Average engagement rate by platform and follower tier
Figures are approximate ranges for engagement rate by followers (per view for YouTube, per impression for LinkedIn and X), compiled from public industry studies covering 2025–2026. Treat them as reference points, not guarantees — niche, content format and posting cadence move real accounts far off these bands.
| Platform | Nano · <10k | Micro · 10k–100k | Mid · 100k–500k | Macro · >500k | Best basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ 0.8–1.2% | ≈ 0.6–0.9% | ≈ 0.4–0.7% | ≈ 0.2–0.5% | Followers (or reach) | |
| TikTok | ≈ 4–6% | ≈ 3–4.5% | ≈ 2.5–4% | ≈ 2–3% | Followers (views for viral posts) |
| YouTube | ≈ 1.5–2.5% / view | ≈ 1.2–2% / view | ≈ 1–1.6% / view | ≈ 0.8–1.3% / view | Views (per view) |
| ≈ 2.5–4% | ≈ 2–3% | ≈ 1.5–2.5% | ≈ 1–2% | Impressions | |
| ≈ 0.2–0.4% | ≈ 0.15–0.3% | ≈ 0.1–0.2% | ≈ 0.05–0.15% | Reach preferred | |
| X (Twitter) | ≈ 0.5–0.8% | ≈ 0.4–0.6% | ≈ 0.3–0.5% | ≈ 0.2–0.4% | Impressions |
Quotable takeaways
Short, source-grounded statements you can cite in reports or briefs:
- In 2025–26 public industry studies, TikTok leads all major platforms with roughly 2.6% average engagement rate by followers, while Facebook pages sit near 0.15%.
- Engagement rate falls as account size grows: nano accounts typically engage 2–4× higher than macro accounts on the same platform.
- Basis matters more than the raw number: LinkedIn and X are measured per impression, YouTube per view, and Instagram, TikTok and Facebook by followers (or reach for breakout posts).
- A 'good' engagement rate means above the average for your platform and tier — not a universal percentage. 1% is strong for a 1M-follower Instagram account and weak for a 5k TikTok account.
Methodology & sources
Approximate figures compiled from published industry benchmark reports covering 2025–2026. Reviewed quarterly; this dataset was last updated October 2026.
- Socialinsider — annual social media benchmarks reports
- Rival IQ — social media industry benchmark report
- Sprout Social — social media engagement statistics
- Values are directional reference points compiled from public studies, not audited data.