How Many People In The World Use Social Media

How Many People in The World Use Social Media in 2024?

Published on: March 17, 2023
Last Updated: March 17, 2023

How Many People in The World Use Social Media in 2024?

Published on: March 17, 2023
Last Updated: March 17, 2023

Quick Answer 🔍

How many people in the world use social media in 2024?

There are over 4.62 billion people using social media all over the world.

The creation of social media platforms has transformed society in many ways.

Some of it is good, but some is not as good.

How many people use social media in the world?

The answer is in the billions, as you will see in the following article. 

Regardless of the good and bad of social media, the networks continue to grow with new users joining daily.

The numbers may shock you, but we have gathered some data and information about social networks and the people that use social media.

Let’s get to it!

How Many People in The World Use Social Media in 2024?

In 2022, there are over 4.62 billion people using social media all over the world.

That is around 58.4% of the known world’s total population. 

Just in the past year, 424 million new social media users have come aboard the social network system.

Keep in mind that some social media users have two or more accounts on the same platform(s), which creates some challenges in the total number of people who use social media worldwide. 

More than 9 out of 10 people using the internet also use social media every month. 

We work with what we can, and have provided numbers that are as accurate as possible. 

Let’s discuss social media.

Why Do People Use Social Media?

Social Media

This data comes from the third quarter of 2021.

According to a 2021 survey, the number one reason people use social media is to keep in contact with family and friends at 47.6%.

The next group uses social media to fill spare time at 36.3%. Coming in as a close third, 35.1% of people use social media to get their news. 

Other reasons for using social media that have been reported by survey respondents include the following.

  • Finding content: 31.3 %
  • Find out what’s being talked about: 29.5%
  • Looking for inspiration for making purchases and things to do: 27.7%
  • Discovering products to buy: 26.3%
  • Discussing and sharing opinions: 24.5%
  • Finding new contacts: 23.9%
  • To watch live streams: 23.8%
  • Looking at content from their favorite brands: 23.1%
  • Work-related research and networking: 22.9%
  • Seeking out like-minded groups and communities: 22.1%
  • Following or watching sports: 22%
  • Following influencers or celebrities: 21.7%
  • Posting about their lives: 21.4%
  • To avoid missing out of current events: 21.3%
  • Connecting to and supporting causes: 17.4%

After reading how people all over the world use social media, what is your reason for using social media?

The Number of People Who Use Each Social Network

With so many social media platforms out there, how many people use each one?

This is another vital statistic needed by marketers, businesses, and brands for creating their marketing strategies. 

Let’s find out where social media users spend their time as of January 2022 in active monthly users.

  • Facebook: 2.910 billion
  • YouTube: 2.562 billion
  • WhatsApp: 2.0 billion
  • Instagram: 1.478 billion
  • WeChat/Weixin: 1.263 billion
  • TikTok: 1.0 billion
  • Facebook Messenger: 988 million
  • Douyin: 600 million
  • QQ: 574 million
  • Sina Weibo: 573 million
  • Kuaishou: 573 million
  • Snapchat: 577 million
  • Telegram: 550 million
  • Pinterest: 444 million
  • Twitter: 436 million
  • Reddit: 430 million
  • Quora: 300 million

If you don’t recognize a few of these social media platforms, it’s likely they are not available in your country.

This data is global data.

Many of these social media users are on multiple social networks.

For instance, almost 75% of Facebook users are also using YouTube, Instagram 78.1%,  73%WhatsApp, 48% TikTok, 49% Twitter, etc. 

There are many audience overlaps using multiple social media platforms.

Which Countries Use Social Media the Most?

Since we are dealing with global data, we need to discuss the percentages according to countries.

This information may surprise you.

  • UAE – 106% 
  • Malaysia – 91.7%
  • South Korea – 91.2%
  • Sweden – 90.8%
  • Netherlands – 90.7$
  • Singapore – 89.5%
  • Taiwan – 89.4%
  • New Zealand – 89.2%
  • Hong Kong – 88.1%
  • Spain – 87.1%
  • Canada – 87.1%
  • Argentina – 86.3%
  • Switzerland – 86.2%
  • Denmark – 85.3%
  • United Kingdom – 84.3%
  • Portugal – 83.7%
  • Australia – 82.7%
  • Philippines – 82.4%
  • Saudi Arabia – 82.3%
  • Belgium – 81.7%
  • Austria – 81.4%
  • Colombia – 81.3%
  • Thailand – 81.1%
  • Japan – 81.1%
  • United States – 80.9%
  • Turkey – 80.8%
  • France – 80.3%
  • Brazil – 79.9%
  • Israel – 79.7%
  • Ireland – 79%
  • Mexico – 78.3%
  • Vietnam – 78.1%
  • Russia – 7.7%
  • Poland – 7%
  • Italy – 71.6%
  • Greece – 71.5%
  • Romania – 69.7%
  • China – 68%
  • Morocco – 63.4%
  • Indonesia – 61.8%
  • Egypt – 48.9%
  • South Africa – 46.4%
  • India – 33.4%
  • Ghana – 27.4%
  • Kenya – 21.1%
  • Nigeria – 15.4%

The overall average shows that 58.4% of the global population uses social media. 

As you can see, some countries are very close in terms of percentage.

One of the biggest surprises on this list is how the United States is so far down the list at just under 81%.

We think these figures will rise over the coming years with so many new social media users joining every single day.

What do you think?

Conclusion

There is no doubt that social media has a massive audience.

4.62 billion people use social media as of this writing. Plus, they are using more than one platform. 

We shared how people are using social media to keep in touch with friends and family, make buying decisions, read news stories, share opinions, etc.

Do you use social media for finding things to make or buy? 

Many crafters and DIY users on social media to find things to do, and to share their work. 

Another reason that didn’t make the list is that people with and without businesses market for free or use paid ads on social media networks.

If you’re a marketer, business, or brand, you should be using social media marketing.

Do you use multiple platforms?

How do you use your social media networks? 

Sources

Data ReportalStatistaStatista

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Written by Jason Wise

Hello! I’m the editor at EarthWeb, with a particular interest in business and technology topics, including social media, privacy, and cryptocurrency. As an experienced editor and researcher, I have a passion for exploring the latest trends and innovations in these fields and sharing my insights with our readers. I also enjoy testing and reviewing products, and you’ll often find my reviews and recommendations on EarthWeb. With a focus on providing informative and engaging content, I am committed to ensuring that EarthWeb remains a leading source of news and analysis in the tech industry.