China was home to over one billion social media users in 2023, making it the country with the largest audience. It is expected that by 2029, the number of social media users in the country will exceed 1.2 billion. However, within the next few years, India is expected to become the largest social media audience, reaching 1.3 billion by 2029. Nigeria's online networking audience is expected to grow from 47 million in 2023 to 114 million by 2029, an increase of over 142 percent.

As of April 2024, the UAE had the highest social media penetration rate globally out of selected countries and territories, with a whopping 115 percent. Saudi Arabia and South Korea followed, with 96.2 percent and 93.4 percent of active usage reach, respectively. Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria had some of the lowest social network penetration rates in the world, with less than 25 percent of the population accessing social media in each country. The worldwide average rate of social media active usage stood at 62.6 percent as of early 2024, meaning that more than six out every ten people around the world use social networking platforms. How many people use social media? Although the top three countries with the highest social media penetration rates globally were in Eastern and Southwestern Asia in 2023, the region with the greatest social media reach was Northern Europe with 83.6 percent, followed by Western Europe with 83.3 percent and Southern Europe with 76.7 percent. In 2022, more than 4.59 billion people reported using social media, and this number is projected to reach almost six billion by 2027. Facebook: the most popular social network Meta’s Facebook, the social media giant and the first platform to reach this kind of scale, was the leading social network as of October 2023 with more than three billion global monthly active users (MAU). Additionally, Meta owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with more than one billion MAU each: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. As of January 2023, India was home to Facebook’s largest audience with more than 300 million MAU, followed by the United States with 175 million MAU.

As of January 2025, Northern and Western Europe were the regions with the highest social network penetration rates globally, reaching 78.7 and 77.1 percent, respectively. Eastern Asia ranked third with a penetration rate of 76 percent, followed by Southern Europe with 74.2 percent. In contrast, Eastern and Middle Africa were the regions with the lowest reach, with 11.1 and 10.1 percent. Overall, the global average was 63.9 percent, which translates to almost six out of every ten people around the world using social networks. The regions below the global average were located in Africa and Asia, as well as Oceania and the Caribbean. Global social media use In 2023, 4.89 billion people around the world were using social media, and the number of users is projected to continue rising to almost six billion by 2027. Meta’s Facebook is the most popular social media network globally, with more than three billion monthly active users (MAU). Meta Platforms owns four of the ten leading social media networks globally, each with more than one billion MAU: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. Social Media Usage, by country As of January 2024, the UAE had the highest social media penetration rate out of selected countries and territories. Brazil and Morocco were close to the global average of 62.3 percent, with 66.3 and 55.7 percent, respectively, while Kenya reached only 23.5 percent. Although India’s active social media penetration rate was below average at 32.2 percent, the country had the second largest social media audience in the world, with 755 million social media users in 2022.

Which countries spent the most and least time on social media?

The results might surprise you when looking at internet users that are active on social media in each country.

As of February 2025, more than 76 percent of the population of Uruguay was on social media. On the other hand, approximately 22 percent of Haitians used social networking platforms. Among the largest Latin American markets, Brazil had the lowest social media penetration rate at 67.8 percent, just below Colombia and Argentina. Online networking among Chilean young adults intensifies Young adults are the primary audience of social media in Chile. Nearly half of all Facebook users in the South American country were between 18 and 34 years old. The same age group accounted for almost 80 percent of Chilean users of LinkedIn. This generation has also been devoting more of its time to this type of online activity. During a 2020 survey, people aged 18 to 29 in Chile said they spent 4.1 average hours per day on social media. Obstacles for the expansion of social media in Brazil A handful of issues still set part of Brazil’s online population apart from social networks. The country ranked fifth in average internet connection speed in Latin America. Furthermore, almost one third of surveyed Brazilians said it was likely that their online accounts would get hacked in 2021. Finally, personal preferences may also play a relevant role. Around one out of four persons surveyed in Brazil stated it was likely that they would use social media less throughout 2020.

Global ad spend were expected to reach over $134 billion in 2022. This means that it has increased by over 17% yearly.

I’ve compiled a list of the latest social media user statistics showing just how big social media has become and where it’s likely to go in the future.

These are the key social media statistics that you need to know.

