23+ Facebook Revenue Stats You Can Learn From in 2023
Last Updated: March 10, 2023
How many Facebook statuses have you liked today?
At how many did you roll your eyes?
How many ads did you see?
Facebook is recognized as the biggest social network of all time by just about any measure you can think of. It has constantly evolved based on new tools, shifting demographics, and algorithm changes.
In October 2021, Facebook changed its parent company name to Meta. The move reflected CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s effort to push the company towards the metauniverse – a sci-fi term describing a new world built in virtual reality.
With constant innovation, billions of users, and monumental revenue generation, Facebook is a role model for many businesses. By taking the time to understand Facebook revenue stats, you can learn more about social marketing strategies, revenue streams, and user engagement.
Fascinating Facts about Facebook:
- Facebook is the third most popular site in the world after Google and YouTube.
- 72% of Americans use Facebook.
- 56.6% of Facebook’s global audience are male, and 43.4% are female.
- 36% of US adults get their news from Facebook.
- Every single minute, 400 new users sign up on Facebook.
- 93% of marketers use Facebook in their digital ad campaigns.
- Approximately 5% of Facebook accounts are fake.
These are just some teaser facts about the world’s largest social media network. Now, let’s feed our appetite for Facebook revenue stats!
Facebook Revenue Statistics
Consider this: Facebook revenue for 2021 exceeds Puerto Rico’s gross domestic product (GDP). This means that if it took place on the world economy map, the company would be the 63rd richest country!
Let’s inspect Meta’s latest financial reports for more fascinating stats!
1. In Q1 of 2022, Facebook made $27.98 billion.
(Source: Meta)
Facebook revenue growth slowed down in the first quarter of 2022. The year-on-year increase was just 7% – the lowest on record.
Nevertheless, Facebook continues to grow despite the negative press, accusations, and scandals surrounding the company. As a result, Facebook (now Meta) remains among the biggest and richest IT companies in the world.
2. Facebook’s gross revenue for FY 2021 was $117.93 billion.
(Source: Meta)
This was an increase of 37% from 2020. For comparison, Tik Tok’s revenue in FY 2021 was $3.88 billion.
While the overall growth rate has slowed, Facebook continues to reach new heights every single year. Facebook revenue for 2022 is predicted to increase as well.
There’s no rest for social media.
3. Facebook’s annual revenue increased by 4,263% in a decade.
(Source: Statista)
In 2010, Facebook generated just $1.97 billion in revenue. A decade later, the company made $85.96 billion. That’s a jaw-dropping 4,263% increase!
Facebook Revenue per User
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is a valuable metric that shows growth potential and business health. Does Facebook manage to monetize the popularity of its platform? We bet so.
4. Facebook’s average revenue per user is $9.54.
(Source: Statista)
Notably, the company’s efforts to monetize its users have vastly different results across the globe.
In the first quarter of 2022, the worldwide APRU was $9.54. But the APRU in the combined US and Canada market was $48.92. Meanwhile, Europe’s figure was $15.35. The Asia Pacific generated $4.47 per user.
5. By 2021, Facebook had 71,970 full-time employees.
(Source: Statista)
How many employees does Facebook have?
Enough to handle one-fifth of the world’s population!
This kind of user base requires a large number of people to regulate. Employees are dispersed across the world since Facebook is used in almost every country in the world. Some people even say that Facebook should have even more people to regulate certain services they provide in a better way.
Can’t wait for them to post job openings on LinkedIn.
6. Facebook revenue per employee is around $1,638.
(Source: Statista)
According to a recent analysis, the company makes around $1,638 per employee.
However, Facebook’s average salary is around $126,000 a year.
Would you work for Facebook?
Facebook Revenue by Regions
Facebook connects people from all over the world. But some regions have a greater contribution to Meta’s revenue than others. You may be surprised to learn which are the top revenue-generating countries for Facebook.
7. India has the highest number of Facebook users.
(Source: Statista)
Which are the countries with the largest Facebook audience size?
- India: 329.65 million
- United States: 179.65 million
- Indonesia: 129.85 million
- Brazil: 116 million
- Mexico: 89.7 million
- Philippines: 82.85 million
- Vietnam: 70.4 million
- Thailand: 50.05 million
- Egypt: 44.7 million
- Bangladesh: 44.7 million
8. The US and Canada made up nearly 44% of Facebook’s 2021 revenue.
(Source: Meta Annual Report 2021)
As mentioned above, Facebook generated $117.92 billion in 2021. Its annual revenue was divided across the global regions in the following manner:
- US & Canada – $51.54 billion (43.7%)
- Asia-Pacific – $29.05 billion (24.6%)
- Europe – $26.73 billion (22.6%)
- Rest of the world – $10.59 billion (8.98%)
Facebook Revenue Breakdown
How does Facebook make money? This revenue breakdown will give you a heads-up.
9. 97% of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising.
(Source: Meta Annual Report 2021)
According to its 2021 Annual Report, Meta generates virtually all of its revenue from selling advertising placements to marketers.
Just 3% of the company’s revenue comes from other sources.
10. Meta’s Family of Apps generated $115.65 billion in 2021.
(Source: Meta Annual Report 2021)
The Family of Apps (FoA) segment captures all of Meta’s revenue from selling advertising to marketers.
Ads are displayed on Meta’s main social networking site, Facebook, as well as Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
11. Reality Labs’ annual revenue rose 100% in 2021.
(Source: Meta Annual Report 2021)
The Reality Labs (RL) segment comprises Meta’s augmented- and virtual-reality hardware, software, and content.
