Tumblr
https://financesonline.com/number-of-tumblr-blogs/
Number of Tumblr Blogs in 2022/2023: User Demographics, Growth, and Revenue
How many Tumblr blogs are there?
Tumblr reports it has over 518.7 million blogs on its website as of February 2021. The figure is also the number of user accounts on the microblogging and social networking site. It publishes 12.8 million blog posts daily and has 327 million unique visits from users worldwide.
260.5260.5319.8319.8373373441.4441.4480.1480.1496.1496.1518.6518.6Oct 2015Oct 2016Oct 2017Oct 2018Oct 2019April 2020Feb 20210100200300400500600April 2020: 496.1
Number of Tumblr Blogs from 2015 to 2021
(in millions)
Designed by
Tumblr 2021, Tumblr 2020
Tumblr is a pop-culture touchstone in the late aughts and holds a unique place among social networking sites as a meeting place for fandom, socio-political causes, weird quirks, and then some. The microblogging and social network has 518.7million blogs hosted on its site as of February 2021 (Tumblr, 2021). It is one of the many blogging platforms where over 32 million bloggers in the US alone reside (FirstSiteGuide, 2021).
Tumblr hasn’t had any new changes to its chronological dashboard concept with the exception of the much-hated “Best Stuff First” algorithm. Ownership and management changes in the last few years and the adult content ban have led to many bloggers switching platforms.
User account numbers are still climbing though not at the same pace as it was at its peak in 2013–2014. According to Tumblr, 12.8 million blog posts are published daily (Tumblr, 2021).
This article looks into Tumblr’s blog numbers, user demographics, and revenue growth projections by looking into the following topics:
Number of Tumblr Blogs Table of Contents
Who is Tumblr’s target audience?
Tumblr users skew young—2 out of 5 users are between the ages of 18-25. The media shared on the platform appeal to Millenials and Gen Z. Millennials make up a third of the site’s audience.
Tumblr's Main Audience
40%Gen-Z 30%Millenials
Source: We are Flint; Statista
Designed by
How many posts are on Tumblr?
Tumblr generates 12.8 million posts in a day while it has accumulated 171.5 billion posts as of 2019, which is the latest available data (Tumblr, 2021; Tumblr, 2019). Blog posts on Tumblr can be in the form of text posts, GIFs, links, videos, and memes. Tumblr now has a 250 paragraph limit, paragraphs, in this case, mean a line of text with 15–20 words. Longtime Tumblr users were able to circumvent this rule by posting and editing on a browser instead of on the app.
101033.133.1646493.793.7122.7122.7141.2141.2154.1154.1165.5165.5171.5171.5Sept 2011Oct 2012Oct 2013Oct 2014Oct 2015Oct 2016Oct 2017Oct 2018April 2019050100150200
Total Number of Tumblr Posts, 2011 - 2019
(in billions)
Designed by
Source: Tumblr 2019
Tumblr unique visitor stats
Tumblr has been seeing fluctuations in its global monthly visitors in light of the porn ban. Adult entertainers, artists, and content creators have delivered on their threat of leaving the platform. As a result of losing its NSFW content, unique visitor stats have dropped to 316 million from a high of 343 million over a period of six months in 2020 and 2021 (SimilarWeb, 2021). Unique visitor stats were noticeably higher—over 500 million—in the pre-porn ban era.
343.5343.5318318320320316.5316.5329329327327Aug 2020Sep 2020Oct 2020Nov 2020Dec 2020Jan 20210100200300400
Tumblr Website Traffic, August 2020-January 2021
(in millions)
Designed by
Source: SimilarWeb 2021
Tumblr website traffic decline
Tumblr’s total web traffic is on the decline—January 2021 is down by 20.5 million visits from January 2020—and not even the COVID-19 lockdown could drive visitors back to the once-popular blogging platform (SimilarWeb, 2021).
What has changed are the social media sites visitors frequent. Tumblr’s unique visitor stats have dropped considerably since it implemented the adult-content ban in December 2018. There has been a decrease of 5.9% in 2021 compared to the same period from the previous year.
372.5372.5361361306.5306.5329329327327June 2019Dec 2019June 2020Dec 2020Jan 20210100200300400
Tumblr Traffic for Desktop and Mobile, 2019 - 2021
(in millions)
Designed by
Source: SimilarWeb 2021
How many Tumblr users are there currently?
Tumblr does not release its user stats beyond the number of blogs and total current posts. By default, the number of blogs—which, in the case of Tumblr, is 518.7 million— is the same as the number of user accounts, but account users can have multiple accounts so the specifics are unclear.
Meanwhile, a survey from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) of customer satisfaction with social media produced unexpected results.
