What is follower growth rate?

Net growth rate = (followers at the end − followers at the start) ÷ followers at the start × 100. Pick one period and keep it fixed, for example 30 days, so numbers can be compared month to month.

Take an account with 10,000 followers on 1 June and 10,500 on 30 June. The change is 500, divided by 10,000 is 0.05, so the net growth rate is 5% for the month. If you gained 700 and lost 200, the net figure is the same 5%, but the gross growth (gains only) is 7%. Gross shows how well you attract people, net shows what stays.

Gaining 100 followers is a big month for an account of 500 and a quiet one for an account of 100,000. A percentage lets you compare yourself with last quarter, or with an account of a different size, without that distortion. The same effect works against you: a small base makes the rate jump quickly early on, then fall as the number grows, so a falling rate does not always mean something broke.

What Instagram makes available: Meta’s account insights documentation lists a follows_and_unfollows metric that reports accounts that followed and accounts that unfollowed or left Instagram, and says it is not returned for accounts with fewer than 100 followers. It also says follower_count is not available for professional accounts with fewer than 100 followers. Under that size, you have to track the count yourself.

• Changing the period. A week and a month are not comparable, so choose one.
• Counting a one-off spike, such as a giveaway or a viral Reel, as your normal growth. Note it and compare the months either side.
• Ignoring who joined. A follower who never sees or answers anything adds a number but not an audience. Pair the rate with reach and replies.
• Buying followers to lift the rate. It makes the figure meaningless and may break the platform’s rules; check Instagram’s terms.

Tip: Write the start count on the first day of each month in a note. It takes ten seconds and gives you an honest series that does not depend on any tool.