Instagram has passed 150 million users with more than 60 per cent coming from outside the US, the home market of the Facebook-owned photo sharing app.

The milestone has been reached following the addition of 50 million users in the past six months. Instagram had around 30 million users when Facebook acquired it for $1 billion in April last year, shortly after the introduction of an Android version of the app.

“Whether you’re in Moscow or Hong Kong, Berlin or Reykjavik, we’re more committed than ever to bringing you the best Instagram experience possible,” the company said in a blog post.

Instagram was boosted in June by the addition of short-form video clips, allowing it to compete with the likes of Twitter’s Vine app. The rate of growth could soon put it on par with Facebook rival Twitter, which revealed it had passed 200 million users in March.

Instagram has been careful to maintain its uncluttered approach, shying away from advertising in order to showcase content produced by users. As a result, it has been slow to make money.

Facebook’s Emily White was recently appointed director of business operations for Instagram and told the Wall Street Journal that the company wants to make money “in the long term”.

White and Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom defined Instagram’s mission “to capture and share the world’s moments”. This mission is likely to be used to sell the service to advertisers in the future.

How advertising can be integrated without detracting from Instagram’s current appeal will be a major challenge, however.