Facebook has 2.8 billion monthly active users (Facebook, 2021), the largest among social media networks, places low in the ACSI, scoring just 64, behind Tumblr’s 66 (ACSI, 2020).
777775757575727271716868676766666464PinterestYouTubeWikipediaSnapchatInstagramTwitterLinkedInTumblrFacebook020406080100
US Customer Satisfaction with Social Media in 2020
(by index score)
Designed by
Source: ACSI 2020
How many active users are on Tumblr?
As mentioned earlier, Tumblr does not release user data but insights from Verto Analytics place Tumblr monthly active users in the US at 16.74 million in September 2019 (Verto Analytics, 2019). The data is based on combined Tumblr access via desktop, mobile, and tablet.
169.79169.79121.23121.23106.4106.481.4781.4766.8866.8847.8747.8745.9845.9825.5825.5817.4617.4616.7416.74FacebookInstagramFacebookMessengerTwitterPinterestRedditSnapchatWhatsAppGoogleMessengerTumblr050100150200
Monthly Active Users (MAU) of Social Media Platforms in the US
(in millions)
Designed by
Source: Verto Analytics 2019
Tumblr user numbers in the US were at an estimated 29.4 million in 2020; a growth rate of 8.32% year-on-year growth for a period of six years (The Motley Fool, 2016).
in millions18.218.2212123.223.225.225.226.926.928.328.329.429.4201420152016*2017*2018*2019*2020*010203040
Number of Tumblr Users in the US From 2014 to 2020
Designed by
Source: eMarketer; The Motley Fool
How many users did Tumblr lose?
The numbers vary among sources—anywhere from 27% to 33%—but they all agree that losing a third of its users isn’t good for Tumblr’s profits. Tumblr not only lost users and site visitors, but it has also seen a drop in the length of page visits and the number of page views.
Tumblr User Demographics
Tumblr, with its hashtags, GIFs, videos, and rebloggable memes, is appealing to the limited—discerning is more like it, being bombarded with information at every turn—attention span of Millenials.
What is the average age of Tumblr users?
Tumblr has users among all age groups. However, Tumblr is favored by younger users, the average age group is a mix of older Gen Z members and younger Millennials. Statistically, these are people in the 18-24 and 25-34 year-old segments.
10%10%11%11%6%6%5%5%3%3%15-25 years26-35 years36-45 years46-55 years56+ years02.557.51012.5
Age Distribution of US Tumblr Users in 2020
Designed by
Source: AudienceProject 2020
Although the above statistic is for the US, the age demographic for worldwide use is not far off. Values only differ based on age segmentation. Tumblr policy requires the minimum age of 13 in the US and 16 years old for countries in the European Union. Other countries’ minimum age is 13 or within the range of the aforementioned.
Tumblr users by gender
Unlike other social networking sites, Tumblr’s users are equally split between the genders (AudienceProject, 2020). This exhibits the platform’s flexibility in regard to appeal and generated content.
5050MaleFemale
Gender Distribution of US Tumblr Users in 2020
Designed by
Source: AudienceProject 2020
Tumblr users by education, annual income, and urbanity
While having a US penetration rate of 42% (Tumblr, 2021), Tumblr’s data on user education is dated or unavailable. By extrapolating education based on the ages of frequent users, we came up with these education profiles for the majority of Tumblr users.
Tumblr users are in high school or have graduated high school
Tumblr users are in college or have a college degree
Tumblr users skew young but many of them work. In fact, 27% of Tumblr users have an annual household income of over $100,000. What’s noteworthy is the bigger share of users in other higher-income segments.
in US dollars15%15%22%22%15%15%24%24%25%25%27%27%Under $30k$30-$60k$60-$70k$70-$80k$80-$100k$100k+0102030
Tumblr Reach in the US by Annual Household
Designed by
Source: We are Flint, Statista
Similar to other social media users, more Tumblr users live in metropolitan areas. With better internet infrastructure and connectivity, the higher rate for urban-based users is a given. There is also the hypothesis that urban dwellers feel more disconnected and thus, feel the need to form attachments, even virtual ones.
22%22%14%14%UrbanRural0510152025
Tumblr Reach in the US by Urbanity
Designed by
Source: We are Flint, Statista
Tumblr User Geographic Location
Tumblr is available in 18 languages and is used worldwide, but is blocked in China, Iran, Kazakhstan, and briefly, Indonesia. The restriction usually boils down to adult content and the open discussions of social issues.
What country uses Tumblr the most?
Most Tumblr users are from the US, providing close to half—47.43%— of the website’s traffic (SimilarWeb, 2021).
