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Best Emojis
World Emoji Day 2026
July 17, 2026
Informe anual

Estadรญsticas de Emojis 2026: Informe Anual del Dรญa Mundial del Emoji

El informe de uso de emojis mรกs completo de 2026 โ€” 10 mil millones de envรญos diarios, 3.790 caracteres Unicode y una brecha generacional que estรก transformando la comunicaciรณn digital. Publicado cada aรฑo en el Dรญa Mundial del Emoji.

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Hallazgo clave 2026

๐Ÿ˜‚ has been the world's #1 emoji for 10 years running โ€” but Gen Z has quietly replaced it with ๐Ÿ’€ for laughter.

For the tenth consecutive year, Face with Tears of Joy tops global charts. But among users aged 12โ€“27, the Skull emoji has become the go-to reaction for anything funny โ€” a shift that signals a broader generational divergence in how emoji are used ironically vs. sincerely.

3,790

Total Emojis

Unicode 16.0

92%

Internet Users

Use emojis regularly

10B+

Emojis Sent Daily

Across all platforms

70%

Messages

Contain at least 1 emoji

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Top 10 de los Emojis Mรกs Usados Globalmente

Aggregated from major messaging and social platforms in 2026. Year-over-year change vs. 2025.

#1๐Ÿ˜‚

Face with Tears of Joy

8.9% de todos los emojis
โ†’ Estable10th year at #1
#2โค๏ธ

Red Heart

6.6% de todos los emojis
โ†‘ En alzaโ–ฒ from #3
#3๐Ÿคฃ

Rolling on the Floor Laughing

4.5% de todos los emojis
โ†‘ En alzaโ–ฒ from #5
#4๐Ÿ‘

Thumbs Up

3.8% de todos los emojis
โ†’ EstableSteady
#5๐Ÿ˜ญ

Loudly Crying Face

3.5% de todos los emojis
โ†‘ En alzaโ–ฒ from #7
#6๐Ÿ™

Folded Hands

3.1% de todos los emojis
โ†‘ En alzaโ–ฒ from #8
#7๐Ÿ˜˜

Face Blowing a Kiss

2.8% de todos los emojis
โ†’ EstableSteady
#8๐Ÿฅฐ

Smiling Face with Hearts

2.5% de todos los emojis
โ†‘ En alzaNew top 10
#9๐Ÿ˜

Heart Eyes

2.3% de todos los emojis
โ†“ En bajaโ–ผ from #6
#10๐Ÿ˜Š

Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes

2.1% de todos los emojis
โ†’ EstableSteady

Top Emojis por Paรญs

Emoji preferences reveal cultural differences in digital expression across the world.

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

United States

๐Ÿ˜‚โค๏ธ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ”ฅ

๐Ÿ”ฅ Fire ranks unusually high vs global avg

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง

United Kingdom

๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜˜โค๏ธ๐Ÿ˜๐ŸŽ‰

๐ŸŽ‰ Party Popper is a UK favourite

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท

France

โค๏ธ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜‰

โค๏ธ Red Heart beats ๐Ÿ˜‚ โ€” #1 most emoji-sending country per capita

๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท

Brazil

๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ™โค๏ธ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿคฃ

๐Ÿ™ Folded Hands ranks #2 โ€” cultural emphasis on gratitude

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต

Japan

๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜ญโค๏ธ๐Ÿฅน๐Ÿซถ

๐Ÿฅน Face Holding Back Tears uniquely popular in Japan

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ

India

๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ™โค๏ธ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคฃ

๐Ÿ™ carries spiritual meaning โ€” used for greetings & prayer

Emojis Mรกs Usados por Plataforma

Emoji preferences vary dramatically across platforms โ€” what dominates WhatsApp looks different on X.

๐Ÿ“ธ

Instagram

โœจ Sparkles is the #1 emoji on Instagram posts โ€” used by 207K+ creators monthly.

#1โœจ
#2๐Ÿ‘‰
#3๐Ÿ”ฅ
#4โค๏ธ
#5๐Ÿ˜
#6๐Ÿ’•
#7๐Ÿ“ธ
#8๐ŸŒ

Emojis con Mayor Crecimiento (2022โ€“2026)

These emoji saw the most dramatic rise in usage since their introduction โ€” some setting adoption records.

๐Ÿฅน

Face Holding Back Tears

+340%

since 2022

๐Ÿซถ

Heart Hands

+280%

since 2022

๐Ÿซก

Saluting Face

+220%

since 2022

๐Ÿซ 

Melting Face

+195%

since 2022

๐Ÿซฃ

Face with Peeking Eye

+175%

since 2022

โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ

Heart on Fire

+160%

since 2021

๐ŸคŒ

Pinched Fingers

+140%

since 2020

๐Ÿซฐ

Hand with Crossed Fingers

+130%

since 2022

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Nuevos Emojis en 2025โ€“2026

Unicode 15.1 and 16.0 added over 100 new emoji. These are the ones that already made an impact.

๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†”๏ธ

Head Shaking Horizontally

The "no" emoji the world needed. Adopted virally for disagreement and sarcasm.

๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†•๏ธ

Head Nodding Vertically

The counterpart "yes" nod. Widely adopted for agreement and affirmation.

๐Ÿซฉ

Face with Bags Under Eyes

Instantly relatable โ€” became the unofficial emoji of late-night workers and parents.

๐Ÿฆ

Updated Bird Emoji

Redesigned across platforms to look more like a generic bird. Widely noticed.

๐Ÿ‹โ€๐ŸŸฉ

Lime

Finally โ€” lime and lemon are separate emojis. Food communities rejoiced.

๐Ÿซš

Jar

New food storage emoji for cooking communities and recipe content.

Uso de Emojis por Categorรญa

Smileys dominate usage at 44% โ€” despite being just 4% of available emoji. The emotional core of the language.

Smileys & Emotion
44%
163 emoji
People & Body
18%
385 emoji
Animals & Nature
8%
153 emoji
Food & Drink
7%
134 emoji
Travel & Places
6%
215 emoji
Objects
5%
258 emoji
Activities
4%
83 emoji
Symbols
4%
224 emoji
Flags
4%
268 emoji

La Brecha Generacional en Emojis

How different age groups use emoji reveals deep divides in digital communication style.

Gen Z (12โ€“27)

๐Ÿ’€
95% use emoji

Use emojis ironically โ€” ๐Ÿ’€ has replaced ๐Ÿ˜‚ for expressing laughter in Gen Z. Heavy combo use (3โ€“5 emojis at once). ๐Ÿซถ and ๐Ÿฅน are generational signatures.

Millennials (28โ€“43)

๐Ÿ˜‚
90% use emoji

Highest overall volume โ€” the most emoji-heavy generation. Mix of genuine and ironic use. Most likely to use emojis in work messages.

Gen X (44โ€“59)

๐Ÿ‘
78% use emoji

Prefer practical, unambiguous emojis. ๐Ÿ‘ and โค๏ธ dominate. Minimal combos. More likely to use emojis only at the end of a message.

Boomers (60+)

โค๏ธ
65% use emoji

Use fewer but more sincere emojis. โค๏ธ and ๐Ÿ˜Š are most common. Less aware of evolving meanings โ€” a common source of cross-generational miscommunication.

Emojis en el Trabajo

Emoji have moved from personal messaging to boardrooms, inboxes, and Slack channels.

๐Ÿ’ผ

76%

of American workers have used emojis in professional communication

๐Ÿค

44%

of employees feel more positive about colleagues who use emojis appropriately

๐Ÿ“ง

56%

higher open rate on email subject lines that include an emoji

๐Ÿ‘

#1

๐Ÿ‘ Thumbs Up is the most-sent emoji in workplace contexts globally

๐Ÿ“ˆ

26%

more engagement on business social posts that include emojis

๐Ÿ˜Š

78%

of HR managers say emojis make workplace communication feel more human

Cronologรญa de Emojis: Hitos Clave

From 176 Japanese pictographs in 1999 to a global language of 3,790 characters in 2026.

99
1999

Shigetaka Kurita creates 176 original emoji for NTT DoCoMo in Japan on a 12ร—12 pixel grid

10
2010

Unicode 6.0 standardizes emoji โ€” making them work cross-platform for the first time

11
2011

Apple adds emoji keyboard to iOS 5 โ€” triggering explosive global adoption

15
2015

๐Ÿ˜‚ becomes Oxford Dictionary's "Word of the Year"; Fitzpatrick skin tone modifiers added for people emoji

16
2016

Gender-inclusive emoji introduced (๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ’ผ ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ’ผ); emoji count passes 1,800

19
2019

Interracial couple emoji and accessibility emoji (๐Ÿฆฎ ๐Ÿฆฝ ๐Ÿฆฏ) added to Unicode 12.0

20
2020

๐ŸคŒ Italian pinched fingers becomes viral globally; pandemic drives emoji usage up 30% worldwide

21
2021

โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ Heart on Fire debuts โ€” fastest-adopted new emoji in Unicode history at the time

22
2022

๐Ÿซถ ๐Ÿฅน ๐Ÿซ  added in Unicode 14.0 โ€” ๐Ÿซถ and ๐Ÿฅน shatter adoption records within weeks

23
2023

Unicode 15.1 adds 118 new emoji including ๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†”๏ธ and ๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†•๏ธ; emoji count passes 3,600

24
2024

๐Ÿ‘ ruled legally binding in a Canadian court; Google Search adds inline emoji copy โ€” changing referral traffic patterns for emoji sites

26
2026

Unicode 16.0 brings total to 3,790 emoji; AI chatbots now answer emoji meaning queries โ€” reshaping how people discover emoji

Datos Fascinantes sobre Emojis

Surprising things you probably didn't know about emoji.

๐ŸŒ

Emojis are used by 92% of the world's online population โ€” more than speakers of any single language.

