How many people use social media?

              Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2024, over five billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to over six billion in 2028.

              Who uses social media?
              Social networking is one of the most popular digital activities worldwide and it is no surprise that social networking penetration across all regions is constantly increasing. As of January 2023, the global social media usage rate stood at 59 percent. This figure is anticipated to grow as lesser developed digital markets catch up with other regions
              when it comes to infrastructure development and the availability of cheap mobile devices. In fact, most of social media’s global growth is driven by the increasing usage of mobile devices. Mobile-first market Eastern Asia topped the global ranking of mobile social networking penetration, followed by established digital powerhouses such as the Americas and Northern Europe.

              How much time do people spend on social media?
              Social media is an integral part of daily internet usage. On average, internet users spend 151 minutes per day on social media and messaging apps, an increase of 40 minutes since 2015. On average, internet users in Latin America had the highest average time spent per day on social media.

              What are the most popular social media platforms?
              Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts and currently boasts approximately 2.9 billion monthly active users, making it the most popular social network worldwide. In June 2023, the top social media apps in the Apple App Store included mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and Telegram Messenger, as well as the ever-popular app version of Facebook.

How much time do people spend on social media? As of 2025, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 141 minutes per day, down from 143 minutes in the previous year. Currently, the country with the most time spent on social media per day is Brazil, with online users spending an average of 3 hours and 49 minutes on social media each day. In comparison, the daily time spent with social media in the U.S. was just 2 hours and 16 minutes. Global social media usageCurrently, the global social network penetration rate is 62.3 percent. Northern Europe had an 81.7 percent social media penetration rate, topping the ranking of global social media usage by region. Eastern and Middle Africa closed the ranking with 10.1 and 9.6 percent usage reach, respectively. People access social media for a variety of reasons. Users like to find funny or entertaining content and enjoy sharing photos and videos with friends, but mainly use social media to stay in touch with current events friends. Global impact of social mediaSocial media has a wide-reaching and significant impact on not only online activities but also offline behavior and life in general. During a global online user survey in February 2019, a significant share of respondents stated that social media had increased their access to information, ease of communication, and freedom of expression. On the flip side, respondents also felt that social media had worsened their personal privacy, increased a polarization in politics and heightened everyday distractions.

Verified dataset of U.S. digital usage in 2025: internet users, social media user identities, mobile connections, and internet connection speeds.

During a 2024 survey, 77 percent of respondents from Nigeria stated that they used social media as a source of news. In comparison, just 23 percent of Japanese respondents said the same. Large portions of social media users around the world admit that they do not trust social platforms either as media sources or as a way to get news, and yet they continue to access such networks on a daily basis.

              Social media: trust and consumption

              Despite the majority of adults surveyed in each country reporting that they used social networks to keep up to date with news and current affairs, a 2018 study showed that social media is the least trusted news source in the world. Less than 35 percent of adults in Europe considered social networks to be trustworthy in this respect, yet more than 50 percent of adults in Portugal, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Croatia said that they got their news on social media.

              What is clear is that we live in an era where social media is such an enormous part of daily life that consumers will still use it in spite of their doubts or reservations. Concerns about fake news and propaganda on social media have not stopped billions of users accessing their favorite networks on a daily basis.
              Most Millennials in the United States use social media for news every day, and younger consumers in European countries are much more likely to use social networks for national political news than their older peers.
              Like it or not, reading news on social is fast becoming the norm for younger generations, and this form of news consumption will likely increase further regardless of whether consumers fully trust their chosen network or not.

During a January 2024 global survey among marketers, nearly 60 percent reported plans to increase their organic use of YouTube for marketing purposes in the following 12 months. LinkedIn and Instagram followed, respectively mentioned by 57 and 56 percent of the respondents intending to use them more. According to the same survey, Facebook was the most important social media platform for marketers worldwide.

The global social media penetration rate in was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2028 by in total 11.6 (+18.19 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the penetration rate is estimated to reach 75.31 and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the social media penetration rate of was continuously increasing over the past years.

Pakistan Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Desktop: Fark data was reported at 0.000 % in 23 Apr 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 22 Apr 2025. Pakistan Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Desktop: Fark data is updated daily, averaging 0.000 % from Apr 2024 (Median) to 23 Apr 2025, with 89 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.200 % in 22 Sep 2024 and a record low of 0.000 % in 23 Apr 2025. Pakistan Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Desktop: Fark data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Pakistan – Table PK.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share.

Egypt Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Desktop: Fark data was reported at 0.000 % in 24 Apr 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 23 Apr 2025. Egypt Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Desktop: Fark data is updated daily, averaging 0.000 % from Mar 2024 (Median) to 24 Apr 2025, with 205 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.330 % in 18 Dec 2024 and a record low of 0.000 % in 24 Apr 2025. Egypt Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Desktop: Fark data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share.

