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This page contains all the data, insights, and trends you need to help you understand how people in the United Kingdom<\/a> use digital devices, online platforms, and connected services in 2026.<\/p>\n If you want to know whether this is our most recent report on the UK, or if you\u2019re looking for data on digital trends and behaviours in the United Kingdom for other years, you can find DataReportal<\/a>\u2019s full collection of (free!) reports on the United Kingdom by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also find the complete Digital 2026 report for the United Kingdom in the \u201cfull report\u201d section towards the bottom of this page, but we\u2019ll start this article by taking a look at the essential headline numbers for the United Kingdom this year.<\/p>\n Just before that, we\u2019d like to say a big thank you to Meltwater<\/a> and to We Are Social<\/a> for their support of this year\u2019s report.<\/p>\n A note on dates<\/p>\n To align our reporting more closely with our readers\u2019 digital planning cycles, please be aware that we published our Digital 2026 reports at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n As a result, many of the data points we\u2019ll reference in this article are from late 2025.<\/p>\n For reassurance, these data points reflect the latest available data in October\u00a02025, so they\u2019re still highly representative of digital adoption and evolving preferences and behaviours in the United Kingdom in 2026.<\/p>\n However, because we\u2019ve changed our publication cycle since our Digital 2025 reports, please pay close attention to the dates and time periods stated in this article and in our accompanying Digital 2026 reports, and avoid calculating values for change over time by referencing data published in our previous reports and articles.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve included a wealth of figures for change over time within this article, and you\u2019ll find even more within the full report at the bottom of this page.<\/p>\n OK, ready to start exploring the data?<\/p>\n The \u201cstate of digital\u201d in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Here are DataReportal<\/a>\u2019s essential headlines for the adoption and use of connected devices and services in the UK in 2026:<\/p>\n A total of 99.3\u00a0million cellular mobile connections were active in the United Kingdom in late 2025, with this figure equivalent to 143\u00a0percent of the total population. However, note that some of these connections may only include services such as voice and SMS, and some may not include access to the internet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There were 68.1\u00a0million individuals using the internet in the United Kingdom at the end of 2025, when online penetration stood at 97.8\u00a0percent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The UK was home to 55.5\u00a0million social media user identities in October\u00a02025, equating to 79.7\u00a0percent of the total population.<\/p>\n These headline stats offer a great overview of the \u201cstate of digital\u201d in the United Kingdom for 2026, but in order to make sense of how digital trends and behaviours have been evolving, we need to dig deeper into the data.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s take a closer look at what the numbers tell us, starting with some valuable context relating to the population of the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n Population of the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Data from the United Nations indicates that the population of the United Kingdom stood at 69.7\u00a0million in October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n The same dataset also shows that the UK\u2019s population increased by 405 thousand (+0.6\u00a0percent) between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in late 2025, 85.2\u00a0percent of the UK\u2019s population lived in urban centres, whereas 14.8\u00a0percent lived in rural areas.<\/p>\n At that time, 50.7\u00a0percent of the United Kingdom\u2019s population was female, while 49.3\u00a0percent of the population was male.<\/p>\n Note: gender data were only available for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d at the time of report production.<\/p>\n The United Kingdom\u2019s population by age <\/p>\n At the end of 2025, the median age of the United Kingdom\u2019s population was 40.1, with half of the United Kingdom\u2019s population above this age, and the other half of the population below it.<\/p>\n For added context, here\u2019s how the United Kingdom\u2019s total population broke down by age group at the end of the year, according to the United Nations\u2019 data:<\/p>\n 5.1\u00a0percent was between the ages of 0\u00a0and\u00a04.<\/p>\n 9.4\u00a0percent was between the ages of 5\u00a0and\u00a012.<\/p>\n 6.2\u00a0percent was between the ages of 13\u00a0and\u00a017.<\/p>\n 8.2\u00a0percent was between the ages of 18\u00a0and\u00a024.<\/p>\n 13.1\u00a0percent was between the ages of 25\u00a0and\u00a034.<\/p>\n 13.2\u00a0percent was between the ages of 35\u00a0and\u00a044.<\/p>\n 12.5\u00a0percent was between the ages of 45\u00a0and\u00a054.<\/p>\n 12.7\u00a0percent was between the ages of 55\u00a0and\u00a064.<\/p>\n 19.7\u00a0percent was aged 65\u00a0and\u00a0above.<\/p>\n Note: percentages may not sum to 100\u00a0percent due to rounding.