Quick facts about selfies:
- 5.3 billion selfies are taken daily, accounting for 4% of all the photos taken (the 92 million a day statistic is outdated).
- Individuals spend 54 hours a year (or 7 minutes a day) taking selfies.
- 82% of young people have taken a selfie. The average age of selfie-takers is 24 years.
How to cite: “Selfie statistics, demographics, & fun facts”, Dr. Matic Broz, Photutorial.
Most of us have taken a selfie at some point, at the very least with our cats. In fact, selfies have become prevalent on social media platforms and also represent a significant portion of images on stock photo websites.
General selfie stats
“Selfie” was a word of 2013
Oxford Dictionaries named “Selfie” the word of 2013. It was defined as “a photo of yourself that you take, typically with a smartphone or webcam, and usually put on social media.” Since then, we also got the word “Selfitis,” meaning “an obsessive-compulsive desire to take photos of oneself and post them on social media.”
2014 was declared the “Year of the selfie”
Twitter declared the year 2014 as the “Year of the selfie.” It was mentioned more than 92 million times, a 500% increase from 2013.
Selfies became popular in 2010
Selfies have gained in popularity with the introduction of front-facing cameras on smartphones. In 2010, the iPhone 4 was the first smartphone with a selfie camera.
June 21 is National Selfie Day
In 2022, National Selfie Day happened on Tuesday and on Wednesday in 2023. In 2024, the National Selfie Day will occur on Friday, skipping Thursday due to the leap year.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | June 21 | Tuesday |
| 2023 | June 21 | Wednesday |
| 2024 | June 21 | Friday |
| 2025 | June 21 | Saturday |
| 2026 | June 21 | Sunday |
4% of all photos taken are selfies
People take 5.3 billion photos daily, equating to 1.94 trillion annually in 2024. Since 4% of all photos taken are selfies, people take about 78 billion selfies every year. Besides selfies, the most common themes are photos of cats, food, cars, houses, feet, other people, shoes, food, friends, rooms, artwork, dogs, and monuments.
18-to-24-year-olds reported that one in three photos they take is a selfie, while some confessed to taking more than 8 selfies daily.
- 1-4 selfies/day: 55.7% of participants.
- 5-8 selfies/day: 35.3% of participants.
- 8+ selfies/day: 9% of participants.
In regards to posting those selfies online:
- 0 posted selfies/day: 34% of participants.
- 1-3 posted selfies/day: 40.5% of participants.
- 3+ posted selfies/day: 25.5% of participants.
50%+ of millennials published a selfie
Millennials, usually between 18 and 34, have been particularly drawn to selfies. More than half of young adults have posted a selfie to a social media website, compared to 24 percent of Generation X-ers and 9 percent of Baby Boomers, the Pew Research Center discovered last March.
People spend 54 hours a year taking selfies
Respondents to the Luster survey said they took an average of nine selfies a week and put the average amount of time needed at seven minutes. According to the study, that adds to about 54 hours a year of taking selfies, including responses from 1,000 young adults.
That may sound shocking, but high numbers like that aren’t unheard of. The average 16 to 25-year-old woman spent 16 minutes taking an average of three selfies per day, or five hours a week, according to Beauty site FeelUnique, which commissioned a study earlier this year, Refinery29 reported.
Despite these figures, only 10 percent of respondents told Luster they were addicted to taking selfies.
13% increase in selfie requests at plastic surgeries.
Compared to 2016, 55% of plastic surgeons report a 13% increase in patients wanting procedures to make them look better in selfies. Many clients come to consultations with a filtered picture of themselves rather than a celebrity photo.
41.3% of people hate the way they look in photos
Out of the 2.4k respondents, the majority expressed mixed emotions, with 37.9% saying they “sometimes love it, sometimes hate it.” Interestingly, 41.3% of participants admitted that they hated the way they looked in photos, revealing a common theme of self-consciousness or dissatisfaction with their physical appearance within this demographic group.
On the other end of the spectrum, only 1.7% of respondents confidently claimed to love the way they looked in photos. Additionally, 15.2% expressed indifference, stating they “don’t mind it,” while a mere 2.3% revealed a preference for selfies, possibly due to the control they have over the angle and lighting. Another 1.5% chose the “other” option, which could represent a variety of opinions not covered by the main categories.
