Digital 2023 Deep-Dive: LinkedIn’s new user milestone
LinkedIn’s latest ad reach figures offer encouraging news for marketers.
Figures published in the company’s own planning tools reveal that ads on the world’s favourite “professional” social network now reach more than 900 million registered members.
It’s important to note that these figures don’t represent monthly active users – unlike the figures published in the advertising resources of most other social platforms – but that doesn’t detract from LinkedIn’s impressive growth.
The latest numbers show that LinkedIn’s worldwide ad reach has grown by more than 11 percent over the past twelve months, with a total of 92 million new members registering for the service since this time last year.
LinkedIn’s top countries
At a worldwide level, the United States is home to the greatest number of LinkedIn users, with the company’s own data suggesting that three-quarters of all American adults now have a LinkedIn profile.
However, on a relative basis, the company’s reported ad reach figures suggest that Bermuda has the highest per-capita rate of LinkedIn use, with user numbers actually exceeding the local adult population [see our notes on data for possible explanations for this mismatch].
Japan continues to see some of the lowest levels of LinkedIn adoption though, which is perhaps surprising given the importance that Japanese culture places on careers and professional advancement.
Adoption rates remain relatively low across other Asian countries too, with eligible adoption rates still in single-digit percentages across China, Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea.
The platform is a lot more popular in Singapore though, where data indicates that more than 7 in 10 adults now have a LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn’s demographics
On a demographic level, LinkedIn’s user base skews distinctly male, with men accountring for more than 56 percent of the platform’s total ad audience.
On a relative basis, these figures indicate that men are almost 30 percent more likely to use LinkedIn compared with women.
Moreover, men aged 25 to 34 make up more than one-third of the platform’s ad audience.
LinkedIn’s top accounts
Amazon is the most followed company on the world’s favourite professional social network, with more than 29 million users having subscribed to the company’s updates.
Google ranks second with 27.4 million, while LinkedIn itself ranks third, with just over 24 million.
A total of 17 companies now have 10 million or more followers on LinkedIn, and companies aspiring to feature in the top 20 now need to attract roughly 9½ million followers.
Bill Gates remains the most followed individual on LinkedIn, with a total of 36 million followers.
That’s almost twice as many as second-placed Richard Branson, who had almost 19.8 million followers at the time of writing.
Ariana Huffington is the most followed woman on LinkedIn, and she’s also the only woman with more than 10 million followers on the platform.
Indeed, women account for just 3 of the top 20 accounts by follower numbers, with Melinda French Gates and Brené Brown claiming the other two spots.
Given this disparity, we’ve also compiled a separate list of the most followed women on LinkedIn.
Learn more about all of the world’s other top social media platforms in our complete Digital 2023 Global Overview Report – it’s free to read here.
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