Twitter was the first social media outlet to make the idea of hashtags popular. This is one of many hashtags statistics and facts you need to know in 2025.
Within a very short time, hashtags usage spread to Facebook, Instagram, and then TikTok.
The concept of the hashtag has now expanded beyond Twitter, and is used for brand recognition, promotions, and other interests on social media.
Hashtags started out as a method for categorizing tweets, but this concept has turned into a dynamic and powerful tool for marketing and promotions for personal and business purposes.
The following will address some intriguing hashtags statistics you need to know regardless of how you use them.
Key Statistics
- Chris Messina invented the idea of the hashtag.
- The very first hashtag ever used was #barcamp.
- Tweets with hashtags boost engagement by 100% for individuals and 50% for brands.
- Twitter’s most popularly used hashtag is #COVID19.
- The average hashtags used per day on Twitter is 125 million.
- Using 1 hashtag on Instagram can boost engagement by 29%.
- Using at least 11 hashtags gives 79% higher engagement rates on Instagram.
- Hashtags boost video views by 26% on YouTube.
We’ll start with some basic facts and hashtag statistics to inform our readers of hashtags, where they came from, and why they are used.
1. Chris Messina Invented the Idea of The Hashtag.
It was on August 23, 2007, when Chris Messina wrote a tweet that the pound sign (#) could be and should be used to group or categorize tweets.
The idea was and is to make specific topics easier to find. Today, it’s also used as a dynamic branding and marketing tool.
Once this idea caught on, it really set Twitter on fire by grouping tweets and making them easier to find.
Nowadays, using hashtags is part of the norm on social media posts and tweets all over the world.
(hashtags.org)
2. The Technical Term for The Hashtag Is Octothorpe.
When Chris Messina suggested using hashtags as a method for grouping tweets, he used the pound sign’s actual name, octothorpe.
Many users were skeptical of the idea, but not too long after that, the concept caught on as a way to categorize tweets.
Let’s just be happy that the name “hashtag” also caught on or we would be saying things like octothorpe science, instead of hashtag science.
(Merriam-Webster)
3. The Very First Hashtag Ever Used Was #barcamp.
The first instance of hashtag usage occurred about a technology event at which Chris Messina attended.
Later, in 2009, hashtags were being used to plan meetups, notify people about Hurricane Ike, in tweets about Michael Jackson’s death, the Iran elections, and even to protect the Iraq War.
By 2010, hashtags were such a big deal that the astronauts on the International Space Station were using them, and novelty cookies were being made in the shape of hashtags and sold.
(hashtags.org)
Initially, Twitter wasn’t too keen on the idea of hashtags usage on its platform. You would think that having an easy way to group tweets on specific topics would be desirable.
However, the social media platform was not in love with the idea.
Twitter suggested that there be a limit on the number of hashtags used per tweet.
The recommendation is no more than 2 hashtags, which makes sense due to the restriction on character count. Even at the 280-character limit, two hashtags are plenty.
(Twitter Help)
Next, we will discuss hashtags and Twitter. Does using hashtags help, hurt, or make no difference. Let’s find out.
Whether you’re a brand, individual, or business, you should be using hashtags in your social media posts.
It’s been discovered that individuals can boost their posts by nearly 100% and brands by 50% just by using proper hashtags.
Hashtags can and will make a difference in getting noticed by anyone seeking the topic or niche you’re promoting.
It’s become a big deal among marketers. Plus, brands are seeing better engagement and higher levels of brand awareness with proper hashtag usage.
(sendible)
Before using hashtags, you will need to do some research. It’s crucial to use the right ones for the market you’re trying to attract and for the niche in which you’re working.
At the minimum, using one or two hashtags properly and the most relevant for your tweets can increase your engagement by 21%.
It might help you to know that using 100 characters or less per tweet offers 17% better engagement than longer tweets, according to hashtags statistics from Buddy Media’s “Strategies for Effective Tweeting.”
Tweets with links receive 86% higher retweets than tweets without links, according to an analysis of 320 Twitter name-brand handles.
