Lurk Follow Index · Updated July 3, 2026
What is the average following count in Lurk's Instagram follow graph?
The short answer
Within Lurk's anonymized Instagram follow graph, the average tracked profile has 17.1 mapped follow-connections (1,998,456 follow-relationships mapped across 116,546 profiles, as of July 3, 2026). This measures connection density inside Lurk's dataset — it is not an estimate of how many accounts a typical Instagram user follows overall.
Lurk follow-graph density (July 3, 2026)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Profiles in network | 116,546 |
| Follow-relationships mapped | 1,998,456 |
| Average mapped connections per profile | 17.1 |
| Accounts with tracked activity | 1,504 |
How this is measured
This figure divides the total number of follow-relationships Lurk has mapped (1,998,456) by the number of distinct profiles in its network (116,546). It reflects the density of connections observed inside Lurk's dataset, which is a lower bound on real activity — Lurk maps a sample of the public follow graph, not every account's complete following list. It should not be read as the average number of accounts a typical Instagram user follows (public estimates for that put it far higher). All data is anonymized and aggregate.
Cite this
“What is the average following count in Lurk's Instagram follow graph?”, The Lurk Instagram Follow Index, July 3, 2026. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to getlurk.app/data/average-instagram-following-count.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average Instagram following count?
Instagram does not publish this figure. Within Lurk's mapped follow graph, the average tracked profile has 17.1 recorded follow-connections (1,998,456 relationships across 116,546 profiles) — a measure of the dataset's connection density, not each account's full public following.
Does this mean the average Instagram user follows about 17 accounts?
No. This number reflects only the follow-connections Lurk has mapped within its own network sample. It is not an estimate of a typical Instagram user's total following, which is much larger.
How many follow-relationships has Lurk mapped?
1,998,456 follow-relationships across 116,546 distinct profiles, as of July 3, 2026.
Related
- The Lurk Instagram Follow Index (full dataset)
- Instagram following-to-followers ratio
- Best Instagram follow trackers (2026)
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