Narendra Modi set to overtake the White House in Twitter followers

 26th June 2014    PR News 
 Jade Harding

Narendra Modi, India’s new Prime Minister, has become the fifth most followed world leader on Twitter with 4,967,847 followers, according to Burson Marsteller’s annual Twiplomacy study.

This significant increase in Twitter popularity since his election in May 2014 has led to his account nearly amassing more followers than the United States White House account.

Modi has adopted Twitter has an important tool throughout his campaign and election process, broadcasting messages and announcements on the network regularly.

The study analyses 643 government accounts in 161 countries, excluding the 32 countries who do not have a Twitter presence. In June 2014 the top five most followed leaders on Twitter were:

US President Barack Obama – 43 million followers
Pope Francis – 14 million followers
Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudjoyono – 5 million followers
White House – 4,976,734  followers
Narendra Modi – 4,967,847 followers

“This year we have seen a 28 percent rise in Twitter accounts among government users, a dramatic increase in efforts to reach people around the world,” said Donald A. Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO, Burson-Marsteller.

“This study illustrates that while the number of followers is important, the number of mutual connections is even more important. It is interesting to see how foreign ministries have created large digital networks on Twitter where not every tweet is approved by lawyers and press officers. Corporations and CEOs can learn a lot from politicians on Twitter, in terms of embracing digital tools for communications and how to connect with peers and influencers,” said Jeremy Galbraith, CEO of Burson-Marsteller Europe, Middle East and Africa and Global Chief Strategy Officer.