(Marketing Week, Adweek)
7. Twitter’s Most Popularly Used Hashtag Is #COVID19.
At the end of 2021, the hashtag, #COVID19, holds the most usage at over 50 million hashtags.
The number two hashtag for 2021 was #BlackLivesMatter, which was used more than 32 million times.
The third most popular hashtag of 2021 was #trump, which had 27 million uses.
Other popular 2021 hashtags included #Brexit (22 million times), and #nobannowall (21 million times). Top hashtags change daily on Twitter’s fast-moving platform.
The top four hashtags at the time of this writing are #generalelectionNOW, #BlackHistoryMonth, #SheHulk, and #london.
(Twitter – Top Hashtags)
According to a ListenFirst Media study, the three most engaged with hashtags include, #WOMENSMARCH with 9.8 million engagements, #Trumpinauguration with 6.4 million engagements, and #Brexit with 5.9 million engagements.
Likewise, the most popular accounts with the highest engagement rates include, @realDonaldTrump with 35.3 million engagements, @POTUS with 20.8 million engagements, and @HillaryClinton with 10.6 million engagements.
These hashtags statistics show us the significance of politics on Twitter.
(ListenFirst Media)
Having some Twitter hashtag analytics is like putting the frosting on your cake in regard to marketing and brand awareness.
Because of technology today, analytics are more robust and dynamic.
As for Twitter hashtags analytics, the average number of tweets per day accounts to 125 million. This is out of roughly 500 million tweets per day.
(Brand24)
10. The TV Show with The Most Tweeted Hashtag Is #TheWalkingDead.
During the 2015-2016 television season, #TheWalkingDead. This show is still on top of the hashtag game on Twitter and other social platforms.
It’s also still considered the show with the most hashtags tweeted so far.
In fact, there’s a new princess emoji going with the #TheWalkingDead hashtag. This cute image pops up when you type in one of these hashtags: #TheWalkingDead, #TWD, #TWDFamily.
(UndeadWalking)
Since Instagram users tend to use a lot of hashtags, we need to discuss the hashtag limits, figures, facts, and overall hashtag statistics related to this platform.
Twitter has its limit of one or two hashtags per tweet, but Instagram allows many more. People take advantage of that factor with their Instagram posts.
Because they do, analytics show that when hashtags are used 11 times or more on a post, engagement rates are boosted by 79%.
Even a post with just one hashtag on Instagram can boost your post by 29%.
Keep in mind that overusing hashtags, even on Instagram, makes you look spammy, which doesn’t entice other users. A few well-placed relevant hashtags on Instagram will do the job.
(Sproutsocial)
12. Instagram’s Most Popular Hashtag is #love.
The hashtag that is used the most on Instagram is #love. It has 2 billion uses on this social media outlet. This data comes from late 2021 and is still relevant.
Instagram is the world’s second-most popular social media network, following closely behind Facebook, its owner.
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but that doesn’t mean to plaster that many on your posts.
There are more than 100 million hashtags used on Instagram as of 2021. Here are top ten most used.
- #love – over 2 billion
- #instagood – over 1.3 billion
- #fashion – over 943 million
- #photooftheday – over 908 million
- #Art – over 781 million
- #photography – over 734 million
- #beautiful – over 732 million
- #picoftheday – over 640 million
- #happy – over 628 million
- #cute – over 621 million
(Hootsuite)
Hashtags are mostly used in captions and comments. However, only 12.3% of Instagrammers put them in their comments.
Instead, 87.7% prefer to place them in their captions. Brands and businesses should remember this for their next posts.
Why? Because the caption area is the most visible over the comments, which often get buried under other comments.
Instagrammers with caption hashtags enjoy more Followers, Likes, and Comments.
(later.com)
Instagram users with under 5,000 followers are getting an average of 36.85% higher reach rates when they use hashtags.
Likewise, profiles with between 5,000 and 10,000 followers enjoy an average of 20.9% more reach with hashtag usage.
Is there an increase for IG profiles with 10K to 100K followers?
Yes. It comes to an average boost of 21.43%. This data does suggest that the use of hashtags on Instagram are most effective for those with smaller followings.
