Meta has shared its latest EU performance updates for both Facebook and Instagram as part of its DSA reporting obligations, with EU authorities requiring all large online platforms to share regular updates on their total users and content moderation efforts.
And the data can provide some interesting trend insights. Like, for example the fact that Instagram is growing at 10x the rate of Facebook in EU.
The above charts (Facebook on the left, IG on the right) show how many users each platform has in each EU member state, with Facebook’s total EU usage coming in at 263.6 million monthly actives between January and June 2025, and Instagram reaching 281.8 million MAU in the same period.
Which is probably no real surprise. Instagram has had more European users than Facebook for some time, but it is interesting to note the relative growth of each, reflecting their broader popularity in the region.
Since March 2024, Facebook’s EU audience has grown 0.65%, while Instagram’s has risen by 6.17%. So not only is Instagram more popular, it’s increasing its lead, as Facebook stagnates in EU usage.
Indeed, Facebook has actually lost users in The Netherlands, Greece and Germany, reflecting a changing of the guard in the local social media markets.
Does that mean that Facebook is losing relevance more broadly?
It’s hard to say, because Meta no longer publishes Facebook-specific user counts in its quarterly updates, switching to the more positive-looking “Family of Apps” growth data, which reflects all users across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp and Messenger.
And that number is increasing, but whether these same EU usage trends are also present in other markets, we can only speculate, though Europe is a key usage consideration for the app, and as such, could reflect broader shifts.
In terms of other data, Meta says that its human moderation team remains at 40k, which is the same level that it’s been at since it started reporting its DSA updates back in 2023. So despite Meta incorporating more AI elements into its systems, and switching to a Community Notes model in the U.S., it hasn’t cut its moderation staff at this stage.
Meta’s overall EU reporting data also shows a reduction in spam removals on both Facebook and Instagram, while removals based on bullying and harassment increased on Facebook significantly in the most recent period. There’s also been a 20% reduction in removals related to hate speech, though Meta has also changed the criteria for some elements, which makes direct comparisons difficult.
But the biggest trend note is the rise of IG, and the decline of Facebook, in relative terms. I mean, Facebook is still growing in Europe, and it is still seeing a lot of EU usage. But Instagram is now the big focus, which is likely reflective of broader trends.