<\/p>\n Mobile connections in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Data from GSMA Intelligence<\/a> shows that there were 99.3\u00a0million cellular mobile connections in the United Kingdom at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n For perspective, many people make use of more than one mobile connection, so it\u2019s not unusual for mobile connection figures to significantly exceed figures for total population.<\/p>\n For example, the same person might have one mobile connection for personal use, but also use a separate mobile connection for work activities. The rise of eSIMs<\/a> has made this even easier over recent years.<\/p>\n Indeed, GSMA Intelligence\u2019s numbers indicate that mobile connections in the UK were equivalent to 143\u00a0percent of the total population in October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n Looking at trends over time, the number of mobile connections in the United Kingdom increased by 1.1 million (+1.1\u00a0percent) between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, GSMA Intelligence\u2019s data suggests that 99.5\u00a0percent of mobile connections in the UK can now be considered \u201cbroadband\u201d, which means that they connect via 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile networks.<\/p>\n However, devices that connect to \u201cbroadband\u201d mobile networks do not necessarily use cellular mobile data \u2014 for example, some subscription plans may only include access to voice and SMS services \u2014 so this broadband figure should not be considered a proxy for mobile internet use.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Need quick stats for other countries? Click here<\/a> to read our Digital 2026 Local Country Headlines report, which offers essential digital data for almost every country in the world. At the time of report production, Kepios<\/a>\u2019s analysis of the latest available data indicated that there were 68.1\u00a0million internet users in the United Kingdom in October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n This means that the United Kingdom\u2019s internet penetration rate stood at 97.8\u00a0percent of the total population at the end of the year.<\/p>\n For reference, our internet user figures are informed by data from numerous reputable sources, including:<\/p>\n The ITU<\/a> (the International Telecommunication Union), which is the United Nations\u2019 specialised agency for digital technologies that \u201cfacilitates international connectivity in communication networks\u201d.<\/p>\n GSMA Intelligence<\/a>, which is the market intelligence arm of the GSMA<\/a>, a global organisation that \u201dunifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop, and deliver innovation\u201d.<\/p>\n Eurostat<\/a>, which is the statistical office of the European Union.<\/p>\n National telecommunications authorities, government regulators, and national statistics offices.<\/p>\n Planning tools provided by various large internet companies, including Google and Meta.<\/p>\n Kepios\u2019s analysis of this data indicates that the number of internet users in the UK increased by 396 thousand (+0.6\u00a0percent) between October\u00a02024 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n And for added perspective, the United Kingdom\u2019s internet adoption rate (i.e. the percentage of the total population that uses the internet) remained unchanged during the same period.<\/p>\n But these user figures also suggest that 1.56\u00a0million people in the United Kingdom did not use the internet at the end of 2025, suggesting that 2.2\u00a0percent of the population remained \u201coffline\u201d at the end of the year.<\/p>\n However, complexities associated with the collection and analysis of internet user data mean that it can often take several months before research is ready for publication.<\/p>\n As a result, the latest published figures for internet use may under-represent current realities, and actual rates for internet adoption and year-on-year growth may be higher than the figures shown here suggest.<\/p>\n Please see our comprehensive notes on data<\/a> for further details.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Go global: see how the United Kingdom\u2019s current \u201cstate of digital\u201d compares with connectivity in other countries by reading our flagship Digital 2026 Global Overview Report<\/a>, which includes hundreds of slides of global digital data, as well as our in-depth analysis of what these numbers might mean for you. Figures published by Ookla<\/a> indicate that internet users in the United Kingdom could have expected the following internet connection speeds at the end of 2025, reported in megabits per second (Mbps):<\/p>\n Ookla\u2019s data reveals that the median mobile internet download speed in the United Kingdom increased by 13.93\u00a0Mbps (+25.5\u00a0percent) in the twelve months to August\u00a02025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the company\u2019s data shows that the download speed of the typical fixed internet connection in the UK increased by 35.22\u00a0Mbps (+32.4\u00a0percent) during the same period.<\/p>\n *Note: values for mobile internet connection speeds only include data transfer via cellular mobile networks (e.g. 3G, 4G, and 5G connections), and do not represent the speed of mobile connections via WiFi where the WiFi router connects to the internet via \u201cfixed\u201d infrastructure.