The social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has seen a dramatic collapse in Azerbaijan’s digital market, losing 77% of its market share in October compared to the previous month, according to new data from Statcounter.
X now holds only 5.24% of the total social media market across devices (computers, mobile, and tablets), down sharply from 23.25% in September and nearly matching its 5.51% share a year ago.
Instagram surges back to dominance
Meanwhile, Instagram has reclaimed the top position among social media platforms in Azerbaijan. Its market share jumped to 35.77% in October – up 15.46 percentage points from September (20.31%) and just slightly below the 38.68% recorded a year earlier.
The surge suggests that users who abandoned X may have migrated primarily to visual and lifestyle-based platforms such as Instagram.
Facebook slips, YouTube rises
Facebook, which ranks second, saw a decline of 4.37 percentage points in October, falling to 28.33%. However, its share is still 7.86 points higher than in the same month last year, reflecting a modest recovery in long-term engagement.
In contrast, YouTube showed one of the most notable increases – climbing 7.19 points month-on-month and 9.43 points year-on-year, reaching a 20.49% market share.
Pinterest holds steady amid shifting user habits
Rounding out the top five, Pinterest accounted for 7.76% of social media activity in Azerbaijan, slightly up from 7.09% in September but significantly down from 19.36% a year earlier – an 11.6-point annual drop.
Context: X’s decline mirrors global trends
The steep decline of X’s user base in Azerbaijan mirrors broader global trends since the platform’s rebranding and content moderation controversies under Elon Musk. Local analysts note that Azerbaijani users, particularly younger audiences, are increasingly shifting toward visual and entertainment-based platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok (not included in the Statcounter data).
If the trend continues, X could lose its relevance in Azerbaijan’s digital ecosystem, where it once served as a leading platform for political discussion and breaking news.
