To celebrate, we are diving deep into the data to look at the absolute titans of the grid. Who holds the crown for the most digital territory? And what specific images managed to capture the attention of tens of millions of people at once?
Here are the 10 most-followed celebrities and the 5 most-liked posts in Instagram history.
The 10 Most-Followed Celebrities on Instagram
(Note: This list excludes Instagram’s official brand account and corporate brands like Nike, focusing strictly on public figures.)
1. Cristiano Ronaldo — 670 Million Followers
The undisputed king of the internet. The Portuguese football megastar doesn’t just lead the pack; he is in a league entirely his own. His mix of elite athletic showcases, fitness motivation, and family photos commands the largest audience on earth.
2. Lionel Messi — 511 Million Followers
Right behind his longtime pitch rival, Argentina’s World Cup hero takes the silver medal. Messi’s follower count skyrocketed after his historic international victories, proving that football truly is the world’s most popular sport.
3. Selena Gomez — 405 Million Followers
The most-followed woman on Instagram, Selena Gomez has built an empire on authenticity. Whether she’s promoting her hit show Only Murders in the Building, advocating for mental health awareness, or sharing makeup tutorials for Rare Beauty, fans can’t get enough of her candid presence.
4. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — 382 Million Followers
The hardest-working man in Hollywood is also one of the most followed. The Rock’s feed is a masterclass in high-energy personal branding, filled with brutal gym workouts, cheat meals, and behind-the-scenes movie hype.
5. Kylie Jenner — 382 Million Followers
The highest-ranking member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Kylie used her massive Instagram footprint to build a multi-million dollar cosmetics empire. Her grid is an aesthetic mix of high fashion, makeup drops, and glimpses of her life as a mom.
6. Ariana Grande — 363 Million Followers
Pop princess and Wicked star Ariana Grande keeps her millions of fans captivated with a highly curated, artistic feed that balances her powerhouse music career, beauty line, and acting projects.
7. Kim Kardashian — 344 Million Followers
The woman who practically invented the modern influencer era is still going strong. Kim uses her platform to juggle her multi-billion dollar shapewear brand SKIMS, law school updates, and high-profile fashion campaigns.
8. Beyoncé — 300 Million Followers
Queen Bey doesn’t follow a single person back, yet 300 million people tune in for her every move. Her grid operates like a high-end fashion magazine, showcasing her legendary musical eras and immaculate street style.
9. Khloé Kardashian — 292 Million Followers
Coming in hot near the top 10, Khloé’s feed focuses heavily on fitness transformations, her clothing brand Good American, and sweet family moments that resonate deeply with her fanbase.
10. Justin Bieber — 287 Million Followers
Rounding out the top ten is pop icon Justin Bieber. His feed offers a more relaxed, raw look at his life, featuring candid studio sessions, casual streetwear looks, and loving tributes to his wife, Hailey.
The 5 Most-Liked Instagram Posts of All Time
While having hundreds of millions of followers helps, you don’t always need a massive celebrity name to stop people mid-scroll. The most-liked photos on the platform are a wild mix of historic sports triumphs, viral internet experiments, and unexpected algorithmic phenomena.
1. Lionel Messi Celebrates the World Cup (74.6 Million Likes)
The Post: A gallery of photos showing Lionel Messi hoisting the FIFA World Cup trophy after Argentina’s legendary 2022 victory.
This historic post obliterated all previous records. It represents the emotional climax of a decade-long narrative arc for the greatest football player of a generation, completely uniting sports fans worldwide.
2. The World Record Egg (60.5 Million Likes)
The Post: A simple, unedited photo of a brown egg on a white background, posted by @world_record_egg in January 2019.
The ultimate testament to the internet’s chaotic sense of humor. Created with the explicit, singular goal of beating Kylie Jenner’s previous world record for the most-liked photo, the internet banded together to turn a breakfast staple into a piece of digital history.
3. Lionel Messi in Bed with the World Cup Trophy (53.4 Million Likes)
The Post: A hilariously casual photo of Messi literally sleeping next to, and waking up with, the gold World Cup trophy.
Proving that the world just couldn’t get enough of his championship run, Messi’s follow-up post showing his utter devotion to the prize secured the third spot on the all-time list.
4. Kishore Mondal’s Viral “Jeene Laga Hoon” Reel (51.4 Million Likes)
The Post: A simple, authentic musical Reel posted by content creator Kishore Mondal singing the popular track “Jeene Laga Hoon.”
A massive victory for independent creators, this video caught fire globally across the algorithm. It proved that pure talent and relatability can still compete with the biggest corporate superstars on Earth.
5. Insta360’s Toddler POV Video (47.4 Million Likes)
A creative video from tech brand Insta360 featuring a tiny, unnoticeable camera strapped to a toddler as they walk around.