Meta released its latest EU DSA reporting numbers, showing Instagram grew far faster than Facebook in active users during the first half of 2026. Instagram EU users stand at 297 million versus Facebook's 264 million actives.
Under the EU Digital Services Act, all large online platforms must publish biannual reports on user counts and content moderation efforts.
The data is clear. Facebook usage in the EU has been relatively flat for some time and declined in some previous reporting periods. Instagram has continued to rise steadily and is on track to surpass 300 million users in the region sometime next year.
For brands wanting to maximize reach and resonance in the EU, Instagram is more popular and continues to gain. Both platforms have significant reach, but Facebook has lost some of its relevance there, which could indicate a broader usage shift.
Threads now has 41 million users in the EU, a small part of its more than 500 million total monthly actives.
Meta reported a reduction in EU moderation staff, from about 7,700 in March to about 5,900 as of this report. That could be part of the company's broader push to incorporate AI-powered assistance tools; Meta previously outlined plans to replace human moderation staff with AI-powered systems.
On Instagram, Meta reported an almost 38% rise in reports of terror-related content versus the second half of 2025, and about 22% more reports of child sexual exploitation content in the same period.
On Facebook the direction reverses. Between H2 2025 and H1 2026, Meta reported double-digit reductions in reports of hate speech (down about 19%), spam (down about 27%), bullying and harassment (down about 30%) and child exploitation material (down about 17%). Those declines could also be further indicators of the platform's overall usage drops in the region.
The disclosure data confirms Facebook has lost footing in how much time users spend there, with Instagram and TikTok now superseding it.
If your European media plan is holding the two platforms' shares out of habit, this is the moment to revisit. The same filing round showed TikTok at 189 million EU users, X continuing to lose users, and LinkedIn's active share stuck near 30% of members. For comparing real reach, these filings beat company announcements.
Worth noting too that moderation staff reductions appear across all three platforms. As automated adjudication takes a larger share, review outcomes for borderline brand creative get harder to predict.
As of H1 2026, Instagram has 297 million and Facebook 264 million. Instagram is on track to pass 300 million next year while Facebook has been flat or declining.
From about 7,700 EU moderators in March to about 5,900 in this report, apparently part of a plan to replace human moderation with AI-powered systems.
Revisit any European platform split held by habit. And build schedule slack for creative review, since heavier automated adjudication makes borderline outcomes less predictable.
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