Research highlights: In 2024, over 5.17 billion people use social media globally. The number of users is expected to grow to 6.05 billion by 2028. China leads with 1.1 billion users, while South Korea has the highest percentage of its population on social media at 93.47%
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How many people use social media in 2024?
In 2024, over 5.17 billion people use social media globally
From 2017 to 2028, the number of people using social media worldwide is expected to more than double, going from 2.73 billion to about 6.05 billion
The yearly growth rate of new social media users has been slowing down. It hit a high of 13.55% in 2018, but by 2028, it's expected to drop to 3.42%
Between 2024 and 2028, the number of social media users is predicted to increase by nearly 900 million, from 5.17 billion to 6.05 billion
From 2020 to 2023, the number of social media users grew by 25.3%, which means almost 1 billion new users joined during that period
Year | Social media users | % Change |
|---|---|---|
2028* | 6.05B | ↑ 3.42% |
2027* | 5.85B | ↑ 3.54% |
2026* | 5.65B | ↑ 4.24% |
2025* | 5.42B | ↑ 4.84% |
2024 | 5.17B | ↑ 5.51% |
2023 | 4.90B | ↑ 6.75% |
2022 | 4.59B | ↑ 7.75% |
2021 | 4.26B | ↑ 8.95% |
2020 | 3.91B | ↑ 11.4% |
2019 | 3.51B | ↑ 13.23% |
2018 | 3.10B | ↑ 13.55% |
2017 | 2.73B | – |
US social media use by age
In 2024, Millennials are the biggest group on social media with 68.8 million users, beating out both Gen Z and Gen X
Gen Z isn't far behind, with 60.7 million users, making them the second-largest group on social media in 2024
Gen X has 51.2 million users on social media in 2024. While that's less than the younger generations, they still have a solid presence
Baby Boomers are the smallest group on social media, with 36.4 million users, which is quite a bit less compared to the younger folks
Combined, Millennials and Gen Z make up more than half of all social media users by generation, showing just how dominant these two groups are on social platforms in 2024
Generation
Users in 2024
Gen Z (12-27 )
60.7M
Millennials (27-43)
68.8M
Gen X (44-59)
51.2M
Baby Boomers (60-78)
36.4M
Social media usage per region
Northern Europe has the highest social media use, with 81.70% of people using social media
Western Europe isn't far behind, with 80.20% of its population on social media
Southern Europe and Eastern Asia also have high usage rates, sitting at 74.80% and 74.00% respectively
In Northern America, 71.30% of people are on social media
Eastern Africa and Middle Africa have the lowest rates, with only 10.10% and 9.60% of people using social media
Northern and Western Europe are at the top, both with over 80% of their populations on social media
The global average for social media use is 62.30%
Region | Social Media Use (%) |
|---|---|
Northern Europe | 81.70% |
Western Europe | 80.20% |
Southern Europe | 74.80% |
Eastern Asia | 74.00% |
