than other post types, including Carousels (14.45%), images (13.14%), and Instagram Stories. This highlights why Reels deserve a place in your content mix.
Source: Socialinsider
12. Instagram Reels have an average impression rate of 33.83%
Again, that’s down significantly from 2022, when it was 50.42%. However, it remains much higher than both carousel posts (17.88%) and images (14.32%)
Source: Socialinsider
13. The average Instagram account posts a Reel every 2-5 days, on average
That varies by account size. Huge accounts with 50k+ followers share a new Reel every 2 days on average while bog accounts with 10k-50k followers post a new Reel every 3-4 days. Small accounts with less than 500 users post Reels every 5 days on average.
Source: Statista3
14. The average Instagram Reel receives 243 likes
When we look at engagements across posts from all account sizes, the average number of likes a Reel receives is 243. The average Reel also gets 8 comments and 28 saves. This is according to a study from last year.
Source: Statista2
15. The average reach of Instagram Reels fell dramatically last year
According to a study from last year, Instagram accounts with between 50k and 45m followers saw their average Reels reach fall from 95.6k to just 47.85k year over year. A similar drop happened for all other account sizes. The reason for the decline in reach may have something to do with increasing competition from rival platforms like YouTube Shorts.
Source: Statista
Instagram Reels best practices
Here are some Instagram Reels statistics that reveal important tips and best practices that you can use to get more views and engagements on your posts.
16. The most important ranking factor for Reels is engagement activity
Instagram shared a post outlining how they rank Reels and stated that the most important factor they look at is how users have liked, saved, reshared, commented on, and engaged with Reels in the past.
They use this engagement activity data to determine which content is most relevant to them, and this influences rankings.
The upshot for creators and brands is that the key to improving the performance of your Reels is to focus on creating engaging content that viewers interact with.
Source: Instagram2
17. The best time to post Instagram Reels is 10 PM – 7 AM on Saturdays
Different studies have come to different conclusions about the best time to post, but the best data suggests that 10 PM to 7 AM might be the sweet spot, especially on Saturdays.
However, it’s crucial to remember that this won’t work for every creator as every target audience is unique. It’s much better to look at your own historical data to work out your personal best time to post.
Source: Blogging Wizard
18. 50% of surveyed Instagram users prefer ‘funny’ Reels
In a recent survey, users were asked what type of posts they prefer on Instagram, and 50% of respondents said they prefer ‘funny’ content, making this the number one response.
Other top responses include ‘creative’ posts (46%), ‘informative’ posts (41%), ‘relaxing’ posts (37%), and ‘inspirational’ posts (36%).
Source: Statista4
19. Over 80% of Reels are viewed with sound
According to Instagram’s internal data, 80% of Reels are viewed with the sound on. So, don’t be afraid to use dialogue and music in your Reels. And you can utilize captions to make sure they’re still accessible to the 20% that watch Reels with the sound off.
Source: Instagram for Business
Instagram Reels audience statistics
What are the main demographics that watch Instagram Reels? Here are a couple of Instagram user statistics that shed light on that question.
20. 54.7% of Instagram Reels viewers are male
Instagram’s advertising audience has a relatively even gender split, but it’s skewed slightly towards male (like most social platforms). 54.7% of users who can be reached with ads are men while 45.3% are women.
Source: Datareportal
21. The most common age of Instagram Reels viewers is 25-34 years old.
In total, 31.6% of Instagram users are between the ages of 25 and 34, making this the most common age bracket. Of those, 17.7% are male and 13.9% are female.
The second most common age bracket is 25 to 34. See the table below for a more complete breakdown of Instagram Reels viewers by age and gender.
| Age | Total % of users | (of which female) | (of which male) |
| 13 – 17 | 8.4% | 3.8% | 4.6% |
| 18 – 24 | 31.5% | 13.4% | 18.1% |
| 25 – 34 | 31.6% | 13.9% | 17.7% |
| 35 – 44 | 15% | 7.4% | 7.6% |
| 45 – 54 | 7.7% | 4.2% | 3.5% |
| 55 – 64 | 3.7% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| 65+ | 2.1% | 1.2% | 0.9% |
Source: Datareportal
Instagram Reels for businesses
Next, let’s look at some Instagram statistics about Reels that businesses and marketers might find useful.
