15 Key Social Media Statistics for Singapore Digital Marketers (With Analysis)

Social media platforms in Singapore have come a long way since Friendster and Myspace. In this article, we take a look at the key social media usage and engagement statistics relative to Singapore audiences, and analyse what they mean for digital marketers targeting audiences in Singapore. Let’s get started!

Digital and Social Media Statistics, Singapore

1. Singapore has one of the highest digital consumption rates in the world.

More than three in four people in the country use the internet regularly this year. Our smartphone penetration rate (73% in 2017, per eMarketer estimates) is also among the highest in the world. The growth of ecommerce and increasing use of smartphones will force advertisers to embrace digital at a faster rate. (source: 2017 Adspend Report by eMarketer and IAB)

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2. Demographics: 83% of the Singapore population are on social media.

Qatar and United Arab Emirates takes the top spot in the global ranking with a staggering 99% of their population on social media. In contrast, only 0.06% of North Korea’s population (16,000 out of 25,610,672) have a social media account. (source: wearesocial x Hootsuite Global Digital Report 2018)

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3. As of January 2018, number of social media users in Singapore have grown 9% since January 2017.

(source: wearesocial x Hootsuite Global Digital Report 2018).

For reference, there were 4.40 million users recorded on January 2017, so that is an increase of 396,000 users. Singaporeans are most active on Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube.

There is still debate regarding whether WhatsApp can be counted as a social media platform or social media network, or if it’s just a messaging app. You can read more about the different perspectives from this short discussion posted by Professor Kyujin Shim and her students, or on a Quora thread here.

Hootsuite has a great article outlining the benefits of marketing on Whatsapp, with examples of real campaigns by brands such as Agent Provocateur and Absolut Vodka executed successfully overseas. However, in Singapore, marketing on Whatsapp usually brings to mind the spam group messages used by illegal moneylenders. Perhaps it is time for that to change.

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4. 75% of Singaporeans actively access social media via mobile.

(source: wearesocial x Hootsuite Global Digital Report 2018).

Mobile video is now the dominant social format, and passive content consumption is steadily climbing.  This is why brands are coming up with more video content on mobile, and there are more news outlets publishing news in video format.  Additionally, there is a recent upsurge in live streaming sessions, and small businesses are quick to capitalise on that by applying an element of gamification via offering live bidding session for items, which in turn, increases the engagement rate.

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5. Mobile phones and smartphones are the most used devices for browsing the Internet, used by 95% and 91% of the population, respectively.

Meanwhile, 71% use laptop or desktops, 42% use tablets, 86% use the television. 15% use a device for streaming internet content to their TV, 4% use an e-reader device, whilst 7% use a wearable tech device. (source: Singapore Business Review)

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6. Singaporeans spend an average of 2 hours and 6 minutes daily on social media.

(source: wearesocial x Hootsuite Global Digital Report 2018).

Filipinos (Philippines) take the lead with 3 hours and 57 minutes, whereas the Japanese clock a mere average of 48 minutes daily.

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7. In a recent preliminary survey published by Equinet Academy, jointly with Cooler Insights, 40.2% rated themselves “not very good”.

Only 1.6% would consider themselves an “expert” in Social Media Marketing. 10.7% consider themselves “proficient”, and 45.9% said they are “average”. With the high rate of social media usage in Singapore, it would be remiss for brands here to not step up their efforts. Sprout Social provides an excellent round up of how Social Media Marketers in other countries fare.

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8. Singaporeans use an average of 8.8 social networks weekly.

(source: Connected Life 2017-2018 survey by Kantas TNS)

The following graph from Statista shows the percentage of penetration of leading social networks in Singapore as of third quarter of 2017. The data was published in January 2018.

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9. Online advertising now represents only 14.7% of total advertising expenditure in Singapore versus 25.9% in Japan and 53.6% in China.

(source: Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2017-2021 by PWC).

Looks like there is still plenty of room for growth!

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10. The Connected Life results reveal that one in five (22%) connected consumers in Singapore ‘actively ignore’ social posts or content from brands.

Businesses need to avoid being invasive as a quarter (24%) already feel ‘constantly followed’ by online advertising. (source: Kantar TNS) It is important to plan your content marketing efforts diligently and strategically. Storytelling is a great tactic used by many brands. When you are able to connect emotionally with your audience and their lifestyle, the brand loyalty and goodwill increases as well.

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Instagram Statistics, Singapore

11. 38% of Singaporeans use Instagram daily

That puts us in third place for the global ranking of Instagram penetration by country, ranked by number of monthly active users compared to total population. Sweden comes first at 47%, and Turkey second at 41%. Hong Kong and Malaysia were tied at 35% Instagram penetration. (source: wearesocial x Hootsuite Global Digital Report 2018)

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12. 36% of users are aged 25 to 34 years old.

See below for the spread of age groups for Instagram, in Singapore. 55% of active accounts are women, while 45% are men. (Source: Napoleancat, a social media management platform)

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Facebook Statistics, Singapore

13. Facebook boasts a monthly traffic count of 33,400,000 in Q4 of 2017.

According to SimilarWeb, it is the top social media platform used by Singaporeans- and the rest of the world.

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14. In Singapore, Facebook users aged 45 to 64 now make up 19.58% of the total count.

(source: Channel NewsAsia)

That translates to 1 out of 5 users. Conversely, the user base for ages 18 to 24 have declined, from 18.4% in 2017 to 17.5% in 2018. Why the increase in recent years? Two likely reasons: firstly, the older crowd tends to adopt internet trends late; and secondly, they finally got on social media to keep up with their kids and grandkids.

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15. The average organic reach for each Facebook post is 8% of Page Likes.

(source: wearesocial x Hootsuite Global Digital Report 2018)

For example, if you have 1000 fans on your Page, then expect to see about 80 engagements (Likes, Reactions, comments, or shares) through organic reach. This statistic is in line with the global average percentage of organic reach to Page Likes worldwide. If you’re looking to make the most out of your organic growth, check out this article on Entrepreneur on how to create viral content in social media.

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With more businesses ramping up their social media efforts to keep up with the demand, that means more competition for eyeballs and attention span. Social Media Marketing is an effective way to help businesses grow organically (read: almost free) and build lasting relationships with their target audiences.

In a field that’s dynamic and ever-changing, there is always something new to learn. If you’re not one for self-studying, check out our structured 2-day Social Media Marketing course for some actionable insights and guided learning. If you feel ready to kick things up a notch and run paid campaigns for targeted audiences, take a look at our 2-day Facebook Advertising course. When you are ready to go turbo, take a look at this excellent piece on how to spy on your competitors’ Facebook ads.

Equinet Academy also offers an array of digital marketing courses taught in-person in Singapore or online.

Do you have any other interesting social media statistics you’d like to share? Sound out in the comments below!