Most influential celebrities on social media

Written by:
August 12, 2019
Ink Drop // Shutterstock

Most influential celebrities on social media

Nearly one-third of the entire world uses Facebook on a monthly basis, and 70% of American adults have reported using the site at least once. Combine that with the total monthly users on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat, and it’s no wonder social media is one of the most popular online pastimes.

Along with the rise of social media came the rise of the social media influencer. According to InfluencerDB, the influencer market is expected to reach $8 billion in 2020. While the largest growth in the market share is among micro-influencers—accounts with fewer than 100,000 followers—mega-influencers like Kim Kardashian West and Ariana Grande reach millions of users a day. While some celebrities use their social media accounts to share updates on their daily lives, others promote makeup products and sponsored ads for vitamins and weight-loss teas.

To see which celebrities have the largest reach, Stacker set out to find the 50 most influential celebrities on social media in 2019. We used data from SocialBlade, a website that compiles data from different social media sites and measures progress and growth of social media profiles. Analysts surveyed the top 100 Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts with the most followers and aggregated the follower counts across all three platforms to determine which celebrities have the largest social media reach. The list is ordered from smallest to largest total reach, with the most influential celebrity taking the top spot. Politicians and world leaders are excluded from the ranking, and follower count data is accurate as of July 29, 2019.

Many of the top social media stars include world-renowned athletes, Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities, and famous musicians. While it’s no surprise that the Kardashian-Jenner clan take some top spots on the list, other influential stars may surprise you. Check out the 50 most influential celebrities on social media today.

You may also like: 50 richest celebrities in the world

#50. Sachin Tendulkar

- Total reach: 74,518,920
--- Twitter followers: 29,922,354
--- Instagram followers: 16,370,780
--- Facebook page followers: 28,225,786

Sachin Tendulkar is a retired cricketer from Bombay, India, and is considered one of the best players in the game. In 2011, the Trust Research Advisory published the Brand Trust Report and ranked Tendulkar has having a stronger brand than Gandhi.

#49. Kaká

- Total reach: 75,556,395
--- Twitter followers: 29,660,697
--- Instagram followers: 15,667,831
--- Facebook page followers: 30,227,867

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, informally known as Kaká, is a world-renowned soccer player and the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year. The nickname Kaká was given by Kaká’s brother, who couldn’t pronounce Ricardo at a young age, and is now used as this soccer star’s social media handle.

#48. Mesut Özil

- Total reach: 75,656,122
--- Twitter followers: 24,162,471
--- Instagram followers: 20,723,478
--- Facebook page followers: 30,770,173

Mesut Özil is a German soccer star who plays for Arsenal and the German national team. According to Pitchside’s Social Player Index, Özil was the most-followed player in the Premier League leading up to the World Cup in 2018.

#47. Avril Lavigne

- Total reach: 75,742,804
--- Twitter followers: 21,645,468
--- Instagram followers: 7,333,317
--- Facebook page followers: 46,764,019

Since her pop-punk debut of “Complicated,” Avril Lavigne has been the target of multiple social media hoaxes and conspiracy theories. Some fans theorize that Lavigne died, and they use inconsistencies in her appearance as evidence to prove the hoax is true.

#46. Alicia Keys

- Total reach: 77,438,586
--- Twitter followers: 30,055,811
--- Instagram followers: 16,385,721
--- Facebook page followers: 30,997,054

Some celebrities often have a large reach on social media when videos of their performances go viral. For example, after the 2019 Grammy Awards, social media blew up as fans shared videos of Alicia Keys’ incredible medley performance.

#45. David Guetta

- Total reach: 78,153,051
--- Twitter followers: 21,340,348
--- Instagram followers: 8,448,574
--- Facebook page followers: 48,364,129

Along with being one of the most influential stars on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, David Guetta also has a huge following on Youtube. He has over 20 million Youtube subscribers and over 11.6 billion video views.

#44. Zayn Malik

- Total reach: 78,492,458
--- Twitter followers: 28,429,526
--- Instagram followers: 30,988,342
--- Facebook page followers: 19,074,590

Zayn Malik is one of many celebrities including Kanye West and Justin Bieber who has had at least one social media outburst. Malik recently caused confusion among fans when he went on a profanity-filled tirade on Twitter.

