INSTAGRAM has seen 100 million new users sign up over the past six months, pushing its total base to more than 600 million.

The image sharing social media platform announced the news on its blog on Thursday, thanking users and adding: "we're working to make Instagram safer than ever for connection and self-expression."

Recent updates to the platform include the addition of features such as ‘Instagram Stories', live video and disappearing photos.

Earlier this week the company unveiled a new ‘saved posts' feature for users to bookmark material.