Note: It’s essential to keep in mind that Reddit’s demographics skew towards younger, tech-savvy individuals, which may influence the responses.
22.1% of respondents edit their photos/selfie
From the total respondents, approximately 22.1% indicated that they edit their photos/selfies, while 77.9% said they do not engage in photo editing.
Among male respondents, 96 (16.7%) reported editing their photos or selfies, while 479 (83.3%) indicated they did not. Female participants showed a higher percentage of photo editing, with 70 (38.7%) admitting to editing their images, while 111 (61.3%) chose not to. Non-binary individuals, though represented by a smaller sample size, displayed a similar trend, with 9 (25.7%) editing their photos and 26 (74.3%) refraining from doing so.
Selfie demographics
Millenials will take 25,700 selfies in their lifetimes
Millennials, people who were born between the 1980s and early 2000s, have witnessed the birth of smartphone cameras during adolescence. As a result, they’re well-versed in modern technologies. So, it is no shock that they will take, on average, 25,700 selfies in their lifetimes.
Up to 95% of young adults have taken a selfie
One analysis claims that 95% of young adults have taken a selfie. However, this number seems inflated since 95% of youngsters don’t even own a cell phone. A much more believable study reports that 82% of young adults have taken a selfie.
| Age group | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 18 to 34 years | 82% |
| 35 to 54 years | 63% |
| 55 years+ | 44% |
| Total | 62% |
The Eiffel Tower is the most popular destination for selfies
60% of people smile in selfies
People smile the most in selfies in Asia (68%) and South America (64%). The least number of selfies with smiles can be found in Eastern Europe (53%). On average, people smile in 60% of selfies worldwide.
| Region | Share of smiles |
|---|---|
| Asia | 68% |
| South America | 64% |
| North America | 57% |
| Western Europe | 56% |
| Eastern Europe | 53% |
Women take 50% more selfies than men
Worldwide, on average, women take 1.5 times as many selfies as men, and they take more selfies than men everywhere in the world. In Eastern Europe, women take 4.6 times as many selfies as men, but only 1.3 times as many in Asia.
| Region | Share of women’s selfies |
|---|---|
| Eastern Europe | 82% |
| South America | 65.4% |
| North America | 61.6% |
| Western Europe | 59.4% |
| Asia | 55.2% |
People taking selfies are 24 years old, on average
It is no surprise that taking selfies is widely popular among the young. The median age of people taking selfies is 24 years old. The youngest representatives come from Asia (21.0), while the oldest come from North America (25.3).
Only 9% of boomers ever took a selfie
Millennials, usually defined as people between 18 and 34, have proven particularly drawn to selfies. More than half of young adults have posted a selfie to a social media website, compared to 24 percent of Generation X-ers and 9 percent of Baby Boomers, Pew Research Center discovered last March.
Men taking selfies are older than women
The average age of men taking selfies is significantly higher (25.3) than women (22.8). While women take, on average, more photos than men, once men reach 30 years of age, they take more photos than women.
Women pose 50% more expressively
It’s been shown that women tilt their heads 50% more in selfies than men (12.3° vs. 8.2°). The head tilt is the most extreme in Latin America among women (16.9°) and the least in Eastern Europe among men (7.1°).
6% of adults think taking a selfie at a funeral is acceptable
People perceive selfies differently, so what’s acceptable and what isn’t depends on their perception. For example, 75% of people deem selfies acceptable at a tourist destination or a concert, while very few tolerate them at funerals or baths.
Here are the numbers:
| Circumstance | Share of adults that approves |
|---|---|
| Tourist destination | 75% |
| Party | 71% |
| Concert | 68% |
| Wedding | 55% |
| Restaurant | 39% |
| Gym | 38% |
| Public transport | 36% |
| Bath | 16% |
| Funeral | 6% |
At least 70% of adults are familiar with the word “selfie”.
On the other hand, only 3% of adults have never heard of the word “selfie” before. Another 3% have heard of the word but don’t know what it means. And 24% of adults are somewhat familiar with it.
52% of adults have never taken a selfie, and 4% take one daily
50% of teenagers edit selfies before posting
Photo editing is often frowned upon when people think of overdone filters. However, it is necessary and beneficial when used within reason because camera sensors don’t always get the light right. Unfortunately, many teenagers use post-processing to create versions of themselves that they want to be.
