As of the third quarter of 2024, Facebook was the most used social media platform in the Philippines, as stated by about 95 percent of respondents. Facebook Messenger follows, with about 93 percent of Filipinos stating they used the messaging app. Facebook as the top social media in the Philippines In the Philippines, Facebook is not only considered a social media platform, but also as a primary source of news and a platform for e-commerce companies to reach out to their potential consumers. It is perhaps unsurprising how the app dominated the social media market in the country, as seen in the growing number of Filipino Facebook users. Reasons for increasing social media usage As a country divided by over seven thousand islands, the constant need for interaction has been driving the growing number of social network users in the Philippines. This is also an important platform for families with members working overseas and those who have already emigrated abroad.

Facebook accounted for the highest share within the social media market in the Philippines in 2024. Video streaming platform, YouTube, follows at 24 percent. Demographics of Facebook users Over the years, the Philippines has been dominating the Facebook landscape, ranking among markets with the largest audience size. The platform's user demographic is mainly composed of users between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, although a fair share of older people also use Facebook. Over the years, the social media channel has moved beyond simply a platform to connect with other internet users but has also established online marketplaces for small-scale entrepreneurs as well as shaping political perspectives, especially during elections. Facebook advertising As Facebook grows within this select group of users, it prompts social media marketing or social advertising to use that time and screen space to promote various products and services. In fact, the Philippines was one of the largest Facebook advertising audiences in Asia in 2024, with almost an equal share of ad audiences across genders.

As of the third quarter of 2024, 36 percent of respondents in the Philippines stated that Facebook was their favorite social media platform. This was followed by Facebook Messenger and TikTok.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2023, around 70 percent of respondents stated that they used Facebook the most for their social commerce transactions in the last 12 months. TikTok followed, with 53 percent of respondents using it for online shopping. The same survey indicated that about 37 percent of Filipino consumers shopped via social media.

According to a survey conducted on digital news in the Philippines between January and February 2024, 61 percent of respondents stated that they used Facebook as a news source. Other popular social media platforms for consuming news were YouTube and Facebook Messenger, which were used by 45 percent and 26 percent of respondents, respectively.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in February 2023, 74 percent of respondents in Vietnam have purchased items on Facebook. Facebook was also the most used social commerce platform in Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Hong Kong as of February 2023.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2023, about 78 percent of respondents aged 45 to 54 years stated that they often made purchases via Facebook in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, the younger generation chose to buy their products through TikTok, as stated by around 67 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 24 years.

Facebook and YouTube are still the most used social media platforms today.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2023, around 66 percent of female and 77 percent of male respondents stated that they shopped via Facebook in the last 12 months. The same survey revealed that clothing was the most popular purchased item among all genders on social media platforms.

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

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

The results of which gender uses which platforms are in.

It was estimated that by 2029, over 95 million Filipinos will become social network users. Considering the forecasted population of around 119 million, this highlights the key role of social media among Filipino internet users.

Is the Philippines the social media capital?
The Philippines have been called the social media capital of the world because of their extraordinarily high usage time of about three hours per day. Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram have emerged as the leading platforms used monthly by Filipino internet users. Additionally, Filipinos were known as early technology adopters, as well as being highly internet-savvy.

How are the Philippines able to improve its accessibility?
While Filipino online users continue to ride the wave of internet trends, the current network infrastructure still needs improvement. The archipelago consists of around seven thousand islands, making it challenging for the government to provide basic connectivity for all. As of 2022, it was estimated that there were about 56 percent of Filipinos had internet access. Although this figure was seen to improve in the succeeding years, measures to speed up the internet connection speed in the Philippines should be laid out to cater to the population’s needs.

Gen Z and Millennials are the biggest social media users of all age groups.

As of June 2024, Facebook and Instagram were the leading social media applications in the Philippines. As of this date, the social media apps have been downloaded five billion times from the Google Play Store. Both Facebook and Instagram are owned by Meta, along with the messaging application Facebook Messenger. Facebook's popularity in the Philippines  The number of Facebook users in the Philippines has been gradually increasing over the years, with the platform’s popularity apparent across generations. Facebook is used more than just as a networking site; it is leveraged by businesses and news outlets to reach out to the country’s growing internet population. A 2024 survey on digital news in the Philippines revealed that among the social networking platforms, Facebook was the most trusted news source. Challenges in cybersecurity As more transactions become digital, the risk of falling prey to cybercrime also increases. In 2023, about 14,000 online scam incidents were recorded in the Philippines, which represents a significant increase from just 600 in 2019. To address this, the Philippine government passed the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which penalizes illegal acts done online such as identity theft, child pornography, and cybersex.

In this post, I'll give you all the social media addiction statistics you need to be aware of to moderate your social media use.

Regional use of social media has a significant effect on the male and female social media statistics.

This statistic presents a ranking of the most popular social networks and instant messaging platforms in the Philippines as of July 2015, sorted by daily reach. During the survey period, it was found that 45 percent of internet users accessed Facebook on a daily basis.

In 2019, the most popular online platform channel that was used by beauty influencers in the Philippines was Instagram. Social media has become a popular avenue for beauty influencers and they have highly influenced consumer's buying behavior.

The average person has 8-9 social media accounts. This has doubled since 2013, when the average person just had 4-5 accounts.