Instagram’s global user base is predicted to increase by 56% by 2021.
eMarketer has predicted that Instagram will increase from 593.7 million users this year to 927.9 million by 2021.
Even though the international social media platform claims to have 800 million users, eMarketer is making its estimations by taking duplicate accounts, business profiles and fake users into account.
Instagram’s worldwide ad revenue has also been estimated in the forecast to more than double, from $4.1 billion to $10.87 billion by 2019.
While Instagram’s user base and ad revenue are both set to rise, its overall growth rate doesn’t seem to be on the same trajectory.
Growth is expected to decline to 7.4% by 2021, with continued success dependant on developing additional services to keep users engaged for longer periods of time.
Instagram is especially popular among young consumers in emerging markets, who may not have access to wireless broadband connections – an advantage it seems to enjoy over its rival, Snapchat.
Snapchat, however, is the most popular social media platform among U.S teenagers according to RBC Capital research, with 79% of 13- to 18-year-olds having a Snapchat account and only 73% having an Instagram account.