<\/p>\n Social media statistics for the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Proprietary analysis conducted by Kepios<\/a> on behalf of DataReportal<\/a> indicates that there were 55.5\u00a0million active social media user identities in the United Kingdom in October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n For perspective, this figure was equivalent to 79.7\u00a0percent of the United Kingdom\u2019s total population at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n However, while Kepios\u2019s methodology strives to \u201cde-duplicate\u201d social media users across different social platforms \u2014 and, wherever possible, to remove accounts that do not represent individual human users \u2014 it\u2019s important to stress that our social media user identities figures may not represent unique individuals (see our detailed notes on data<\/a> to learn why).<\/p>\n Moreover, due to complexities associated with de-duplicating users across different social platforms, the methodology that we use to calculate social media user identities may sometimes only factor users of the social media platform that has the largest active audience in the respective country at the time of report production.<\/p>\n As a result, the figures that we publish for a country\u2019s overall social media use may sometimes look very similar to the statistics that we publish for the most popular social media platform in that country.<\/p>\n Separately, please also note that the signals and sources that we rely on to inform these social media figures make regular changes and corrections<\/a> to their data.<\/p>\n Consequently, the values for social media use shown here might appear to be quite different to the numbers that we published in previous years<\/a>.<\/p>\n Because of this, we advise significant caution when comparing the values for social media user identities published in this year\u2019s reports with those published in previous years, especially because changes in our reported values may be the result of \u201ccorrections\u201d in the source data, and not all trends will be the result of changes in actual user behaviour.<\/p>\n This is particularly pertinent when it comes to trends in social media use over time, and we recommend that readers use the change figures published below, rather than trying to re-calculate growth figures using data published in our previous reports.<\/p>\n And on that note, Kepios<\/a>\u2019s analysis shows that social media user identities in the United Kingdom increased by 700 thousand (+1.3\u00a0percent) between late 2024 and the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Turning our attention to user demographics, data published in the ad planning tools of top social media platforms indicates that there were 48.2\u00a0million user identities aged 18 and above using social media in the UK at the end of 2025, which was equivalent to 87.2\u00a0percent of the total population aged 18 and above.<\/p>\n At that time, 50.2\u00a0percent of the United Kingdom\u2019s social media user identities were female, while 49.8\u00a0percent were male.<\/p>\n And for added context, it may be helpful to know that 81.5\u00a0percent of the United Kingdom\u2019s total internet user base (regardless of age) used at least one social media platform in October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n Note: due to source data limitations, we\u2019re only able to report gender data for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Get fresh insights: our handy Social Media Users overview page<\/a> helps you stay up to date with global social media trends, offering essential headlines for social media adoption, as well as the latest user figures for the world\u2019s most widely used social media platforms. Google\u2019s advertising resources indicate that YouTube had 55.5\u00a0million users in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to stress that these advertising reach figures do not necessarily represent the same thing as monthly active user figures though, and there may be meaningful differences between the size of YouTube\u2019s ad audience and its total active user base.<\/p>\n Caveats aside, the company\u2019s own data suggests that YouTube\u2019s ad reach in late 2025 was equivalent to 79.7\u00a0percent of the UK\u2019s total population at the end of the year.<\/p>\n To put those figures in perspective, YouTube ads reached 81.5\u00a0percent of the United Kingdom\u2019s total internet user base (regardless of age) in October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n At that time, 50.2\u00a0percent of YouTube\u2019s adult ad audience in the United Kingdom was female, while 49.8\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n Note: at the time of report production, Google\u2019s advertising resources only published audience gender data for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users.<\/p>\n YouTube user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Data published in Google\u2019s own ad planning tools show that YouTube\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom increased by 700 thousand (+1.3\u00a0percent) between the end of 2024 and late 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, on a quarter-by-quarter basis, the same data show that the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on YouTube in the UK increased by 1.10 million (+2.0\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s worth noting that Google only publishes updates to its figures for YouTube reach every three to six months, and actual reach may have evolved since this data was published in Google\u2019s ad planning tools.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more YouTube stats ? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth YouTube data for all available countries.