The Bluesky user count has soared to over 25 million users as of December 2024, reflecting a remarkable surge from 13 million just two months earlier. The platform is currently growing at a rate of 5.4 users per second and is attracting approximately 466,500 new users daily.
This influx underscores Bluesky’s rapid expansion, especially among younger audiences where 42% of the user base is between 18-24. Brazil alone accounts for 37.7% of traffic, with the United States following at 25.6%.
In this article, we’ll examine Bluesky’s explosive growth, explore its user demographics, and discuss the key statistics that illustrate its emergence as a formidable social media platform.
What Is Bluesky?
Bluesky takes a novel approach to social networking by functioning as a decentralized platform built on the AT Protocol. The project is open-source, giving anyone transparent insight into its design. Users can share 300-character text messages, images, and videos, all while controlling the nature of their feeds.
But how exactly does Bluesky differentiate itself? One answer is its “marketplace of algorithms” that lets users choose or create custom feeds based on preferences. With over 50k custom feeds available, Bluesky offers a unique degree of flexibility in shaping one’s experience. The platform also includes user-managed moderation and labeling services, plus user-made “starter packs” that help newcomers jump in with relevant communities.
In terms of corporate identity, Bluesky operates as a Public Benefit Corporation, with ownership primarily held by CEO Jay Graber and the Bluesky team. They are supported by a board that features notable innovators like Jeremie Miller (inventor of Jabber/XMPP), Mike Masnick, and Kinjal Shah. This structure preserves the platform’s focus on growing and promoting open-source technology for decentralized public conversation.
Bluesky’s handle system is another hallmark. Instead of relying on standard “checkmarks,” the platform uses domain name-based handles that require users to prove domain ownership. This approach aims to preserve authenticity and give creators independence in self-identification.
Who Owns Bluesky?
Originally a Twitter-side project in 2019, Bluesky spun off in 2021 as an independent company and Public Benefit Corporation. Today, CEO Jay Graber — previously behind the event-coordination platform “Happening” — owns much of Bluesky, while the rest is distributed among the internal team.
The board includes:
- Jeremie Miller: Renowned for inventing Jabber/XMPP.
- Mike Masnick: Founder of TechDirt and the Copia Institute think tank.
- Kinjal Shah: General partner at Blockchain Capital.
Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who started the Bluesky initiative, left the board in May 2024. Post-departure, Dorsey directed a significant $5 million investment to Nostr, another decentralized platform. Meanwhile, Bluesky secured $5 million in funding — led by Blockchain Capital — in October 2024. So far, the company has raised $36 million in total, opting against traditional advertising and exploring subscription models instead.
Explosive User Growth in 2024-2025
September 2024 was pivotal for Bluesky: the platform went from 9 million users to 20 million by November, marking a jaw-dropping 189% growth rate that month — plus a 284% spike in daily active users.
Although growth slowed a bit in December, there was still a solid 9.6% increase in US website visits, easily outpacing competitor Threads, which slipped by 1.6%. Globally, Bluesky’s momentum in December 2024 looked like this:
Monthly Growth
| Platform | Oct 2024 | Nov 2024 | Dec 2024 |
| Bluesky | 11.23% | 75.15% | 9.5% |
| Threads | 9.05% | 8.13% | 5.7% |
| X | 6.93% | -2.27% | 2.4% |
Notably, the presidential election news in November 2024 acted as a huge catalyst, leading Bluesky to dominate the US App Store rankings for more than a week. High-profile users — including celebrities, journalists, and creators — flocked to the platform, driving up engagement by as much as tenfold for some organizations.
By the end of 2024, Bluesky’s worldwide growth had shot up by 930% year-over-year, while its two-year growth topped 30,564%. That performance solidified Bluesky’s status as a serious contender in the social media network space.
Key Growth Catalysts and Milestones
US Presidential Election Impact
The US presidential election in November 2024 set off a surge of 13 million new users in just six weeks. During the window of November 6-15, daily website visits in the US ballooned by 519%, compared to average traffic for the first ten months of 2024.
Interactions also skyrocketed, with some organizations reporting a 2x to 10x jump in engagement. Unsurprisingly, the platform processed a record-breaking 6.5 million content violation reports — a 17-fold leap from the previous year.
Brazil Market Expansion
A temporary ban of X in Brazil led to Bluesky registering 2.6 million new users in a single week. Of those, a staggering 85% were from Brazil, fundamentally reshaping the platform’s user demographics:
| Region | Traffic Share |
| Brazil | 37.7% |
| United States | 25.6% |
| Other Markets | 36.7% |
This sudden growth led to a backlog in user-managed moderation and labelling services, prompting Bluesky to scale its Portuguese-language moderation team and automate riskier areas. Simultaneously, an engineering team of 20 full-time employees (sometimes noted as 20 full-time employees) introduced new tools such as video sharing and trending topics to accommodate the larger audience.