Northern America | 71.30% |
Eastern Europe | 70.40% |
South America | 66.40% |
Western Asia | 66.00% |
Central America | 65.10% |
Global Average | 62.30% |
South-Eastern Asia | 60.30% |
Oceania | 60.30% |
Caribbean | 50.80% |
Southern Africa | 41.60% |
Northern Africa | 40.40% |
Central Asia | 34.90% |
Southern Asia | 32.40% |
Western Africa | 15.80% |
Eastern Africa | 10.10% |
Middle Africa | 9.60% |
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Social media usage by country
China is leading the way with 1.1 billion social media users, which is about 74.68% of their population
The United States comes in third for total social media users, with 239 million people on it, making up 69.19% of the population
South Korea has the highest percentage of its people on social media, with 93.47% using it, while Eritrea is at the bottom with just 0.39%
Saudi Arabia is pretty interesting because they have more social media accounts than people, with a 103.35% penetration rate. This probably means a lot of people have multiple accounts
Country | SM users in Jan 2024 | % on social media |
|---|---|---|
China | 1.1B | 74.68% |
India | 462.0M | 31.84% |
United States | 239.0M | 69.19% |
Brazil | 144.0M | 67.92% |
Indonesia | 139.0M | 49.03% |
Russia | 106.0M | 73.19% |
Japan | 96.0M | 77.57% |
Mexico | 90.2M | 68.93% |
Philippines | 86.8M | 74.89% |
Vietnam | 72.7M | 71.99% |
Pakistan | 71.7M | 28.54% |
Germany | 67.8M | 80.19% |
Turkey | 57.5M | 65.73% |
United Kingdom | 56.2M | 81.29% |
Bangladesh | 52.9M | 30.48% |
France | 50.7M | 76.19% |
Thailand | 49.1M | 68.51% |
South Korea | 48.3M | 93.47% |
Iran | 48.0M | 52.42% |
Egypt | 45.4M | 38.96% |
Italy | 42.8M | 72.12% |
Spain | 39.7M | 82.86% |
Nigeria | 36.8M | 15.79% |
Colombia | 36.7M | 69.39% |
Saudi Arabia | 35.1M | 103.35% |
Iraq | 31.9M | 69.39% |
Canada | 31.9M | 80.27% |
Argentina | 31.3M | 68.50% |
Malaysia | 28.7M | 80.66% |
Poland | 27.9M | 72.39% |
South Africa | 26.0M | 40.62% |
Algeria | 24.9M | 53.08% |
Ukraine | 24.3M | 64.18% |
Peru | 24.1M | 70.28% |
Morocco | 21.2M | 55.67% |
Australia | 20.8M | 77.86% |
Taiwan | 19.2M | 82.71% |
Myanmar | 18.5M | 33.94% |
Chile | 15.2M | 76.90% |
Netherlands | 15.0M | 82.29% |
Kazakhstan | 14.1M | 68.47% |
Venezuela | 14.1M | 49.46% |
Nepal | 13.5M | 45.53% |
Romania | 13.3M | 69.94% |
Kenya | 13.1M | 23.12% |
Ecuador | 12.7M | 69.81% |
Cambodia | 11.7M | 66.05% |
United Arab Emirates | 10.7M | 97.31% |
Belgium | 9.2M | 78.12% |
Guatemala | 9.1M | 49.49% |
Uzbekistan | 8.7M | 23.93% |
Sweden | 8.5M | 80.42% |
Czech Republic | 8.1M | 74.98% |
Bolivia | 7.5M | 60.82% |
Sri Lanka | 7.5M | 32.46% |
Portugal | 7.4M | 71.27% |
Ghana | 7.4M | 21.49% |
Greece | 7.4M | 73.65% |
Austria | 7.3M | 80.26% |
Hungary | 7.3M | 75.34% |
Dominican Republic | 7.2M | 63.27% |
Tunisia | 7.1M | 57.99% |
Ethiopia | 7.0M | 5.34% |
Ivory Coast | 7.0M | 21.92% |
Israel | 6.9M | 73.72% |