As a result, 7% of teenagers edit all their selfies, and 32% edit more than half of their selfies before posting. Surprisingly, 42% don’t edit selfies at all before posting.
52% of selfies are about appearance
An analysis of 2.5 million selfies revealed that more than half (52%) are taken to show off one’s appearance. Other reasons include pets, family, and friends (14%), ethnicity (13%), travel (7%), and health or fitness (5%).
18% of people think it inappropriate for men to take selfies
On the other hand, 62.5% of people think that it’s okay, while 18.75% think that it’s frowned upon but not the worst thing in the world.
Selfie-related deaths
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is the main driver of exposing oneself to danger while taking selfies.
People look for new ways to stand out on social media by taking risks to create exciting selfies. As a result, many underestimate the danger or overestimate their abilities.
43 people die taking selfies every year
Between October 2011 and November 2017, at least 259 people died in 137 incidents while taking selfies globally. In 2014, at least 33,000 people were injured while driving using a cell phone. Moreover, 4% of all drivers have taken selfies while driving. 2017 was the deadliest, with at least 107 fatalities due to selfies, with many more getting hurt or seriously injured.
More people die while taking selfies than by sharks
While everyone fears sharks, no one thinks about the dangers of taking selfies. However, selfies are responsible for 5 times as many deaths as sharks (43 vs. 8).
Drowning (27%) is the primary cause of death while taking selfies
Interestingly, researchers looked at more than 3,000 Twitter selfies, hoping to categorize selfies as dangerous or safe. The goal was to make taking selfies safer for everyone.
Here are the exact numbers:
| Cause of death | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Drowning | 27.00% |
| Transportation | 19.70% |
| Fall | 18.50% |
| Fire | 18.50% |
| Electrocution | 6.20% |
| Firearm | 4.20% |
| Animal | 3.10% |
| Other | 2.70% |
Men are three times more likely to die while taking selfies
Also, most of the individuals are younger than 24.
Half of the selfie-related deaths happen in India
India is the most deadly country when it comes to taking selfies. Half of the 259 people who died between 2011 and 2017 while taking selfies came from India. Following India are Russia, the US, and Pakistan.
And here are the exact numbers:
| Country | Percentage |
|---|---|
| India | 60% |
| Pakistan | 7% |
| US | 6% |
| Russia | 5% |
| Philippines | 3% |
| China | 3% |
| Spain | 2% |
| Portugal | 2% |
| Turkey | 2% |
| Others | 10% |
Selfie statistics FAQs
How many selfies does the average person have on their phone?
A recent study found that, on average, people have 177 selfies on their phones. Since women take 1.5 times as many selfies as men, the average woman has 200 selfies on her phone, while the average man has 155 selfies on his phone.
How many selfies does the average teenager take a year?
The average teenager takes 5 to 8 selfies daily, or 2,000 to 3,000 per year. Approximately 9% of teenagers take more than 8 selfies each day, equalling over 3,000 per year.
Selfies prediction
Selfies have been steadily gaining popularity since they came into existence in 2010. We can expect selfies to affect related industries even more in the future. For example, smartphone manufacturers leverage selfies in their ads and promote new devices by incorporating ever-improving selfie cameras.
Photo editing apps and filters will improve and make it easier to use. Developers will base the apps on artificial intelligence to automate photo editing, making creating beautiful selfies accessible to everyone.
Sources
- Do you like the way you look in photos? Reddit. (n.d.). Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- The Twitter selfie trend and its effects. CNN. (2014, December 12).
- Luster Premium White. (n.d.). [Company website].
- American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). (n.d.). [Website].
- Generations and their gadgets: How we use technology. Pew Research Center. (2014, March 7).
- Examining the psychological impacts of selfies. Griffiths, M. (2018). Nottingham Trent University.
- How selfies became a global phenomenon. The Guardian. (2013, July 14).
- U.S. adults and selfie sharing: A generational breakdown. Statista. (n.d.).
- When is it acceptable to share selfies? Statista. (n.d.).
- Analyzing selfie culture. Deeb-Swihart, J. (2015). In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM). AAAI.
- Exploring the cultural significance of selfies. Bansal, S. (2018). (URL unavailable; please verify the source).
- List of selfie-related injuries and deaths. Wikipedia. (n.d.).
- Selfie-related accidents. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). (2016).
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). (n.d.). [Website].
- Deadly selfies: Statistics and analysis. Statista. (n.d.).
