SocialWhat is Instagram engagement rate — and how it is calculated
Engagement rate is the clearest single number for how active an account's audience really is. This page explains what it means, how it is worked out, what counts as a good rate, and how we compute the figures shown across this site.
What is engagement rate?
Engagement rate measures how actively an account's audience interacts with its content, relative to its size. A higher rate usually indicates a more active, responsive following — which is exactly what brands look for when choosing who to work with. Because it is relative to follower count, it lets you compare a small account and a huge one on a fair footing.
The formula
For each account we take its most recent posts (up to 16, excluding pinned posts), average the likes and average the comments, add those two averages together, and divide by the follower count — expressed as a percentage:
Engagement rate = (avg likes + avg comments) ÷ followers × 100
Want to run the numbers for a specific account? Use the free Instagram engagement rate calculator — it uses this exact formula.
What counts as a good engagement rate?
There is no single "good" number — it depends on account size and niche. As a rough guide, smaller accounts run higher (often 4%+ under 10K followers) while very large accounts sit around 1–2%. For real medians broken down by follower size, topic and city, see our 2026 engagement rate benchmarks, computed from over a thousand public accounts.
Average video views
For accounts that post videos and reels, we also report the average and median views across recent videos (using a sample of the latest videos, with a one-outlier adjustment on the median so a single viral clip doesn't skew it).
Why large accounts show low percentages
Engagement rate is relative to audience size, so accounts with tens or hundreds of millions of followers almost always show low single-digit or fractional percentages, while smaller, tightly-knit communities show higher rates. This is expected — it does not mean a large account is "less engaging" in absolute terms. A very low rate for a given size can, however, be a sign of inactive or fake followers.
Where the data comes from
All figures are computed by Social Media Loyalty from publicly available data for public Instagram accounts, and reflect the most recent snapshot we collected — each account page shows a "data as of" date. You can look up any public username on demand with the Engagement Rate API, or browse accounts by topic and city.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Instagram engagement rate?
It depends on account size — roughly 4%+ under 10K followers, 2.5–4% for 10K–100K, 1.5–3% for 100K–1M, and 1–2% over 1M. See the full 2026 benchmarks for medians by size, topic and city.
How do I calculate my engagement rate?
Add your average likes and average comments across recent posts, divide by your follower count, and multiply by 100. The free engagement rate calculator does it for you.
Why is a large account’s engagement rate so low?
Engagement rate is measured against audience size, so accounts with millions of followers almost always show low single-digit percentages. It does not mean they are “less engaging” — compare like-for-like in the directory.
How fresh is the data?
Every figure reflects the most recent public snapshot we collected; each account page shows a “data as of” date. Look up any public username with the Engagement Rate API.
What does average video views mean?
For accounts that post videos and reels we also report average and median views across recent videos, with a one-outlier adjustment on the median so a single viral clip does not skew it.