PM Modi becomes most followed global leader on X with 100 million followers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday set a new milestone by becoming the most followed global leader on social media platform X

Updated on: Jul 14, 2024, 19:14:29 IST

By Shishir Gupta

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday set a new milestone by becoming the most followed global leader on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) with over 100 million followers.

The prime minister is far ahead of other world leaders like US president Joe Biden (38.1 million followers), Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed (11.2 million followers) and Pope Francis (18.5 million followers).

“A hundred million on @X! Happy to be on this vibrant medium and cherish the discussion, debate, insights, people’s blessings, constructive criticism and more. Looking forward to an equally engaging time in the future as well,” Modi posted on X.

In India, PM Modi has more followers than other Indian politicians. Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has 26.4 million followers while Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has 27.5 million followers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ahead of global leaders including Joe Biden.

PM Modi has more followers on X than the combined count of all INDIA bloc leaders.

PM Modi is miles ahead of other opposition leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav (19.9 million), West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee (7.4 million), Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar (2.9 million).

Due to Modi's popularity on X, the world leaders are eager to engage with him as connecting with him boosts their own follower base, engagements, views and reposts. The prime minister's massive popularity was witnessed in Italy and Austria.

Prime Minister Modi has more followers on X than Joe Biden and Canada's Justin Trudeau.

PM Modi more popular on X than Virat Kohli

Not just politicians, Prime Minister Modi has more followers than global sporting icons including Virat Kohli (64.1 million), Brazilian football star Neymar Jr (63.6 million), US basketball player LeBron James (52.9 million).

Modi is ahead of celebrities like Taylor Swift (95.3 million), Lady Gaga (83.1 million), and Kim Kardashian (75.2 million).

Modi's X handle witnessed a staggering growth of approximately 30 million users in the last three years. On YouTube he has nearly 25 million subscribers while there are 91 million followers on his Instagram account.

Having joined X in 2009, the prime minister has used the platform for constructive engagement. He follows numerous common citizens, interacts with them, replies to their messages, and has never blocked anyone. PM Modi has always used this platform organically, without ever resorting to paid promotions or bots.

With a blend of insightful and engaging posts on X, the PM has captivated millions around the globe. His rise in the digital sphere underscores his influential presence. It reflects his ability to resonate with a diverse and dynamic audience.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shishir Gupta
Shishir Gupta is Executive Editor at Hindustan Times and one of India's top journalists covering national security, strategic affairs, foreign policy and geopolitics. Over the past three decades, he has extensively reported on India's military, diplomatic and security landscape, covering every major conflict and national security challenge, from the 1999 Kargil War and the 2020 East Ladakh standoff to Operation Sindoor in 2025. He has also covered major terror attacks, including the IC-814 hijacking, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the 2025 Pahalgam terror strike, along with numerous Pakistan-backed terrorist incidents in the Kashmir Valley and across India. He has reported on national and state elections for more than three decades. A recognised authority on strategic affairs, Gupta has covered India's nuclear programme since the Pokhran-II (Shakti series) tests in May 1998 and has written extensively on global nuclear issues, Indian diplomacy and the country's expanding global outreach. He has also reported widely on international conflicts and terrorism, with a special focus on the Indian subcontinent. Gupta has interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi more than four times, including Modi's first interview with the print media after becoming Prime Minister in May 2014. His other interviews include three with the Dalai Lama, as well as conversations with Benjamin Netanyahu, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath, S. Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal. He is the author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (Hachette, 2011) and Himalayan Face-off: Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (Hachette, 2014). He was awarded the Chevening-Wolfson Joint Scholarship at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UK, in 1998 and participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the US State Department in 2006. He received the Ben Gurion Prize from Israel in 2011 and the K. Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 from the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA). Since 2024, he has hosted Point Blank, Hindustan Times' weekly YouTube show on global geopolitics.Read More

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