Daniel Slotta
Research expert covering Greater China
Social media usage in Saudi Arabia - statistics & facts
With a young population and high internet penetration levels, Saudi Arabian users are more active than ever on social media. Saudi Arabia is the second ranked country worldwide with a high internet penetration rate. In 2022, the vast majority of the population in Saudi Arabia were mobile internet users. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram created a way for family and friends to connect, enabled content creators to share information, and widened the reach of promotional marketing through online ads. These factors contributed to social media being an integral part of Saudi Arabian daily life.
Social media penetration
Keeping in touch with family and friends and filling spare time were among the main reasons why Saudis use social media. The most popular social media platform in the kingdom was WhatsApp, at around 87 percent of total social media users. WhatsApp is considered social media as it checks the primary feature of a social media platform, which is social networking, with its wide range of social features like photo and video sharing, status updates, and stories. Instagram follows WhatsApp as the second most popular social media platform, whose number of users was forecasted to reach around 23.5 million by 2025.Social media advertising
   Social media has grown into more than just platforms for people to connect online; it is integrated more than ever into users’ daily lives. As a result, social commerce has emerged, in which consumers can browse and purchase items through their social media accounts. Even if the purchase is not executed via social media accounts, it is a crucial tool for brand awareness and marketing. YouTube had the highest potential ad reach among social media platforms in Saudi Arabia, with a share of around 91 percent. Nowadays, many businesses prioritize their social media presence to engage with consumers and promote products, in addition to procuring influencers to market their products.
