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100 million followers: India's Modi top politician on Instagram; Trump nowhere close
Modi joined Instagram in 2014 when he became Indian premier; he does not interact much with traditional media, but has been using visual platforms to engage with compatriots
- PUBLISHED: Thu 26 Feb 2026, 12:03 PM UPDATED: Thu 26 Feb 2026, 3:46 PM
With more than 100 million followers, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as number one among global leaders and politicians on Instagram, the social media site announced on Thursday.
Modi has a massive lead over other international leaders, including US President Donald Trump, ranking second with 43.2 million followers.
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Other world leaders trailing behind include Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (15 million followers), Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (14.4 million), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (11.6 million), and Argentine President Javier Milei (6.4 million).
Modi joined Instagram in 2014 when he became the Indian premier. Other most-followed Indian political leaders on Instagram include Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath (16.1 million) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (12.6 million).
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The Indian prime minister, who does not interact much with traditional media, has been using visual and interactive platforms such as Instagram to interact with his compatriots, overseas Indians and others.
He also tops the rankings of selected world leaders (2025), according to Statista. Of 24 global leaders who were listed, Modi had the highest domestic approval rating at 70 per cent; 23 per cent ‘disapproved’ him and seven per cent were in the ‘Don’t know/no opinion’ category. Modi was followed by Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi (63 per cent) and Argentinian President Javier Milei (60 per cent).
Modi is on a two-day official visit to Israel. The Israeli Parliament on Wednesday conferred the ‘Speaker of the Knesset Medal’ – the highest honour of the Knesset – on Modi.