Tumblr Traffic Distribution by Country, January 2021
United States
47.43%
United Kingdom
5.61%
Canada
5.19%
Australia
3.35%
Germany
2.91%
Source: SimilarWeb 2021
Designed by
Tumblr visitor stats per region
Tumblr earns a place among the world’s social media sites. Facebook is still the unbeatable leader with nearly 70% worldwide share. Tumblr places 7th across most of the world’s regions while in Asia and Africa its use is hardly felt (Statcounter, 2021). Potential users from countries that have Tumblr blocked would have increased Tumblr’s user account numbers and might possibly be a factor for low usage numbers in Asia. There’s also the appearance of newer platforms that have tightened up the social media market.
69.91%69.91%63.27%63.27%77.29%77.29%70.83%70.83%77.1%77.1%67.66%67.66%62.34%62.34%11.54%11.54%17.88%17.88%9.79%9.79%5.23%5.23%9.05%9.05%6.37%6.37%16.99%16.99%9.66%9.66%13.82%13.82%7.24%7.24%7.5%7.5%4.64%4.64%8.39%8.39%12.63%12.63%4.94%4.94%1.93%1.93%2.04%2.04%10.3%10.3%5.49%5.49%16.39%16.39%2.7%2.7%2.62%2.62%1.5%1.5%2.17%2.17%4.99%4.99%3.19%3.19%0.84%0.84%2.33%2.33%0.54%0.54%0.62%0.62%0.46%0.46%0.65%0.65%0.17%0.17%0.1%0.1%1.23%1.23%0.36%0.36%0.55%0.55%0.41%0.41%0.24%0.24%1.16%1.16%0.25%0.25%0.16%0.16%0.44%0.44%0.46%0.46%0.6%0.6%0.24%0.24%0.11%0.11%0.08%0.08%0.61%0.61%FacebookPinterestTwitterYouTubeInstagramRedditTumblrLinkedInOtherWorldwideNorth AmericaEuropeAsiaSouth AmericaAfricaOceania0255075100
Global Social Media Market Share as of January 2021
Designed by
Source: StatCounter 2021
Isolating Tumblr values for that chart above:
Tumblr Social Media Market Share per Region as of January 2021
0.36%Worldwide 0.55%North America 0.41%Europe 0.24%South America 1.16%Oceania
Source: StatCounter 2021
Designed by
Tumblr Users Over Time
Though known and used by a variety of age segments, Tumblr is primarily a niche social network catering to the Gen Z and Millenial market. It’s founder, David Karp, a Millenial himself, was 21 years old when he started the company. Shifting ownership and changing perspectives toward adult-themed content on the microblogging site has caused upheavals not just within the company but also in the Tumblr community.
Tumblr users decline
Tumblr still gains new users although at a much slower pace compared to similar social network sites. User growth projections for 2020 are a quarter of what the growth rate was five years ago.
32.8%32.8%15.4%15.4%10.5%10.5%8.6%8.6%6.5%6.5%5.2%5.2%4.1%4.1%2014201520162017*2018*2019*2020*010203040
Percentage of Tumblr User Growth From 2014 to 2020
Designed by
Source: eMarketer; The Motley Fool
The site suffered its biggest decline after adult-themed content was banned in December 2018—from 521 million to under 370 million in two months. And its steady decline continues as it failed to capitalize on the inpour of internet users from the global COVID-19 lockdown.
568568558558538538521521437437370370343.5343.5318318327327Sept 2018Oct 2018Nov 2018Dec 2018Jan 2019Feb 2019Aug 2020Sept 2020Jan 20210200400600
Tumblr Traffic Decline Post-Adult-Content-Ban
(in millions)
Designed by
Source: SimilarWeb 2021, Statista
The Tumblr exodus began earlier in 2013, albeit slowly, when Yahoo! purchased Tumblr and started filtering NSFW content. There were grumblings from the community about shadowbans (blocking a user’s content without making it evident to the user their account is banned) and safe mode as the default filter but web traffic to the site dropped 41% over a two-year period.
A drop in mobile app engagement further eroded Tumblr site traffic. It was a strong response to current Tumblr CEO, Jeff D’Onofrio’s seemingly flippant remark of “there are no shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content (Tumblr, 2018)” prompting many users to decamp to NSFW-friendly sites.
106%106%94%94%44%44%29%29%11%11%3%3%-1%-1%-18%-18%-18%-18%-21%-21%WeChatRedditWhatsAppLinkedInPinterestFacebookInstagramTwitterSnapchatTumblr-50-250255075100125
Growth in User Engagement of Social Media Apps
Year-on-year growth of select social media mobile apps
Designed by
Source: Adobe; comScore
Where did Tumblr users move to?
