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.
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.
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.
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%.
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%.
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.
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.
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