Instagram – who has the most followers?

In the 2024 overview, the official Instagram account itself had the most followers (@instagram, approximately 670 million), and among personalities, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano, approximately 630 million). However, follower counts change every day, so treat the current ranking as indicative only and verify it directly on the profiles in the app.

Who had the most followers according to the 2024 overview?

At the top of the ranking was the official Instagram account, followed by the two best-known footballers in the world, and then singers, actresses and members of the Kardashian family. The table below is a historical snapshot from 2024, which was shown in an older version of this article; the figures are rounded and will by now be different.

Ranking (2024)	Account	Who it is	Followers (2024, rounded)
1	@instagram	official platform account	670 million
2	@cristiano	Cristiano Ronaldo, footballer	630 million
3	@leomessi	Lionel Messi, footballer	504 million
4	@selenagomez	Selena Gomez, singer and actress	426 million
5	@kyliejenner	Kylie Jenner, businesswoman	399 million
6	@therock	Dwayne Johnson, actor	396 million
7	@arianagrande	Ariana Grande, singer	380 million
8	@kimkardashian	Kim Kardashian, businesswoman	364 million
9	@beyonce	Beyoncé, singer	316 million
10	@khloekardashian	Khloé Kardashian, businesswoman	311 million

Differences between neighbouring positions were often only a few million, so the order around 5th to 10th place may change during the year.

How can you verify the current ranking yourself?

The most reliable way is to check the profiles directly in the app or on the Instagram website. Rankings on various websites are often outdated and differ from one another depending on when the figures were recorded.

1. Open the Instagram app or go to instagram.com and log in.
2. Enter a username in the search, for example cristiano or leomessi.
3. Check that the account is genuine: it should have a matching name, a large number of posts and usually a verification badge. Many imitations of famous accounts exist.
4. Under the name you will find the Followers figure. The app shortens large numbers: depending on the app language, you will see, for example, M or "mil." for millions, and K or "tis." for thousands.
5. If you are comparing several accounts, note the numbers on the same day, otherwise the comparison will not be accurate.

For large accounts, the app shows only a rounded number. The count can also occasionally drop suddenly: Instagram announced that it is removing inauthentic likes, follows and comments created through third-party apps (Instagram's announcement on limiting inauthentic activity).

Why do sports stars, musicians and celebrities have the most followers?

The most-followed accounts share one thing: their owners were already famous beforehand and have an audience in many countries at once. Instagram serves them as a direct channel to their fans, not as a place where they build their fame from scratch.

• Footballers have fans all over the world, across many languages. That is why Ronaldo and Messi took second and third place in the 2024 ranking.
• Music artists use Instagram to announce albums and tours and to share behind-the-scenes footage that keeps fans returning to their profiles.
• The Kardashian family combines a reality show, its own brands and personal life, so it has a steady stream of content that people want to see.
• The official @instagram account is a special case: it is the communication channel of the platform itself.

For an ordinary creator or business, the lesson is simple: a large number of followers is usually the result of something that interests people outside Instagram or on it. The number alone, without content and a reason to follow, will not last.

What can a small profile learn from the largest accounts?

A small profile cannot copy celebrity status, but it can adopt several habits that large accounts use. All of them can be tried without any cost.

1. A clear topic. A person who opens the profile should understand within a few seconds what it is about and why they should follow it.
2. Consistency. Large accounts publish content regularly. Choose a pace that you can maintain for months.
3. Different formats. Combine posts in the feed, Stories and Reels (short vertical videos). How recommendation systems work with them is described in the article how the Instagram algorithm works.
4. Engaging with the audience. Reply to comments and messages, ask questions in Stories, and respond to the feedback of your followers.
5. Working with the numbers. In the profile insights, track which posts bring in new followers, and create more of what works.

Instagram does not officially publish the ideal posting time or the "right" number of hashtags. You can only find them in your own statistics: test different times and formats over several weeks and compare the reach of individual posts.

Does the number of followers say anything about an account's real influence?

Partly. The follower count shows how many people have ever started following an account, but it does not reveal how many of them actually see and react to posts.

The engagement rate is the ratio of reactions, i.e. likes, comments, saves and shares, to the number of followers or to the reach of a post. Brands looking for collaborations therefore pay closer attention to it than to the raw number itself. The calculation method can be found in the article engagement rate: how it is calculated and what counts as a good value.

You will also come across large follower counts with low engagement on smaller profiles. If you want to assess whether an account has many inactive or fake followers, this guide will help you how to recognise fake followers.

When paid promotion makes sense and when it does not?

The most important point first: Meta's community guidelines, which also apply to Instagram (Community Standards), prohibit attempts to sell, buy or exchange interactions such as likes, shares, views and follows (Meta's spam policies, status as of November 2026). Restrictions on reach or accounts therefore cannot be ruled out when buying followers, as is also expressly stated in terms and conditions Art. 3.3. Purchased followers do not replace content, do not guarantee audience interest, reach or sales, and may worsen the ratio of reactions to follower count.

Package followers on Instagram may make sense as initial social proof (the impression that a profile already attracts interest) for a new account that has good content and on which you continue to work regularly. It does not make sense if content is missing, if you want to meet requirements for verification or brand collaborations, if the account already has a warning or restriction, or if you expect audience reactions and purchases. If you decide to go for it, current prices can be found in package price list.