#43. Shawn Mendes

- Total reach: 79,427,054
--- Twitter followers: 22,774,302
--- Instagram followers: 48,871,940
--- Facebook page followers: 7,780,812

Shawn Mendes was discovered after posting clips of himself singing cover songs on the now-defunct Vine, a social media site where users posted six-second videos. Since signing with Island Records, Mendes has toured with the likes of Vance Joy and Taylor Swift.

#42. Amitabh Bachchan

- Total reach: 80,694,071
--- Twitter followers: 37,860,823
--- Instagram followers: 12,970,962
--- Facebook page followers: 29,862,286

Born in Allahabad, India, in 1942, Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian actor known for his film roles and for hosting India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” In 2018, Bachchan was named the most influential person in India in the YouGov Influencer Index.

#41. Andrés Iniesta

- Total reach: 81,638,616
--- Twitter followers: 24,307,812
--- Instagram followers: 31,146,027
--- Facebook page followers: 26,184,777

Although he’s built a strong following, Andrés Iniesta has made some mistakes on social media. In 2019, the former World Cup Winner posted a picture posing with people in blackface and received backlash from followers and the media alike.

#40. One Direction

- Total reach: 83,166,320
--- Twitter followers: 30,738,895
--- Instagram followers: 17,077,866
--- Facebook page followers: 35,349,559

Followers of One Direction’s official Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts aren’t getting any new 1D content in their social media feeds. The group’s official Instagram account hasn’t posted a photo since 2016, and the official Twitter account hasn’t tweeted since 2018.

#39. Pitbull

- Total reach: 83,773,987
--- Twitter followers: 26,094,249
--- Instagram followers: 6,746,285
--- Facebook page followers: 50,933,453

Mr. Worldwide has taken his social media reach global. With over 77 million followers, Pitbull has more people following his social media accounts than the total population of Thailand.

#38. Akshay Kumar

- Total reach: 84,835,237
--- Twitter followers: 31,357,552
--- Instagram followers: 27,983,779
--- Facebook page followers: 25,493,906

Indian-born, Canadian actor Akshay Kumar has amassed a social media following larger than the entire population of Spain and Canada combined. Kumar has over 31 million Twitter followers, but he only follows 26 Twitter accounts.

#37. Shah Rukh Khan

- Total reach: 85,779,604
--- Twitter followers: 38,571,529
--- Instagram followers: 17,857,071
--- Facebook page followers: 29,351,004

Shah Rukh Khan is an Indian actor and producer known for his roles in “The Big-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride” and “Miracle.” Since joining Twitter in 2010, SRK has published over 57,000 tweets to his 38 million followers.

#36. Lil Wayne

- Total reach: 90,973,400
--- Twitter followers: 34,335,692
--- Instagram followers: 10,432,764
--- Facebook page followers: 46,204,944

Although Lil Wayne created his Twitter account in 2010, he didn’t join Instagram until 2015. Fans of the rapper can find his Twitter and Instagram accounts using the handle @liltunechi.

#35. Deepika Padukone

- Total reach: 97,974,937
--- Twitter followers: 26,356,124
--- Instagram followers: 37,626,621
--- Facebook page followers: 33,992,192

Deepika Padukone is yet another Bollywood star to make this list. Padukone surpassed 25 million followers on Instagram just one day after actress Priyanka Chopra achieved the same social media milestone.

#34. Salman Khan

- Total reach: 99,816,432
--- Twitter followers: 37,589,204
--- Instagram followers: 25,166,452
--- Facebook page followers: 37,060,776

Salman Khan is an Indian actor known for his roles in “Dabangg” and “Bodyguard.” In a 2019 interview with India Today Television, Khan said he does his best to ignore trolls and negative followers on social media.

#33. Wiz Khalifa

- Total reach: 100,882,479
--- Twitter followers: 34,560,746
--- Instagram followers: 27,863,930
--- Facebook page followers: 38,457,803

Wiz Khalifa is an American rapper and songwriter. Since joining Twitter in 2009, Wiz Khalifa has tweeted over 49,000 times, and he has posted over 6,800 photos on Instagram.

