We Are Social Digital in 2016 reveals faster growth than ever in all things digital

The key statistics for digital, social, and mobile media in 2016 are:

– 3.42 billion internet users, equalling 46 per cent global penetration

– 2.31 billion social media users, delivering 31 per cent global penetration

– 3.79 billion unique mobile users, representing 51 per cent global penetration

– 1.97 billion mobile social media users, equating to 27 per cent global penetration

The chart below shows We Are Social’s global snapshot: 

The report notes that it’s the pace of change that caught their eye this year: “It’s worth noting that the jump in internet users may be partly the result of improved reporting, rather than representing absolute growth in user numbers.” 

The number of reported internet users is up by 10 per cent, growing by 332 million since the 2015 report. The number of reported social media users is also up by 10 per cent, an increase of 219 million. Unique mobile users increased by four per cent thanks to 141 million new users and mobile social media users leapt 17 per cent, adding 283 million new users.

Highlights of the report covering 30 key economies include:

– Brazilians and Filipinos spend the most time using the internet, clocking in at an impressive average of 5.2 hours per day

– Together with Thais, the Brazilians also top the list for the amount of time spent using mobile internet, registering an average of 3.9 hours per day

– The Japanese and South Koreans spend the least amount of time on the internet each day compared to the rest of the Key 30, at just 2.9 and 3.1 hours respectively. ‘complex’ web surfing activities (e.g. ecommerce)

– Nigeria tops the list when it comes to mobile’s share of web traffic, with more than 80 per cent of all web pages served in Africa’s most populous nation going to mobile phones

– On the other hand, just 12 per cent of Russia’s web traffic goes to mobile phones – more than three times lower than the global average

Download the complete 537 page report