Top 10 Global Instagram Influencers

Zakir Khan is the guy who can make an entire room laugh… and then suddenly make them emotional five minutes later. His stories about college, heartbreak, awkward friendships, and Delhi dating disasters feel suspiciously personal — like he somehow hacked everyone’s memory.
One of his biggest hits, “When I Meet a Delhi Girl,” still lives rent-free in the internet’s head.
What makes Zakir different is his storytelling style. It feels less like a stand-up and more like a friend dramatically narrating his life over chai.
Also, the phrase “Sakht Launda” basically became a national personality trait thanks to him.

Lilly Singh hails from Canada and first made her mark under the YouTube username ‘Superwoman’, a name that became synonymous with sharp comedy, Punjabi cultural humour, and stories about navigating life as a first-generation South Asian. A comedian, vlogger, author, and actress rolled into one, she earned third place on the Forbes Top Influencers list in the entertainment category in 2017, a testament to the kind of reach she had built from scratch.
She has since dropped the ‘Superwoman’ handle and continued to evolve, and quite remarkably so. In 2024, Singh co-wrote, produced, and starred in her first feature film, Doin’ It, which premiered at South by Southwest before releasing in theatres in September 2025. That same year, she launched Hyphen8, a media network dedicated to social media content creators of South Asian descent, a move that reflects how deeply she cares about representation beyond just her own platform. She also joined the ownership group for the Toronto Tempo, Canada’s first WNBA team, taking on the role of Chief Hype Officer. On the recognition front, she is set to receive The Hollywood Reporter’s Equity in Entertainment Award at the Women in Entertainment Canada gala, and will receive the 2026 Trailblazer Honours award at the Departure Festival.
Most of her content continues to spotlight Punjabi culture and takes a satirical look at everyday struggles, the kind that her audience recognises instantly and loves her for. She remains a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment, serving as a UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Development Goals Advocate with a particular focus on gender equality. With Shame Less with Lilly Singh in its third season, she continues to push conversations that are uncomfortable, necessary, and refreshingly honest.

When it comes to beauty and makeup on Instagram, no name carries more weight globally than Huda Kattan. Her story, however, did not begin in front of a ring light. After working in finance, a career she walked away from in 2010, she launched a beauty blog that quietly grew into one of the most followed accounts on the platform. By 2013, she had turned that following into a full-fledged makeup line rooted in her Iraqi heritage. A stint as a celebrity makeup artist and stylist, including work with Revlon, had given her the technical grounding; Instagram gave her the audience. Huda Beauty crossed $200 million in annual sales without ever spending on traditional advertising, a fact that remains one of the most cited examples of influencer-led brand building in the industry.
The brand has continued to evolve significantly. In June 2025, Huda regained full ownership of Huda Beauty, buying back the stake previously held by private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners, a move she described as a deeply important personal milestone. Earlier in 2025, she also divested the Kayali fragrance line to her sister Mona Kattan and General Atlantic, allowing the cosmetics business to return entirely to founder control. Most recently, Huda Beauty made its formal entry into fragrance with the launch of Easy Bake Intense Eau de Parfum in May 2026, a category Huda has been personally passionate about for over fifteen years, having co-founded Kayali. It is a bold next chapter for a brand that has never been short of them.