India now has the most number of active Facebook users, surpassing the United States, The Next Web reported on Thursday. According to Facebook data, India has a “potential audience” of 241 million active users, while the US has 240 million.
The announcement comes just two weeks after Facebook said it had hit the two billion mark in monthly users worldwide. But the social media giant is gaining active users in India much faster than in the US. Active users in India were up 27% in the past six months, compared with 12% in the US.
India has overtaken the US in terms of Facebook users despite low internet reach. While internet penetration in India stands at 36%, it is 88% in the US. Only 19% of Indians use social media, compared with 73% of US residents.
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