Instagram is Expanding at 10x the Rate of Facebook in Europe

Instagram is expanding at 10 times the rate of Facebook in Europe, highlighting shifting user trends and Meta’s evolving social media landscape.

According to Meta’s latest EU performance report, in the context of its Digital Services Act (DSA) transparency, a clear trend emerges that Instagram is growing 10 times faster than Facebook across European markets.

The above charts (Facebook on the left, Instagram on the right) show the number of users each platform has in each EU member state.

Instagram Overcomes Facebook in User Numbers

Facebook had 263.6 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs) in the EU, and Instagram had 281.8 million MAUs in the first half of 2025, already implying further Instagram growth relative to Facebook in the region.

And while Facebook’s EU user base grew by only 0.65% since March 2024, Instagram’s rapidly expanded by 6.17%. This widening gap demonstrates how Instagram is not only more popular but is also gaining distance on Facebook, which appears to be plateauing in terms of presence.

Regional Shifts Highlight Facebook Declines

In selected markets, such as the Netherlands, Greece, and Germany, the total number of Facebook users declined, indicating a shift in social media preferences in local markets and potentially a generational shift.

Yet these changes are suggestive of a rebalancing of platform power, even in Europe, where Facebook is far more actively used than in the United States.

Meta no longer provides Facebook-specific user data in its quarterly earnings, instead reporting on the performance of its Family of Apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp, and Messenger, all within one umbrella.

Although this combined figure continues to increase domestically, it is less clear whether the user shift is taking place worldwide outside of Europe. However, Europe has been a significant indicator of larger movements.

Moderation Staff and Content Enforcement Updates

With numerous additional tasks being automated by AI and the U.S. transitioning to a Community Notes model for fact-checking, the human moderation efforts behind Meta’s platforms have remained unchanged.

Since 2023, with a total of 40,000 people contributing in Europe, the team has now reached its maximum capacity.

Here, social media platforms have seen a change in recent months in terms of the reasons for content removals. Spam removals have decreased on both Facebook and Instagram, but Facebook has seen a sharp rise in removals related to bullying and harassment.

There was a 20% drop in hate speech removals; however, this decline is difficult to directly compare to previous years due to changes in enforcement criteria. The most striking example is the degradation of clear waters, as Instagram enhances its advertising offerings while Facebook stagnates among European users.

Key Takeaways

Although Facebook still holds a significant market share and has a substantial number of daily active users, Instagram is quickly assuming a flagship position for Meta in the region, reflecting a broader trend in global digital behavior.