Kenyans outpace the rest of the world in social media use - report

Kenyans have been ranked as the top consumers of social media time globally, according to the newly released Digital 2024 report produced in collaboration with Visual Capitalist.

The report notes that internet users in Kenya spend an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes each day on social platforms, surpassing their counterparts in South Africa and Brazil, who follow closely behind with 3 hours and 41 minutes and 3 hours and 37 minutes respectively.

“At the top end of the scale, internet users in Kenya spend the most time using social media each day, at an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes per user. South Africans rank second, with the typical user in the country spending 3 hours and 41 minutes per day on social platforms,” reads the report.

The trend highlights a significant cultural engagement with social media in Kenya, contrasting sharply with countries like Japan, where users spend just 53 minutes daily, and South Korea, with an average of only 1 hour and 6 minutes.

The report underscores a growing digital landscape in Africa, as users in the region continue to outpace their peers in Europe, where the average time spent on social media is just 1 hour and 48 minutes.

As of January 2024, the report indicates that there were 22.71 million internet users in Kenya, representing an internet penetration rate of 40.8 per cent. The number of social media users reached 13.05 million, equating to 23.5 per cent of the total population of 55.65 million.

It highlights a significant growth in both internet and social media usage, with social media users increasing by 3.6 million, or 38.2 per cent, from early 2023 to the beginning of 2024.

“For clarity, Kepios analysis shows that social media users in Kenya increased by 3.6 million (+38.2 per cent) between early 2023 and the beginning of 2024. The number of social media users in Kenya at the start of 2024 was equivalent to 23.5 per cent of the total population, but it’s important to stress that social media users may not represent unique individuals,” reads the report.

Kenya also boasted 66.04 million active mobile cellular connections, which exceeds the population figure by 118.7 per cent.

“This indicates that many individuals utilise multiple mobile connections,” reads the report. The report indicates a modest population increase of 1.1 million, or 2.0 per cent, from early 2023 to early 2024.

Demographics

Demographically, 50.4 per cent of the population is female, while 49.6 per cent is male. The urban-rural distribution reveals that 29.8 per cent of the population lives in urban areas, with the remaining 70.2 per cent residing in rural regions.

The median age in Kenya is reported to be 19.7 years.

The report also highlights that internet connectivity continues to improve in Kenya, with median mobile internet speeds at 21.78 Mbps and fixed internet speeds at 9.78 Mbps at the start of 2024. This marks an increase in mobile speeds by 1.37 Mbps, or 6.7 per cent, over the past year, while fixed speeds grew by 0.17 Mbps or 1.8 per cent.

The report emphasises that while 57.5 per cent of the internet user base utilises at least one social media platform, the demographics reflect a slightly higher male presence, with 56.8 per cent of social media users being male and 43.2 per cent female.

In terms of specific platforms, Facebook leads with 13.05 million users in Kenya, while YouTube has 9.79 million, and TikTok reports 10.60 million users aged 18 and above. Additionally, Snapchat has around 3.16 million users, while LinkedIn boasts 4.30 million members in the country.

The increase in social media engagement is attributed to various factors, including accessibility and the growing digital landscape in Kenya.

The data indicates a shift in user behaviour and highlights the potential for further growth in digital engagement across the region.

Globally, the report notes that a typical social media user spends an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes per day on various platforms, which accounts for 35.8 per cent of their daily online activities.

This means that more than one in three internet minutes can be attributed to social media engagement.

The report highlights that there are approximately 5.04 billion active social media user identities worldwide.

“While this number may not represent unique individuals, it offers a significant insight into overall social media use,” the report states.

The report further reveals that women aged 16 to 24 are the most active demographic, spending nearly 3 hours daily on social platforms, almost double the average time spent by men aged 55 to 64, who report just 1 hour and 31 minutes.

On average, women engage with social media for 16 minutes longer per day than men, representing a 12 per cent increase in usage.