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Instagram Keeps Outgrowing Facebook in the EU — 297M Monthly Users vs 264M in Meta's Latest DSA Report

Meta's H1 2026 transparency filing puts Instagram at roughly 297 million average monthly users in the EU against Facebook's 264 million, with Instagram still climbing while Facebook stays flat.

2026-08-31 · by Moe Ameen

Published 2026-08-31 · Updated

Short answer

Meta's H1 2026 Digital Services Act filing puts Instagram at about 297 million monthly active users in the EU, against 264 million for Facebook. Instagram was at 281.8 million a year earlier and is on track to pass 300 million in 2027. Facebook has been flat. Meta also cut its EU moderation staff from about 7,700 to about 5,900.

Key takeaways

  • Instagram had about 297M EU monthly users in H1 2026; Facebook had about 264M.
  • Instagram grew from 281.8M in H1 2025 and is on track to pass 300M in 2027.
  • Facebook EU usage has been flat and dipped in some earlier periods.
  • Meta's EU moderation staff fell from about 7,700 to about 5,900.
  • For EU reach, an Instagram-first plan makes sense, as long as you keep other channels too.

What did Meta's DSA report say about Instagram and Facebook in the EU?

Meta's latest EU transparency filing, published in late August 2026 to cover the first half of the year, reports Instagram at roughly 297 million average monthly active users in the European Union against Facebook's roughly 264 million. Under the EU's Digital Services Act, very large online platforms must publish these average-monthly-recipient counts for the region every six months, which makes the series a rare, comparable, self-reported look at where usage is actually moving.

The trend is the story more than any single number. Instagram's EU figure has risen steadily across reporting periods — from about 281.8 million in H1 2025 to roughly 297 million now — while Facebook's EU number has been broadly flat and has dipped in some earlier periods. Instagram passed Facebook in EU monthly users a while ago and has been widening the gap since; on the current trajectory it is on track to clear 300 million in the region sometime in 2027.

The same filing carries the DSA's content-moderation disclosures. Meta reported its EU-facing moderation headcount fell over the period, from roughly 7,700 earlier in the year to about 5,900 as of this report — a detail worth noting for creators who depend on consistent enforcement and appeals. Treat the exact figures as Meta's own rounded, self-reported DSA numbers for H1 2026; confirm the latest against Meta's transparency center before quoting them precisely.

Why does Instagram outgrowing Facebook matter for creators?

  • The EU is a growing distribution surface on Instagram specifically. If your audience skews European, the platform adding tens of millions of users year over year is reach you can capture now, before the space gets more crowded.
  • Facebook being flat while Instagram climbs is a resourcing signal: for reach in the EU, an Instagram-first cadence of Reels and carousels beats spreading the same effort evenly across both apps.
  • Growth is in users, not attention per post — more accounts means more competition in every feed. The differentiator is publishing consistently in native formats, not posting more of the same.
  • A shrinking EU moderation headcount raises the odds of slower reviews and misfires on enforcement and appeals. Keep your own copies of everything you publish and avoid leaning on a single platform for your whole audience.
  • These DSA numbers are a free, credible planning input most creators ignore — a twice-a-year read on which Meta app is actually gaining ground in your region.

How do you capture Instagram EU growth with Kompozy?

Instagram's EU growth is a reach opportunity you capture by publishing native content consistently, and consistency at cadence is exactly the gap Kompozy closes. Point it at your raw material — a long video, a voice note, a link — and it generates the formats Instagram's EU feed actually rewards: captioned Persona Shorts and Clipped Shorts for Reels, brand-exact Carousel posts, Photo Posts, and Quote Graphics, all written in your voice under the Persona Brief. Then it schedules and publishes them, so an Instagram-first EU push runs as a standing weekly batch instead of a manual scramble.

The multi-platform side is what makes the bet safe rather than all-in. A thinning EU moderation team and a single-platform audience are the risk; Kompozy's answer is the same batch fanned out across the eight social platforms plus blog and email from one Autopilot run behind a per-post review. You ride Instagram's EU momentum where it's real, while YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and your newsletter hold the audience you'd otherwise be renting from one app. Lean into the growing surface without betting your whole distribution on it.

What are the quick takeaways?

  • Meta's H1 2026 DSA filing puts Instagram at ~297M average monthly EU users vs Facebook's ~264M, with Instagram still rising and Facebook flat.
  • Instagram climbed from ~281.8M (H1 2025) to ~297M (H1 2026) in the EU and is on track to pass 300M in the region in 2027.
  • Meta's EU moderation headcount fell to about 5,900 over the period; creators should keep their own copies and avoid single-platform dependence.
  • Kompozy turns one source into Instagram-native Reels, carousels, and images in your voice, then publishes across nine platforms so EU growth is upside, not exposure.

What does this look like in Kompozy?

A real five-slide carousel from the Kompozy workspace. Carousels are one of the Instagram-native formats this page suggests posting.

Five-slide carousel generated in Kompozy, slide 1Five-slide carousel generated in Kompozy, slide 2Five-slide carousel generated in Kompozy, slide 3Five-slide carousel generated in Kompozy, slide 4Five-slide carousel generated in Kompozy, slide 5
Real output · Kompozy Carousel format · from the Kompozy workspace

Who is this for, and who should skip it?

Best for:

  • Creators and brands with a European audience deciding where to spend effort
  • Social teams splitting time between Instagram and Facebook
  • Marketers who want a free, twice-yearly read on Meta app usage by region

Not ideal for:

  • Audiences mostly outside the EU, since these are EU-only counts
  • Anyone needing engagement or time-spent data, which the DSA counts do not include
  • Brands whose buyers live on Facebook groups, where flat totals may not matter

Frequently asked questions

How many users does Instagram have in the EU in 2026?

Meta's H1 2026 DSA transparency report puts Instagram at roughly 297 million average monthly active users in the European Union, up from about 281.8 million in the first half of 2025. Facebook was reported at about 264 million over the same period. These are Meta's own rounded, self-reported figures — confirm the latest in Meta's transparency center.

Is Instagram bigger than Facebook in the EU?

Yes. By average monthly active users in the EU, Instagram (~297M in H1 2026) is now ahead of Facebook (~264M) and has been widening the gap for several reporting periods. Instagram has kept growing while Facebook has stayed broadly flat, and is on track to clear 300 million EU users in 2027.

Why does Meta publish EU user numbers?

The EU's Digital Services Act requires very large online platforms to publish their average monthly active recipients in the EU every six months, alongside content-moderation data. That makes these figures a comparable, self-reported read on how usage is shifting between Instagram and Facebook in the region.

What should creators do about Instagram growing in the EU?

Publish Instagram-native formats — Reels, carousels, and images — on a consistent cadence to capture the growing audience, while keeping a presence on other platforms so no single app owns your reach. Tools like Kompozy generate those native formats in your brand voice and publish them across nine platforms — eight social apps plus blog and email — from one scheduled batch.

How do we know this?

We checked every figure, date, quote and product claim on this page against the sources listed below on 2026-10-23, and removed or rewrote anything we could not confirm. The H1 2026 numbers and moderation headcount come from Social Media Today's read of Meta's DSA report; the H1 2025 figure comes from Social Samosa's report on the prior filing. Kompozy plan and format details come from kompozy.io.

Sources

  1. Social Media Today — Instagram growth continues to outpace Facebook in the EU (read 2026-10-23)
  2. Social Samosa — Instagram surpasses Facebook in EU (H1 2025 DSA figures) (read 2026-10-23)
  3. Kompozy — Pricing and plans (read 2026-10-23)

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