<\/p>\n Facebook users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Data published in Meta\u2019s advertising resources indicate that Facebook had 38.8\u00a0million users in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n However, Meta has made important changes to the way its advertising resources report audience reach data over recent months \u2014 including making meaningful revisions to published audience data \u2014 so the figures shown here may not be directly comparable with figures published in our previous reports. <\/p>\n To learn more about these changes, please see our extensive notes on data<\/a>.<\/p>\n Facebook user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Figures published in Meta\u2019s own tools indicate that Facebook\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom increased by 1.00 million (+2.6\u00a0percent) between October\u00a02024 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n For more recent context, the same data show that the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on Facebook in the United Kingdom increased by 100 thousand (+0.3\u00a0percent) in the three months between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s important to stress that Meta\u2019s advertising reach figures are not the same as the active user figures that the company may report in its investor earnings announcements, and they should not be interpreted as such.<\/p>\n As Meta states in a note published in its ad planning tools,<\/p>\n \u201cEstimated audience size is not a proxy for monthly or daily active users, or for engagement. Estimates aren\u2019t designed to match population, census estimates or other sources, and may differ depending on factors such as how many accounts across Meta technologies a person has, how many temporary visitors are in a particular geographic location at a given time, and Meta user-reported demographics.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result, changes in ad reach may not necessarily indicate any change in the overall user bases of Meta\u2019s platforms.<\/p>\n But despite these caveats, Meta\u2019s ad reach data still offers valuable insights into how Facebook use is evolving, so let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n Facebook adoption in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Facebook\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 55.6\u00a0percent of the total population at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Meta only allows people aged 13 and above to use Facebook though, and it\u2019s worth highlighting that 65.0\u00a0percent of the \u201celigible\u201d audience in the UK used Facebook at the time of writing.<\/p>\n Furthermore, it may be useful to know that the company\u2019s data indicates that 69.9\u00a0percent of adults aged 18 and above in the United Kingdom used Facebook at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n And for additional context, Facebook\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 56.9\u00a0percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) in October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n At the end of 2025, 52.7\u00a0percent of Facebook\u2019s adult ad audience in the UK was female, while 47.3\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n Note: at the time of report production, Meta\u2019s advertising tools only showed audience gender data for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users. However, the published figures for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users do not always sum to the published total figure, so the gender share values shown here may not sum to 100 percent.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more Facebook stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth Facebook data for every country in the world.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Need more social media numbers? Our social media platform guides<\/a> help you make sense of all the latest stats for the world\u2019s biggest social media platforms. Numbers published in Meta\u2019s advertising tools indicate that Instagram had 35.5\u00a0million users in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s regularly revised<\/a> figures suggest that Instagram\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 50.9\u00a0percent of the total population at the end of the year.<\/p>\n However, Meta only allows people aged 13 and above to use Instagram, so it\u2019s also worth highlighting that 59.5\u00a0percent of the \u201celigible\u201d audience in the UK used Instagram at the time of report production.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, data published in the company\u2019s ad tools indicate that 62.6\u00a0percent of adults aged 18 and above in the United Kingdom used Instagram at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Similarly, it may be helpful to know that Instagram\u2019s ad reach in the UK at the end of 2025 was equivalent to 52.1\u00a0percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age).<\/p>\n In late 2025, 54.2\u00a0percent of Instagram\u2019s adult ad audience in the UK was female, while 45.8\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n Note: at the time of report production, Meta\u2019s advertising tools only showed audience gender data for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users. However, the published figures for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users do not always sum to the published total figure, so the gender share values shown here may not sum to 100 percent.