LinkedIn is the world’s preeminent social network for professionals. Members create CVs, list their current and previous job roles, skills and education. The business network is also a recruiting website, with businesses able to create profiles and list current vacancies.
LinkedIn was initially conceived in cofounder Reid Hoffman’s living room in 2002. Hoffman had previously worked for Apple, creating eWorld, which was an early attempt at a social network later snapped up by AOL. He would have another go at establishing a social network in 1997 with SocialNet.com, which aimed to connect people with similar interests.
Hoffman had a stint at PayPal with college roommate Peter Thiel, before launching LinkedIn on May 5, 2003. Take up was slow, however, Sequoia Capital provided the initial investment to kickstart LinkedIn’s growth, which would be returned mightily with the IPO in 2011 and the $26.2 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2016.
It took LinkedIn until 2006 to start seriously looking into revenue generation and by the time it had filed for IPO, it was generating over $500 million in annual revenue. Most of this was through the introduction of premium features, such as allowing LinkedIn users to message people they aren’t connected to, or send promotional emails to users.
LinkedIn CEO at the time Jeff Weiner steered the company into a multi-billion dollar business, and remains an executive chairman at the company.
Since the acquisition, Microsoft has kept a hands-off approach to LinkedIn, folding it into the Business Division with Office 365 and other business tools.
LinkedIn has aimed, especially in recent years, to build out its platform to be more than jobs. It acquired Lynda.com in 2015 and rebranded it as LinkedIn Learning, which lets users train on certain courses and have the achievement appear on their profile.
It also launched events and news, recently adding the ability for newspapers to have dedicated LinkedIn newsletters.
We have collected data and statistics on LinkedIn. Read on below to find out more. Want to dive deeper? Check out our social app report.
LinkedIn key statistics
- LinkedIn generated $15.7 billion revenue in 2023, an increase of 7.4% year-on-year
- LinkedIn has 990 million members, however it is not known how many are active every day or every month
- The United States has the most LinkedIn members, followed by India and China
- Over 65 million business and 150,000 schools have LinkedIn accounts
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LinkedIn overview
| Title 1 | Title 2 |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 5 May 2003 |
| HQ | Sunnyvale, California |
| People | Ryan Roslansky (CEO), Jeff Weiner (Executive chairman), Reid Hoffman (founder, Microsoft board member) |
| Business type | Subsidiary |
| Owner | Microsoft |
| Industry | Professional networking |
LinkedIn revenue
LinkedIn revenue increased by 7.4% in 2023 to $15.7 billion, its highest percentage growth in three years.
LinkedIn quarterly revenue 2010 to 2023 ($mm)
LinkedIn annual revenue 2010 to 2023 ($bn)
| Date | Revenue ($bn) |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.24 |
| 2011 | 0.52 |
| 2012 | 0.97 |
| 2013 | 1.52 |
| 2014 | 2.21 |
| 2015 | 2.98 |
| 2016 | 2.97 |
| 2017 | 4.5 |
| 2018 | 6.02 |
| 2019 | 7.54 |
| 2020 | 8.84 |
| 2021 | 12.17 |
| 2022 | 14.65 |
| 2023 | 15.74 |
Source: Social App Report
LinkedIn users
LinkedIn reached 990 million registered users in 2023, however, it has not reported how many of those users are active daily or monthly.
LinkedIn registered users 2010 to 2023 (mm)
LinkedIn registered users 2010 to 2023 (mm)
| Date | Users (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 42 |
| 2010 | 78 |
| 2011 | 116 |
| 2012 | 174 |
| 2013 | 238 |
| 2014 | 313 |
| 2015 | 380 |
| 2016 | 450 |
| 2017 | 491 |
| 2018 | 556 |
| 2019 | 604 |
| 2020 | 690 |
| 2021 | 756 |
| 2022 | 830 |
| 2023 | 930 |
Source: Social App Report
LinkedIn users by country
The United States is home to about 35% of all LinkedIn users, the next largest market is India. LinkedIn recently announced it would close operations in China, where it had 50 million users.
LinkedIn users by country 2023 (mm)
| Country | Users |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| India | |
| Brazil | |
| United Kingdom | |
| France | |
| Indonesia | |
| Canada | |
| Mexico | |
| Italy | |
| Spain | |
| Germany | |
| Philippines | |
| Turkey | |
| Australia | |
| Argentina | |
| Colombia | |
| Netherlands | |
| Pakistan | |
| South Africa |
Source: Hootsuite / WeAreSocial
LinkedIn organisations
LinkedIn has 75 million organisations on its platform, many use it for recruiting or as a media centre to publish news about their business.
LinkedIn annual organisations 2017 to 2023 (mm)
| Year | Organisations (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 18 |
| 2018 | 26 |
| 2019 | 30 |
| 2020 | 50 |
| 2021 | 57 |
| 2022 | 61 |
| 2023 | 67 |
Note: This covers businesses listed on LinkedIn. Source: Company data
LinkedIn schools
LinkedIn also has thousands of colleges and universities on its platform, which use it for promotional material and to re-connect graduates.
LinkedIn annual schools 2018 to 2023 (mm)
| Year | Schools |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 60,000 |
| 2019 | 90,000 |
| 2020 | 100,000 |
| 2021 | 120,000 |
| 2022 | 135,000 |
| 2023 | 150,000 |
Note: This covers schools listed on LinkedIn. Source: Company data
LinkedIn vs social apps: users
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LinkedIn FAQ
How many LinkedIn members actively post?
Only three percent of members post more than once a week, although over 40 million apply for jobs once a week
What are LinkedIn’s age demographics?
By far the largest age demographic on LinkedIn is 25-34, which accounts for 60.1 percent of users. 18-24 is the second largest bracket, at 19.2 percent, followed by 35-54 at 10.3 percent. Over 55’s account for 3.1 percent of total users (Hootsuite/We Are Social)
What are LinkedIn’s gender demographics?
56.9 percent of LinkedIn users are male, 43.1 percent are female (Hootsuite/We Are Social)
What percentage of US adults use LinkedIn?
Over 25 percent of US adults are LinkedIn users, according to Pew Research Center
How many countries is LinkedIn available in?
LinkedIn is available in 200 countries
Is LinkedIn available in China?
Yes, unlike most social networks, LinkedIn has not been banned in China. LinkedIn regularly removes comments that the Chinese government flag (Inkstone)
How many jobs are listed on LinkedIn?
In October 2020, there were 14 million jobs listed on LinkedIn
How many job applications are made on LinkedIn per month?
According to LinkedIn, over 100 million job applications are sent each month
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