SUCH is the power of social networks, capable of connecting millions of people around the world. And when it comes to this game, international stars are on top. Celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo, Ariana Grande and Kylie Jenner are followed by hundreds of millions of internet users. But how do the number of these social network stars' followers compare with the number of inhabitants of a country? An unusual infographic drew the comparisons.


On social networks, stars are at the head of their own virtual "nation." On Instagram, in particular, the most popular celebrities have a nearly outrageous number of followers. One hundred million, two hundred million, even close to three hundred million internet users follow the lives of their favorite singer, actor or athlete in some cases. A population in its own right. Despite the impressive numbers, it's sometimes difficult to realize exactly how large such a community is. That's precisely what prompted the PostBeyond team  to create an unusual infographic comparing the number of followers of the biggest stars on Instagram to the populations of different countries around the world.

Kylie Jenner followed by six times the population of Canada

These equivalents can make you dizzy. With 276 million followers (290 million since the creation of this infographic), the community of renowned footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is roughly four times the population of the United Kingdom. His rival, Lionel Messi is less popular on the platform, but his community of 196 million subscribers (210 million currently) is still twice the population of Vietnam.

When it comes to Ariana Grande with her 231 million followers (now 237 million), the fashionable young singer is virtually at the head of a country that is five times the population of Spain. As for music stars Beyoncé and Selena Gomez, they are respectively followed by the equivalent of twice the population of Germany and twice the population of the Philippines. Taylor Swift is also popular on Instagram, where she is followed by 159 million people, nine times the population of the Netherlands.

Businesswoman Kylie Jenner has collected a group of fans on Instagram that numbers six times the population of Canada with her 225 million followers (now 235 million). The youngest of the Kardashian clan does better than her elders as Kim Kardashian's community is similar to the population of Brazil while Kendall Jenner's is close to three times the population of Kenya.

Such a perspective makes even clearer the impact that these celebrities can have on the internet users looking to their every move.