Pinterest is an image search platform, which functions somewhat like an online mood board. Users pin images they like to boards. Images are uploaded by users, and can then be re-pinned by others.
Pinterest was launched by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp in 2010. Silbermann had previously worked in the advertising department at Google. Prior to Pinterest, Silbermann and Sciarra launched an app called Tote, which failed to gain traction.
Launched on March 2010 to family and friends, Pinterest quickly caught on, becoming one of the 10-largest social sites in 2011. It broke the all-time record at the time to reach 10 million users, due to Pinterest’s early hype on the iPhone in 2011.
This quick expansion came despite the fact Pinterest had an invite-only registration policy, which was the norm at the time. Pinterest dropped the policy in August 2012, just before launching an Android app. User growth blossomed thereafter, going from 49 million in February 2013 to 70 million in July of the same year.
What differentiates Pinterest from other social media apps is its female audience, which makes up over 70 percent of all Pinterest users. This has made it extremely attractive to marketers looking to market to women, especially as Pinterest has a higher conversion rate than other social media apps and a more shopper-friendly experience.
Pinterest has added more channels for businesses in recent years, including promoted pins in 2013, social feeds and word and image based searches. The company has been looking to add more artificial intelligence into its platform, to make searching for pins and connecting them to trends and topics more fluid.
In March 2019, Pinterest filed for IPO at a valuation of $10.6 to $11.3 billion. Like most social media companies, it saw a rise in monthly active users and spending during the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2022, Silbermann stepped down as CEO after 12 years at the post, moving to the newly created executive chairman role. Ex-Google commerce executive Bill Ready was announced as the new CEO, who had previous stints at PayPal and as head of Venmo.
We have collected data and statistics on Pinterest. Read on below to find out more.
Pinterest key statistics
- Pinterest generated $2.5 billion revenue in 2021, a 56% increase year-on-year
- 79% of Pinterest revenue is generated in the US, despite only 20% of users being located in the country
- Pinterest had 433 million monthly active users in Q1 2022
- Over 70% of Pinterest users are women
Social App Report 2022
Want to learn more about the most popular social apps? Our Social App report includes financials, usage, demographics and benchmarks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Pinterest overview
| Title 1 | Title 2 |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 10 March 2010 |
| HQ | San Francisco, California |
| People | Bill Ready (CEO), Ben Silbermann (chairman, co-founder), Evan Sharp (co-founder, CDO) |
| Business type | Public (NYSE: PINS) |
| Industry | Social media |
Pinterest revenue
Pinterest increased its revenues by 56% in 2021 to $2.5 billion. It has warned of a downturn in revenue growth in 2022.
Pinterest quarterly revenue 2016 to 2022 ($mm)
Pinterest annual revenue 2016 to 2021 ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.29 |
| 2017 | 0.47 |
| 2018 | 0.75 |
| 2019 | 1.4 |
| 2020 | 1.6 |
| 2021 | 2.5 |
Source: Company data, Social App Report
Pinterest revenue by region
Most of Pinterest’s revenue comes from a single country, the United States. It generated over $2 billion of its 2021 revenue from the US.
Pinterest annual revenue by region 2016 to 2021 ($mm)
| Year | United States | International |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 292 | 7 |
| 2017 | 448 | 29 |
| 2018 | 715 | 58 |
| 2019 | 1026 | 117 |
| 2020 | 1425 | 268 |
| 2021 | 2016 | 562 |
Source: Company data
Pinterest profit
Pinterest was profitable for the first time in 2021, reporting a net income of $316 million.
Pinterest annual net income/loss 2016 to 2021 ($mm)
| Year | Net income/loss ($mm) |
|---|---|
| 2017 | -130 |
| 2018 | -62 |
| 2019 | -1361 |
| 2020 | -128 |
| 2021 | 316 |
Source: Company data, Social App Report
Pinterest users
Pinterest had 431 million active users at the end of 2021, a 9% decrease from Q1 2021, when it had 478 million active users.
Pinterest quarterly users 2014 to 2022 (mm)
Pinterest annual users 2014 to 2021 (mm)
| Date | Users (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 135 |
| 2017 | 185 |
| 2018 | 231 |
| 2019 | 300 |
| 2020 | 416 |
| 2021 | 454 |
Note: Values are taken from Q2 of each respective year. Source: Company data
Pinterest users by region
Pinterest saw a slight drop in US users in 2021, from 96 million to 91 million. International usage grew, with 363 million active users in 2021.
Pinterest annual users 2016 to 2021 (mm)
| Year | United States | International |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 65 | 70 |
| 2017 | 71 | 114 |
| 2018 | 75 | 156 |
| 2019 | 85 | 215 |
| 2020 | 96 | 321 |
| 2021 | 91 | 363 |
Note: Values are taken from Q2 of each respective year. Source: Company data
Pinterest vs competitors: users
Want to learn more about social apps? Check out our Social App Report
Pinterest FAQ
What are Pinterest gender demographics?
71 percent of Pinterest users are female, 16 percent are male
What are Pinterest age demographics?
The largest demographic on Pinterest is 35-49 years old, the second largest bracket is 18-29 (Pew Research Center)
How many Pinterest users are active once a week?
57 percent of Pinterest users access the platform once a week
How many Pinterest pins have been placed?
Over 200 billion, according to Pinterest
How much Pinterest usage is on mobile?
85 percent of Pinterest usage occurs on iOS and Android
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