Facebook hits 2 billion users, doubles in size since 2012
The social network’s user population dwarfs that of similar companies
Facebook said that 2 billion people are regularly using its flagship service, marching past another milestone in its growth from a college curiosity in the United States to the world’s largest social media network.
Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg disclosed the number to his followers in a Facebook post.
“It’s an honour to be on this journey with you,” he wrote.
The user base is bigger than the population of any single country, and of six of the seven continents. It represents more than a quarter of the world’s 7.5 billion people.
Facebook defines a monthly active user as a registered Facebook user who logged in and visited Facebook through its website or a mobile device, or used its Messenger app, in the past 30 days. It does not include people who use the Instagram or WhatsApp networks but not Facebook.
The company said in May that duplicate accounts, according to an estimate from last year, may have represented some 6 per cent of its worldwide user base.
