Social media usage worldwide: time spent by country in 2024

ElectronicsHub has published the results of its latest study on the time spent in front of screens in different countries around the world in 2024. Let's dive into the part that particularly interests us: time spent on social media.

The data analysts from Electronics Hub have reexamined how the world spends time in front of screens in 2024, following the wave of 2023. Using data from DataReportal's Digital Report 2024, they were able to calculate the time that a resident of each country spends in front of screens (computer, social media, television...) in relation to the average time they are awake.

Episto's survey methodology on social media is based on this time spent by consumers on social media platforms. The global average is 2 hours and 15 minutes per day. Notable differences can be observed between different markets.

🌎 A strong appetite for social media on the American continent

South America accounts for some of the highest screen times in the world. Notably, it is in Brazil (21.48%) and Chile (20.20%) that the highest times spent on social media in relation to awake time are observed. Meanwhile, Colombia (19.96%) and Argentina (18.30%) are not far behind.

Central America shows a very similar trend with Mexico (19.36%). However, percentages drop further north, with the US spending an average of 14.02% of their awake time on social media and Canada falling to 11.51%.

🇪🇺 European habits: measured and uniform

In Europe, there is a tendency that is both lower than on the American continent (except for Canada) but also remarkably uniform. The time spent on social media ranges from 9.31%, the score for the Netherlands, to 12.82% in Romania. All hover around 11%. The only exception to the rule is Portugal, which stands out from the pack with a higher time spent (14.54%).

🌍 Africa: between global champion and lack of data

Despite a large lack of data on the African continent, it has the highest time spent globally: South Africa ranks first with a percentage of 22.26%.

In the Middle East, very high times spent on social media compared to the average are also observed. Notably with Saudi Arabia (18.09%) and the United Arab Emirates (17.80%).

🌏 Disparities in Asia & Oceania for time spent on social media

In Asia and Oceania, more fluctuating percentages are observed. In Oceania, the Philippines tops the chart with 21.03% of awake time spent on social media.

They are followed by Malaysia (16.36%), Thailand (15.09%), and India (14.33%), as well as Russia (14.19%). East Asia, on the other hand, accounts for the lowest times globally with South Korea (6.37%) and, at the bottom of this ranking, Japan with 5.11% of awake time spent on social media. ElectronicsHub rightly points out the correlation with the average age of the population, highlighting that 29.9% of Japanese people are over 65 years old.

With averages in emerging economies with younger populations sometimes exceeding 20% of awake time, the time spent on social media represents a significant portion of consumer activities across different markets today.

Ranging between the 22.26% of South Africans and the timid, yet significant, 5.11% of Japanese; these ratios clearly show the ease with which social sampling can reach all types of consumers around the globe.

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Source: ElectronicsHub, The Average Time and Usage by Country in 2024, April 15th 2024