During the first quarter of 2023, internet users in Brazil spent an average of three hours and 49 minutes per day on social media. Nigeria and the Philippines also reported high usage levels. By comparison, internet users in Japan spent less than 50 minutes per day on social media. Low levels of daily usage were also recorded in South Korea and the Belgium.

As of January 2023 social network Facebook was ranked first worldwide in terms of active users with almost three billion MAU. Other popular social media include mobile messaging platforms YouTube and WhatsApp, as well as social content sharing networks such as Instagram and social video platform TikTok.

Most social networks are accessible through multiple platforms, but many popular social media started out as mobile apps, demonstrating the growing trend of mobile first development. Examples include Instagram, which initially was launched as an iOS photo editing and discovery app as well as mobile social messenger, as well as TikTok, which recorded 23.7 million downloads worldwide via the Google Play Store alone in June 2023.

Social networking does not only enable users to connect with other people but also with brands and celebrities. Social media has also become a growing source of news for internet users in many countries.

Europe Social Media Analytics Market Statistics and It is Segmented by Component (Monitoring, Measurement, Analytics, and Insight), Mode of Deployment (On-Premises and Cloud), End-User Vertical (BFSI, Retail, Healthcare, Government Service, Media and Entertainment, Transportation, and Logistics, IT, and Telecommunications, and Other End Users), and Country (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Rest of Europe). The Market Sizes and Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD) for all the Above Segments.

59% of adults in the united states are using Instagram daily.

Social media addiction statistics show that over 210 million people worldwide suffer from social media addiction.

Global Social Media Market to hit USD 466.56B by 2029 growing at 13% CAGR. Explore trends, drivers, and competition for strategic insights with The Business Research Company.

The average Facebook user spends about 19.6 per month on Facebook every month. This works out to be about 39 minutes per day.

TikTok comes in 6th position in a list of the world’s most-used social media sites today.

As of February 2025, social media usage penetration in Singapore reached close to 88.2 percent, followed by Malaysia at 70.2 percent. In contrast, Indonesia, the Southeast Asia's most populous country, had a social media penetration of around 50.2 percent that year. Social media engagement in APAC region Chinese citizens have a sizable online presence, with over one billion active social media users in 2025. In terms of social media activity, other Asia-Pacific countries and regions appeared to lag behind China. India and Indonesia, the second and third most populous countries in terms of social media, had more than 481 and 143 million active social media users, respectively. In terms of traffic, Facebook was the most popular social media platform in Southeast Asia in 2024, with the highest share in Timor-Leste at around 97 percent. Other international platforms with significant market shares in Southeast Asian markets in 2024 included YouTube, X, Instagram, and Pinterest. Social media user penetration APAC South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore had the highest active social media user penetration rates in the Asia-Pacific region as of January 2024. In comparison, highly populated countries like Indonesia, China, and India showcased lower rates, indicating untapped growth potential for the social media market. At the same time, internet users in Indonesia came second only to those in the Philippines in regard to daily time spent on social media, with users in the Philippines spending on average four hours a day using social media platforms. In comparison, in the same year, internet users in Japan spent around 50 minutes per day on social media.

56.8% of the world’s total population is active on social media.

The average Twitter user spends 5.1 hours per month on the platform.

Chinese citizens displayed a strong online presence, having approximately 1.08 billion active social media users as of February 2025. Other Asia-Pacific countries and regions appeared to trail behind China in terms of their social media engagement. India and Indonesia, the second- and third-ranked countries in terms of number of active social media users, had 491 million and 143 million active social media users, respectively. Leading social media platforms Facebook reigns worldwide and in the Asia-Pacific region as the most-used social media site, having displayed an increasing number of daily active users. However, Asian social networks, such as WeChat and Douyin, have also gained immense popularity in the Asia-Pacific region by offering content and services tailored to APAC preferences. Acting not only as a messaging and social media service, WeChat is a platform for online shopping and payment services. The social networking site, owned by Tencent, was the sixth most used social media platform globally. A connected region The Asia-Pacific region has gone through a technological evolution and alongside the region, its citizens have willingly adopted this change. This is conveyed through the internet penetration rate, which has more than doubled since 2010 in Asia. A better internet infrastructure has catalyzed the emergence of social media throughout the Asia-Pacific region.