Social Media Penetration by Country and Territory
Kenya and South Africa top the chart ranking social media usage by country in terms of time spent per day. In both these countries, users spend more than three hours a day on social media.
But what does the ranking look like when comparing social media penetration rates? In other words, what percentage of a country’s population is active on social media and what countries have the highest percentages? Here’s a breakdown of social media penetration by country and territory.
Social media penetration by country and territory: top 10
|
Country/territory |
Rate of social media use vs. population |
|
1. United Arab Emirates |
105.6% |
|
2. St. Barthélemy |
96.2% |
|
3. South Korea |
94.1% |
|
4. Bahrain |
88.7% |
|
5. Qatar |
87.7% |
|
6. Libya |
87.6% |
|
7. Singapore |
84.8% |
|
8. Saudi Arabia |
84.2% |
|
9. Kuwait |
84.1% |
|
10. Hong Kong |
83.9% |
Social media penetration by country and territory
The global social media penetration rate currently stands at 63.7%. A recent in-depth study of social media penetration rates by country and territory shows that the United Arab Emirates currently tops the list. It has a rate of 105.6%, which suggests there are more social media users than people there. Analysts say this is likely to be a result of duplicate and “fake” accounts and discrepancies between census data and the actual population.
Second on the list ranking social media penetration by country and territory is St. Barthélemy, with 96.2%. This is followed by South Korea, with a rate of 94.1%. Despite the country’s high penetration rate, South Korea has one of the lowest social media usage when it comes to time spent. Users there spend just one hour and 13 minutes a day on social media. The three countries or territories listed so far are the only ones whose social media penetration rates are above 90%.
Bahrain ranks next, with 88.7% of its population on social media. Qatar rounds out the five countries with the highest social media penetration rates, with 87.7%. It’s worth noting that four out of the top five countries are located in Asia.
Libya is the country with the sixth-highest social media penetration rate. The study’s results show that 87.6% of the population are social media users. Libya is followed by Singapore, whose social media penetration rate is 84.8%. With a download speed of over 285 Mbps (megabits per second), Singapore also has one of the fastest internet speeds in the world. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are eighth and ninth on the list ranking social media penetration by country and territory—just over 84% of internet users there are on social media.
Hong Kong rounds out the ranking of social media penetration by country and territory, with a penetration rate of 83.9%. On the other end of the spectrum lie Eritrea and Niger. At 0.3% and 2.2%, respectively, these two countries have the lowest social media penetration rates.
Social media penetration rate by region
|
Regio
According to the same study, social media penetration rates are highest in Europe. Northern and Western Europe have the highest adoption rates, at 80.1% and 78.2%, respectively. This translates into four out of every five individuals in these areas. Eastern Asia has the third-highest social media penetration rate, with 75%. Southern Europe follows, with 73.5%. Northern America has the fifth-highest social media penetration rate, with 70.7%. |