22. Instagram Reels is the third most popular video marketing channel…
Wyzowl surveyed video marketers and asked which marketing channels their brands share videos on.
79% of those surveyed said Instagram, making it the third most popular video marketing channel behind YouTube (90%) and Facebook (89%)
Source: Wyzowl
23. …and the third most effective video marketing channel
Wyzowl also asked video marketers which distribution channel they found most effective. 64% said Instagram, making it the third most effective behind YouTube (78%) and Facebook (71%).
Source: Wyzowl
24. Instagram Reels usage by businesses grew 57.4% last year
According to Socialinsider’s content performance study, 30.85% of businesses reported using Instagram Reels last year, compared to 19.67% the year before. That’s a year-over-year growth of around 57.4%.
Source: Socialinsider
25. 58.2% of marketers will use Instagram Reels for influencer marketing this year
This is according to forecasts from eMarketer. If accurate, that will put Instagram Reels above TikTok and YouTube for influencer marketing, but it will still lag behind Facebook.
However, the forecast also predicts that Instagram Reels will be used by 62.2% of influencer marketers in 2025, putting it almost on par with Facebook.
Source: eMarketer
26. 50% of Instagram users find new brands through Reels
Around half of all users of the platform discover brands and products they didn’t already know about through Reels, according to Instagram. This shows how powerful Reels can be as a marketing channel.
Source: Instagram for Business
27. Vertical Reels ads have a 48% lower CPA
If you plan to run Instagram Reels advertisements, it’s worth placing them vertically. According to Meta’s analysis of built-for-reel ads, they have a 48% lower cost-per-action compared with non-vertical ads.
Source: Instagram for Business
28. Reels ads with a ‘human presence’ get 25% more clicks
Another top tip for businesses that plan to run ads on Reels is to use a human in the creative, like a shot of their face. Ads that do this have a 25% higher click-through rate than those that don’t.
Source: Instagram for Business
Instagram Reels facts
Before we wrap up, here are a few more facts about Instagram Reels that you might find interesting.
29. Instagram Reels was released globally in August 2020
Instagram launched Reels globally in August 2020 as part of their wider ‘pivot to video’ in an attempt to compete with video-sharing site TikTok. However, they’d already begun to pilot Reels as early as 2019 in select countries.
Source: Wikipedia
30. All videos on Instagram were made into Reels in June 2022
When Reels was first launched, Reels were a separate thing from traditional video posts. This changed in June 2022, when Instagram made all video posts Reels.
Source: Wikipedia
31. The most-liked Instagram Reel of all time has 34.1 million likes
And it’s nothing more than a simple video of a sunset!
Uploaded by @jiangzhibin24 in August 2023, a video of the beautiful sky at twilight shot from a car window and placed over some soft background music became the most-liked post ever, with over 34.1 million likes and counting.
It just goes to show how anyone can have a viral Reel on Instagram if it strikes the right note and takes off in the algorithm.
Source: Wikipedia2, Instagram
32. The most-watched Instagram Reel of all time has over 1.6 billion views
At the time of writing, the most watched Instagram Reel is a promotional video collab between Indian international cricketer @hardikpandya93 and mobile gaming company @battlegroundsmobilein_official.
Before that, the previous record was held by Indian content creator @riswan_freestyle for a Reel in which he kicked a football at a waterfall.
Source: Instagram
Final thoughts
That concludes our roundup of Instagram Reels insights and statistics
One of the main takeaways from these stats is that Reels has become an increasingly important part of Instagram’s core product since its launch a few years back, and now accounts for a significant portion of user time spent on the app.
However, Instagram still faces fierce competition from rival platforms when it comes to short-form video content.
You can learn more about how Instagram compares to its rivals by checking out our data-driven ranking of the 22 leading social platforms. You might also enjoy our roundup of the latest influencer marketing stats
