Facebook users will, therefore, have more control over how their connections are grouped.
The move forms part of a raft of improvements the firm has been making in recent weeks.
Some industry commentators have suggested that the changes are a response to the Circles feature on Google+, which is expected to reach 100 million users this year.
Mike Schroepfer, Facebook's vice-president of engineering, has dismissed this suggestion, saying the changes were part of the site's gradual evolution.
"We've had friend lists since 2007," he explained to BBC News. "Groups we made in 2010. We've been experimenting with lots of different ways to share for many, many years now."
Mr Schroepfer added that despite the new wave of changes, the company is keen to ensure that the option to keep information private remains.
