The number of social media users in Ireland was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.6 million users (+12.85 percent). After the seventh consecutive increasing year, the social media user base is estimated to reach 5.24 million users and therefore a new peak in 2029. The shown figures regarding social media users have been derived from survey data that has been processed to estimate missing demographics.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).

During the third quarter of 2023, it was found that the daily use of the internet via any device amounted to six hours and 13 minutes on average in Ireland. Furthermore, it was reported that daily use of social media totaled to one hour and 56 minutes per day, while the surveyed internet users in the country watched television (either via broadcast or streaming) for more than three hours and 11 minutes per day.

This statistic shows the results of a survey conducted by Cint on the distribution of social media used in Ireland in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, 30.08 percent of respondents stated that they use Facebook.

As of January 2025, there were 4,063,400 users of Facebook in Ireland, the majority of which were women. People aged 25 to 34 comprised the largest share of users with 24.1 percent, followed by those aged 35 to 44, who accounted for 21.7 percent of users. People aged 65 years and olden made up only 7.7 percent of Facebook's audience in Ireland.

72 percent of Irish 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 2,055 consumers.Access millions of exclusive survey results with Statista Consumer Insights.

We asked Irish consumers about "Social network usage by brand" and found that "Facebook" takes the top spot, while "WordPress" is at the other end of the ranking.These results are based on a representative online survey conducted in 2024 among 2,085 consumers in Ireland. Statista Consumer Insights offer you exclusive market research results from over 50 countries and territories worldwide.

Compared to other social media platforms, Facebook had the highest penetration rate in Ireland in December 2019. The social media giant was followed by Instagram and LinkedIn, with respective penetration rates of 43 and 35 percent.

Internet and social media use in Ireland

From 2009 to 2018, the share of people using the internet on an everyday basis increased from 40 percent to 77 percent. In comparison, the share of individuals claiming that they hadn’t used the internet in the previous three months reached 18 percent in 2018. Participation in social media experienced a similar trend, with numbers rising from 40 percent in 2011 to 60 percent in 2018.

Facebook users in Ireland

The number of Facebook users in Ireland increased from 2018 to 2020, reaching over 3.3 million users in October 2020. The leading social media platform was particularly popular amongst adults in the age category ranging from 25 to 34 years old, making up a share of 25.1 percent, followed by 22 percent of users aged between 35 and 44 years old.

The social media penetration rate in Ireland was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2028 by in total 4.7 (+5.41 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the penetration rate is estimated to reach 91.58 and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the social media penetration rate of was continuously increasing over the past years.

This statistic shows the results of a survey on the usage of social media as a platform for news in Ireland in 2016, broken down by age and gender. The survey found that 58 percent of Irish women stated that they had used social media platforms to access news in the past week.

In 2023, social media advertising spending in Ireland stood at 446 million euros, having increased 19 percent on the value reported for 2022. Total Irish digital ad spending amounted to 958 million euros.

This statistic presents the share of consumers in selected age groups using social media to inspire purchases in the Republic of Ireland, according to survey conducted in Autumn/Winter 2017. The usage of social media for purchase inspiration decreases with age, with only 13 percent of those aged 65 years and older using the platforms, compared to 94 percent of 18 to 24 year olds.

As of early 2024, among the presented social networks, advertising on YouTube had the highest reach in Ireland, both among women and men, with 89.1 and 89.8 percent, respectively. On average, YouTube advertising reached 89.5 percent of adults in the country.

"Sent private messages" and "Liked posts by other users or followed people" are the top two answers among Irish consumers in our survey on the subject of "Most common social media activities".The survey was conducted online among 2,085 respondents in Ireland, in 2024. Statista Consumer Insights offer you all results of our exclusive Statista surveys, based on more than 2,000,000 interviews.

As of early 2025, advertising on Facebook had the highest reach in Ireland among the presented social networks, with 39.4 percent. YouTube and Instagram followed, with 39 and 28.8 percent, respectively.

As of January 2025, there were 4.06 million Facebook users in Ireland, accounting for 79 percent of the country's population. In Ireland, users aged 25 to 34 years made up the largest share of Facebook's audience, making up 24.1 percent of users. Additionally, the majority of Facebook users in Ireland were women.

When asked about "Social network usage by frequency", 13 percent of Irish respondents answer "Several times a week". This online survey was conducted in 2023, among 920 consumers.As an element of Statista Consumer Insights, our Consumer Insights Global survey offers you up-to-date market research data from over 50 countries and territories worldwide.

An October 2020 survey asked children in Ireland which apps or websites they used the most. Snapchat was the most used online platform for age groups 13 to 14 years and 15 to 17 years, with 55 percent and 62 percent claiming to use the social platform respectively. YouTube was the most popular with the nine to ten year age category with 51 percent, as well as the eleven to twelve year age category, with 59 percent.

This statistic shows the share of individuals in Ireland who participated social networks from 2011 to 2018. In 2018, 73 percent of all individuals used social networks in Ireland.

Social media's influence in the United Kingdom continues to grow, with 56.2 million active users as of January 2024, representing 82.8 percent of the population. This penetration rate surpasses the global average of 62.3 percent, positioning the UK as a leader in social media adoption. The country's high usage reflects a broader trend of increasing social media engagement worldwide, particularly in Northern and Western Europe. Global social media landscape The social media landscape is rapidly evolving, with China currently hosting over one billion users and India projected to become the largest social media audience by 2029. Notably, Nigeria is expected to see a staggering 142 percent increase in its online networking audience between 2023 and 2029. In 2024, global social media users spent an average of 143 minutes per day on social networks. Facebook is still the market leader Facebook is the most widely utilized social media platform globally, and India boasts 378 million Facebook users, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size. As of April 2024, it was found that men between the ages of 25 and 34 were the largest audience for Facebook, accounting for 18.4 percent of global users. Furthermore, Facebooks second-largest audience base could be found with men aged 18 to 24 years.

In 2023, there were 3.7 million Facebook users in Ireland. By 2029, it is estimated there will be around 3.8 million users in the country. Overall, there are 4.5 million social media users in Ireland as of 2024. Facebook users in Ireland Females aged 25 to 34 years make up the largest demographic of Irish Facebook users. 13.3 percent of users fall under that category. Just 20.3 percent of Facebook’s user base in the Republic of Ireland is under the age of 25, while 49.1 percent of the user base is between the ages of 25 to 44. Facebook’s slowing growth across Europe While the general number of daily active users (DAU) in Europe continues to increase, Facebook’s growth in Europe slowed considerably compared to previous years. There was no growth at all from the first quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2019, and the company actually lost four million DAU during the first three quarters of 2018. The Cambridge Analytica scandal broke in March 2018, shortly before the company lost three million DAU.