Lurk Follow Index · Updated July 3, 2026
What is the Instagram following-to-followers ratio?
The short answer
Across Lurk's anonymized Instagram follow graph, tracked accounts made 1.13:1 new follows for every new follower gained (212,908 new follows versus 187,604 new followers, as of July 3, 2026). This is an aggregate following-to-followers activity ratio across the network, not a per-account follower count.
New follows vs new followers gained (July 3, 2026)
| Metric | Count | Share of flow |
|---|---|---|
| New follows made (following) | 212,908 | 53.2% |
| New followers gained (followers) | 187,604 | 46.8% |
Following-to-followers activity ratio: 1.13:1.
How this is measured
This ratio divides total new follows made (outbound) by total new followers gained (inbound) across every tracked account in Lurk's follow-edge store over the observation window. It describes the balance of network follow activity, not any single account's follower-to-following count. Data is anonymized and aggregate, refreshed from the live get_follow_index RPC roughly every 6 hours.
Cite this
“What is the Instagram following-to-followers ratio?”, The Lurk Instagram Follow Index, July 3, 2026. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to getlurk.app/data/instagram-following-vs-followers-ratio.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Instagram following-to-followers ratio?
In Lurk's anonymized aggregate, tracked accounts made 1.13:1 new follows for every new follower gained (212,908 follows vs 187,604 followers, updated July 3, 2026). It is a network activity ratio, not personal advice.
Is this the same as the follow-back rate?
It is the inverse view of the same two numbers. The follow-back rate expresses inbound as a percentage of outbound; this ratio expresses outbound relative to inbound. See the Instagram follow-back rate page.
Does this show my personal following-to-followers ratio?
No. It is a network-wide aggregate of follow activity, not an individual account's follower or following totals.
Related
- The Lurk Instagram Follow Index (full dataset)
- Instagram follow-back rate
- Instagram unfollow rate
- See who doesn't follow back
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