Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) knows what his Insta-followers crave. A peep inside his lavish homes dotted all over the world, a snapshot into his gruelling training regime, devotion to his growing family and unapologetic private jet lifestyle.
As the football megastar becomes the first person in the world to exceed 400 million followers on the ‘gram, we chart the other most followed accounts on the photo sharing app.
Fun fact, the number one most followed account on Instagram overall is actually the Meta (formerly Facebook) owned social media platform itself @instagram , with a staggering 470 million followers, while the account follows just 99 people.
Here are the other big Instagram hitters.
Cristiano Ronaldo @cristiano — 402m
The world famous footballer, sports icon and buddying entrepreneur, Cristiano Ronaldo recently broke through the 400 million mark, having previously been the first person to reach 200 million on Instagram. His feed charts his flashy lifestyle, devotion to football of course, but also lovely images of his family life too.
Kylie Jenner @kyliejenner — 310 million
Following just 81 accounts, Kylie Jenner has become a megastar with her own cosmetics range @kyliecosmetics, which has a further 25.5 million followers; her @kylieswim, with another million followers; and her baby wellness range @kyliebaby. The latter two accounts follow just three people — can you guess who?
Lionel Messi @leomessi — 306 million
Soccer legend Lionel Messi, forward for Paris Saint-Germain and captain of the Argentinian football team, shares photos related to his sporting career, family life, and also pushes his own merch and brand collaborations, including the Messi watch collection and @themessistore.
Dwayne Johnson @therock — 297 million
Actor, commentator, fitness guru and wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson comes close to topping the 300 million mark, and follows just 500 people. The Rock creates plenty of video content and motivational posts.
Selena Gomez @selenagomez — 296 million
Singer, actress and producer Selena Gomez supports many causes, particularly those related to mental wellbeing, teaming up with @officalwondermind. Selena has built her own successful beauty range @rarebeauty and is the highest followed singer on Instagram.
Ariana Grande @arianegrande — 294 million
Following closely behind, 28-year-old singer Ariana Grande has wooed audiences around the world, she has appeared as a judge in the @nbcthevoice and has her own cosmetic range @r.e.m.beauty which has over one million followers.
Kim Kardashian @kimkardashian — 285 million
Another of the Kardashian clan makes it into the top 10. Like so many other megastars, Kim has her own product range, @kkwfragrance which has 1.3 million followers. The reality star more recently founded underwear and loungewear brand @skims. Kim knows how to grab the attention of her audience with extravagant posts about fashion, her star-studded family life and commitment to working out.
Beyoncé @beyonce — 237 million
Beyoncé's iconic pregnancy announcement in 2017 was once the most liked post on Instagram. Her posts include captivating shots of her performances and professional work, with a few dotted personal encounters. Following zero accounts herself, she has huge engagement from her devoted fans, aka The Beyhive.
Justin Bieber @justinbieber — 220 million
As one of the biggest pop stars in the world, it’s no surprise Bieber appears on this list. His content is playful and entertaining. His “Racism is evil” post received over one million likes and over 13,000 comments. He’s also a big advocate of @inbetweenersnft, a global community spreading love and positivity. Justin also has his own clothing line @drewhouse with his partner Ryan Good.
