On average global internet users spent 2 hours and 22 minutes on social media per day, though trends differed widely by country. In many of the markets that Global Web Index surveyed, social media use had shrunk or plateaued in Q1 2020 when compared with 2019 and 2018 figures – the 2021 report will reveal if the coronavirus pandemic has reversed this trend.
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 almost four hours a day to the digital social sphere. Nigerians typically spent almost three and a three quarters of an hour a day on social media sites, while Indians and Chinese clocked around 2.5 hours and 2 hours, respectively, per day.
Some of the more developed markets have shown signs of plateauing which could be driven by aging populations in these countries. During a typical day in Japan, people spend only three quarters of an hour staying connected on social networks. Germany posts only slightly higher numbers, with users going on social media for one hour and twenty minutes every day, while the UK and the U.S. both spent closer to two hours per day engaging with social media.
Source: Statista
