Industries in Depth

These are the countries that spend the most and least time on social media

Which countries spend the most time on social media? online digital twitter facebook instagram bebo myspace phone app application log on sign in network platform

Are you always online? Image: Unsplash/dole777

Katharina Buchholz
Data Journalist, Statista
  • Social media platforms are used all across the world. On average, global internet users spent 2 hours and 23 minutes on social media sites everyday.
  • Emerging markets spend the most time on social networks, perhaps due to their younger demographics.
  • In Japan, which has a much older population, citizens spend less than an hour staying connected digitally.

On average global internet users spent 2 hours and 23 minutes on social media per day, though trends differed widely by country. In around half of the markets that Global Web Index surveyed, social media use had shrunk or plateaued in Q1 2019 when compared with 2018 figures.

Have you read?

Emerging markets continue to spend the most time on social networks during a typical day. This could be driven by these markets generally having younger populations, with the 16 to 24-year-old segment driving growth globally. The Philippines spent the most time connected to social networks, devoting just over four hours a day to the digital sphere. Nigerians typically spent more than three and a half hours a day on social media sites, while Indians and Chinese clocked more than 2 hours each per days.

Which countries spend the most time on social media? online digital twitter facebook instagram bebo myspace phone app application log on sign in network platform
Which countries spend the most time on social media? Image: Statista

Some of the more developed markets show signs of plateau which, in part, could be driven by aging populations in these countries. During a typical day in Japan, people spend less than an hour staying connected digitally. Germany posts only slightly higher numbers, with users going on social media for just over an hour every day, while the UK and the US both spent closer to two hours per day engaging with social media.

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Retail, Consumer Goods and Lifestyle

Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Retail, Consumer Goods and Lifestyle is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

1:49

Impact printing: Robot speed-prints walls by firing lumps of clay

Why having low-carbon buildings also makes financial sense

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum