As of January 2024, women in the age group of 25 to 34 years accounted for 15.8 percent of social media users in South Africa. This was higher compared to 14.9 percent for men in the same age bracket. Female young adults aged 13 to 17 years also accounted for 15.8 percent of social media audiences in South Africa. In all age groups, the share of women users was higher (except individuals between 35 and 44).

The largest share of potential advertising reach of the Meta platforms Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger in South Africa was at nearly 31 percent for individuals aged 18 to 24 years as of January 2024. Of those, women represented the majority, with 15.8 percent compared to the roughly 15 percent for men. Furthermore, people aged 25 to 34 years accounted for just over 30 percent of the reach, with a slightly higher share for women than men.

As of December 2024, there were approximately 7.3 million Instagram users in South Africa, accounting for nearly 12 percent of the population. The social media app was most popular with 18 to 24 year olds, who made up 37 percent of Instagram’s audience in the country. Overall, users aged 25 to 34 years ranked second, following closely with 31.5 percent. Instagram’s smallest audience was users aged between 55 and 64 years, who accounted for just 3.7 percent of users.

Abstract

The South African Audience Research Foundation (SAARF) conducts the All Media and Products Survey (AMPS) to collect data on media usage of South Africans, as well as their ownership or usage of certain products and services.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers major rural and urban areas in South Africa. This includes major metropolitan areas in Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Northern Cape.

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The universe which the AMPS sample is drawn comprises virtually all South African adults aged 15 years or older throughout urban and rural areas of major metropolitans in South Africa. The survey covers residents in private households, or hotels, residential hotels and similar accommodation in the Republic of South Africa.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The universe which the AMPS sample is drawn comprises adults aged 15 years or older in South Africa. A multistage, area stratified, quasi-probability design was employed on a full annual sample. Using population estimates, the sample is then grossed up to the total population so that findings can be looked at in terms of both percentage and thousands of people. The data were collected by personal, in-home interviews. In the case of each racial group, certain areas were excluded from consideration, as containing no persons or a negligible number of persons in a given group.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

When asked about "Social network usage by frequency", 12 percent of South African respondents answer "Several times a week". This online survey was conducted in 2023, among 1,944 consumers.Find this and more survey data on social network usage by frequency in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.

WhatsApp is the most popular social media in South Africa. As of the third quarter of 2023, some 94 percent of internet users in the country used the messaging app. Facebook and Tiktok followed, with a penetration rate of around 88 percent and 74 percent, respectively. The potential audience of Facebook that can be reached with advertisements amounted to 22.2 million. Internet and social media users keep increasing The number of internet users in South Africa has registered a growth since 2018. In 2022, some 48.4 million South Africans accessed the internet, compared to 36 million four years earlier. Consequently, active social media users also faced a boom in number. By January 2022, individuals actively using social media platforms increased to 28 million, nearly three times higher than in 2014. Mobile phones dominate internet access In 2022, 47.8 million South Africans used mobile devices to surf the internet. Mobile phones were the main devices used to access the internet in the country. As of the third quarter of 2021, 96 percent of the internet users used them to connect to the internet, while 86.2 percent used a laptop or desktop computer to be online. Furthermore, mobile phones generated close to 79 percent of the web traffic as of late 2022

This statistic shows the number of Facebook users in South Africa from 2017 to 2026. In 2026 the number of Facebook users in South Africa is expected to reach 35.92 million, up from 25.4 million users in 2020.

This statistic shows the audience of selected commercial radio stations in South Africa as of August 2017. The data shows that Metro FM had 5.26 million listeners in the seven days prior to the date of study, and Yfm, South Africa's most popular radio station for younger listeners, had an audience of 1.34 million.

When asked about "View on personal future", 34 percent of South African respondents answer "Fairly optimistic". This online survey was conducted in 2023, among 12,207 consumers.Find this and more survey data on view on personal future in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.

"Comedies" and "Documentaries" are the top two answers among South African consumers in our survey on the subject of "Preferred TV content by genre".Find this and more survey data on preferred TV content by genre in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.

As of December 2024, there were roughly 7.3 million Instagram users in South Africa, which accounted for nearly 12 percent of the country's total population. Overall, the majority of Meta's Instagram were women, accounting for 56.6 percent of all users. The social media platform was most popular with those aged between 18 and 24 years.

X's (Twitter) potential advertising reach in South Africa was just under seven percent of the country's total population as of January 2024. The advertising reach was higher among the population over 18 years, at a share of nine percent. Considering internet users, the social media platform had an audience ad reach of nine percent as well.

When asked about "Most purchased daily newspapers by type", 75 percent of South African respondents answer "As single issues". This online survey was conducted in 2023, among 633 consumers.Find this and more survey data on most purchased daily newspapers by type in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.

The potential advertising reach of LinkedIn in South Africa was about 20 percent of the country's aggregate population. Furthermore, the share was higher in relation to the population aged 18 years and older, at nearly 30 percent. Considering internet users, LinkedIn had an audience ad reach of close to 27 percent.

We asked South African consumers about "Digital video game purchases by store brand" and found that "Google Play Store" takes the top spot, while "Raru" is at the other end of the ranking.Find this and more survey data on digital video game purchases by store brand in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.

This statistic, based on data provided by Parrot Analytics, shows a ranking of the most popular digital original television shows based on audience demand in South Africa in the first quarter of 2019. In the presented period, 'The Umbrella Academy' on Netflix was the most in-demand digital original show in South Africa, with approximately 2.48 million average daily demand expressions. 'You' by Netflix' and 'The Grand Tour' by Amazon Prime Video ranked second and third, with 2.28 million and 2.26 million average demand expressions respectively.

90 percent of South African respondents answer our survey on "Most used social media platforms by type" with "Instant messengers (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat)". The survey was conducted in 2023, among 12,207 consumers.Find this and more survey data on most used social media platforms by type in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.

When asked about "Drivers of online recommendations", most South African respondents pick "I like the products" as an answer. 60 percent did so in our online survey in 2023.Find this and more survey data on drivers of online recommendations in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.

"Social media apps" and "E-mail services" are the top two answers among South African consumers in our survey on the subject of "Most used smartphone apps by type".Find this and more survey data on most used smartphone apps by type in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.

When asked about "Magazine / weekly newspaper purchases by type", 77 percent of South African respondents answer "As single issues". This online survey was conducted in 2023, among 915 consumers.Find this and more survey data on magazine / weekly newspaper purchases by type in our Consumer Insights tool. Filter by countless demographics, drill down to your own, hand-tailored target audience, and compare results across countries worldwide.