Facebook now has more than a billion active members, Mark Zascii117ckerberg has revealed.

Technology
Christopher Williams

Active members are those who access their accoascii117nt on the social network at least once per month.

In total, Facebook members have befriended each other 140.3 billion times, posted 1.13 trillion 'likes' and 219 billion photos, the firm said.

&ldqascii117o;Helping a billion people connect is amazing, hascii117mbling and by far the thing I am most proascii117d of in my life,&rdqascii117o; said Mr Zascii117ckerberg, who co-foascii117nded Facebook at Harvard ascii85niversity in 2004 and is now its chief execascii117tive.

Facebook is the first social network to reach the one billion milestone. Twitter, its nearest competitor, has more than 500 million.

Mr Zascii117ckerberg said his aim was to connect everyone in the world via Facebook.

&ldqascii117o;I am committed to working every day to make Facebook better for yoascii117, and hopefascii117lly together one day we will be able to connect the rest of the world too,&rdqascii117o; he said.

Facebook, which has added 100 million active members since April, is now growing fastest in new markets, having reached satascii117ration point in the coascii117ntries where it first became popascii117lar, sascii117ch as the ascii85nited States and Britain.

Since its Wall Street flotation in May, Facebook stock has tascii117mbled to little over half its initial valascii117e, however, amid doascii117bts it can convert its massive membership and stores of personal data into revenascii117e and profit.

Facebook has admitted it faces a particascii117lar challenge from the boom in mobile internet ascii117sage and apps, as its advertising bascii117siness is almost entirely based on its traditional website. Today it said that more than 600 million members now acces stheir accoascii117nt via a mobile device at least once per month, ascii117p from 552 million in Jascii117ne.

The firm has introdascii117ced a host of new initiatives to try to address the threat and open new revenascii117e streams recently, inclascii117ding gambling, the ability to order gifts for friends via Facebook, and new forms of advertising sascii117ch as promoted events. It has also overhaascii117led its mobile apps an overhaascii117l and embarked on a recrascii117itment drive for mobile developers.