In blogpost the photo and video sharing network said it has grown into a global community that shares more than 70 million photos and videos each day.

"We're thrilled to watch this community thrive and witness the amazing connections people make over shared passions and journeys," reads the blogpost from Kevin Systrom, chief executive officer of Instagram.

"As Instagram gets bigger, we're focused on helping you discover photos and videos from people who you care about, whether it's a friend or your favourite musician," he said in the post.

Instagram also announced the launch of verified badges for celebrities, athletes and brands.

The social network says the badges will make it easier for users to connect with the authentic accounts they are looking for. These badges will start rolling out over the coming days.

Meanwhile, in South Africa the image sharing site has also seen an increase in the number of users over the past year.

According to the SA Social Media Landscape 2015 study by August 2014 there are were 1.4 million active Instagram users in the country up from the 680,000 previously reported.

The study, released by Fuseware and World Wide Worx, noted Instagram users in South Africa increased by 65% over the past year.