X Sees Decline in Users in the U.S. and U.K.

Despite claims from Elon Musk that X (formerly Twitter) is hitting new user records, recent data shows a significant drop in active users in key markets. As reported by the Financial Times, data from analytics platform Similarweb shows that X has experienced a notable decline in both the U.S. and U.K.

In the U.K., active daily users have fallen from 8 million a year ago to around 5.6 million, with over a third of this drop occurring after recent political tensions. Similarly, U.S. active users have decreased by about 20% over the past 16 months. In the EU, X reported a 5% decrease in active users in the first half of 2024 as part of its regulatory obligations. The platform also remains banned in Brazil, cutting off access to approximately 20 million users, though this ban may soon be lifted.

Despite these user declines, Musk continues to assert that X is performing well, often citing its classification as the number one news app in certain regions. However, this ranking stems from a 2016 reclassification of the platform from “social media” to “news,” which may mean that X’s immense user base immediately pushed it to the top spot within those categories.

While Musk has introduced new features, like the Grok AI chatbot, third-party analytics consistently indicate declining engagement. X’s long-term viability could be challenged. The platform’s future will depend heavily on Musk’s decisions, the potential rise of competitor platforms, and whether or not the platform is able to work around factors like the Brazil ban.