Around 3.7 billion people around the world have access to internet connections, and around 700 million of those are in China, where Facebook is banned, so at least two in every three people who could use Facebook every month do so.

The new landmark is likely to lead to questions about whether the company can continue to grow as fast as it has done. In recent years, it has confounded many predictions of slowing growth, leading to it becoming one of the world's most valuable companies.

Zuckerberg, who said "it's an honour to be on this journey with you", is now worth some $65bn (£51bn).