<\/p>\n Instagram user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Data published in Meta\u2019s planning tools show that Instagram\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom increased by 3.00 million (+9.2\u00a0percent) between October\u00a02024 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n On a quarterly basis, the company\u2019s data also reveal that the size of Instagram\u2019s ad audience in the UK increased by 300 thousand (+0.9\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n As we noted in the Facebook section above though, changes in the audience reach figures published in Meta\u2019s ad planning tools do not necessarily correlate with overall changes in its platforms\u2019 active user bases.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more Instagram stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth Instagram data for every country in the world.<\/p>\n TikTok users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Figures published in TikTok\u2019s advertising resources indicate that TikTok had 26.8\u00a0million users aged 18 and above in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n Note that TikTok allows marketers to target TikTok ads to users aged 13 and above via its advertising tools, but these tools only show audience data for users aged 18 and above.<\/p>\n And for context, TikTok\u2019s figures indicate that TikTok ads reached 48.4\u00a0percent of all adults aged 18 and above in the UK at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, TikTok\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 39.3\u00a0percent of the local internet user base at the end of the year, regardless of age.<\/p>\n In late 2025, 61.5\u00a0percent of TikTok\u2019s adult ad audience in the United Kingdom was female, whereas 38.5\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n Note: at the time of report production, TikTok\u2019s advertising resources only published audience gender data for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users.<\/p>\n TikTok user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Data published in TikTok\u2019s own ad planning tools show that TikTok\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom increased by 2.96 million (+12.5\u00a0percent) between the end of 2024 and late 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, figures indicate that the potential reach of ads on TikTok in the United Kingdom increased by 211 thousand (+0.8\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n Having said that, ad audiences often only account for a subset of a platform\u2019s total users, and given that TikTok\u2019s ad tools only publish data for users aged 18 and above, it\u2019s important to remember that trends in TikTok\u2019s ad reach figures may not necessarily match changes in the platform\u2019s overall user base.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more TikTok stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth TikTok data for every available country.<\/p>\n LinkedIn users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Figures published in LinkedIn\u2019s advertising resources indicate that LinkedIn had 48.0\u00a0million \u201cmembers\u201d in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n Note that LinkedIn\u2019s advertising tools publish audience reach data based on total registered members, rather than the monthly active users that form the basis of the ad reach figures published by most other social media platforms.<\/p>\n As a result, these LinkedIn figures are not directly comparable with the figures for other social media platforms published on this page, or those shown in our Digital 2026<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n But caveats aside, the company\u2019s own advertising reach figures suggest that LinkedIn\u2019s audience in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 68.9\u00a0percent of the total population at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n LinkedIn\u2019s advertising tools only publish data for users aged 18 and above though, so it may be more representative to state that LinkedIn\u2019s ads reached 86.8\u00a0percent of the UK\u2019s population aged 18 and above in late 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, LinkedIn\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 70.5\u00a0percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) at the end of the year.<\/p>\n In late 2025, 45.5\u00a0percent of LinkedIn\u2019s ad audience in the UK was female, while 54.5\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n Note: at the time of report production, LinkedIn\u2019s advertising resources only published audience gender data for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users.<\/p>\n LinkedIn user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Data published in LinkedIn\u2019s planning tools show that LinkedIn\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom increased by 5.00 million (+11.6\u00a0percent) between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.<\/p>\n On a quarterly basis, the company\u2019s data reveal that the size of LinkedIn\u2019s ad audience in the United Kingdom increased by 1.00 million (+2.1\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n However, because LinkedIn\u2019s ad audience figures are based on total registered members rather than monthly active users, it\u2019s unclear whether these trends might reflect changes in active LinkedIn use too.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more LinkedIn stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth LinkedIn data for countries all over the world.<\/p>\n Messenger users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Data published in Meta\u2019s advertising resources indicate that ads on Messenger reached 25.7\u00a0million users in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s frequently adjusted<\/a> audience numbers suggest that Messenger\u2019s ad reach in the UK was equivalent to 36.8\u00a0percent of the total population at the end of the year.<\/p>\n Meta only allows people aged 13 and above to use Messenger though, so it\u2019s worth highlighting that 43.1\u00a0percent of the \u201celigible\u201d audience in the United Kingdom used Messenger at the time of writing.<\/p>\n Moreover, data published in the company\u2019s ad tools indicate that 46.5\u00a0percent of adults aged 18 and above in the United Kingdom used Messenger at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n And for additional context, Messenger\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom at that time was equivalent to 37.7\u00a0percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age).<\/p>\n At the end of 2025, 54.8\u00a0percent of Messenger\u2019s ad audience in the UK was female, while 45.2\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n Note: at the time of report production, Meta\u2019s advertising tools only showed audience gender data for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users. However, the published figures for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users do not always sum to the published total figure, so the gender share values shown here may not sum to 100 percent.<\/p>\n Messenger user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Data published in Meta\u2019s planning tools show that Messenger\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom decreased by 1.10 million* (-4.1\u00a0percent) between October\u00a02024 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n And on a quarterly basis, the company\u2019s data reveal that the size of Messenger\u2019s ad audience in the United Kingdom decreased by 650 thousand* (-2.5\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n However, as we noted in the Facebook section above, changes in the audience reach figures published in Meta\u2019s ad planning tools do not necessarily correlate with overall changes in its platforms\u2019 active user bases.<\/p>\n *Important note: in addition to regular changes in active user numbers, social media platforms may revise or \u201ccorrect\u201d the audience reach figures that they report in their advertising tools, and these interventions may result in an apparent decline in reported reach.<\/p>\n For example, platforms may remove accounts that do not meet their terms of service \u2014 such as when users create duplicate or \u201cfalse\u201d accounts \u2014 or when they suspect accounts to be engaging in \u201cinauthentic\u201d activity.<\/p>\n On occasion, these platform \u201ccorrections\u201d may result in meaningful changes in reported reach, and such adjustments may significantly distort trends and values for change over time.<\/p>\n However, in many cases, such declines in reported ad reach do not indicate any change in legitimate platform use by \u201creal\u201d humans, and should not be interpreted as such.<\/p>\n As a result, we recommend significant caution when interpreting trends relating to negative changes in reported audience reach.<\/p>\n Please see our detailed notes on data<\/a> to learn whether our analysis has detected such changes in relevant figures.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more Messenger stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth Messenger data for every country in the world.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Get data for every country on Earth: visit our free online library<\/a> to browse all of our Global Digital Reports, which include the latest digital data for every country in the world, and more than a decade of historical numbers, trends, and insights. Data published in Snap\u2019s advertising resources indicate that Snapchat had 23.9\u00a0million users in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n This figure means that Snapchat\u2019s ad reach in the UK was equivalent to 34.3\u00a0percent of the total population at the end of the year.<\/p>\n However, Snap only allows people aged 13 and above to use the platform, so it\u2019s also worth noting that 40.1\u00a0percent of the \u201celigible\u201d audience in the United Kingdom used Snapchat in late 2025.<\/p>\n Moreover, data published in the company\u2019s ad tools indicate that 34.8\u00a0percent of adults aged 18 and above in the United Kingdom used Snapchat at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n And for added perspective, Snapchat\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 35.1\u00a0percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) at the end of the year.<\/p>\n In late 2025, 52.8\u00a0percent of Snapchat\u2019s adult ad audience in the UK was female, while 46.6\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n Note: In addition to publishing gender data for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users, Snap\u2019s advertising resources also publish data for \u201cunknown\u201d gender, so the figures published for \u201cfemale\u201d and \u201cmale\u201d users don\u2019t always add up to the total user figure. As a result, the percentages shown here may not sum to 100\u00a0percent.