This data set belongs to:Janssen, L.H.C., Valkenburg, P.M., Keijsers, L., & Beyens, I. (2025). A harsher reality for adolescents with depression on social media. Scientific Reports.More information about the study is available on the Open Science Framework (OSF), including information about the design and procedure (https://osf.io/k47ta), the preregistration of the research aims and analysis plan (https://osf.io/nmj5b), and all syntax files (https://osf.io/kvy9j/).For more information, please contact the authors at l.h.c.janssen@uu.nl or info@project-awesome.nl.

Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Mobile: news.ycombinator.com data was reported at 0.000 % in 07 Apr 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 06 Apr 2025. Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Mobile: news.ycombinator.com data is updated daily, averaging 0.000 % from Jan 2024 (Median) to 07 Apr 2025, with 234 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.600 % in 17 Apr 2024 and a record low of 0.000 % in 07 Apr 2025. Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Mobile: news.ycombinator.com data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mongolia – Table MN.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share.

Verified dataset of 2025 global ad spend: totals, digital share, format breakdown (search, retail media, social, online video), and top markets.

Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Tablet: news.ycombinator.com data was reported at 0.000 % in 25 Feb 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 24 Feb 2025. Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Tablet: news.ycombinator.com data is updated daily, averaging 0.000 % from Feb 2024 (Median) to 25 Feb 2025, with 364 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.330 % in 18 Nov 2024 and a record low of 0.000 % in 25 Feb 2025. Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Tablet: news.ycombinator.com data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brunei – Table BN.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share.

Oman Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Mobile: news.ycombinator.com data was reported at 0.000 % in 05 Apr 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 04 Apr 2025. Oman Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Mobile: news.ycombinator.com data is updated daily, averaging 0.000 % from May 2024 (Median) to 05 Apr 2025, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.190 % in 31 Dec 2024 and a record low of 0.000 % in 05 Apr 2025. Oman Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Mobile: news.ycombinator.com data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Oman – Table OM.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share.

The global number of Facebook users was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2027 by in total 391 million users (+14.36 percent). After the fourth consecutive increasing year, the Facebook user base is estimated to reach 3.1 billion users and therefore a new peak in 2027. Notably, the number of Facebook users was continuously increasing over the past years. User figures, shown here regarding the platform Facebook, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period and count multiple accounts by persons only once.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

Mexico Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Tablet: Hi5 data was reported at 0.000 % in 04 Apr 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 03 Apr 2025. Mexico Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Tablet: Hi5 data is updated daily, averaging 0.000 % from Mar 2024 (Median) to 04 Apr 2025, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.150 % in 31 Mar 2025 and a record low of 0.000 % in 04 Apr 2025. Mexico Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: Tablet: Hi5 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share.

Singapore Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: All Platforms: Hi5 data was reported at 0.000 % in 16 Mar 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 15 Mar 2025. Singapore Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: All Platforms: Hi5 data is updated daily, averaging 0.000 % from Mar 2025 (Median) to 16 Mar 2025, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.070 % in 12 Mar 2025 and a record low of 0.000 % in 16 Mar 2025. Singapore Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: All Platforms: Hi5 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global Big Data marketsize is USD 40.5 billion in 2024 and will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% from 2024 to 2031. Market Dynamics of Big Data Market Key Drivers for Big Data Market Increasing demand for decision-making based on data - One of the main reasons the Big Data market is growing is due to the increasing demand for decision-making based on data. Organizations understand the strategic benefit of using data insights to make accurate and informed decisions in the current competitive scenario. This change marks a break from conventional decision-making paradigms as companies depend more and more on big data analytics to maximize performance, reduce risk, and open up prospects. Real-time processing, analysis, and extraction of actionable insights from large datasets enables businesses to react quickly to consumer preferences and market trends. The increasing need to maximize performance, reduce risk, and open up prospects is anticipated to drive the Big Data market's expansion in the years ahead. Key Restraints for Big Data Market The lack of integrator and interoperability poses a serious threat to the Big Data industry. The market also faces significant difficulties because of the realization of its full potential. Introduction of the Big Data Market Big data software is a category of software used for gathering, storing, and processing large amounts of heterogeneous, dynamic data produced by humans, machines, and other technologies. It is concentrated on offering effective analytics for extraordinarily massive datasets, which help the organization obtain a profound understanding by transforming the data into superior knowledge relevant to the business scenario. Additionally, the programmer assists in identifying obscure correlations, market trends, customer preferences, hidden patterns, and other valuable information from a wide range of data sets. Due to the widespread use of digital solutions in sectors such as finance, healthcare, BFSI, retail, agriculture, telecommunications, and media, data is increasing dramatically on a worldwide scale. Smart devices, soil sensors, and GPS-enabled tractors generate massive amounts of data. Large data sets, such as supply tracks, natural trends, optimal crop conditions, sophisticated risk assessment, and more, are analyzed in agriculture through the application of big data analytics.

Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: All Platforms: Fark data was reported at 0.000 % in 26 Apr 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 25 Apr 2025. Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: All Platforms: Fark data is updated daily, averaging 0.010 % from Aug 2024 (Median) to 26 Apr 2025, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.030 % in 23 Apr 2025 and a record low of 0.000 % in 26 Apr 2025. Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share: All Platforms: Fark data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Chile – Table CL.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Social Media Market Share.

Preprint

Abstract

The World Wide Web is a complex interconnected digital ecosystem, where information and attention flow between platforms and communities throughout the globe. These interactions co-construct how we understand the world, reflecting and shaping public discourse. Unfortunately, researchers often struggle to understand how information circulates and evolves across the web because platform-specific data is often siloed and restricted by linguistic barriers. To address this gap, we present a comprehensive, multilingual dataset capturing all Wikipedia links shared in posts and comments on Reddit from 2020 to 2023, excluding those from private and NSFW subreddits. Each linked Wikipedia article is enriched with revision history, page view data, article ID, redirects, and Wikidata identifiers. Through a research agreement with Reddit, our dataset ensures user privacy while providing a query and ID mechanism that integrates with the Reddit and Wikipedia APIs. This enables extended analyses for researchers studying how information flows across platforms. For example, Reddit discussions use Wikipedia for deliberation and fact-checking which subsequently influences Wikipedia content, by driving traffic to articles or inspiring edits. By analyzing the relationship between information shared and discussed on these platforms, our dataset provides a foundation for examining the interplay between social media discourse and collaborative knowledge consumption and production.

Datasheet

Motivation

The motivations for this dataset stem from the challenges researchers face in studying the flow of information across the web. While the World Wide Web enables global communication and collaboration, data silos, linguistic barriers, and platform-specific restrictions hinder our ability to understand how information circulates, evolves, and impacts public discourse. Wikipedia and Reddit, as major hubs of knowledge sharing and discussion, offer an invaluable lens into these processes. However, without comprehensive data capturing their interactions, researchers are unable to fully examine how platforms co-construct knowledge. This dataset bridges this gap, providing the tools needed to study the interconnectedness of social media and collaborative knowledge systems.

Composition

WikiReddit, a comprehensive dataset capturing all Wikipedia mentions (including links) shared in posts and comments on Reddit from 2020 to 2023, excluding those from private and NSFW (not safe for work) subreddits. The SQL database comprises 336K total posts, 10.2M comments, 1.95M unique links, and 1.26M unique articles spanning 59 languages on Reddit and 276 Wikipedia language subdomains. Each linked Wikipedia article is enriched with its revision history and page view data within a ±10-day window of its posting, as well as article ID, redirects, and Wikidata identifiers. Supplementary anonymous metadata from Reddit posts and comments further contextualizes the links, offering a robust resource for analysing cross-platform information flows, collective attention dynamics, and the role of Wikipedia in online discourse.

Collection Process

Data was collected from the Reddit4Researchers and Wikipedia APIs. No personally identifiable information is published in the dataset. Data from Reddit to Wikipedia is linked via the hyperlink and article titles appearing in Reddit posts.

Preprocessing/cleaning/labeling

Extensive processing with tools such as regex was applied to the Reddit post/comment text to extract the Wikipedia URLs. Redirects for Wikipedia URLs and article titles were found through the API and mapped to the collected data. Reddit IDs are hashed with SHA-256 for post/comment/user/subreddit anonymity.

Uses

We foresee several applications of this dataset and preview four here. First, Reddit linking data can be used to understand how attention is driven from one platform to another. Second, Reddit linking data can shed light on how Wikipedia's archive of knowledge is used in the larger social web. Third, our dataset could provide insights into how external attention is topically distributed across Wikipedia. Our dataset can help extend that analysis into the disparities in what types of external communities Wikipedia is used in, and how it is used. Fourth, relatedly, a topic analysis of our dataset could reveal how Wikipedia usage on Reddit contributes to societal benefits and harms. Our dataset could help examine if homogeneity within the Reddit and Wikipedia audiences shapes topic patterns and assess whether these relationships mitigate or amplify problematic engagement online.

Distribution

The dataset is publicly shared with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The article describing this dataset should be cited: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.04942

Maintenance

Patrick Gildersleve will maintain this dataset, and add further years of content as and when available.

SQL Database Schema

Table: posts

Table: comments

Table: postlinks

Table: commentlinks