Explore the evolving Emoji Statistics in this insightful article. Uncover surprising trends and facts that reshape how we view emoji usage today.
Key Statistics
Unicode Standard features 3,782 emojis, including 118 new ones from Emoji 15.1, showcasing diversity in gender, skin tone, and flags.
Facebook Messenger averages 5 billion emojis sent each day, with 900 million used daily without text on Messenger.
New Year’s Eve sees the highest emoji usage on Facebook Messenger, marking the day with peak emoji exchange.
In the U.S., 49.7% reported using emojis to feel more connected, and 70% believe emojis express emotions better than words.
Researchers found the French use emojis in 20% of messages, the highest rate, with significant usage in Russia and the U.S.
More than half of Instagram comments by mid-2015 contained emojis, showing their growing role in social media interactions.
Econsultancy’s study reveals emojis in email subject lines increase open rates by 60%, but negatively impact 40% of the time.
Twitter data shows 86% of emoji users are under 24, with females making up 57% of this demographic.
In the workplace, emojis positively influence likability (78%), credibility (63%), and authenticity of positive news (74%).
Adobe’s 2021 survey found 83% of respondents want more diverse emoji representation, with half feeling current emojis don’t reflect their identity.
Emojis’ Popularity Statistics
Description
Number
Total emojis in Unicode Standard (as of Sep 2023)
3,782
Average emojis sent daily on Facebook Messenger
5 billion
Emojis sent daily without text on Messenger
900 million
Emojis used daily in Facebook posts
700 million
As of September 2023, there are 3,782 emojis in the Unicode Standard. This number includes the newest Emoji 15.1 release, which added 118 new emojis in a year. This count reflects the wide range of expressions, including variations for gender, skin tone, flags, and other sequences. [1][2]
Facebook Messenger records an average of 5 billion emojis sent each day. [3]
World Emoji Day’s website mentions that over 900 million emojis are sent daily without text on Messenger, and more than 700 million emojis are used in Facebook posts each day. [4]
New Year’s Eve experiences the highest emoji usage on Facebook Messenger each year. This day marks the peak in emoji exchange on the platform. [4]
Trending Emoji Statistics
According to Emojipedia, the most used and popular emojis in 2023 are:
😂 (Face with Tears of Joy)
🤣 (Rolling on the Floor Laughing)
❤️ (Red Heart)
🙏 (Folded Hands)
😭 (Loudly Crying Face)
😍 (Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes)
✨ (Sparkles)
🔥 (Fire)
😊 (Smiling Face With Smiling Eyes)
🥰 (Smiling Face with Hearts)
The peach emoji is used as a fruit by just 7% of internet users. The remainder of the population often consumes it in a non-fruit form. [20]
70% think pictures express feelings better than words
Emoji Usage in the U.S. (2019)
93% use to make others laugh, 91% for support
😂, ❤️, and 😘 most popular
Emoji Usage in Messages (2016)
French use most: 20% of messages
Study across 212 countries
Perception of Emojis in Marketing (Young Adults)
59% think companies use too many emojis
Age group: 18 to 34 years
The Adweek survey revealed that 92% of internet users make use of emoji, with gender playing a more significant role in emoji usage than age. In fact, although 60% of males use emojis regularly, 78% of women are regular users (using emojis multiple times each week). [7]
In August 2015, people in the United States reported the most common ways they used Emojis online. Nearly half of the people surveyed (49.7%) said they had used emojis before. They believed that emojis helped them feel more connected to the other person. [9]
In the same survey, 70% of individuals think pictures can explain their sentiments better than words. [9]
In 2019, among 1000+ surveyed emoji users in the U.S., Ninety-three percent said they use them to make others laugh, and 91 percent said they’ve used them to convey their support for others. This conclusion is in line with the fact that the 😂 (#1), ❤️ (#2), and 😘 (#3) emojis are the most popular among emoji users. [12]
Researchers examined 427 million messages from 4 million phone users in 212 countries in 2016. They wanted to see if emoji usage is different based on location and culture. According to the findings, the French use emojis the most (20% of their messages have symbols). The Russians and Americans also use emojis. [18]
59% of the time, young adults aged 18 to 34 feel that companies use too many emojis in their marketing. This feeling transcends demographic boundaries. [15]
Statistics on Emoji Usage Across Platforms
Platform
Statistic
Detail
Twitter
21.54% of tweets included an emoji in 2021
Indicates prevalent emoji use for concise communication
Instagram
Half of all comments included an emoji by mid-2015
Shows emoji integration in social media engagement
Twitter & Facebook
Emojis as a reliable indicator of social standing and influence
Based on analysis of over 31 million tweets and 500,000 Facebook posts
Social Media Posts
25.4% increase in engagement and 22.2% decrease in cost per engagement with emojis
Experiment comparing emoji use versus text in posts
Email Marketing
60% increase in open rates with emojis in subject lines
Study by Econsultancy on 50,000+ individuals
Twitter
86% of emoji users are 24 or younger; 57% are female
Demographic data of emoji users on Twitter
More than one in five tweets (21.54%) in 2021 included an emoji, demonstrating the prevalence of emoji usage on Twitter for concise and expressive communication. [5]
By mid-2015, half of all comments on Instagram included an emoji, signifying the growing integration of emojis in social media engagement. [6]
Another research looked at more than 31 million tweets as well as 500,000 Facebook postings and found that emojis proved to be a reliable indicator of someone’s social standing and level of influence. [10]
An experiment showed an increase in engagement of 25.4% (11.06 vs. 8.82%) and a decrease in cost per engagement of 22.2% ($0.18 vs. $0.14) when using emojis instead of text in a post. [16]
Econsultancy conducted a study in which they sent out 14 emails with various subject line variants. They sent each email to more than ten groups, totaling over 50,000 individuals, and we recorded the results. They discovered that including an emoji in the identical subject line increased the open rate by 60% of the time. This suggests that emojis have a negative effect 40% of the time. [17]
