Instagram is continuing to widen its lead over Facebook in Europe, and the difference is becoming harder to ignore. Meta’s latest transparency data shows Instagram reached around 297 million active users across the European Union during the first half of 2026, compared with roughly 264 million active Facebook users. The gap now stands at about 33 million users, showing that Instagram is not simply ahead but still gaining ground.
The numbers come from Meta’s reporting requirements under the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which requires large online platforms to provide regular information about user numbers, moderation activity and platform safety measures.
For marketers, the figures give a useful snapshot of how Meta’s European audience is shifting. Facebook remains huge, but Instagram clearly has more momentum.
Instagram Is Closing In on 300 Million EU Users
Instagram is now within touching distance of 300 million active users in the European Union. Meta reported approximately 297 million active Instagram users during the first half of 2026, putting the platform well ahead of Facebook’s 264 million. The difference is significant because Instagram has continued to add users while Facebook’s European audience has remained relatively stable. During the first half of 2025, Instagram had about 281.8 million monthly active users in the EU, which means the platform has added millions of users within roughly a year. Facebook, meanwhile, has seen far less movement during the same period.
Facebook Still Has Scale, but Instagram Has the Momentum
Facebook is nowhere near disappearing from the European social media landscape. An audience of around 264 million users still gives brands enormous reach, especially among older audiences, established communities and users who rely on Facebook Groups, Pages and Marketplace. The issue is not Facebook’s size. It is growth. Instagram has been steadily expanding its lead over Facebook, and that trend has now been visible across several Meta transparency reports. In 2024, Instagram had already overtaken Facebook in EU active users. Since then, the gap has become noticeably larger.
Instagram’s Growth Changes the Balance Inside Meta
The shift is important because Facebook was once the obvious centre of Meta’s advertising ecosystem. Instagram increasingly occupies that position for many campaigns, especially those built around short-form video, creators, visual storytelling and younger audiences. Reels has become a major part of Instagram’s engagement strategy, while creator partnerships continue to pull brands toward the platform. Facebook still offers powerful advertising tools, but Instagram’s growing audience means marketers may place more attention and budget there when planning campaigns across Europe.
Threads Is Growing Alongside Instagram
Threads is also adding users in Europe, although it remains much smaller than Instagram and Facebook. Meta’s latest figures indicate that Threads has reached around 41 million users across the European Union. That does not put it anywhere near Instagram’s scale, but the platform is gradually becoming a more meaningful part of Meta’s social network portfolio. Globally, Threads has also continued to expand, giving Meta another platform where users can participate in text-focused conversations that might otherwise take place on competing services.
Meta Has Reduced Its EU Moderation Workforce
Meta’s transparency report also revealed a notable change in the number of people working on content moderation in Europe. The company reported reducing its EU moderation workforce from around 7,700 people in March to approximately 5,900 during the latest reporting period. That reduction comes while Meta continues to increase its reliance on automated moderation tools and artificial intelligence. AI can help detect certain types of harmful content at scale, but human reviewers still play an important role when decisions depend on language, cultural context, sarcasm or more complicated interpretations.
Instagram Content Reports Have Increased
Instagram’s expanding audience has also brought heavier moderation demands. Meta reported an increase of almost 38% in reports involving terror-related content on Instagram compared with the second half of 2025. Reports involving child sexual exploitation content also increased by approximately 22%. The figures do not necessarily mean harmful material itself has increased at exactly the same rate. Changes in platform usage, reporting behaviour, moderation systems and detection tools can all influence how many reports Meta records during a given period.
Facebook Saw Declines Across Several Report Categories
Facebook showed a different pattern across several harmful-content categories. Meta reported declines in reports involving hate speech, spam, bullying, harassment and child exploitation material. Hate speech reports fell by around 19%, while spam reports declined by roughly 27%. Bullying and harassment reports dropped by about 30%, while reports involving child exploitation content decreased by approximately 17%. Those numbers may suggest improvements in some areas, although reporting figures alone do not provide a complete picture of how much harmful content actually appears on the platform.
Instagram Is Becoming More Important for European Marketers
Instagram’s continued growth gives brands another reason to rethink how they divide their social media budgets across Meta’s platforms. The platform now combines a huge European audience with Reels, Stories, creator partnerships, shopping features and Meta’s advertising infrastructure. That mix makes Instagram attractive for brands trying to reach consumers through visual and short-form content. Facebook still offers strong reach, particularly for community-led campaigns and older demographics, but Instagram is increasingly becoming the platform where audience growth is happening.
Facebook Still Has a Role in Social Media Strategy
The widening user gap does not mean brands should immediately move everything away from Facebook. The two platforms still serve different audiences and campaign objectives. Facebook remains valuable for local communities, groups, events, longer discussions and audiences that may not spend as much time on Instagram. Instagram works particularly well for visual discovery, influencers, Reels and lifestyle-focused content. A strong Meta strategy will usually involve both platforms, but brands may increasingly give Instagram a larger share of attention as its European audience continues to expand.
Instagram Could Soon Pass 300 Million EU Users
The next milestone now looks fairly obvious. With Instagram already sitting at around 297 million active EU users, reaching 300 million would require only modest additional growth. That could happen relatively quickly if the platform maintains its current trajectory. Facebook is still one of Europe’s largest social networks, but the direction of travel is becoming clearer. Instagram has the larger audience, the stronger growth rate and increasing importance inside Meta’s wider platform strategy.
For marketers, creators and social media professionals, the message is straightforward. Facebook still matters. Instagram, however, is increasingly setting the pace.
Sources
Social Media Today — Instagram Growth Continues to Outpace Facebook in EU
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-growth-continues-to-outpace-facebook-in-eu/829134/