#32. Virat Kohli

- Total reach: 106,362,271
--- Twitter followers: 30,783,841
--- Instagram followers: 38,500,358
--- Facebook page followers: 37,078,072

Virat Kohli is an Indian cricketer and captain of the national Indian cricket team. In May 2019, Kohli became the most-followed athlete in India, with over 100 million social media followers across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

#31. Priyanka Chopra

- Total reach: 108,592,511
--- Twitter followers: 25,065,782
--- Instagram followers: 43,486,398
--- Facebook page followers: 40,040,331

From getting her start in Bollywood, to winning Miss World, and starring in ABC’s “Quantico,” Priyanka Chopra’s social media following has grown just as much as her career. Chopra regularly posts intimate elements of her life on social media, including images from her wedding to Nick Jonas.

#30. Kevin Hart

- Total reach: 113,070,798
--- Twitter followers: 35,461,611
--- Instagram followers: 77,609,187
--- Facebook page followers: 0

Despite his successful career and massive reach, Kevin Hart has experienced backlash for his behavior on social media. Hart stepped down from his Oscars hosting gig in 2019, after homophobic social media posts from 2009 and 2011 resurfaced.

#29. Britney Spears

- Total reach: 113,969,232
--- Twitter followers: 56,303,405
--- Instagram followers: 22,506,198
--- Facebook page followers: 35,159,629

In 2019, some of Britney Spears’s fans expressed concern on social media following a string of strange behavior and the cancellation of her Vegas residency. Since then, Spears used social media to let her fans know that she is doing well.

#28. Emma Watson

- Total reach: 114,187,246
--- Twitter followers: 29,187,796
--- Instagram followers: 51,385,201
--- Facebook page followers: 33,614,249

Emma Watson’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook posts consist almost entirely of her work and activism, rarely veering into the realm of her private life. In an interview with Elle, the actress described social media as "equal parts are depressing and terrifying and equal parts are empowering and thrilling."

#27. LeBron James

- Total reach: 116,830,363
--- Twitter followers: 43,259,564
--- Instagram followers: 50,824,582
--- Facebook page followers: 22,746,217

Forbes named LeBron James the #1 basketball player on social media. In the first half of 2019, James had over 125 million likes, shares, and comments across his Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

#26. Bruno Mars

- Total reach: 118,166,313
--- Twitter followers: 43,063,359
--- Instagram followers: 22,112,352
--- Facebook page followers: 52,990,602

Bruno Mars, born Peter Gene Hernandez, is a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. Despite the millions of followers across his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, Bruno Mars’s YouTube channel only has 372,000 subscribers.

#25. Adele

- Total reach: 118,522,251
--- Twitter followers: 27,680,226
--- Instagram followers: 31,919,304
--- Facebook page followers: 58,922,721

While some celebrities showcase every part of their lives on social media, Adele takes a very different approach. In a 2015 interview with Time, Adele reported that her privacy and the privacy of her family is of the utmost importance. She also reported having someone else managing her social media accounts, allowing her to have more time for creating music.

#24. Kourtney Kardashian

- Total reach: 119,829,601
--- Twitter followers: 24,524,793
--- Instagram followers: 80,629,321
--- Facebook page followers: 14,675,487

Kourtney Kardashian is the first of the Kardashian-Jenner empire to make this list. The power of the Kardashian’s social media presence has overtaken “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and is thought to have contributed to a decline in viewership.

#23. Chris Brown

- Total reach: 126,761,161
--- Twitter followers: 30,757,053
--- Instagram followers: 55,650,932
--- Facebook page followers: 40,353,176

Chris Brown is one of many social media users who claims his accounts were hacked. After rude comments posted from Brown’s Instagram appeared on his ex’s social media account, Brown claimed someone else was to blame.

#22. Drake

- Total reach: 131,650,881
--- Twitter followers: 38,452,898
--- Instagram followers: 58,979,491
--- Facebook page followers: 34,218,492

Drake, also referred to as Champagne Papi on Instagram, has racked up over 131 million social media followers. Some fans even claim that Drake is the most “memeable” rapper.

