Top X (Twitter) Accounts by Followers
The most-followed accounts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, span business leaders, heads of state, footballers, musicians, and news outlets. The table below ranks the leaders by follower count, alongside the person, company, club, or outlet behind each account. Elon Musk, who owns the platform, sits at the top, ahead of Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Most-followed X (Twitter) accounts
| Rank | Account | Followers | Category | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk@elonmuskBusinessman, X owner · United States | 241.5M | Businessman, X owner | United States |
| 2 | Barack Obama@BarackObamaFormer US president · United States | 119M | Former US president | United States |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo@CristianoFootballer · Portugal | 113.9M | Footballer | Portugal |
| 4 | Donald Trump@realDonaldTrumpUS president · United States | 111.7M | US president | United States |
| 5 | Narendra Modi@narendramodiPrime Minister of India · India | 107.1M | Prime Minister of India | India |
| 6 | Rihanna@rihannaMusician, businesswoman · Barbados | 98.5M | Musician, businesswoman | Barbados |
| 7 | NASA@NASASpace agency · United States | 92.3M | Space agency | United States |
| 8 | Justin Bieber@justinbieberMusician · Canada | 91.7M | Musician | Canada |
| 9 | Katy Perry@katyperryMusician · United States | 89.6M | Musician | United States |
| 10 | Taylor Swift@taylorswift13Musician · United States | 83.5M | Musician | United States |
| 11 | Lady Gaga@ladygagaMusician, actress · United States | 75M | Musician, actress | United States |
| 12 | Virat Kohli@imVkohliCricketer · India | 72.7M | Cricketer | India |
| 13 | Kim Kardashian@KimKardashianTV personality, businesswoman · United States | 70.7M | TV personality, businesswoman | United States |
| 14 | YouTube@YouTubeVideo platform · United States | 68.8M | Video platform | United States |
| 15 | Neymar@neymarjrFootballer · Brazil | 65.7M | Footballer | Brazil |
| 16 | Bill Gates@BillGatesBusinessman, philanthropist · United States | 64.8M | Businessman, philanthropist | United States |
| 17 | Ellen DeGeneres@TheEllenShowComedian, former TV host · United States | 62.3M | Comedian, former TV host | United States |
| 18 | Selena Gomez@selenagomezMusician, actress · United States | 62.6M | Musician, actress | United States |
| 19 | CNN@CNNNews channel · United States | 61.8M | News channel | United States |
| 20 | X@XSocial media platform · United States | 60.7M | Social media platform | United States |
| 21 | CNN Breaking News@cnnbrkNews channel · United States | 60M | News channel | United States |
| 22 | ESPN@espnSports channel · United States | 58.6M | Sports channel | United States |
| 23 | PMO India@PMOIndiaGovernment office · India | 58.3M | Government office | India |
| 24 | LeBron James@KingJamesBasketball player · United States | 54.6M | Basketball player | United States |
| 25 | The New York Times@nytimesNewspaper · United States | 53.8M | Newspaper | United States |
| 26 | UEFA Champions League@ChampionsLeagueFootball competition · Europe | 53M | Football competition | Europe |
| 27 | BBC Breaking News@BBCBreakingNews channel · United Kingdom | 50.1M | News channel | United Kingdom |
| 28 | Real Madrid C.F.@realmadridFootball club · Spain | 49.5M | Football club | Spain |
| 29 | Justin Timberlake@jtimberlakeMusician, actor · United States | 47.7M | Musician, actor | United States |
| 30 | BTS@BTS_twtMusic group · South Korea | 47.4M | Music group | South Korea |
| 31 | NBA@NBABasketball league · United States | 47M | Basketball league | United States |
| 32 | FC Barcelona@FCBarcelonaFootball club · Spain | 46.8M | Football club | Spain |
| 33 | Premier League@premierleagueFootball league · United Kingdom | 46.1M | Football league | United Kingdom |
| 34 | Demi Lovato@ddlovatoMusician, actress · United States | 45.8M | Musician, actress | United States |
| 35 | Shakira@shakiraMusician · Colombia | 45.4M | Musician | Colombia |
| 36 | BTS (Hybe)@bts_bighitMusic group · South Korea | 45.3M | Music group | South Korea |
| 37 | Amitabh Bachchan@SrBachchanActor · India | 44.7M | Actor | India |
| 38 | PlayStation@PlayStationVideo gaming brand · Japan | 44.5M | Video gaming brand | Japan |
| 39 | Akshay Kumar@akshaykumarActor · India | 44.2M | Actor | India |
| 40 | Miley Cyrus@MileyCyrusMusic · United States | 43.6M | Music | United States |
What stands out
The clearest signal in this ranking is how political it is. Two former or sitting US presidents, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, sit in the top five alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the PMO India government office appears further down, a density of public officials that the Instagram and Facebook charts do not share. Elon Musk leads the list while also owning the platform, having moved ahead of Obama after the 2022 acquisition. The other distinctive pattern is the number of news organizations near the top, with CNN, The New York Times, ESPN, and BBC Breaking News all ranked highly, which fits X’s long history as a real-time news and commentary platform rather than a purely visual one.
Frequently asked questions
Who has the most followers on X (Twitter)?
- Elon Musk is the most-followed account on X and also owns the platform, which sits at the top of this list. He moved past Barack Obama into first place after acquiring the platform in 2022; Obama had held the top spot for years before that.
Why are politicians so prominent near the top?
- X grew up as the home of real-time political and news conversation, so it rewards accounts that comment on live events. That history shows here: Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Narendra Modi all sit in the top five, and the PMO India government account appears further down, a concentration of political figures you do not see on the other platform charts.
How is this different from the Instagram or Facebook rankings?
- The same global celebrities recur across platforms, but X leans noticeably toward politics and news: heads of state and outlets such as CNN, The New York Times, ESPN, and BBC Breaking News rank highly here, whereas footballers and brands tend to lead the Instagram and Facebook lists. The platform's text-first, news-driven culture is reflected in who reaches the top.
About this ranking
X was formerly known as Twitter, and these accounts carry their follower counts across the rename. Follower counts are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand, matching the convention used by the source. Counts shift over time as accounts gain and lose followers, so treat the figures as a snapshot from September 2026 rather than a live count. For the latest numbers, check each account directly or the source list, which is updated periodically.
Source & citation
Follower figures are drawn from Wikipedia, "List of most-followed X accounts" (updated May 2026), which maintains the canonical public list. If you reference this page, cite it as:
HowSociable · Top X (Twitter) Accounts by Followers · data as of September 2026 · https://howsociable.com/charts-twitter-top-accounts