The short answer
The median brand account earns 0.36% engagement per follower; the top quartile clears 1.02%. Rival IQ's 2025 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report puts the median Instagram engagement rate (likes, comments, shares, and reactions divided by followers) at 0.36% across all industries, with the top 25% of brands at 1.02% or higher. Socialinsider's separate study of 35 million posts measured a 0.48% average for brand pages in 2025 — and engagement is falling on both datasets (Rival IQ measured a 16% year-over-year decline).
Benchmarks at a glance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Median engagement rate (all industries) | 0.36% | Rival IQ 2025 benchmark report, per follower |
| Top 25% of brands | 1.02%+ | Rival IQ 2025 benchmark report |
| Brand-page average | 0.48% | Socialinsider, 35M posts, 2025 data |
| Carousels (avg) | 0.55% | Best-engaging format (Socialinsider, 2025) |
| Reels (avg) | 0.52% | Close behind carousels (Socialinsider, 2025) |
| Single images (avg) | 0.37% | Weakest format, declining (Socialinsider, 2025) |
| Average reach rate | 3.20% | Of followers, per post (Socialinsider, Aug 2026) |
Breakdown by industry / category
Rival IQ's 2025 report breaks the median out by industry. A few reference points:
| Category | Median Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Higher education | 2.1% | Highest-engaging industry in the report |
| Sports teams | 1.3% | Highly engaged fans, very high posting volume |
| Influencers | 0.576% | Above the all-industry median |
| Nonprofits | 0.561% | Mission-driven engagement |
| All industries (median) | 0.36% | The baseline to compare against |
How to calculate your Instagram engagement rate
Engagement rate = (likes + comments + saves + shares) / total followers × 100. Some definitions also include impressions, but the simpler formula is standard for benchmarking.
Our free engagement rate calculator computes this for you and compares your number to the platform benchmarks below — saves you the math.
What counts as "good" engagement on Instagram in 2026?
Use the sourced quartiles rather than guru numbers:
- At or above 0.36%: you're at or above the all-industry median for brand accounts (Rival IQ, 2025).
- Above roughly 1%: you're in the top quartile — Rival IQ puts the top 25% of brands at 1.02% or higher.
- Well below 0.36%: compare against your own industry's median first (industries range from under 0.2% to over 2%) before assuming your content is the problem.
Personal and creator accounts often run higher than brand pages — the studies above measure brands — so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling, if you're a creator.
Why engagement rates keep declining
Rival IQ measured Instagram engagement down 16% year over year in its 2025 report, and Socialinsider's data shows a similar slide. Three factors have driven the decline:
- Feed saturation. There's more content than attention. Every year the feed gets more crowded.
- Algorithm prioritization of Reels. Instagram has been pushing Reels hard since 2022, and Reels engagement happens in a different pattern than feed engagement. Many creators see their total engagement rate drop even as their total reach grows.
- Audience behavior shifts. Younger users have moved to TikTok. Older users are less engagement-forward (fewer comments, more lurking).
What moves engagement rate up
- Lean on carousels and Reels over single images. In Socialinsider's 2025 data, carousels (0.55%) and Reels (0.52%) both clearly out-engage single images (0.37%), and carousels lead on saves and views per post.
- Use carousels for educational content. Save-worthy content is what carousels do best in the format data.
- Ask specific questions. "What's your experience?" drives more comments than "what do you think?"
- Post at the right times. See our Instagram timing guide for optimal windows by industry.
- Write hooks that earn the tap. The first line or two of your caption decides whether someone hits "more" or scrolls past. Our hook generator has frameworks specifically for Instagram captions.
How Heist helps you beat these benchmarks
Heist's Brain analyzes your past post performance and biases new generations toward what's actually working for your specific audience. Most creators don't know which of their posts outperformed because they never analyze patterns — Heist does that automatically and uses the insights in every new post.