Tiago Bianchi
Research expert covering internet & gaming in Latin America and Spain
Social media usage in Chile - statistics & facts
With one of the best-connected online markets worldwide, Chile's prosperity and high engagement of social platforms come as no surprise. With impressive internet penetration across its territory, the Andean country has some of the highest social media access rates in Latin America and globally. Although it has the seventh-largest social media audience in the region, behind neighbors like Colombia and Paraguay, Chile still maintains a prosperous and highly engaged social media landscape. Its robust infrastructure allows digital industries to remain vibrant, driving digital advertising and online consumption trends, as platforms like Instagram and TikTok boost the country's expanding and promising influencer market.
In the last three years, local investments on social media ads advertisement ranged on an average of 84 billion Chilean pesos providing local influencers a fertile social media landscape powered by its avid audience habits. While YouTube has had notable success and offers a platform for influencers both within and outside the country, TikTok and Instagram have become prominent players when it comes to influencer marketing and social video in Chile.
While Chile’s social audiences remain smaller than countries with less-favored online landscapes, the country’s relative economic stability, and extensive connectivity allow digital industries and trends to flourish without obstacles. These factors keep the audience highly connected and engaged, making digital marketing efforts in Chile especially rewarding for online businesses and companies. This unique combination positions Chile as a noteworthy player in the Latin American digital landscape, proving its potential for continued growth within the region.
How do Chileans use social media?
Chile has the highest social media penetration among Latin America’s biggest markets, which highlights the few barriers to accessing the platforms for its citizens. Chileans can easily engage and consume social media extensively thanks to broad internet access and quality of online connectivity. Maintaining contact with relatives and friends is the primary reason for Chileans to access the internet, making messaging apps particularly popular in the country, similarly as in the rest of Latin America. Sending private messages and liking posts from other users were the most common social media activities in the country.What are the most popular social media platforms in Chile?
With four of its platforms leading Chile’s social media market in terms of usage reach, Meta has yet another flag set on top of one of Latin America's most important markets. WhatsApp and Instagram lead in terms of penetration, while Facebook had the largest number of users. Meanwhile, TikTok gradually takes its share in the limelight, growing as a force within the region’s increasing online video consumption. However, Chilean users prefer Meta’s platforms as Instagram still takes the lead with a larger audience and longer average daily usage time compared to TikTok daily engagement.TikTok and Instagram rule over Chile’s social advertising landscape
Chile’s advertising sector is heavily powered by its social media landscape, representing over a quarter of its total digital ad spendings. More than 75 percent of the Chilean social users rely on these platforms for brand research, making video portals and social media websites the primary digital advertising touchpoints for local respondents.In the last three years, local investments on social media ads advertisement ranged on an average of 84 billion Chilean pesos providing local influencers a fertile social media landscape powered by its avid audience habits. While YouTube has had notable success and offers a platform for influencers both within and outside the country, TikTok and Instagram have become prominent players when it comes to influencer marketing and social video in Chile.
While Chile’s social audiences remain smaller than countries with less-favored online landscapes, the country’s relative economic stability, and extensive connectivity allow digital industries and trends to flourish without obstacles. These factors keep the audience highly connected and engaged, making digital marketing efforts in Chile especially rewarding for online businesses and companies. This unique combination positions Chile as a noteworthy player in the Latin American digital landscape, proving its potential for continued growth within the region.