#21. Marshall Mathers

- Total reach: 131,882,640
--- Twitter followers: 22,545,677
--- Instagram followers: 25,959,018
--- Facebook page followers: 83,377,945

Marshall Mathers, also known by his stage name Eminem, is an American rapper known for songs including “The Real Slim Shady” and “Stan.” Even though he has a large following, Mathers isn’t very active on social media, and he usually only shares promotional materials for new music or upcoming tour dates.

#20. Khloé Kardashian

- Total reach: 142,253,166
--- Twitter followers: 27,375,053
--- Instagram followers: 96,769,260
--- Facebook page followers: 18,108,853

Khloé Kardashian joins her sisters as one of the most influential people on social media. Fans often turn to Khloé’s Twitter and Instagram to get an inside look on her life, from her breakup with boyfriend Tristan Thompson to raising her baby, True.

#19. Justin Timberlake

- Total reach: 156,004,728
--- Twitter followers: 65,065,811
--- Instagram followers: 56,002,910
--- Facebook page followers: 34,936,007

Along with having wildly popular social media accounts, Justin Timberlake makes a splash on social media with a viral meme. Each year, people around the globe—including former President Barack Obama—share the “it’s gonna be May” meme, featuring Timberlake from the NSYNC song, “It’s Gonna Be Me.”

#18. Kendall Jenner

- Total reach: 158,786,761
--- Twitter followers: 28,048,759
--- Instagram followers: 114,523,316
--- Facebook page followers: 16,214,686

In 2018, Kendall Jenner surpassed Gigi Hadid as the most-followed model on Instagram. In an interview with Elle, Jenner reported enjoying choosing whether to share a piece of her life on social media, as she often doesn’t get that same choice with the paparazzi.

#17. Nicki Minaj

- Total reach: 165,363,175
--- Twitter followers: 20,484,955
--- Instagram followers: 104,794,782
--- Facebook page followers: 40,083,438

Nicki Minaj uses her social media accounts to promote her music, but the rapper also has been known to get into online feuds. Minaj has taken her disagreements with other high-profile celebrities like Taylor Swift, Cardi B., and Miley Cyrus to Instagram and Twitter.

#16. Lady Gaga

- Total reach: 171,200,680
--- Twitter followers: 79,065,030
--- Instagram followers: 36,737,441
--- Facebook page followers: 55,398,209

Despite having a total reach of over 170 million followers, Lady Gaga once referred to social media as the “toilet of the internet.” Gaga’s comment came after social media erupted with rumors that she and “A Star Is Born” costar Bradley Cooper were dating.

#15. Miley Cyrus

- Total reach: 182,410,159
--- Twitter followers: 43,330,701
--- Instagram followers: 96,565,609
--- Facebook page followers: 42,513,849

In 2018, Miley Cyrus deleted all of her photos on Instagram, causing fans to wonder if the social media cleansing was a sign of a new album to come. Since then, Cyrus has returned to Instagram, posting photos from her wedding, live shows, and music videos for her 96 million followers.

#14. Jennifer Lopez

- Total reach: 182,513,800
--- Twitter followers: 43,737,853
--- Instagram followers: 97,344,888
--- Facebook page followers: 41,431,059

Social media followers can tag along with Jennifer Lopez through all of life’s adventures. From performances, to vacations, to her engagement to Alex Rodriguez, J.Lo has posted it on Instagram.

#13. Ellen DeGeneres

- Total reach: 186,049,580
--- Twitter followers: 78,178,585
--- Instagram followers: 75,262,044
--- Facebook page followers: 32,608,951

Ellen DeGeneres is no stranger to social media, with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more. DeGeneres’ famous Oscar selfie with A-list celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper broke the record for the most retweets ever and is even thought to have caused an outage on Twitter.

#12. Kylie Jenner

- Total reach: 192,052,862
--- Twitter followers: 27,875,864
--- Instagram followers: 142,023,256
--- Facebook page followers: 22,153,742

Kylie Jenner has used the power of social media to propel her businesses to massive success, by promoting new product launches on Instagram, Snapchat, and more. According to Hopper HQ’s Instagram Rich List, Kylie Jenner is thought to be the highest-paid influencer, with an estimated price per post of over $1.2 million.

