Social media penetration in Africa 2024, by region

As of January 2024, the countries in Northern and Southern Africa had the largest share of social media users in Africa. In Northern Africa, around 40.4 percent of the population used social media, while this figure stood at 41.6 percent in Southern Africa. In Central Africa, only close to ten percent of the people used social media, the lowest rate across Africa and the lowest regional share worldwide. 

Internet penetration is growing, but varies across African regions

On the African continent, two regions recorded a higher internet penetration than the global average. As of January 2023, Southern and Northern Africa registered a penetration share of 71 percent and 66 percent among their populations, respectively. Central and Eastern Africa had, in contrast, significantly lower rates, marking 28 percent and 23 percent, respectively . In absolute numbers, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa topped the list.

Connected through mobile phones

Mobile phones dominated web traffic in Africa. Compared to the world average, Africa, Asia, and South America had a higher share of web page visits conducted through mobile internet. As of January 2023, around 74 percent of the continent's traffic generated on web pages was through mobile devices. Although mobile phones were responsible for most of the online presence in Africa, the continent was behind all other regions in mobile coverage. Around 17 percent of the total population lived out of reach from a mobile connection as of 2021.