RL revenue is still modest compared to Meta’s total, but its growth is impressive. The figure doubled from $1.13 billion in 2020 to $2.27 billion in 2021.
12. 50% of Facebook ad revenue comes from Instagram.
(Source: EMarketer)
Since Facebook acquired Instagram, it has been expanding rapidly. Facebook’s annual revenue is directly dependent on the revenue generated by Instagram.
Instagram is being used more frequently in marketing campaigns since mobile ads on the application are seamless, which has increased Facebook revenue from mobile.
13. 93% of social media advertisers rely on Facebook ads.
(Source: Statista)
Yup, you read that right.
93%.
WAY more than half.
Advertisers love Facebook. The ad revenue of Facebook shows that marketers have deemed Facebook Ads almost obligatory for marketing campaigns.
Facebook Stats for Marketers
Free posts generating organic reach, paid advertisements targeting niche audiences… Facebook offers it all.
14. Facebook counts 1.96 billion daily active users.
(Source: Statista)
Facebook usage statistics show the platform had 1.96 billion daily active users as of the first quarter of 2022.
Perhaps that’s why more than 200 million businesses use Facebook’s free services. That includes business Pages. Yes, creating a Facebook Page is a free way to market your business.
But consider this:
15. Facebook page posts only have a 5.2% organic reach on their own.
(Source: Media Cause)
Facebook is designed in such a way that you will definitely need to invest some money to market your brand. The organic reach for Facebook page posts is basically dead.
Why?
Well, there is a lot of competition among posts.
The most common way to get exposure for your advert is to pay for it. And marketers know it, investing in their precedence on the social media platform and boosting Facebook ad revenue.
16. 80% of Facebook posts don’t generate an emotional response.
(Source: AdEspresso)
One study shows that only 20% of Facebook posts trigger an emotional response. Likewise, ads generally don’t generate any emotional response, even though emotional marketing is so great for conversions.
You may be able to stand out from the pack if you have an advertisement that evokes an emotional response in people.
We’d suggest puppies.
17. 98.5 % of Facebook accounts are opened from smartphones.
(Source: Statista)
Almost all users access their Facebook accounts from their mobiles. So if you’re planning on creating ads or need to target mobile phone users, Facebook is the best social networking platform for such marketing efforts.
No wonder Facebook’s mobile ad revenue is going through the roof.
18. Just 1.5% of active user accounts are accessed through desktops and laptops.
(Source: Statista)
This may be one of the many reasons why marketing campaigns and advertisements are mostly designed to be mobile-friendly. A lot of marketers just concentrate on mobile users when they plan a marketing campaign.
19. People are most active between 6 PM and 9 PM.
(Source: Hubspot)
That’s logical.
We’re all on our phones after we finish work.
According to estimates, social media marketers located in Eastern Standard Time say the best time to post is between 6 PM and 9 PM, while marketers in Pacific Standard Time consider the 3 PM – 6 PM window to be best.
Facebook ad revenue statistics show that ads are usually scheduled for these periods. If you want your ads to have maximum reach and a significant effect on people, you should post your ad during this time.
20. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the best days to post ads.
(Source: Hubspot)
This activity reaches its peak from Friday to Sunday. So if you are scheduling posts for your marketing campaign, the best bet is to make sure the important ones go live during that time.
21. Video ads have the lowest cost-per-click (CPC).
(Source: WordStream)
Cost-per-click (CPC) is the amount you pay for every click your ads get. With video ad campaigns on Facebook, marketers spend the least for every sale they make
If you look at the Facebook live video revenue too, you will be able to see that a lot of users follow and view live videos as well.
Facebook Spending Stats
It’s not just money raining over Facebook executives. This huge company has its expenses too.
22. Facebook spent more than $71 billion in 2021.
(Source: Meta Investor)
The company’s total expenses came in at $71.124 billion at the end of 2021. This was a 34% increase from 2020.
Meta expects its 2022 total expenses to be in the range of $90-95 billion, updated from its prior outlook of $91-97 billion. The expense growth is driven by investments in technical and product talent and infrastructure-related costs.
23. In Q1 of 2022, Facebook’s total costs and expenses stood at $19.38 billion.
(Source: Meta Investor)
Facebook’s spending breakdown shows that capital expenditures accounted for $5.55 billion of the total costs incurred.
The social media giant continuously spends on land, equipment, and buildings that house its employees. These costs will only continue to rise in 2022.
Facebook Revenue Trends
Need a sneak peek into the future financial performance of Meta? Here’s what we’ve got.
24. Facebook ad revenue is set to reach $202.9 billion by 2026.
(Source: Statista)
Facebook accounts for around 10% of the global ad revenue. The $115 billion generated in 2021 is set to rise further, reaching $135.94 in 2022. The expected exponential growth will see the social media giant generating nearly $203 billion by 2026.
So businesses shouldn’t avoid Facebook. It’s true that it’s a very competitive market. But the results are worth it.
Conclusion
Meta is definitely the biggest social media giant in the world. With profitable platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp under Facebook,
Facebook has become the world’s biggest social networking platform. It is no surprise that every organization, business, and marketer is working on Facebook. It’s just the easiest way to reach people.
Just think of how many times you visit the platform. It’s most probably how you keep in touch with your friends too.
To put it simply, Facebook is here to stay and Facebook revenue stats prove it.
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