The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, turns 20 on Saturday.
Launched in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, its first-ever post was published on 21 March. The platform now claims approximately 600 million monthly active users, though this figure has been declining, especially in Europe.
In Belgium, X had 1,691,159 monthly active users as of December 2025, marking an 8.8% drop over six months. The platform previously peaked at nearly 2.3 million users in the country.
This downward trend is mirrored across Europe. Between July and December 2025, France saw a 12.5% decline in X’s users, while Germany experienced a sharper drop of 16.6%. Overall, the platform lost around 15% of its European audience in the six-month period, leaving its monthly active user base at 64.77 million.
The decline coincides with significant changes implemented following Elon Musk’s acquisition of X in 2022. Since then, the platform was rebranded and expanded its functionalities, aiming to become an integrated app offering financial services, payment systems, and AI-related content.
Xavier Degraux, a consultant, notes that this shift has prompted an editorial repositioning and the departure of some users, including media professionals. Public interactions on the platform appear to have decreased, with more exchanges moving to private channels.
Despite these transformations, X remains a key player in accessing news. Research by the Pew Research Center reveals that approximately 65% of American users view following current events as a major reason for their presence on the platform.
However, differing views persist regarding its actual reach. Elon Musk claims over one billion users, though this figure likely refers to app installations instead of monthly active users.