(later.com)
TikTok is one of the newest social media sites where hashtags are used to sort posts by topic. Let’s see how hashtags help TikTok users.
Keep in mind that while TikTok has no set limits on hashtags, it does have a set limit of 300 characters for captions (Boosted).
Therefore, they don’t need to have hashtag limits. Hashtags take up at least 3 characters, usually more.
15. the Hashtag, #foryou Is the Most Popular on Tik Tok with 56 Billion Views.
TikTok may have come along a few years behind Facebook and Instagram, but this social platform has become very popular since its launch.
TikTok’s short-form videos play a role in making it popular with the younger generations, though older people are using it for their promotions as well.
Hashtags are widely used on TikTok as part of the platform’s experience. The most popular of all hashtags used is #foryou with 56 billion views.
(Hootsuite 2)
The top 10 hashtags on TikTok, according to Hootsuite’s reporting include the following.
- #fyp
- #foryoupage
- #tiktokchalleng
- #duet
- #trending
- #comedy
- #savagechallenge
- #tiktoktrend
- #levelup
- #featureme
Hootsuite lists the top 100, but we wanted to keep it short for purposes of this article.
(Hootsuite 2)
According to Sproutsocial, using 3 to 5 TikTok hashtags will still leave space for a fun, unique, and description caption.
However, SocialBakers revealed that using one to three improves your engagement by 27%.
Also, using more than three has shown that engagement is only boosted by 5%.
One of the reasons that fewer hashtags work better is that viewers see the content creator as more authentic and genuine.
Just like Instagram, using too many hashtags makes your content look spammy.
(Sproutsocial 2)
Did you know that users spend an average of about 52 minutes per day on the TikTok app? That’s how popular this app has become.
In 2022, Statista shows that Entertainment videos get 535 billion hashtag views, making this category the biggest for hashtags.
Dance (181 billion), Pranks (79 billion, and Fitness/Sports (54 billion) are categories that follow Entertainment on TikTok.
(Statista)
It’s not uncommon to see posts with hashtags on Facebook, but it seems to be less common than on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
Let’s look at how hashtags work on Facebook. Let’s just start by saying that “less is more” is the hashtag approach used on Facebook.
Even though Facebook users take the “less is more” approach to hashtags, it’s still the second-most popular social platform with more than 300 million posts with hashtags.
Twitter takes first place.
This data tells us that it’s less about how many hashtags used than it is about how hashtags are used.
While it may take several hashtags on Instagram to enhance engagement, it only takes one or two on Facebook.
(Digital Marketing Institute)
Mari Smith is a Facebook marketing expert who even Facebook asks for help now and again.
She’s also known as the “Queen of Facebook”, so she knows that hashtags boost organic growth. That is, when they are used properly.
While it is common to use between one and five hashtags, Mari says you can expand that usage up to 10.
A study by Socialbakers revealed that Facebook posts with between 3 and 5 hashtags averaged at 416 engagements.
Even though it’s suggested by the “Queen of Facebook” to use up to 10, which get 307 engagements, according to the same study, it may depend on the kind of hashtags being used.
For instance, highly targeted location and market or niche hashtags are there to grab the attention of those specific audiences.
However, adding trending, popular, and relevant hashtags to those hashtags can and will make a difference.
(Mari Smith)
LinkedIn, the internet’s most popular social media platform for connecting employers to new talent, and freelancers to gigs, also benefits from a solid hashtag plan.
LinkedIn hashtag strategies are a little different than your standard social media hashtag strategies, so we will discuss that along with some statistics you need to know.
21. the Hashtag, #in, Is Used Around 2.1 Million Times Each Month on LinkedIn.
You will see the hashtag, #in, used mostly on career and business-related posts. It’s a dynamic method of connecting professionals with other like-minded professionals in their field.
Another popular hashtag on LinkedIn is #job, which is used around 1.4 million times per month. A hashtag used 1.2 million times per month is #career.
You can see the trend in professional hashtags. It’s also proof of how much hashtags are needed even on LinkedIn.
(LinkedIn)
According to LinkedIn, the best strategy to follow is to use 3 hashtags in each post.
