Instagram has reached a new milestone in its journey to becoming one of the most dominant social media platforms on the planet. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Wednesday that Instagram now has 3 billion monthly active users, solidifying its place alongside Facebook and WhatsApp in the company’s elite portfolio.

“What an incredible community we’ve built here,” Zuckerberg wrote on his Meta channel, reflecting on Instagram’s evolution from a $1 billion acquisition in 2012 to a global powerhouse shaping culture, trends, and commerce.

This milestone cements Instagram as one of Meta’s strongest platforms. Earlier this year, Zuckerberg revealed that both Facebook and WhatsApp had crossed 3 billion monthly active users individually. Together, Meta’s family of apps reported 3.48 billion daily users in July, surpassing Wall Street expectations.

The last official figure for Instagram came in October 2022, when it was reported to have 2 billion users. Meta stopped releasing app-specific numbers in April 2024, making Wednesday’s update even more noteworthy for industry watchers.

Reels Drives Instagram’s Rapid Growth

A large part of Instagram’s recent surge can be attributed to Reels, its short-form video feature launched in 2020. Designed to rival TikTok, Reels allows users to create music-driven, bite-sized videos that quickly gained traction among both creators and audiences. The format also proved attractive to advertisers, giving Instagram a fresh growth engine.

Timing also played a decisive role. When India banned TikTok in 2020 over national security concerns, Instagram swiftly introduced Reels to fill the gap. The feature exploded in popularity, turning India into one of Instagram’s biggest markets and fueling global momentum. What could have been TikTok’s breakthrough moment instead gave Instagram a massive advantage.

Globally, Reels has become central to Instagram’s strategy, enabling it to compete not only with TikTok but also with YouTube Shorts. The format has helped Instagram shed its image as just a photo-sharing app and reposition itself as a leading short-video platform.

TikTok’s Uphill Battle

Despite Instagram’s dominance, TikTok remains a major cultural force with more than 1 billion monthly users. Its influence on music, trends, and internet culture continues to be profound. However, the gap between Instagram and TikTok now looks far wider than before.

TikTok’s challenges are not limited to competition. After its ban in India, the platform also faced restrictions in the United States earlier this year amid escalating concerns over data privacy and Chinese ownership. The ban forced many creators to shift toward Instagram and YouTube, further strengthening Meta’s hold on the short-video space.

But TikTok may soon re-emerge. Reports suggest parent company ByteDance is exploring restructuring efforts to address political concerns and pave the way for a US comeback. If successful, TikTok’s return could reignite the short-form video wars in one of the most lucrative digital markets worldwide.

For now, Instagram’s achievement of 3 billion users underscores its unmatched scale and its growing influence in shaping the future of online video.