The Social

Social Media in France - 2023 Stats & Platform Trends

Last Updated: February 3, 2023
fra
Welcome! Here at OOSGA, we've combined insights from our partners across various markets and our own hands-on experience to bring you this brief. If you are interested in partnering with us on social media marketing & research within France, let us know!
The Outlook

How does social media look like in France?

In France, where there is a well-established internet infrastructure and a mature population with a high smartphone penetration rate of 90%, it’s not surprising that social media is widely used. Despite this, the French tend to spend less time on social media, with an average of 1.7 hours per day compared to the average of 2.5 hours in other countries.

Table of Contents
Internet Population|% of Population
Mobile cellular subscriptions|Per 100 Peopel
The Demographics

How are users distributed in France?

Throughout 2022, on average there are about 54.4 million active social media users in France on a monthly basis with an annual growth rate of 6 % in 2021-22 . This represents about  80.3 % of the total population. These social media users on average spend about 1.77 hours on social media and each on average have accounts on 5.5 platforms.

% of Total Social Media Users|Note: Meta's figure as reference, 2022

Main Drivers Behind Using Social Media?

Source: Survey by GWI. Users in France that are aged 16-64 years old

What kinds of accounts do users follow?

Source: Survey by GWI. Users in France that are aged 16-64 years old
The Platforms

What kinds of platform is used in France?

The leading social media platform in France is Facebook and it has been so ever since social media hit mainstream. Messenger and WhatsApp instead are competing for the most used chat app for quite some times wth Messenger taking a lead in a survey conducted by 2022.

However, alternative sources, such as Google Trends and App Downloads, suggests that WhatsApp remains the most used application in France.

Instagram, TikTok Snapchat are particularly popular among young people. With Instagram gaining a larger user share and Snapchat having stickier users. In recent years, we even see brands shifting their focus to platforms like Snapchat and Pinterest, as they offer a stronger sense of community and more engaging content without the interference of algorithms. Snapchat is highly regarded for its creativity and innovation, as evidenced by its Lenses filters, AR, and VR capabilities, with an increasing number of brands creating custom lenses and filters on Snapchat Stories. Louis Vuitton is a notable example, with their LV filters.

However, the popularity of TikTok has caused a significant decline in Snapchat’s market share in recent years, as they are competing for the same group of users. With a large number of internationally popular TikTokers from France, more young people are switching to the platform. Data from Google Trends shows that TikTok now has more than double the interest rate compared to Snapchat. According to figure by local sources, there is now around 40% of internet users using TikTok.

Most Used Platforms (% of Internet Users)|Note: 2022
Most Loved Platforms (% of Internet Users)|Note: 2022
Platform Figure (% of Population)|Source: OOSGA Analytics; eMarketer, Napoleon Cat, Facebook, ByteDance, Microsoft | Note: No LinkedIn Data Prior to 2019/8
Explore Social Media in Other Countries

Facebook Overview in France

With the latest data published in January 2023, we can see that at the growth rate of 0.99%, there is now around 44.22 million Facebook users in France . With male users account for around 47.48% and female users account for around 52.52%.

% of Total Population | 2022
Facebook Users | Unit: a Thousand People
Facebook User Growth | % of Population
User Growth By Age | Unit: a Thousand People
As legal restriction, figure of 13-17 is often underestimated(underreported) and 18-24 is overestimated
User Growth By Age | Unit: % of its Associated Age Bracket
Number may exceed 100% as multi-accounts holders or fake accounts prevail in the country

Instagram Overview in France

With the latest data published in January 2023, we can see that at the growth rate of 1.1%, there is now around 26.29 million Instagram users in France . With male users account for around 45.88% and female users account for around 54.12%.

% of Total Population | 2022
Instagram Users | Unit: a Thousand People
Instagram User Growth | % of Population
User Growth By Age | Unit: a Thousand People
As legal restriction, figure of 13-17 is often underestimated(underreported) and 18-24 is overestimated
User Growth By Age | Unit: % of its Associated Age Bracket
Number may exceed 100% as multi-accounts holders or fake accounts prevail in the country

TikTok Overview in France

With the latest data published in January 2023, we can see that at the growth rate of 1.1%, there is now around 19.7 million TikTok users in France . With male users account for around 0.453 and female users account for around 0.547.

TikTok Users | Unit: a Thousand People
TikTok User Growth | % of Population

LinkedIn Overview in France

With the latest data published in January 2023, we can see that at the growth rate of 1.1x, there is now around 25.39 million LinkedIn users in France.

% of Total Population | 2022
LinkedIn Users | Unit: a Thousand People
User Growth By Age | Unit: a Thousand People

Reference

  • Internet & Cellular Subscription:World Bank, ITU
  • Currency Exchange: Based on IMF data in 2023/1
  • Demographics: UN Population Database
  • Social Media Behavior: GWI, Hootsuite 2022 Digital Report
  • Meta, LinkedIn Data: Napoleon Cat Stats
  • Data Calculation & Regression:OOSGA.org
  • Analysis:OOSGA Analytics
  • Note: The data for monthly platform usage and the data for the most frequently used platforms are sourced from different research, hence there may be discrepancies in the numbers as both are estimated rather than real figure.
Author: Consumer Research

Our CR team is dedicated to keeping a pulse on the ever-evolving demographics and behavior of consumers globally. We stay informed on the latest trends and developments across major economies to ensure that we are providing the most up-to-date insights for our clients

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