Switzerland | 6.9M | 77.56% |
Cuba | 6.7M | 60.93% |
Hong Kong | 6.5M | 87.12% |
DR Congo | 6.5M | 5.90% |
Azerbaijan | 6.1M | 59.01% |
Libya | 5.9M | 79.93% |
Tanzania | 5.7M | 8.24% |
Belarus | 5.6M | 62.16% |
Singapore | 5.1M | 87.96% |
Cameroon | 5.0M | 17.34% |
Angola | 5.0M | 13.20% |
Serbia | 5.0M | 74.23% |
Denmark | 4.7M | 78.96% |
Lebanon | 4.5M | 77.85% |
Honduras | 4.5M | 41.57% |
Norway | 4.5M | 80.51% |
Finland | 4.5M | 79.40% |
Bulgaria | 4.4M | 65.70% |
Paraguay | 4.2M | 60.90% |
Slovakia | 4.2M | 75.54% |
Kuwait | 4.2M | 84.10% |
New Zealand | 4.1M | 79.21% |
Montenegro | 4.1M | 635.42% |
Ireland | 4.0M | 76.31% |
Oman | 4.0M | 75.17% |
El Salvador | 3.9M | 61.53% |
Costa Rica | 3.9M | 75.24% |
Madagascar | 3.8M | 11.89% |
Laos | 3.8M | 48.26% |
Senegal | 3.7M | 20.05% |
Afghanistan | 3.7M | 8.68% |
Nicaragua | 3.7M | 53.50% |
Yemen | 3.6M | 8.87% |
Zambia | 3.5M | 16.65% |
Mozambique | 3.2M | 9.24% |
Luxembourg | 3.1M | 456.14% |
Kyrgyzstan | 3.0M | 41.05% |
Somalia | 2.9M | 15.36% |
Sudan | 2.9M | 5.77% |
Burkina Faso | 2.9M | 12.10% |
Georgia | 2.9M | 74.85% |
Croatia | 2.8M | 71.99% |
Uganda | 2.6M | 5.20% |
Qatar | 2.6M | 85.29% |
Panama | 2.6M | 56.91% |
Uruguay | 2.5M | 73.82% |
Puerto Rico | 2.3M | 71.25% |
Palestine | 2.2M | 40.03% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.2M | 68.26% |
Mali | 2.1M | 8.78% |
Benin | 2.1M | 14.87% |
Lithuania | 2.1M | 73.45% |
Guinea | 2.1M | 13.96% |
Haiti | 2.1M | 17.50% |
Zimbabwe | 2.0M | 12.32% |
Mongolia | 2.0M | 58.98% |
Slovenia | 1.6M | 76.93% |
Jamaica | 1.6M | 56.71% |
Tajikistan | 1.6M | 15.11% |
Moldova | 1.6M | 52.06% |
Armenia | 1.6M | 52.12% |
Albania | 1.5M | 54.80% |
Latvia | 1.5M | 78% |
Bahrain | 1.4M | 90.23% |
Malawi | 1.3M | 6% |
Mauritania | 1.2M | 23.99% |
Botswana | 1.2M | 47.60% |
Papua New Guinea | 1.1M | 10.40% |
Lesotho | 1.1M | 47.06% |
Estonia | 1.0M | 76.44% |
Sierra Leone | 1.0M | 11.80% |
Republic of the Congo | 1.0M | 16.11% |
Chad | 973.0K | 4.79% |
North Macedonia | 944.6K | 51.82% |
Burundi | 940.4K | 6.69% |
Rwanda | 930.4K | 6.53% |
Togo | 913.5K | 9.60% |
Liberia | 859.0K | 15.30% |
Trinidad and Tobago | 833.0K | 55.25% |
Cyprus | 823.5K | 60.63% |
Mauritius | 820.9K | 64.58% |
Gabon | 751.8K | 29.61% |
South Sudan | 739.0K | 6.19% |
Namibia | 703.9K | 23.23% |
Niger | 611.1K | 2.26% |
Timor Leste | 578.5K | 41.30% |
Fiji | 544.0K | 58.57% |
Reunion | 498.7K | 56.76% |
Guyana | 493.1K | 59.33% |
Bhutan | 457.3K | 57.77% |
Eswatini | 410.3K | 33.01% |
Gambia | 404.0K | 14.64% |
Malta | 366.5K | 67.92% |
Maldives | 363.3K | 68.83% |
Suriname | 342.1K | 53.92% |
Western Sahara | 341.6K | 57.85% |
Macau | 323.2K | 44.87% |
Guinea Bissau | 302.2K | 13.73% |
Brunei | 301.0K | 65.05% |
Iceland | 276.0K | 70.16% |
Cape Verde | 266.1K | 50.70% |
Bahamas | 243.0K | 60.56% |
Comoros | 237.2K | 27.37% |
Belize | 223.5K | 53.59% |
Equatorial Guinea | 180.5K | 9.54% |
