More than 60% of world’s population on social media, says study

More than 60% of world’s population on social media, says study

The number of social-network users is catching up to the 5.2 bil people who use the internet.

Nearly five billion people, or slightly more than 60% of the global population, are active on social media.
PARIS:
Nearly five billion people, or slightly more than 60% of the world’s population, are active on social media, according to a recent study.

That represents an increase of 3.7% over the past year, according to calculations by digital advisory firm Kepios in its latest quarterly report.

The number of social-network users is approaching the 5.19 billion people who use the internet, or 64.5% of the global population.

There are, however, major differences between regions: only one person out of 11 in east and central Africa uses social media.

In India, the world’s most populous nation, the figure is one out of three.

The amount of time spent on social media has also increased by two minutes to 2 hours and 26 minutes per day.

Here, again, there are large disparities, with Brazilians spending an average of 3 hours and 49 minutes per day on social media, while the Japanese spend less than an hour.

The average social media user is on seven platforms. Meta has three of the favourite apps with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, while China has three apps: WeChat, TikTok, and its local version Douyin.

Twitter, Messenger and Telegram round out the top social media platforms.

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