On X (Twitter), Emoji users tend to be young; 86% are 24 or younger, with roughly half in the 18-24 age range. Females make up 57% of all emoji Tweeters. [19]
Statistics on the Usage of Emojis
Fact/Statistic
Percentage
Additional Information
Average person’s visual processing time
13 ms
MIT Research
Employees struggling to express feelings digitally
81%
Kelton Global, 2014
Employees using emojis to show emotions
76%
Happiness (64%), Sadness (3%)
“Thumbs up” emoji’s popularity among males
High
Preferred over “smiley face” emoji
“Smiley face” emoji’s popularity among females
High
Preferred over “thumbs up” emoji
Perception of emoji users as nicer and easier to talk to
81%
–
Emoji’s advantage in instant, cross-language interaction
90%, 94%
Emoji users and non-users, respectively
Emoji preference over phone communication
65%
83% among Generation Z
Desire for more emoji diversity and customization
78%, 73%
Diversity and customization, respectively
Emoji usage impact on workplace likability and credibility
78%, 63%
Makes positive news seem more honest (74%)
Likelihood of clicking emails with emoji subject lines
60%
Among emoji users
Likelihood of purchasing emoji-advertised products
44%
Among emoji users
Willingness to transact using emojis
64%
Categories: Food (19%), Entertainment (15%), Apparel (13%)
Need for diverse emoji representation
83%
Adobe survey, 2021
Emojis reflecting user identity
50%
–
Emojis as essential for unity and understanding
76%
–
Researchers at MIT found that the average person’s visual processing time is about 13 milliseconds, allowing emojis to convey nuanced emotions in a snappy visual format effectively. [8]
Kelton Global conducted research in March and April 2014 with 1015 employees. They found that 81% of workers have a hard time expressing their feelings using digital tools. As a consequence of this, some individuals may have sent misinformed emails. Thus, the majority of employees (76%) choose to show emotions via the usage of emojis (also known as emoticons), happiness (64%) rather than sadness (3%). The “thumbs up” emoji 👍 is more popular among males, while the “smiley face” emoji 🙂 is more prevalent among women, both of which represent feelings of approval. [11]
Most emoji users (81%) think that other emoji users are nicer and easier to talk to than the average person. Most emoji users (90%) and non-users (94%), respectively, said that being able to interact instantaneously and across languages is the biggest advantage of using emoticons. [12]
65% of emoji users prefer to use emojis to communicate their feelings rather than pick up the phone and talk. 83% of members of Generation Z, the biggest demographic today, agree with this. [12]
78% of emoji users believe emojis should keep working toward more diversity, and 73% seek additional emoji customization choices so they may more accurately represent themselves.[12]
When employed in the workplace, the vast majority of people who use emojis believe that they have a good influence on likability (78%), and credibility (63%), as well as making positive news seem more honest (74%). The use of emojis is expected to continue to skyrocket in popularity. [12]
About 60% of people who use emojis say they are more inclined to click on an email from a company if the subject line contains an emoji. About half of those who use emoticons are more inclined to buy things sold using emojis (44%). Unexpectedly, the majority of emoji users (64%) are willing to carry out a transaction using an emoji, with the most common categories being food (19%), entertainment (15%), and apparel (13%). [12]
According to 83% of respondents in a worldwide survey of 7,000 emoji users by Adobe in 2021, more diverse emoji representation is required. Only half of the surveyed people feel their identity is reflected in the current emoji options. 76% agree that emojis are an essential communication tool for creating unity, respect, and understanding of one another. [13]
Emoji Adoption Statistics
Age Group
View on Emoji Use
Percentage
18–29
Ok for email and digital messaging
46%
Use emojis to be amusing
53%
Use emojis to convey thoughts
53%
Find coworker more entertaining
50%
Think coworkers are more accessible
43%
Think coworkers are nicer
35%
Unprofessional to use emojis
17%
Over 35
Helpful in job
15%
Reflects poorly on coworkers
22%
Reflects poorly (senior executives)
36%
Paints coworkers as insincere
22%
All Ages
Not to use with clients/customers
–
Opposed to using with clients
45%
Ok for clients/customers
33%
Makes organization seem friendlier
20%
More entertaining for organization
18%
In a survey by SurveyMonkey, 560 people were asked about emojis. The results showed that 46% of those aged 18–29 think emojis are okay for email communication and digital messaging. More millennials not only accept its usage, but many also see potential benefits from it. For example, 53 percent of people use emoticons to be amusing, while the same number consider emojis as a method to convey their thoughts better. In other words, half of people find a coworker more entertaining because they use emojis. Additionally, 43% think coworkers are more accessible, and 35% think they’re nicer. When talking to younger coworkers, using emojis might be helpful. Only 17% of young people think it’s unprofessional. [14]
Unlike younger professionals, people over 45 often find it unacceptable to use it at work. Only 15% of those over 35 believe emojis are helpful in the job. Two out of nine respondents think it reflects poorly on their coworkers. The percentage goes up to 36 percent when senior executives take part. This is a deal breaker for 22% of workers since it paints their coworkers as insincere, inept, or just plain obnoxious. [14]
People of all ages agree that it’s better not to use emoticons when talking to clients and customers. Over four times as many workers are opposed to using emojis with this demographic as are in favor of doing so (11% vs. 45%). Around one-third of people believe it’s okay for this group. Only 20% think it makes the organization seem friendlier, and just 18% think it’s more entertaining. [14]
Final Verdict
Emojis significantly shape online communication, offering diverse expression and engagement across various platforms, transcending language barriers in the digital age.