Barbados | 180.3K | 63.83% |
Djibouti | 176.5K | 15.10% |
French Polynesia | 161.4K | 57.27% |
Central African Republic | 159.5K | 2.99% |
Solomon Islands | 158.1K | 19.30% |
Guadeloupe | 154.4K | 41.16% |
New Caledonia | 144.3K | 49.31% |
Martinique | 144.0K | 41.96% |
Vanuatu | 121.1K | 36.95% |
Samoa | 116.4K | 53.39% |
Turkmenistan | 111.8K | 1.49% |
Guam | 108.0K | 64.37% |
Curacao | 104.2K | 56.18% |
Saint Lucia | 90.9K | 50.57% |
French Guiana | 84.8K | 27.49% |
Aruba | 80.4K | 74.40% |
Seychelles | 67.4K | 51.68% |
Tonga | 66.5K | 63.83% |
Grenada | 65.3K | 55.71% |
Sao Tome and Principe | 63.1K | 26.79% |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 62.2K | 61.82% |
Antigua and Barbuda | 56.9K | 60.68% |
Mayotte | 56.4K | 17.27% |
Jersey | 54.4K | 52.39% |
Kiribati | 52.1K | 38.73% |
Cayman Islands | 51.8K | 69.57% |
Isle of Man | 47.6K | 56.56% |
Andorra | 44.7K | 54.55% |
Greenland | 39.2K | 70.20% |
Micronesia | 38.3K | 33.85% |
Faroe Islands | 35.6K | 64.26% |
Dominica | 34.7K | 52.41% |
United States Virgin Islands | 34.5K | 40.63% |
Bermuda | 34.4K | 53.22% |
Guernsey | 34.2K | 53.20% |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 32.9K | 70.23% |
Turks and Caicos Islands | 30.7K | 65.97% |
Sint Maarten | 30.6K | 70.59% |
Northern Mariana Islands | 29.6K | 66.85% |
American Samoa | 28.0K | 59.87% |
Marshall Islands | 22.3K | 59.39% |
Gibraltar | 20.6K | 52.38% |
Palau | 14.5K | 81.94% |
Monaco | 14.0K | 36.24% |
Eritrea | 13.8K | 0.39% |
Saint Martin | 12.3K | 47.07% |
Liechtenstein | 11.0K | 27.59% |
Cook Islands | 10.3K | 75.02% |
San Marino | 9.6K | 28.59% |
Anguilla | 9.3K | 63.36% |
Nauru | 8.4K | 70.31% |
Saint Barthelemy | 8.4K | 74.61% |
Jordan | 6.4K | 0.06% |
Tuvalu | 6.0K | 62.20% |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 5.5K | 96.84% |
Wallis and Futuna | 4.8K | 42.56% |
Montserrat | 2.7K | 61.52% |
Falkland Islands | 2.6K | 76.37% |
Niue | 1.4K | 76.97% |
Tokelau | 100 | 3.99% |
Global social network global penetration
For 2024, social network penetration is expected to hit 66.76%, which is a 4.71% bump from last year
The biggest jump in penetration happened in 2020, with a 10.15% increase
The percentage of people using social networks globally has been going up steadily, from 47.47% in 2019 to a projected 75.31% in 2028
After an 10.15% increase in 2020, the growth rate is expected to slow down to 2.3% by 2028
Social network penetration has been climbing each year, with impressive growth rates above 5% annually until 2024
Year | % penetration | Change |
|---|---|---|
2028 | 75.31% | ↑ 2.3% |
2027 | 73.62% | ↑ 2.74% |
2026 | 71.66% | ↑ 3.27% |
2025 | 69.39% | ↑ 3.94% |
2024 | 66.76% | ↑ 4.71% |
2023 | 63.76% | ↑ 5.67% |
2022 | 60.34% | ↑ 6.8% |
2021 | 56.50% | ↑ 8.05% |
2020 | 52.29% | ↑ 10.15% |
2019 | 47.47% | – |
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Sources
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