The Threads social media platform was just released in July 2023 with enormous success, and now everyone wants to know the real scoop on it. Who’s joining it, and how many users is it accumulating per day? How does it measure up to other apps? What records has it broken?
To bring you the latest data on Threads, we scoured the internet for statistics and facts from the most trustworthy and reliable sources in the marketing and tech industries.
As a result of our extensive research, we’re proud to present you with a total of 29 Threads statistics and facts. We’ll also scrutinize Threads’ data collection policies and see how they measure up to two similar platforms.
But first, some context on this juggernaut app.
Threads Background
It may seem to the casual observer that Threads appeared out of nowhere. In reality, it has a history that goes back at least four years.
Initially, Threads was released as a Snapchat-like social media app in October 2019 by Meta Platforms, the company that also owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Due to its lack of popularity, however, it was pulled from app stores in 2021.
In 2022, Meta revived the idea of Threads as an app that could embody a new Instagram feature called Instagram Notes. This development led to the current iteration of Threads, which was launched on July 5th, 2023. Now, its design features a similar interface to Twitter, while the entire platform is being positioned as a direct competitor to that app.
Threads User Statistics and Facts
To get an idea of the immense popularity that Threads has met since its release, the first place we should look is statistics about Threads users.
- It took just under one hour for Threads to reach 1 million users.
- In the first two hours after its release, 2 million people downloaded Threads.
- In the first four hours following its release, the total number of Threads downloads reached 5 million.
- In the first seven hours after its release, Threads was downloaded by 10 million people around the world.
Threads now has a user base of over 150 million people, which is one-fifth the size of Twitter’s user base.
100 million Threads posts in 24 hours
Within 24 hours, users shared more than 100 million Threads posts.
Currently, Threads is acquiring an average of 4 million-6 million users per day.
ChatGPT
to break the record as the fastest-downloaded app in history
96% of Threads users are also on Instagram. Furthermore, 80% are also using WhatsApp, 58% are using Facebook, and 56% are using Twitter.
5% decrease in the active Twitter Users
The day that Threads was released, July 5th, 2023, saw a 5% decrease in the active number of users on Twitter for two days in a row.
Threads Demographics Statistics and Facts
Now you know how well Threads has been performing in terms of users. But who is downloading Threads? Let’s find out with the latest Threads demographics statistics.
33%
Threads downloads have been in India
22%
have been in Brazil
16%
in the United States
8%
in Mexico
5%
in Japan
Threads was first launched on the iOS app store in Canada. It’s gradually being released to more than 100 different countries. However, countries in the European Union won’t be able to download Threads for the foreseeable future, due Threads’ not complying with the EU’s standards about data sharing and privacy.
Currently, More males are using Threads than females.
of Threads user are Male
of Threads user are Female
Threads App Statistics and Facts
The Threads app must have several huge draws to gain 150 million users in less than two weeks. And that’s certainly the case, but it also comes with some significant drawbacks that may limit its growth in the future.
Assess both for yourself in the following Threads app statistics and facts.
Instagram users can easily transition over to Threads by signing into it with their Instagram login information. They also get to automatically keep the followers they had on Instagram on Threads, providing all those followers have also created Threads accounts.
Threads users who are used to following influencers, creators, and celebrities on other platforms can follow them on Threads, as well.
Just like on Twitter, users can post their opinions, ideas, and creations via text, images, and short-form videos.
Threads collects user data across 25 separate categories, which is more than what Twitter collects.
If users who also have Instagram accounts discover that they don’t like Threads and want to leave, they can only deactivate their Threads profiles. If they want to delete them, they must also delete their Instagram accounts. Many consumers have already voiced criticism of this annoying element of Threads on other social media platforms.
Threads users are limited to 500 characters when expressing their thoughts in posts. Once the post is published, other users can then reply, repost, or quote it.
Perhaps because of its newness and the high number of people joining it and getting on at the same time, Threads is apt to crash. Furthermore, it can take several seconds to fully publish a post.
The process to sign up for Threads takes less than ten seconds, which could be one reason why the platform has had so many registrations in such a short time period.
Types of Data That Threads Collects
Threads’ liberal collection of data is a point of concern for many users, and for the European Union at large. In fact, the EU has banned Threads because of its failure to meet their data collection and privacy standards.
To judge for yourself, take a look at 23 types of data that Threads collects (that we know of).
- Web browsing history
- Physical addresses
- Health and fitness data
- Contact details
- App usage
- Installed applications
- In-app search history
- Calendar events
- Voice recordings
- Music files
- Audio files
- Photos
- Videos
- SMS messages
- In-app communications
- Emails
- Payment card information
- Bank account details
- Financial data
- Biometric data
- Sexual orientation
- Ethnic information
- Location data
It’s worth noting that Threads’ top competitor, Twitter, doesn’t ask for all this information. However, there are several other apps, including Twitter, that often ask for your permission to collect data about your location, photos, and videos.
Threads Vs Other Apps
When comparing Threads to other apps, it’s most similar to Instagram and Twitter. Its target audience primarily consists of the youthful demographics that typically use Instagram, and aesthetically, it mimics some of the design and navigational features of that app.
Threads also intersect directly with Instagram. For example, Threads users can quickly and conveniently share their posts to Instagram Stories with just a few taps.
In functionality, Threads bears a stronger resemblance to Twitter. This makes sense since Threads is being marketed as a “Twitter killer.” With time, it could reasonably overtake its competitor by tapping into Instagram’s active user base of 2 billion people. In contrast, Twitter’s user base has only 250 million active users.