Hashtags should be placed at the end of your content, and you should use LinkedIn search to check hashtag frequency.
The goal is to use 2 broad-range hashtags and a single niche hashtag on your posts.
LinkedIn hashtags are good for establishing your expertise and credibility, reaching out to those who appreciate your insights, and for starting shared interest via meaningful conversations.
(LinkedIn)
YouTube, the social media plus video streaming and live TV platform also makes use of hashtags.
The main goal of YouTube hashtags is to boost your videos so that they appear in search results.
The hashtags need to be relevant keywords that directly relate to your video content. It will help users who are interested in said content to find you.
23. In 2021, The Most Popular Hashtag on YouTube Was #music.
It’s not surprising that #music was the most popular hashtag as of the end of 2021.
It was used more than 1.6 billion times on videos. The hashtag, #fun, was use in 1.2 billion videos.
These popular hashtags were followed closely by #gaming (used 600 million times), #movie (used 500 million times, and #food (used 450 million times).
(Top Hashtags)
Google has a vested interest in how hashtags work on YouTube, so it makes sense there would be a study performed for analytics.
This study showed that views increased by 26%on YouTube videos with hashtags.
Additionally, YouTube videos and video comments with hashtags also enjoyed 14% more engagements than videos without them.
Of course, it’s important to learn how to use hashtags effectively.
(Forbes)
Pinterest is the last social media platform we will cover regarding hashtag usage. Pinterest is the most visual search engine and social website online today.
There are nearly 460 million active monthly users on Pinterest. Let’s discuss how hashtags work on this platform.
25. Pinterest’s Most Popular Hashtag Is #love.
The hashtag #love is featured in more than 322 million pins. Close behind #love, there are more than 166 million pins attached to #fashion.
Two other hashtags that are very popular on Pinterest include #beauty (more than 130 million pins), and #food (more than 61 million pins).
Pinterest is also a trending platform where seasonal hashtags reign. During March, for instance, #StPatricksday, #Easter, and #springbreak were trending.
During the winter holidays, you are likely to see hashtags like #Christmas, #santa, #Hanukkah, and #newyears.
Virtually everything you need to know about using hashtags on Pinterest is covered by Louise Myers.
(Louise Myers)
FAQs
Now that you know 25 hashtags statistics, we will address a few frequently asked questions for you.
The main idea of a hashtag is to make your content easy to find (discoverable).
Hashtags are as effective as the keywords you use for people to find you.
Your niche, trends, location, and other common interests, hobbies, and themes help users across social media platforms to find you.
Due to the nature of hashtags, the importance is high for brands, businesses, influencers, marketers, and anyone trying to be discovered in their niche.
Here are the reasons why they are important.
• Searchability – Searchability is the main purpose.
• Trending Topics – Watch for trending topics and tap into them using your own niche to gain traction.
• Humor – Many times, hashtags are used to inject humorous punchlines, which are great for marketing strategies.
• Usage – Proper placement, relevant keywords, and other metrics are important to using good hashtags.
Yes. People can and do follow hashtags just like following their friends.
Following hashtags on topics in which you are interested helps you get more relevant results in searches.
What’s a Hashtag Campaign?
Just like a hashtag trend, companies use hashtag campaigns to get attention.
Hashtag campaigns are designed to promote customer relations through giveaways, discounts, sales, and events.
Conclusion
We researched and found the most relevant hashtag statistics available online for our readers.
We also included some relevant information about how hashtags are used on various platforms, the main purpose of hashtags, and the importance of using them.
Hopefully, you have learned something new today by reading this article about hashtags. Also, you can hone your hashtag game using the data in this article.
We tried to show proof about how hashtags work and how much these little tidbits can help boost your content.
Remember that you need to research and use the most relevant hashtags for your content, and take care to use enough, but not so many that you look spammy.
After all, you want people to take you seriously and see you as credible.
If you’re looking to boost your content on virtually any social media platform, and cross promote across platforms, your hashtag game needs to be at least as good as, preferably better than your competitors.
What will you do with your content marketing now that you have these 25 hashtag statistics at your disposal?