Twitter and Instagram were alternatives that Tumblr users switched to immediately after the Tumblr adult-content ban but both platforms also have shadowban issues and hashtag bans.
Other Tumblr alternatives that content creators moved to include Pillowfort, DeviantArt, Mastodon, Medium, and, Pinterest.
Tumblr User Behaviors
Tumblr is accessed through the web and the mobile app. Although the frequency and session length vary with each device, users typically use their desktops to access the platform, with statistics suggesting that they barely use their mobile devices (Statcounter, 2021).
Global Tumblr Traffic by Device, January 2021
2.58%Desktop 0.45%Tablet
Source: StatCounter 2021
Designed by
Worldwide stats for Tumblr traffic place it at 0.36%, but if we adjust the data to reflect only desktop stats, it rises to 2.58% (Statcounter, 2021).
2.58%2.58%2.8%2.8%2.92%2.92%1.32%1.32%2.93%2.93%0.38%0.38%6.89%6.89%WorldwideNorth AmericaEuropeAsiaSouth AmericaAfricaOceania02468
Tumblr Market Share for Desktop Users by Region, January 2021
Designed by
Source: StatCounter 2021
Its mobile app is the tenth most popular social media app in the US and has an average four-minute duration per session. Desktop use is longer at nine minutes, 43 seconds according to analytics from SimilarWeb.
average session durationin minutes10.8510.855.065.064.964.964.824.824.764.764.044.043.533.532.952.952.452.452.42.42.242.242.172.172.112.112.042.041.631.631.481.481.281.281.281.281.181.181.061.060.480.48TikTokPinterestRedditFacebook (main)Skype (main)TumblrTwitter (main)Instagram (main)TelegramGoogle Hangouts (main)KikDiscord - Chat for GamesTikTok (main)WhatsAppSnapchatFacebook MessengerMessenger by GoogleWeChatLINEGroupMeGoogle+051015
Popular Social Media Apps by Session Length, 2019
Designed by
Source: Verto Analytics
Tumblr frequency of use and reasons for usage
The US has an 87% internet penetration rate, which makes access to information much more democratic. Mobile internet is easily accessible; a vast majority of Tumblr users log on to the site monthly at 88%. Only 31% of users use it daily (AudienceProject, 2020).
31%31%68%68%88%88%DailyWeeklyMonthly0102030405060708090100
Tumblr Usage Frequency Q3 2020
Designed by
Source: AudienceProject 2020
The need for entertainment is the primary reason why people log into Tumblr. Six out of 10 Tumblr users get their kicks from Tumblr while 21% gave the vague “other purposes” as their reason for using Tumblr.
60%60%21%21%17%17%15%15%12%12%12%12%To getentertainmentOther purposesTo get newsTo follow brands /companiesTo strengthenprofessionalnetworkTo keep contactwith friends andfamily020406080
Reasons For Using Tumblr, 2019
Designed by
Source: AudienceProject
Is Tumblr still relevant?
Tumblr is relevant to those who use it regardless of the content type they follow and enjoy. People flock to Tumblr for entertainment and as long as users have an audience or a following, Tumblr will be relevant. Indeed, going by some of the latest blog trends and predictions, this won’t be drastically changing any time soon. The better question is, how much revenue is Tumblr bringing in?
Tumblr revenue
Tumblr has not released any of its financials since 2013. The microblogging and social media site still make money with an estimated annual revenue of $65 million. The figure falls short of $100 million, the goal set by former CEO, David Karp after its acquisition by Yahoo!. The company has yet to meet this goal even as Karp was replaced by Jeff D’Onofrio in 2017.
Tumblr’s business model
Tumblr earns its revenue through advertisements and other services. Tumblr’s business models can be broken down into 4 segments – sponsored posts, sponsored video posts, sponsored day, and premium theme sales.
The first three segments cater to businesses and brands and target specific markets or groups based on gender, interest, or location. Essentially, sponsored posts are ads that appear on a user’s feed or dashboard where it will be more likely to get clicks/engagements instead of on the sidebar which traditionally screams ads. Premium themes are targeted towards account users. These are available for free but paid options can be purchased with price ranges between $19 – $49 each.
Who owns Tumblr?
Tumblr has changed owners four times in a period of six years. From a company valuation of $1.1 billion during Yahoo!’s purchase in 2013 to less than $3 million when Verizon sold Tumblr to Automatic (WordPress’s parent company) in 2019 — a 99% decrease in value
What’s next for Tumblr? Automatic has not made its plans for the microblogging site known. For now, it plans to keep to the status quo and let the community be. How it will fare with the increased internet usage due to COVID-19 is anybody’s guess.
Tumblr’s revenue and business model are similar to the paradigms used by the best blog software today: