Meta grew revenue 33% to USD 56.311 billion in the first quarter of 2026, its fastest quarterly growth since 2021, at a 41% operating margin. The company’s Family of Apps reached 3.56 billion daily active people in March 2026, up 4%, though it has not reported a Facebook-only user number in years, which means the most-cited “Facebook users” figures in circulation are advertising reach estimates rather than active accounts. In the United States, Pew Research Center puts Facebook at 71% of adults but only 32% of teenagers, down from 71% of teens a decade earlier. The figures below come from Meta’s own quarterly disclosures, Pew Research Center survey data, and DataReportal’s Digital 2026 reporting.
TL;DR
- Meta revenue was USD 56.311 billion in Q1 2026, up 33% year over year (Meta)
- Constant currency growth was 29%, the fastest quarter since 2021 (Meta)
- Income from operations was USD 22.872 billion at a 41% operating margin (Meta)
- Net income reached USD 26.773 billion, up 61%, aided by an USD 8.03 billion tax benefit (Meta)
- Family daily active people averaged 3.56 billion in March 2026, up 4% (Meta)
- Ad impressions rose 19% and average price per ad rose 12% (Meta)
- Family of Apps other revenue grew 74% to USD 885 million on WhatsApp paid messaging (Meta)
- Reality Labs lost USD 4.028 billion in the quarter on USD 402 million of revenue (Meta)
- Meta guided to USD 125bn to USD 145bn of 2026 capital expenditure (Meta)
- 71% of US adults use Facebook, second only to YouTube at 84% (Pew Research Center)
- Facebook reaches 78% of US women against 63% of US men (Pew Research Center)
- Only 32% of US teens use Facebook, down from 71% in 2014 and 2015 (Pew Research Center)
- Facebook advertising reach is roughly 2.41 billion globally (DataReportal, Digital 2026)
1. Meta’s Financial Scale in 2026
The first quarter of 2026 was Meta’s strongest growth quarter in five years, and the composition matters as much as the headline. USD 56.311 billion of revenue at 33% growth, against 35% growth in total costs and expenses, still produced a 41% operating margin because the cost growth is concentrated in capital-intensive AI infrastructure rather than headcount, which rose just 1%. Net income of USD 26.773 billion flatters the picture: it includes an USD 8.03 billion tax benefit that drove the effective tax rate negative.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue, Q1 2026 | USD 56.311 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Revenue growth | 33% YoY, 29% constant currency | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Total costs and expenses | USD 33.439 billion, up 35% | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Research and development | USD 17.699 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Cost of revenue | USD 10.218 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Income from operations | USD 22.872 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Operating margin | 41% | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Net income | USD 26.773 billion, up 61% | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Diluted EPS | USD 10.44, up 62% | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Effective tax rate | negative 23% | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Headcount | 77,986, up 1% | Meta Q1 2026 |
R&D at USD 17.699 billion is now larger than the entire quarterly revenue of most public software companies, and it exceeds Meta’s cost of revenue by a wide margin. Source: Meta reports first quarter 2026 results.
2. Users, and the Per-App Blackout
Meta stopped publishing Facebook-only monthly active users years ago, which is the single most important caveat for anyone quoting a Facebook user count. The company reports Family daily active people across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp together, at 3.56 billion for March 2026, up 4% year over year. That figure dipped slightly quarter over quarter, and Meta attributed the decline to internet disruptions in Iran and a restriction on WhatsApp access in Russia rather than to organic decline.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Family daily active people, March 2026 | 3.56 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Year-over-year growth | 4% | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Quarter-over-quarter direction | slight decline | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Stated cause of the dip | Iran internet disruptions, WhatsApp restriction in Russia | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Apps included in the metric | Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Facebook-only MAU disclosure | discontinued | Meta |
| Global social media user identities, April 2026 | 5.79 billion | DataReportal |
| Family DAP as share of those identities | approx. 62% | Derived from reported figures |
The derived share compares two differently constructed measures and is indicative only, since one counts daily people and the other counts user identities that may include duplicates. WhatsApp-specific detail sits in our WhatsApp statistics and Instagram in our Instagram roundup. Source: DataReportal global social media statistics.
3. Global Reach and the Biggest Markets
Because Meta will not publish per-app users, the field has converged on advertising reach from Meta’s own ad planning tools as a proxy. DataReportal estimates Facebook’s monthly advertising reach at roughly 2.41 billion in its Digital 2026 reporting, up from 2.28 billion a year earlier, a net gain of more than 130 million. That places Facebook second to YouTube at 2.65 billion and ahead of TikTok at 2.21 billion and Instagram at 1.99 billion.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook advertising reach, Digital 2026 | approx. 2.41 billion | DataReportal |
| Facebook advertising reach, January 2025 | 2.28 billion | DataReportal |
| Twelve-month net gain | more than 130 million | DataReportal |
| YouTube advertising reach | 2.65 billion | DataReportal |
| TikTok advertising reach | 2.21 billion | DataReportal |
| Instagram advertising reach | 1.99 billion | DataReportal |
| Largest market, India | 384 million (January 2025) | DataReportal |
| United States | 197 million (January 2025) | DataReportal |
| Indonesia | 122 million (January 2025) | DataReportal |
| Brazil | 112 million (January 2025) | DataReportal |
| Mexico | 93.0 million (January 2025) | DataReportal |
DataReportal states plainly that these are advertising audience figures and are not a proxy for total active users, a caveat most roundups drop. The country-level breakdown is from January 2025 and is the most recent published at that granularity. Source: DataReportal essential Facebook stats.
4. Who Uses Facebook in the United States
Pew’s survey work is the only rigorous read on Facebook’s actual demographic footprint, and its most striking finding is how flat that footprint is. Facebook usage sits at 71% among urban, suburban, and rural US adults alike, and within one point across every household income band Pew measures. No other large platform is that evenly distributed. The variation that does exist is by gender and age: 78% of women against 63% of men, and a peak of 80% among 30 to 49 year olds.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US adults using Facebook | 71% | Pew Research Center |
| US adults using YouTube | 84% | Pew Research Center |
| US adults using Instagram | 50% | Pew Research Center |
| US adults using TikTok | 32% | Pew Research Center |
| Facebook use, women | 78% | Pew Research Center |
| Facebook use, men | 63% | Pew Research Center |
| Facebook use, ages 30 to 49 | 80% | Pew Research Center |
| Facebook use, ages 50 to 64 | 74% | Pew Research Center |
| Facebook use, ages 18 to 29 | 68% | Pew Research Center |
| Facebook use, ages 65+ | 57% | Pew Research Center |
| Facebook use, urban, suburban, rural | 71% each | Pew Research Center |
| US adults regularly getting news on Facebook | 38% | Pew Research Center |
The 15-point gender gap is larger than the gap between the youngest and oldest adult age brackets, which is not the shape most people assume Facebook’s audience has. Wider platform context sits in our social media statistics. Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
5. The Teen Gap
Facebook’s generational position is the clearest structural fact about the platform, and it has been stable for several years rather than still collapsing. 32% of US teens aged 13 to 17 report using Facebook, down from 71% in 2014 and 2015, with only about 20% using it daily. The floor appears to have held: Pew describes teen Facebook use as roughly stable in recent years rather than continuing to fall.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US teens using Facebook | 32% | Pew Research Center, December 2025 |
| US teens using Facebook in 2014 to 2015 | 71% | Pew Research Center |
| US teens using Facebook daily | approx. 20% | Pew Research Center |
| US teens using YouTube | 92% | Pew Research Center |
| US teens using YouTube daily | 73% | Pew Research Center |
| US teens using TikTok | 68% | Pew Research Center |
| US teens using Instagram | 63% | Pew Research Center |
| US teens using Snapchat | 55% | Pew Research Center |
| Teens on at least one of five platforms almost constantly | 36% | Pew Research Center |
The gap between 32% who use Facebook and 20% who use it daily is the more revealing pair: for most teens who have an account, it is not a daily destination. Short-form context sits in our short-form video statistics. Source: Pew Research Center teens and social media fact sheet.
6. Where the Money Actually Comes From
Meta’s revenue growth in 2026 is being driven by price rather than volume alone, which is the mark of an ad market with more demand than inventory. Ad impressions rose 19% while average price per ad rose 12%, meaning roughly a third of advertising growth came from pricing. The fastest-growing line is not advertising at all: Family of Apps other revenue grew 74% to USD 885 million, driven by WhatsApp paid messaging and subscriptions.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Family of Apps advertising revenue | USD 55.024 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Ad impressions growth | 19% YoY | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Average price per ad growth | 12% YoY | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Family of Apps other revenue | USD 885 million, up 74% | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Reality Labs revenue | USD 402 million, down 2% | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Reality Labs operating loss | USD 4.028 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Capital expenditure, Q1 2026 | USD 19.84 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Free cash flow | USD 12.386 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Cash and marketable securities | USD 81.18 billion | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Full-year 2026 expense guidance | USD 162bn to USD 169bn | Meta Q1 2026 |
| Full-year 2026 capex guidance | USD 125bn to USD 145bn | Meta Q1 2026 |
Capital expenditure of USD 19.84 billion exceeded free cash flow of USD 12.386 billion in the quarter, and the full-year capex guidance midpoint is more than double 2026 quarterly capex annualised, which is the clearest signal of how front-loaded the AI infrastructure build has become. Source: Meta first quarter 2026 results release.
Summary: Facebook and Meta by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue, Q1 2026 | USD 56.311 billion | Meta |
| Revenue growth | 33% YoY | Meta |
| Operating margin | 41% | Meta |
| Income from operations | USD 22.872 billion | Meta |
| Net income | USD 26.773 billion | Meta |
| Diluted EPS | USD 10.44 | Meta |
| Family daily active people, March 2026 | 3.56 billion | Meta |
| Family DAP growth | 4% YoY | Meta |
| Advertising revenue | USD 55.024 billion | Meta |
| Ad impressions growth | 19% | Meta |
| Average price per ad growth | 12% | Meta |
| Other revenue | USD 885 million, up 74% | Meta |
| Reality Labs operating loss | USD 4.028 billion | Meta |
| Capital expenditure, Q1 2026 | USD 19.84 billion | Meta |
| Full-year 2026 capex guidance | USD 125bn to USD 145bn | Meta |
| Headcount | 77,986 | Meta |
| Facebook advertising reach, global | approx. 2.41 billion | DataReportal |
| Largest market, India | 384 million | DataReportal |
| US adults using Facebook | 71% | Pew Research Center |
| Facebook use, women versus men | 78% versus 63% | Pew Research Center |
| Peak age bracket, 30 to 49 | 80% | Pew Research Center |
| US teens using Facebook | 32% | Pew Research Center |
| US adults getting news on Facebook | 38% | Pew Research Center |
Methodology and Sources
- Revenue, costs, margins, net income, EPS, Family daily active people, ad impressions, price per ad, segment revenue, Reality Labs results, headcount, capital expenditure, free cash flow, and full-year guidance come from Meta’s first quarter 2026 results, released April 29, 2026 (Meta investor relations, full release text, earnings presentation).
- US adult platform usage and Facebook demographic breakdowns come from Pew Research Center’s survey of 5,022 US adults fielded February 5 to June 18, 2025 using address-based sampling across web, mail, and phone (social media fact sheet, Americans’ social media use 2025). News consumption comes from the separate news fact sheet (Pew).
- Teen platform usage comes from Pew Research Center data published in December 2025 (teens and social media fact sheet).
- Global advertising reach, platform comparisons, and country-level figures come from DataReportal (essential Facebook stats, global social media statistics, Digital 2026 mid-year update).
- Data watch: Meta has discontinued Facebook-only monthly active user reporting, so no current first-party Facebook user count exists. Advertising reach is the standard substitute, and DataReportal itself warns it is not equivalent to active users, because it reflects addressable ad audiences from Meta’s planning tools including duplicate and inactive accounts. The country-level breakdown is from January 2025 and is flagged as most recent available at that granularity. Meta’s Q1 2026 net income includes an USD 8.03 billion tax benefit that produced a negative effective tax rate, so year-over-year net income and EPS growth are not comparable to operating performance. Pew data covers the United States only and was fielded in 2025. Derived rows are arithmetic on reported figures, not disclosed metrics.
- Last updated: July 31, 2026. We update this roundup quarterly as Meta reports results and Pew and DataReportal publish new survey waves.