Instagram has removed millions of inactive accounts from its platform this week, triggering widespread drops in follower counts for some of the world’s most-followed profiles.
The move, which some users on social media have dubbed the “great purge of 2026,” has affected businesses, celebrities and content creators across the platform.
A spokesperson for Meta, Instagram’s parent company, issued a statement to pop culture outlet Pop Base: “As part of our routine process to remove inactive accounts, some Instagram accounts may have noticed updates to their follower counts. Active followers remain unaffected, and any restored suspended account will be included in the count again after verification. Thank you for your patience and we apologise for any inconvenience.”
Who are the biggest losers?
Instagram’s own account absorbed the heaviest blow, shedding 15.2 million followers to settle at 686 million. Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo lost 9.19 million followers, bringing his count to 664 million, while Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner each lost more than seven million followers, landing at 345 million and 383 million respectively.
Taylor Swift saw her count fall by 5.9 million to 274 million, and Nike dropped 4.27 million followers to reach 292 million.
Victoria’s Secret lost 1.96 million followers, settling at 77.1 million, while Starbucks shed 405,000 to reach 17.4 million. Google lost 225,000 followers to reach 15.6 million, and Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s own account fell by 120,000 to 16.9 million.
Further down the list, Tesla lost 85,000 followers to reach 9.49 million, McDonald’s dropped 69,000 to reach 5.47 million, and MrBeast fell by 45,000 to 86.6 million. Rare Beauty lost 42,000 followers to reach 8.62 million, Dunkin’ dropped 28,000 to 2.98 million, Skims fell 22,000 to 7.18 million, and entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s account shed 18,500 followers to reach 2.23 million.
Despite the scale of the figures, none of the accounts with nine-figure follower counts experienced a percentage decline greater than 2.5 per cent.
Not all accounts were in the red. Rhode, the skincare brand founded by Hailey Bieber, posted the period’s most notable gain, adding 30,000 followers to reach 4.63 million. Beverage brand Poppi and supplements company Grüns each gained around 1,700 followers, reaching 667,000 and 137,000 respectively, while language-learning app Duolingo added 1,600 followers to reach 4.87 million.
The account removal is understood to be connected to Instagram’s efforts to reward original content and clamp down on accounts that repost others’ material.
| # | Account | Current followers | Change (7 days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 686M | −15,200,000 | |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 664M | −9,190,000 |
| 3 | Kim Kardashian | 345M | −7,240,000 |
| 4 | Kylie Jenner | 383M | −7,200,000 |
| 5 | Taylor Swift | 274M | −5,900,000 |
| 6 | Nike | 292M | −4,270,000 |
| 7 | Victoria’s Secret | 77.1M | −1,960,000 |
| 8 | Starbucks | 17.4M | −405,000 |
| 9 | 15.6M | −225,000 | |
| 10 | Mark Zuckerberg | 16.9M | −120,000 |
| 11 | Tesla | 9.49M | −85,000 |
| 12 | McDonald’s | 5.47M | −69,000 |
| 13 | MrBeast | 86.6M | −45,000 |
| 14 | Rare Beauty | 8.62M | −42,000 |
| 15 | Dunkin’ | 2.98M | −28,000 |
| 16 | Skims | 7.18M | −22,000 |
| 17 | Mark Cuban | 2.23M | −18,500 |
| 18 | Rhode | 4.63M | +30,000 |
| 19 | Poppi | 667K | +1,700 |
| 20 | Grüns | 137K | +1,700 |
| 21 | Duolingo | 4.87M | +1,600 |
