We Are Social and Hootsuite have published their annual report on internet and social media usage around the world in 2020.
Unsurprisingly, in the context of a global health crisis where governments have had to implement a number of measures, digital technology and internet connections have become an even more essential part of everyday life. As a result, internet, social media, and mobile usage has seen a sharp increase in 2020. There are now 4.2 billion active social media users (out of 4.6 billion internet users globally) worldwide.
But what about Africa? What were the major digital trends on the continent in 2020?
Among the many statistics highlighted in the study, here are the key findings:
- Africa accounts for 10.9% of internet users worldwide, and if we focus on West Africa, the sub-region accounts for 3.6% of internet users worldwide.
- Africa accounts for 6.6% of active social media users worldwide (approximately 277,200,000).
- The social media penetration rate in West Africa is 16%, compared to 45% in North Africa.
- Togo and Benin are the two countries in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa that have seen a surge in the number of social media users (up 36.9% and 45.5% respectively).