#11. Shakira

- Total reach: 205,636,814
--- Twitter followers: 51,377,997
--- Instagram followers: 58,004,286
--- Facebook page followers: 96,254,531

The first photo ever posted on Shakira’s Facebook page was uploaded on New Year’s Eve in 2008. Only six years later, Shakira was crowned the Queen of Facebook when her page surpassed 100 million likes.

#10. Dwayne Johnson

- Total reach: 217,115,447
--- Twitter followers: 13,622,179
--- Instagram followers: 145,664,920
--- Facebook page followers: 57,828,348

Former professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s social media usage helped him become the highest-paid actor in 2018. Johnson regularly gets paid to post marketing materials for his latest movies on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

#9. Neymar Jr.

- Total reach: 227,417,905
--- Twitter followers: 43,888,058
--- Instagram followers: 123,639,456
--- Facebook page followers: 59,890,391

Despite his successful social media following, Neymar Jr.’s social media posts have landed him in hot water. Neymar’s response to sexual-assault allegations on Instagram resulted in a police investigation, and the Union of European Football Associations charged him for comments made against video assistant referees.

#8. Rihanna

- Total reach: 241,048,511
--- Twitter followers: 92,530,322
--- Instagram followers: 73,702,882
--- Facebook page followers: 74,815,307

Unlike celebrities who use social media only for business, Rihanna also uses her online platforms to communicate her thoughts and feelings. Along with promoting her Fenty Beauty makeup line, Rihanna has turned to Twitter to criticize President Trump.

#7. Ariana Grande

- Total reach: 241,918,230
--- Twitter followers: 64,409,210
--- Instagram followers: 145,021,418
--- Facebook page followers: 32,487,602

In 2019, Ariana Grande surpassed Selena Gomez as the most-followed woman on Instagram. According to Billboard, the popstar gained 13 million followers in four months. This may be due to the sheer amount of content she puts out, from two albums in a year to multiple Instagram posts a day.

#6. Kim Kardashian West

- Total reach: 251,349,808
--- Twitter followers: 61,405,103
--- Instagram followers: 160,960,958
--- Facebook page followers: 28,983,747

Social media influencers can make millions of dollars promoting products on their social media platforms. According to a contract with the medical company Duchesnay USA, Kim Kardashian West made $500,000 from one sponsored post for morning sickness pills.

#5. Katy Perry

- Total reach: 255,586,079
--- Twitter followers: 107,796,983
--- Instagram followers: 84,095,143
--- Facebook page followers: 63,693,953

Katy Perry is yet another celebrity to speak out against social media. Perry claimed she has been a victim of social media, and that she is working to find the right balance when using the different online platforms.

#4. Selena Gomez

- Total reach: 272,116,197
--- Twitter followers: 58,016,612
--- Instagram followers: 154,255,249
--- Facebook page followers: 59,844,336

Although Selena Gomez has a massive social media presence—she’s the third most-followed person on Instagram—she isn’t oblivious to the negative effects it can have. Gomez encourages fans to take breaks from social media and to know that “most of it isn’t real.”

#3. Taylor Swift

- Total reach: 272,462,059
--- Twitter followers: 83,999,275
--- Instagram followers: 119,986,423
--- Facebook page followers: 68,476,361

With hundreds of millions of followers across social media platforms, Taylor Swift is known for using social media in mysterious and sometimes genius ways. Swift has made bold moves, including deleting all social media posts in anticipation of upcoming albums.

#2. Justin Bieber

- Total reach: 298,391,770
--- Twitter followers: 106,124,348
--- Instagram followers: 116,292,621
--- Facebook page followers: 75,974,801

Before he was an international popstar, Justin Bieber was discovered on social media. Usher took notice of Bieber after seeing his YouTube covers of popular songs like “So Sick” and “With You.”

#1. Cristiano Ronaldo

- Total reach: 377,528,830
--- Twitter followers: 78,960,048
--- Instagram followers: 177,639,365
--- Facebook page followers: 120,929,417

Cristiano Ronaldo is considered one of the best soccer players in the world and is now thought to be the highest-paid athlete on social media. According to Hopper HQ, Ronaldo makes an estimated $975,000 per post on Instagram, roughly $150,000 more than Neymar Jr.

Trending Now