<\/p>\n Snapchat user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Data published in Snap\u2019s own ad planning tools show that Snapchat\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom increased by 325 thousand (+1.4\u00a0percent) between the end of 2024 and late 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the same data show that the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on Snapchat in the UK increased by 20.0 thousand (+0.08\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s important to stress that these advertising reach figures do not represent monthly active user figures, and there may be meaningful differences between the size of Snapchat\u2019s ad audience and its total active user base.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more Snapchat stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth Snapchat data for all available countries.<\/p>\n Reddit users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Data published in Reddit\u2019s advertising resources indicate that Reddit had 45.8\u00a0million users in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n This figure means that Reddit\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 65.7\u00a0percent of the total population at the end of the year.<\/p>\n However, Reddit only allows people aged 13 and above to create user accounts on its platform, so it may be helpful to know that Reddit\u2019s reported ad reach figure was equal to 76.8\u00a0percent of the \u201celigible\u201d audience in the UK in late 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Reddit\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 67.2\u00a0percent of the local internet user base, regardless of age.<\/p>\n Reddit user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n For perspective, data published in Reddit\u2019s own ad planning tools show that Reddit\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom increased by 27.3 million (+148\u00a0percent*) between the end of 2024 and late 2025.<\/p>\n On a quarter-by-quarter basis, the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on Reddit in the United Kingdom increased by 2.00 million (+4.6\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n However, remember that these advertising reach figures do not represent monthly active user numbers, and the size of Reddit\u2019s ad audience may be significantly different to its total active user base. <\/p>\n *Advisory: we\u2019re aware of some unusually large changes in Reddit\u2019s reported ad reach over recent months, but we have elected to republish these changes in source data \u201cas is\u201d, in order to enable readers to make their own judgements. However, as noted above, please remember that changes in Reddit\u2019s reported ad reach may not be representative of changes in the platform\u2019s active user base.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more Reddit stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth Reddit data for all available countries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dig deeper: if you\u2019d like to stay up to date with digital trends from around the world, follow our regular Global Statshot<\/a> Reports. Numbers published in X\u2019s advertising resources indicate that X had 19.0\u00a0million users in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n This figure means that X\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 27.2\u00a0percent of the total population at the time.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s important to stress that these advertising reach figures are not the same as monthly active user figures, and there may be meaningful differences between the size of X\u2019s ad audience and its total active user base.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, X only allows people aged 13 and above to use its platform, so it\u2019s worth adding that the latest figures suggest that 31.8\u00a0percent of the \u201celigible\u201d audience in the UK used X at the time of report production.<\/p>\n Furthermore, data published in the company\u2019s ad tools indicate that 33.1\u00a0percent of adults aged 18 and above in the United Kingdom used X at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n And for additional context, X\u2019s ad reach in the UK was equivalent to 27.8\u00a0percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) at the end of the year.<\/p>\n In late 2025, the company\u2019s own data indicated that 32.1\u00a0percent of X\u2019s adult ad audience in the United Kingdom was female, while 67.8\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n However, X appears to infer its users\u2019 gender, by analysing signals such as the name that users enter in their profile, and their broader activity on the platform.<\/p>\n This contrasts with the gender data offered in the advertising tools of platforms like Facebook, which tend to rely on gender details that users themselves enter in their own profile.<\/p>\n Moreover, our analysis suggests that X\u2019s inferences may be less representative of users\u2019 actual gender in countries where English is not the dominant language.<\/p>\n For example, consumer research findings published by GWI<\/a> often offer a different picture of X use by gender compared with X\u2019s own audience data.<\/p>\n Having said that, the apparent gender \u201cskew\u201d that frequently appears in X\u2019s inferred gender data may also be due in part to the high number of legitimate but \u201cnon-human\u201d accounts that feature in X\u2019s active user data, including accounts that represent businesses and brands, animals, music groups, and various other entities [note that X doesn\u2019t currently distinguish between \u201cpeople\u201d and other types of account in the ways that platforms like Facebook and Instagram do].