So, who has the most followers on Instagram? As of September 2026, the @instagram account leads with about 686 million. The most followed person is Cristiano Ronaldo with about 679 million, ahead of Lionel Messi (517 million). Among women, Selena Gomez leads with about 403 million, and Nike is the biggest brand.
Below is the top 20, how the top spot changed over the years, what the May 2026 follower cleanup did to the chart, and a table of habits a small account can borrow from the leaders.
Top 20 most followed Instagram accounts (as of September 2026)
Figures are rounded to the nearest million and are the public counts on the profiles as of 22 September 2026. Counts change daily, so treat them as a snapshot.
| # | Account | Handle | Followers | Who they are | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 686M | The platform itself | USA | ||
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | @cristiano | 679M | Footballer | Portugal |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | @leomessi | 517M | Footballer | Argentina |
| 4 | Selena Gomez | @selenagomez | 403M | Singer, actress | USA |
| 5 | Dwayne Johnson | @therock | 381M | Actor, ex-wrestler | USA |
| 6 | Kylie Jenner | @kyliejenner | 380M | Media personality | USA |
| 7 | Ariana Grande | @arianagrande | 362M | Singer, actress | USA |
| 8 | Kim Kardashian | @kimkardashian | 343M | Media personality | USA |
| 9 | Beyoncé | @beyonce | 299M | Singer | USA |
| 10 | Khloé Kardashian | @khloekardashian | 291M | Media personality | USA |
| 11 | Nike | @nike | 291M | Sportswear brand | USA |
| 12 | Justin Bieber | @lilbieber | 286M | Singer | Canada |
| 13 | Kendall Jenner | @kendalljenner | 277M | Model | USA |
| 14 | Taylor Swift | @taylorswift | 272M | Singer | USA |
| 15 | Virat Kohli | @virat.kohli | 271M | Cricketer | India |
| 16 | National Geographic | @natgeo | 268M | Magazine | USA |
| 17 | Neymar | @neymarjr | 241M | Footballer | Brazil |
| 18 | Jennifer Lopez | @jlo | 240M | Singer, actress | USA |
| 19 | Kourtney Kardashian | @kourtneykardash | 209M | Media personality | USA |
| 20 | Miley Cyrus | @miley | 205M | Singer, actress | USA |
Four patterns stand out:
- Sport and music rule. Three footballers, one cricketer and seven singers make the list. Goals and songs need no translation, so these audiences are global.
- One family holds five places. Kylie, Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kourtney add up to roughly 1.5 billion follows.
- Only three accounts aren't people: Instagram, Nike and National Geographic. Nike is the top brand; Nat Geo is the top media account.
- The US dominates, yet the top two people come from Portugal and Argentina, and Virat Kohli is the only Asian account in the top 20.
The most followed person: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo became the most followed person on 30 October 2018, passing Selena Gomez when both had about 144 million followers. He then set almost every milestone first: 400 million and 500 million in 2022, and 600 million on 11 August 2023, the first person to get there.
Why is he so far ahead? He posts steadily and mixes matches with family, training and sponsor content. He has played in England, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia, picking up fans in each league, so his audience is spread across Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
The most followed woman: Selena Gomez
Before Ronaldo, Gomez held the overall top spot among people for about three years. Today she is still the most followed woman at around 403 million, ahead of Kylie Jenner (380 million) and Ariana Grande (362 million). She is also known for long breaks from social media and open talk about mental health, proof that a huge audience doesn't require daily posting.
How the chart changed, including the May 2026 cleanup
Instagram launched in October 2010. In the early years the lead among people passed between pop stars such as Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé before Gomez took over and then Ronaldo. The @instagram account has been the largest account overall for most of the platform's history.
Follower counts can also fall. Around 7 May 2026 users noticed that many large profiles lost millions of followers within days, in what was widely called the "Great Instagram Purge". Reports put Ronaldo's loss at between 8 and 18 million and Kylie Jenner's at around 15 million; Meta did not publish exact details. The takeaway for everyone: Instagram regularly removes spam and inactive profiles, and even the biggest accounts feel it.
What creators can learn from the leaders
You won't reach 600 million followers, and you don't need to. But the habits behind the chart work at any size. Here is what each type of leader does well and how to copy it on a small account:
| Leader | What drives their following | Lesson for a small account |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Steady posting, private life mixed with work, fans in many countries | Show the person behind the topic, not only the results |
| Kardashian-Jenner family | Constant cross-promotion between five accounts | Team up with 3–5 creators your size and feature each other |
| National Geographic | One clear theme with consistently strong visuals | Make your niche obvious from the first three posts on your grid |
| Nike | Stories about athletes and customers, not product shots | Put your audience in the spotlight: reposts, testimonials, community |
| Selena Gomez | Honest, personal captions and long breaks without losing fans | Quality beats volume; a smaller number of genuine posts is fine |
| Virat Kohli | A huge home market in one language | Serve your own language or country well before going global |
A few general habits follow from the table:
- A clear identity. Visitors should know in three seconds why to follow.
- Consistency over volume. Three good posts a week beat ten rushed ones.
- Reels for reach. Reels are shown to people who don't follow you yet, and Instagram ranks them on signals such as likes, shares and watch time.
- Collaborations. Collab posts and shout-outs move audiences between accounts.
- Social proof. People follow accounts that others already follow. A profile with 50 followers looks untested, while one with 5,000 invites a closer look.
How to use this for your own account
Every star once had the problem small accounts face today: getting the first audience. A practical plan:
- Pick a niche and sharpen your bio to one line on what people get by following.
- Post Reels 3–5 times a week for the first few months and study which ones hold attention. Our organic follower-growth playbook goes deeper.
- Answer every comment early on; replies keep posts in circulation.
- Collaborate with accounts of a similar size in your niche.
- Check your engagement rate monthly against accounts your size, using our engagement rate formula and benchmarks.
How it works at LikeMan
A brand-new profile with zero followers looks abandoned, and a small boost can get it past that stage. With LikeMan you can add Instagram followers to a new profile and likes to your strongest posts:
- we work from the public address of your profile or post, and no password is ever requested;
- the calculator shows the price before you pay;
- the order starts on its own after payment;
- followers lost during the first 365 days are replaced free of charge.
A boost only changes first impressions. It can't stand in for good content, and followers are not something Instagram pays creators for. As the May 2026 cleanup showed, counts can move for reasons outside your control, so build on posts people actually want to see.
FAQ
Which account has the most Instagram followers right now?
The @instagram account, with about 686 million as of September 2026. Among people, Cristiano Ronaldo leads with about 679 million.
Which woman has the most Instagram followers?
Selena Gomez, with about 403 million followers. Kylie Jenner (about 380 million) and Ariana Grande (about 362 million) come next.
Who first passed 600 million Instagram followers?
Cristiano Ronaldo, on 11 August 2023. As of September 2026 no other person has reached that mark; Lionel Messi is second with about 517 million.
Which brand has the biggest Instagram following?
Nike, with about 291 million followers. National Geographic, at about 268 million, is the most followed media account.
Why do celebrity follower counts sometimes drop?
Instagram regularly deletes fake, spam and inactive profiles. In a large cleanup, such as the one in May 2026, big accounts can lose millions of followers in days even though they did nothing wrong.
Conclusion
The most followed Instagram accounts belong to the platform itself, two footballers and a group of global music and reality stars. Their numbers are out of reach, but their methods aren't: a clear identity, steady posting, short video, collaborations and early social proof. For more growth guides, visit our Instagram hub.
Prepared with AI assistance and fact-checked by the LikeMan editorial team. Last reviewed: 2026-09-28.