๐Ÿ“…

World Emoji Day is celebrated on July 17 every year โ€” the date displayed on the ๐Ÿ“… Calendar emoji on Apple devices.

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต

Emojis were invented in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita at NTT DoCoMo in Japan. The original set had just 176 black-and-white pictographs.

๐Ÿ“ˆ

Email subject lines with emojis see a 56% higher open rate compared to plain text subjects across all industries.

โšก

10 billion emojis are sent every day โ€” that's 115,000 every single second across all platforms combined.

๐Ÿ’ฌ

The average person sends 96 emojis per day. Power users send 300+. ๐Ÿ˜‚ alone accounts for ~8.9% of all emoji sends.

๐ŸŽจ

Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft, and Twitter/X each design their own unique emoji artwork โ€” the same emoji can look radically different across platforms.

๐Ÿ”ค

"Emoji" comes from Japanese: ็ตต (e = picture) + ๆ–‡ๅญ— (moji = character). It is NOT derived from "emotion" โ€” the similarity is a coincidence.

โš–๏ธ

In 2024, a Canadian court ruled that a ๐Ÿ‘ thumbs-up emoji constituted a legally binding contract signature. Emoji are increasingly accepted as legal evidence.

๐Ÿ†

๐Ÿ˜‚ has been the #1 most-used emoji every single year since 2015 โ€” the year Oxford Dictionary named it "Word of the Year."

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๐Ÿ“‹ Kit de Prensa โ€” Estadรญsticas Listas para Usar

Writing about emoji on World Emoji Day? Copy any stat below โ€” already formatted for social media, press releases, and articles. Please credit bestemojis.com/emoji-stats.

๐Ÿ˜‚ has been the world's #1 most-used emoji for 10 consecutive years. Source: bestemojis.com/emoji-stats #WorldEmojiDay

Gen Z has replaced ๐Ÿ˜‚ with ๐Ÿ’€ for expressing laughter. The emoji generation gap is real. Source: bestemojis.com/emoji-stats #WorldEmojiDay

10 billion emoji are sent every day โ€” 115,000 per second. Source: bestemojis.com/emoji-stats #WorldEmojiDay

France has the highest emoji usage per capita. French users add emoji to 80%+ of their messages. Source: bestemojis.com/emoji-stats #WorldEmojiDay

92% of internet users use emoji โ€” more than speakers of any single language. Source: bestemojis.com/emoji-stats #WorldEmojiDay

A ๐Ÿ‘ emoji was ruled a legally binding contract in a 2024 Canadian court case. Source: bestemojis.com/emoji-stats #WorldEmojiDay

The word "emoji" is NOT related to "emotion" โ€” it comes from Japanese for "picture character." Source: bestemojis.com/emoji-stats #WorldEmojiDay

๐Ÿฅน Face Holding Back Tears grew +340% since 2022 โ€” the fastest-growing emoji in history. Source: bestemojis.com/emoji-stats #WorldEmojiDay

Preguntas Frecuentes

What is the most used emoji in the world?

๐Ÿ˜‚ Face with Tears of Joy has been the most used emoji globally since 2015, every single year. It accounts for approximately 8.9% of all emoji usage worldwide across all platforms.

How many emojis exist in 2026?

As of Unicode 16.0, there are 3,790 emoji in the standard. This includes base emoji plus all skin tone variations, gender variations, and flag sequences.

Which country uses the most emojis?

France leads in emoji usage per capita, with French users including emoji in over 80% of their messages. The US, Brazil, India, and Japan round out the top 5.

Are emojis legally binding?

In some jurisdictions, yes. A 2024 Canadian court ruling established that a ๐Ÿ‘ thumbs-up emoji constituted acceptance of a contract. Courts worldwide are increasingly treating emoji as evidence of intent.

What is World Emoji Day?

World Emoji Day is celebrated on July 17 every year โ€” the date shown on Apple's ๐Ÿ“… Calendar emoji. It was created in 2014 by Jeremy Burge, founder of Emojipedia, and is now marked by Unicode announcements, platform updates, and emoji trend reports worldwide.

What is the least used emoji?

Flag emoji for lesser-known territories, some technical symbol emoji, and recently-added niche emoji see the lowest usage. The ๐ŸซŽ Moose emoji added in 2023 is among the lowest-used of recent additions.

Sobre Este Informe

The Best Emojis World Emoji Day Annual Report is published every July 17. Statistics are compiled from Unicode Consortium reports, platform usage data from Apple, Google, and Meta, academic research on digital communication, and aggregated analytics from social media monitoring tools including Meltwater and Brandwatch.

Published: July 17, 2026 ย |ย Last updated: July 12, 2026 ย |ย Cite as: Best Emojis. (2026). World Emoji Day Annual Report 2026. bestemojis.com/emoji-stats

Sources: Unicode Consortium, Brandwatch, Adobe Future of Creativity, Buffer, Meltwater, HubSpot Research

๐Ÿ“Š Estadรญsticas de Emojis 2026: Datos, Tendencias y Curiosidades | Best Emojis