<\/p>\n Regardless of the cause though, we\u2019d advise caution when analysing or interpreting X\u2019s reported figures for use by gender.<\/p>\n X user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Data published in X\u2019s own ad planning tools show that X\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom decreased by 5.05 million* (-21.0\u00a0percent) between the end of 2024 and late 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the same data show that the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on X in the UK decreased by 1.36 million* (-6.7\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n However, please note that the figures published in X\u2019s planning tools are liable to significant fluctuation \u2014 even over short periods of time \u2014 and these anomalies may impact the reliability and representativeness of these change figures.<\/p>\n Moreover, we\u2019ve identified some unusual trends in the data reported in X\u2019s advertising tools in recent months, so we\u2019d advise caution when it comes to analysing changes over time in these X reach figures.<\/p>\n *Important note: to make better sense of these trends, please refer to our guidance on interpreting declines in platform reach towards the end of the Messenger section above.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more X stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth X data for countries everywhere.<\/p>\n Pinterest users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n Data published in Pinterest\u2019s advertising resources indicate that Pinterest had 15.5\u00a0million users in the United Kingdom in late 2025.<\/p>\n This figure means that Pinterest\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 22.3\u00a0percent of the total population at the end of the year.<\/p>\n However, Pinterest only allows people aged 13 and above to use its platform, so it may be helpful to know that 26.1\u00a0percent of the \u201celigible\u201d audience in the UK used Pinterest at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Pinterest\u2019s ad reach in the United Kingdom was equivalent to 22.8\u00a0percent of the local internet user base, regardless of age.<\/p>\n At the end of 2025, 71.1\u00a0percent of Pinterest\u2019s total ad audience in the United Kingdom was female, while 22.8\u00a0percent was male.<\/p>\n Pinterest\u2019s tools also publish audience data for users of \u201cunspecified\u201d gender, and these users accounted for 6.1\u00a0percent of Pinterest\u2019s total ad audience in the United Kingdom at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Pinterest user growth in the United Kingdom<\/p>\n Data published in Pinterest\u2019s own ad planning tools show that Pinterest\u2019s potential ad reach in the United Kingdom increased by 45.0 thousand (+0.3\u00a0percent) between the end of 2024 and late 2025.<\/p>\n And on a quarter-by-quarter basis, the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on Pinterest in the United Kingdom decreased by 45.0 thousand* (-0.3\u00a0percent) between July\u00a02025 and October\u00a02025.<\/p>\n However, remember that these advertising reach figures do not represent monthly active user numbers, and the size of Pinterest\u2019s ad audience may be meaningfully different to the size of its total active user base.<\/p>\n *Important note: to make better sense of these trends, please refer to our guidance on interpreting declines in platform reach towards the end of the Messenger section above.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Looking for more Pinterest stats? Click here<\/a> to explore our in-depth Pinterest data for all available countries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dig deeper: click here<\/a> to access all of the free reports in our Digital 2026 series. Just before we get to the full report, here are some suggestions for further reading, which will provide additional context for our full set of Digital 2026 numbers for the United Kingdom:<\/p>\n Read our complete Digital 2026 Global Overview Report<\/a> to get a comprehensive overview of the \u201cstate of digital\u201d around the world in 2026.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to see all of the Global Digital Reports we\u2019ve published for the United Kingdom over the years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Explore all of our reports on countries in the Northern Europe region by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Find all of the reports in the Digital 2026 series via this handy index page<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Visit our complete online library<\/a> to see all of the (free!) reports in the Global Digital Reports series.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to receive updates when we publish new reports, click here<\/a> to sign up for our newsletter.<\/p>\n Full report<\/p>\n
\nPlease click here<\/a> to ensure you\u2019re using our latest data for the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Internet use in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n
\nInternet connection speeds in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n
YouTube users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n
Instagram users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n
Snapchat users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n
X users in the United Kingdom in 2026<\/p>\n
Additional resources<\/p>\n