Meta grows by 16% in revenue and boosts its profits by 35% in the first quarter of 2025

Meta has also increased the number of people using its apps daily by 6%, reaching a total of 3.43 billion people.
May 2, 2025

Meta has presented its results for the first quarter of 2025, reflecting a solid start to the year, with revenues reaching $46,545.4 million, representing a 16% year-on-year growth. The company has also recorded a 35% increase in its net profit, amounting to $16,644 million.

Among the most notable operational data from the presentation is the 6% year-on-year growth in the number of Family daily active people (DAP), reaching 3,430 million people in March. This figure refers to the number of unique individuals (not accounts) who use any of their apps at least once a day. If the same person accesses Facebook and WhatsApp on the same day, they are only counted once.

Although Meta has not broken down the data by app, the impression is that Instagram and WhatsApp continue to contribute to Meta’s strong community growth despite the stagnation of the user base on Facebook, its primary social network.

Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Meta, highlighted the impact of the advances in AI achieved this quarter: “We are making good progress with the AI glasses and Meta AI, which already has nearly 1,000 million monthly active users.

The advertising business remains the main driver

The reality is that despite Zuckerberg’s emphasis on achievements with their glasses, nearly all (99%) of the revenue continues to come from advertising, with $41,392 million generated by what they call their “family of apps” (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp). Meanwhile, the Reality Labs division, focused on extended reality hardware, continues in the red, contributing the remaining $412 million, but experiencing losses of $4,210  million, largely due to heavy investment by the company in this field.

Meta has explained that it has managed to increase the number of advertising impressions by 5% year-on-year, the total number of ads shown to users within the group’s applications: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Additionally, it has raised the average price per ad by 10% year-on-year.

Expectations for the second quarter and a warning on the model in Europe

Meta expects revenues between $42,500 and $45,500 million for the second quarter of 2025. On an annual basis, it adjusts its forecast for total expenses downward (between $124,300 and $129,800 million) but increases its capital investment forecast to $70,400-79,200 million, primarily to strengthen its AI infrastructure.

However, the company warns of possible impacts in Europe stemming from the restrictions imposed by the Digital Markets Act. The “ad-free by subscription” model has been deemed non-compliant by the European Commission, and Meta anticipates that it may be forced to modify its model, which would significantly affect user experience and revenues in the region. Just a few weeks ago, the Commission imposed a €220 million fine on Meta as a penalty for its model allowing users to choose between consenting to the combination of personal data for personalized advertising or paying a monthly subscription for an ad-free service.

Image: Flux Schnell

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