Bluesky Statistics
Recent demographic data offers a deep dive into Bluesky’s usage statistics. Notably, male users make up about 69.63% of the audience, while female users account for roughly 30.37%.
Age and Gender Distribution
The average user on Bluesky skews young, with 42% in the 18-24 bracket:
| Age Group | Percentage |
| 18-24 | 42.0% |
| 25-34 | 27.5% |
| 35-44 | 13.3% |
| 45-54 | 7.7% |
| 55-64 | 5.6% |
| 65+ | 3.8% |
Altogether, 70% of active users are under 34, reflecting a strong foothold among younger demographics. Engagement metrics are equally robust: the average visit durations are 9 minutes 46 seconds, with 1.51 pages viewed per session.
In terms of traffic sources, direct access accounts for 44.1% of visits, referrals generate 29.06%, organic search pulls 21.26%, and social media funnels 4.79%.
Meanwhile, the platform’s lean workforce — about 20 full-time employees and 100 contractors — has managed to support the rising exodus of users from rival platforms while keeping moderation operations stable.
Website Traffic Analysis
In December 2024, Bluesky recorded 154.68 million monthly website visits — up 93% from October. The table below illustrates the platform’s top traffic sources:
- Direct: 44.1%
- Referral: 29.06%
- Organic Search: 21.26%
- Social Media: 4.79%
App Download Statistics
Monthly app downloads remained consistently high in 2024:
| Month (2024) | Downloads |
| September | 2.85M |
| October | 2.76M |
| November | 7.85M |
| December | 1.76M |
Clearly, November was a surge in usage, coinciding with a broader exodus of users from competing services.
User Engagement Rates
Usage statistics also underscore Bluesky’s impressive engagement. On average, visitors spend around 9 minutes and 46 seconds per session. Overall figures include:
- Total posts: 973.80 million
- Total follows: 1.982 billion
- Total likes: 4.698 billion
Publishers see some of the biggest gains, often experiencing 3-4x more clicks and conversions than on rival platforms. For instance, The Boston Globe logged a 4.5x increase in conversions to paid subscriptions via Bluesky compared to other social media service sites.
Conclusion
From 9 million to 25 million users in just a few months, Bluesky’s meteoric rise speaks for itself. The platform’s decentralization, block feature, and algorithmic choice have proven especially appealing to users looking for a social platform that puts them in control.
Key Takeaways:
- Young, Global Demographic: 42% of users are 18-24, with Brazil at 37.7% of traffic and the US at 25.6%.
- Decentralized Platform: Built on the AT Protocol, offering over 50k custom feeds and user-managed moderation.
- Explosive Growth: Jumped from 9M to 20M users in two months, peaking with a 189% monthly growth rate and 930% year-over-year increase.
- Election & Brazil Ban Boost: US presidential election added 13M users in six weeks; X’s ban in Brazil brought 2.6M users in one week.
- High Engagement: Average session lasts 9 minutes 46 seconds; total posts at 973.80M, total follows at 1.982B, total likes at 4.698B.
- Bright Outlook: Annual growth of 930% and two-year growth of 30,564% underscore Bluesky’s appeal as a fast-scaling social media platform.
The cross-border appeal — spanning from the US to Brazil — backs up its ambition to become more than just another social network. Average session lengths nearing 10 minutes and triple-digit traffic growth show that this social media app is managing to sustain engagement, even with a relatively small employee base.
Perhaps most notably, Bluesky’s annual growth of 930% and two-year growth hitting 30,564% confirm its ability to scale and keep pace with user demand. As daily users continue to climb, the platform’s future looks bright, thanks to its decentralized platform model, user-focused features, and an ever-expanding user base that craves genuine engagement.
Sources:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bluesky growing?
As of December 2024, Bluesky has surpassed 25 million users and has grown by around 466,500 new users daily. In the US, it has even outpaced other platforms like Instagram Threads in December 2024.
How many active users are on Bluesky?
As of late 2024, Bluesky’s user count stands at 25 million. Following November’s presidential election, it gained 13 million users in six weeks.
Which age group is most prevalent on Bluesky?
The 18-24 age bracket, which makes up 42% of Bluesky’s user base. Altogether, 70% of users are under 34.
How engaged are Bluesky users?
Visitors spend an average of 9 minutes and 46 seconds per session, viewing about 1.51 pages each visit. The platform has nearly 973.80 million total posts and 1.982 billion total follows — indicating active app users.
How does Bluesky’s growth compare to other social media platforms?
In 2024, Bluesky’s worldwide growth skyrocketed by 930% from the previous year, with two-year gains hitting an astonishing 30,564%. During December 2024, Bluesky’s 9.5% monthly growth also surpassed Threads (5.7%) and X (2.4%).
