Tiago Bianchi
Research expert covering internet & gaming in Latin America and Spain
Social media usage in Latin America - statistics & facts
Home to an online population of more than 543.39 million people in 2022, Latin America & the Caribbean is the fifth largest regional social media market worldwide, with more than 306.76 million users of these platforms solely in the subregion of South America. Correlating to an increase in internet penetration, the boom of mobile connectivity throughout the continent is also radically changing the landscape of social media. Although countries in the Caribbean and previously trailing markets like Peru, Paraguay, and Bolivia have the biggest improvements in access to such social networks, countries with the largest online populations remain the area’s biggest social media audiences, with Brazil alone being home to 165.46 million social media users and Mexico to another 98.21 million.
However, the heyday of the company’s hegemony seems to have come to an end, and new contenders challenge the California-based giant in all spheres. With more than 136.1 million users in Latin America, the video-based platform TikTok claims Latin America as its third-fastest growing region worldwide, with an approximate audience of 136.1 million users in 2022 and 173.3 million by 2025. With around 70 percent of the internet users in Colombia and Mexico being users of the video-based platform, its biggest user base is still in Brazil, although mostly preferred among its audiences in the first two countries.
As access to the internet via mobile devices expands in the region, video consumption also grows with platforms like YouTube and TikTok leading the pack. Unsurprisingly, the top YouTube channels with the largest number of subscribers in Latin America are based in Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, although the popularity of Caribbean YouTubers and artists also powers the social media landscape in the subregion.
The more videos, the more space for digital content creators and celebrities: overall, the size of the influencer market in Latin America is expected to reach an estimated 15.6 to almost 17 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, with Brazil leading the influencer market landscape in the region. Although TikTok has been Meta’s main challenger in the area, Instagram remains the platform of choice for more than 94 percent of influencer marketing activities in the country.
Increasing competition for Meta
With a penetration rate of around 77.8 percent, Facebook reigns across Latin America and the Caribbean as the most popular and visited social network, with an estimated audience in the region of more than 367.4 million users in 2022. Instagram follows with the second largest number of users in the region and is the preferred choice among digital influencers in countries like Brazil. Meanwhile chatting solutions like Messenger and WhatsApp solidify the hegemony of Meta Platforms Inc.However, the heyday of the company’s hegemony seems to have come to an end, and new contenders challenge the California-based giant in all spheres. With more than 136.1 million users in Latin America, the video-based platform TikTok claims Latin America as its third-fastest growing region worldwide, with an approximate audience of 136.1 million users in 2022 and 173.3 million by 2025. With around 70 percent of the internet users in Colombia and Mexico being users of the video-based platform, its biggest user base is still in Brazil, although mostly preferred among its audiences in the first two countries.
How do Latin Americans and Caribbeans use social media?
The increasing competition in the social networks landscape is not the only proof of these platforms’ popularity among Latin Americans: audiences across the area spend an average of 214 minutes on social media per day, making it the most popular type of media in Latin America. While liking and interacting with posts from other users are the most common activities performed by these audiences, sending private messages is one of the main usages for social media users in countries like Mexico and Chile, especially with chat apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.As access to the internet via mobile devices expands in the region, video consumption also grows with platforms like YouTube and TikTok leading the pack. Unsurprisingly, the top YouTube channels with the largest number of subscribers in Latin America are based in Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, although the popularity of Caribbean YouTubers and artists also powers the social media landscape in the subregion.
Digital advertising: social influencers and online video
With more than 5.29 billion U.S. dollars of investment in social media ads in 2022, the reach of the Latin American social media market makes it, above all, a promised land for digital advertising, with the spending on social networks reaching up to 1.94 billion U.S. in Brazil alone and another 1.88 billion U.S. dollars in Mexico. Meanwhile, the increase in video-based platforms also boosted the local investment in online video advertising – about 4.44 billion U.S. dollars were spent on this sector in 2022, a value expected to reach around 5.03 million U.S. dollars by 2023 and another 6.57 million U.S. dollars in 2026.The more videos, the more space for digital content creators and celebrities: overall, the size of the influencer market in Latin America is expected to reach an estimated 15.6 to almost 17 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, with Brazil leading the influencer market landscape in the region. Although TikTok has been Meta’s main challenger in the area, Instagram remains the platform of choice for more than 94 percent of influencer marketing activities in the country.
