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 |
Rate of social media use vs. population |
|---|---|
|
1. United Arab Emirates |
115.0% |
|
2. Kuwait |
98.4% |
|
3. Qatar |
97.0% |
|
4. Saudi Arabia |
96.2% |
|
5. South Korea |
93.4% |
|
6. Bahrain |
88.9% |
|
7. Libya |
87.8% |
|
8. St. Barthélemy |
84.9% |
|
9. Singapore |
84.9% |
|
10. Malaysia |
84.3% |
The global social media penetration rate currently stands at 62.6%. 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 115%, 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 Kuwait, with 98.4%. This is followed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with rates of 97% and 96.2%, respectively.
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South Korea rounds out the five countries with the highest social media penetration rates, with 93.4%. 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 70 minutes a day on social media. It’s worth noting that all of the top five countries are located in Asia. The five countries listed so far are the only ones whose social media penetration rates are above 90%.
Bahrain is the country with the sixth-highest social media penetration rate. The study’s results show that 88.9% of the population are social media users. Bahrain is followed by Libya, whose social media penetration rate is 87.8%. St. Barthélemy and Singapore are joint eighth on the list ranking social media penetration by country and territory—84.9% of internet users there are on social media. With a download speed of over 285 Mbps (megabits per second), Singapore also has one of the fastest internet speeds in the world.
Malaysia rounds out the ranking of social media penetration by country and territory, with a penetration rate of 84.3%. On the other end of the spectrum lie Eritrea and Niger. At 0.3% and 2.3%, respectively, these two countries have the lowest social media penetration rates.
Social media penetration rate by region
|
Region |
Social media penetration rate |
|---|---|
|
1. Northern Europe |
80.2% |
|
2. Western Europe |
78.2% |
|
3. Eastern Asia |
74.9% |
|
4. Southern Europe |
73.5% |
|
5. Northern America |
70.8% |
|
6. Eastern Europe |
70.0% |
|
7. Southern America |
67.7% |
|
8. Western Asia |
66.9% |
|
9. Central America |
66.7% |
|
10. Southeastern Asia |
61.6% |
According to the same study, social media penetration rates are highest in Europe. Northern and Western Europe have the highest adoption rates, at 80.2% 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 74.9%. Southern Europe follows, with 73.5%. Northern America has the fifth-highest social media penetration rate, with 70.8%.