Over 5 billion people use social media globally. That is more than 60 per cent of the total world’s population.
Nigeria’s population is estimated at 235 million, with 50.6 per cent being male and 49.4 per cent being female. 38.2 per cent of the population is aged between 18 and 44 years old. 47.5 per cent are between the ages of 0 and 17 years old.
As of January 2025, there are 38.7 million active social media users in Nigeria. For most social media platforms, users must be at least 13 years old.
What is social media?
Social media are internet-based platforms where users exchange information in text, image, audio, and other formats. It enhances communication and connection with friends, family, and business associates.
Social Media Usage Statistics in Nigeria (Top Picks)
- 38.7 million people use social media in Nigeria.
- There are more male than female social media users in Nigeria.
- WhatsApp is the most used social media platform in Nigeria, with 51 million active users.
- Only 16 per cent of the Nigerian population actively uses social media.
- 35.6 per cent of the Nigerian population is below the age of 13; hence, ineligible to use social media.
- TikTok is the most popular social platform in terms of time spent. On average, global users with an Android device spend 31 hours and 32 minutes on TikTok monthly.
- As of January 2024, Nigeria ranked 5th globally for average time spent on social media daily.
What is the first social media platform?
Social media has, over the years, evolved from simply serving as platforms for communication to full-blown commerce, public discussion, and a source of the latest news.
Believed to have been invented in the mid-1990s, social media became widely used in the early 2000s.
SixDegrees.com, GeoCities, Classmates.com, and Friendster are some of the first social media sites. MySpace was the first social media site to reach a million monthly active users, a milestone achieved around 2004.
What are the popular social media platforms in Nigeria?
The popular social media platforms in Nigeria are:
- Snapchat
- Telegram
- TikTok
- YouTube
Social media popularity in Nigeria started with the wide usage of platforms like 2go, Eskimi, and Facebook.
2go was created in 2007 by two South African developers, Alan Wolff and Ashley Peter. Now defunct, the platform was widely used by Nigerian teens and youths between 2007 and 2010.
Eskimi was founded by a Lithuanian, Vytautas Paukstys. Although still in operation under a third-party application, Eskimi Dating, the parent company has pivoted to offering digital advertising technology-related services.
Number of Facebook users in Nigeria
Still thriving and remaining a global giant is Facebook. As of March 2024, there are 49.9 million Facebook users in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, early 2025 data published in Meta’s advertising resources indicate that Facebook had 38.7 million users in Nigeria.
- Total users: 38.7 million
- Male: 57.8 per cent
- Female: 42.2 per cent
Number of WhatsApp users in Nigeria
The most popular social media platform in Nigeria is WhatsApp, with 51 million active users as of April 2024, making it the 10th largest user base globally. This represented about two per cent of WhatsApp’s billions of monthly active users worldwide.
WhatsApp is used by 95.1 per cent of Nigeria’s online population, making it the highest in the world.
Nigeria has the fifth-largest number of WhatsApp Business users, with an estimated revenue of $382 million in 2023.
Number of YouTube users in Nigeria
Google’s advertising resources indicate that YouTube had 27 million users in Nigeria in early 2025. At that time, 42.8 per cent of YouTube’s adult ad audience in Nigeria was female, while 57.2 per cent was male.
- Total users: 27 million
- Male: 57.2 million
- Female: 42.8 million
Number of Instagram users in Nigeria
The numbers published by Meta’s (Instagram’s parent company) advertising tools estimate Instagram’s active users in Nigeria to be 9.9 million in early 2025.
- Total users: 9.9 million
- Male: 55.5 per cent
- Female: 44.5 per cent
Number of TikTok users in Nigeria
TikTok’s users in Nigeria aged 18 or older are 37.4 million, according to the platform’s advertising resources published in early 2025.
- Total users: 37.4 million
- Male: 67.9 per cent
- Female: 32.1 per cent
Number of Snapchat users in Nigeria
Data published in Snapchat’s advertising resources indicate that Snapchat had 19.6 million users in Nigeria in early 2025.
- Total users: 19.6 million
- Male: 52 per cent
- Female: 46.2 per cent
A sentimental observation: Many users of Snapchat in Nigeria only use the platform’s features, notably the photo filters, without actually engaging or communicating via the platform; hence, actual download and usage might be higher than estimated by the advertising resources.
Number of X (formerly Twitter) in Nigeria
X mandates that its users are at least 13 years old to use its platform. According to X’s advertising resources, the number of users in Nigeria was about 7.57 million in early 2025.
- Total users: 7.57 million
- Male: 74.3 per cent
- Female: 25.7 per cent
Number of LinkedIn users in Nigeria
Figures published in LinkedIn’s advertising resources indicate that LinkedIn had 11 million “members” in Nigeria in early 2025.
- Total members: 11 million
- Male: 63.2 per cent
- Female: 36.8 per cent
Average time Nigerians spend on social media
As of January 2024, Nigeria ranked 5th globally for average time spent on social media daily, with users spending about 3 hours and 23 minutes each day on social media.
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