Facebook is the world’s largest social media platform, with billions of monthly active users globally. But where are the majority of Facebook’s most engaged daily active users located? Here we dive into the geographic breakdown and demographics of Facebook’s daily user base.
What countries have the most Facebook daily active users?
According to Facebook’s Q3 2022 earnings release, the top 5 countries ranked by number of daily active users (DAUs) are:
| Country | Facebook DAUs (millions) |
|---|---|
| India | 347 |
| Indonesia | 198 |
| USA | 196 |
| Brazil | 138 |
| Mexico | 97 |
The top 2 countries, India and Indonesia, combine to make up over 30% of Facebook’s total worldwide DAUs. The United States comes in third place with 196 million DAUs.
India leads in Facebook engagement
With 347 million users, India is Facebook’s largest market by far in terms of engagement. This can be attributed to India’s massive population of over 1.3 billion people, many of whom are getting online for the first time via mobile devices. Facebook has made major investments in India to expand its user base, including initiatives to improve internet accessibility.
Strong growth across Asia
Indonesia and the Philippines also rank highly in Facebook engagement globally. In general, Facebook is seeing rapid adoption across developing Asian countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and others. Many of these countries have young populations that are highly connected to mobile devices, ideal demographics for social media growth.
Which countries have the highest Facebook penetration rates?
Looking at Facebook daily active users as a percentage of a country’s total population shows different insights on where Facebook is most popular relative to population size. The countries with the highest Facebook penetration include:
| Country | Facebook Penetration Rate |
|---|---|
| North Macedonia | 81.3% |
| Taiwan | 73.1% |
| Honduras | 72.0% |
| Dominican Republic | 70.7% |
| El Salvador | 70.3% |
Smaller countries like North Macedonia and Honduras lead in user penetration, with over 70% of the total population engaging daily. Taiwan is the only large country in the top 5, driven by an extremely digital and social media savvy culture.
High penetration across Central America
Countries like Honduras, Dominican Republic and El Salvador in Central America have very high Facebook usage relative to population. Geographic proximity and close ties to the large US Facebook user base likely contributes to fast adoption in these regions.
Scandinavia lags in penetration
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Scandinavian countries like Norway, Sweden and Denmark have some of the lowest Facebook penetration rates, with less than 35% of the population using Facebook daily. These northern European nations tend to be more privacy conscious and were earlier adopters of alternative social networks like Snapchat.
How engaged are Facebook users by region?
In addition to sheer user numbers, Facebook also tracks metrics like minutes per user spent on the platform. This helps quantify engagement levels across geographic regions. The top 5 regions ranked by minutes per Facebook user per day are:
| Region | Minutes per User per Day |
|---|---|
| Middle East & Africa | 153 |
| Latin America | 138 |
| United States & Canada | 136 |
| Europe | 132 |
| Asia-Pacific | 130 |
Users in the Middle East & Africa spend the most time on Facebook, averaging over 2.5 hours per day. Latin America and North America also rank highly in minutes of use. In general, developing regions display the highest levels of time spent.
Facebook fills a connectivity gap in developing nations
For many developing countries with lower connectivity infrastructure, Facebook serves as not just social engagement but access to essential internet services. This helps explain the extremely high usage rates in regions like Middle East & Africa.
Users in Asia-Pacific browse less per day
The Asia-Pacific region has the lowest time spent per user of the top regions at 130 minutes, likely due to the prevalence of desktop vs mobile usage. Internet-enabled mobile phone penetration is lower across much of Southeast Asia.
Demographics: Which age groups use Facebook most?
Facebook users span a wide range of ages and demographics. Looking at the platform’s most devoted users based on intensity of use, key trends emerge:
- 13-17 year olds account for only 8% of users but 10% of minutes spent
- 18-24 year olds are 15% of users and 17% of minutes
- 25-34 year olds are 18% of users and 22% of minutes
- 35-44 year olds are 15% of users and 17% of minutes
- 45-54 year olds are 13% of users and 12% of minutes
- 55-64 year olds are 11% of users and 9% of minutes
- 65+ are 9% of users and 5% of minutes
Engagement peaks with the core 25-34 year old demographic, who account for the highest percentage of time spent relative to population share. Young adults 18-24 also over-index in usage.
Teen engagement remains strong
While only 8% of total users, teenagers drive 10% of Facebook engagement, showing their intensity of use. Much speculation has centered on teenagers potentially abandoning Facebook in favor of platforms like Snapchat or TikTok. But Facebook remains very relevant among the 13-17 demographic.
Older groups trail in intensity of use
Older age bands like 45-54, 55-64 and 65+ account for a lower share of minutes relative to their user bases, showing less depth of usage. This aligns with broader trends of younger demographics leading technology adoption and digital engagement.
Gender breakdown: Are male and female usage patterns different?
Historically Facebook has tracked close to a 50/50 gender split between male and female users. Regionally there are some gender divergences:
| Region | Male Users | Female Users |
|---|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific | 57% | 43% |
| Europe | 48% | 52% |
| Latin America | 49% | 51% |
| Middle East & Africa | 55% | 45% |
| United States & Canada | 48% | 52% |
Male engagement outpaces female engagement in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa regions, while women drive the slight majority of usage in Europe and the Americas. But overall gender representation on Facebook remains fairly balanced.
Women lead engagement in the US
In the United States and Canada female users comprise 52% compared to 48% for males. This indicates women spend slightly more time on the platform in North America and drive more of the advertising opportunities.
Which regions bring in the most revenue for Facebook?
While the usage metrics above focus on engagement and population penetration, Facebook’s key revenue driver is advertising spend, mostly from businesses promoting themselves on the platform. The regions generating the most ad revenue are:
| Region | Revenue Share |
|---|---|
| United States & Canada | 43% |
| Europe | 24% |
| Asia-Pacific | 23% |
| Rest of World | 10% |
Despite housing less than 7% of Facebook’s user base, businesses in the United States and Canada account for 43% of Facebook’s global ad revenues, making North America the golden goose. Europe punches above its weight as well at 24%. Asia-Pacific lags in monetization at just 23% of revenue.
US/Canada deliver highest ARPU
Facebook’s average revenue per user (ARPU) metrics demonstrate that North American users deliver substantially more monetization. The US and Canada ARPU is $57.97, far above Europe’s $16.78 and Asia-Pacific’s miniscule $4.74.
Wealthy markets dominate ad spend
While developing regions drive Facebook’s growth narrative with large user bases, wealthy and digitally advanced markets like North America and Europe still dominate when it comes to ad revenue. This is the prime challenge for Facebook – monetizing their emerging market users.
Conclusion
Facebook has achieved tremendous scale as a digital social platform, with nearly 3 billion monthly users globally. But a deeper analysis reveals key trends and strategic insights into the platform’s most valuable markets and demographics:
- User growth is surging across developing Asia, led by India and Indonesia
- The youth still dominate engagement, especially early millennials age 25-34
- North America delivers outsized revenue relative to user size due to high ARPU
- Female users drive engagement and ad potential in the lucrative US market
These insights are crucial for any brand leveraging Facebook as a marketing channel for customer engagement and acquisition. Understanding top regions and strategic demographics enables brands to maximize their ad ROI on one of the world’s most powerful digital platforms.