Saudi social media statistics: 38.6 million is TikTok's number, not a head count
How many people use social media in Saudi Arabia, which apps, at what age, and which platform sends visits to websites. CST, GASTAT, DataReportal and StatCounter side by side, where they disagree and why, and a free CSV that names the source of every number.
The Khaleej SEO team
Published · Updated · 11 min read
Key finding: About 96 in 100 Saudi internet users take part in social media (GASTAT), but DataReportal’s 38.6 million “users” is TikTok’s advertising reach among adults, not a head count. CST’s survey puts WhatsApp (92.7%), Snapchat (83.6%) and TikTok (77.0%) first, yet Facebook, at 18.8%, sends 74.75% of social referrals to websites.
This page puts four sources side by side: CST’s Saudi Internet 2025 report (5th edition), GASTAT’s 2025 survey of households and individuals, DataReportal’s Digital 2026 report for Saudi Arabia (published 8 November 2025, data from October 2025) and StatCounter’s Saudi social media series, downloaded on 25 October 2026. Where they disagree, we say so and say why. There is a free CSV at the end with the source of every figure.
Saudi social media at a glance
| Figure | Value | Source and period |
|---|---|---|
| Internet users who take part in social media | 96.2% of those aged 15 to 74 (men 95.7%, women 97.1%) | GASTAT, 2025 |
| Internet users who look for information about goods or services | 57.2% | GASTAT, 2025 |
| Social media user identities | 38.6 million, 111% of the population of 34.7 million; up 5.8 million (17.7%) in a year | DataReportal, October 2025 |
| Most used apps | WhatsApp 92.7%, Snapchat 83.6%, TikTok 77.0%, YouTube 75.8%, Instagram 40.8% | CST, 2025 |
| Snapchat advertising reach | 25.3 million, 89.0% of adults aged 18 and above | DataReportal, late 2025 |
| TikTok advertising reach | 38.6 million aged 18 and above, 154.3% of adults | DataReportal, late 2025 |
| YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X | 27.5 million, 18.2 million, 17.7 million, 15.0 million | DataReportal, late 2025 |
| Platform that sends the most social referrals | Facebook, 74.75% | StatCounter, September 2025 to September 2026 |
| Instagram use by age | 51.2% at 20 to 29, 16.5% at 60 to 74 | CST, 2025 |
How many people use social media in Saudi Arabia?
The sources answer slightly different questions.
| Source | Figure | Base and note |
|---|---|---|
| GASTAT, ICT access and usage 2025 | 96.2% take part in social media networks | Internet users aged 15 to 74; a household survey, and the most common online activity it lists |
| DataReportal, Digital 2026 | 38.6 million social media user identities | Platform accounts in October 2025; Kepios analysis; 111% of the population and 112.3% of internet users |
| CST, Saudi Internet 2025 | Lists the share using each app | Base not stated; pages 19 to 21 give app, age and gender shares and no overall total |
DataReportal counts 34.4 million internet users in a population of 34.7 million, so its 38.6 million social media identities are 4.2 million more than the number of people online.
Why 38.6 million is not a head count
DataReportal says so itself: its method tries to remove duplicates across platforms, but the figures “may not represent unique individuals”, and in some countries the overall number mirrors the largest platform. Saudi Arabia looks like one of those cases. The headline figure matches TikTok’s advertising reach among adults on every measure the page prints for both:
| Measure | Social media user identities | TikTok advertising reach |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 38.6 million, aged 18 and above | 38.6 million, aged 18 and above |
| Share of adults aged 18 and above | 154.3% | 154.3% |
| Share of internet users of any age | 112.3% | 112.3% |
| Female and male share | 39.1% and 60.9% | 39.1% and 60.9% |
A reach above 100% of adults cannot be a count of people. Advertising tools count accounts that can be targeted, and Meta notes that its estimates are not monthly active users. So quote a platform and a measure, and avoid “38.6 million Saudis use social media”. The 96.2% from GASTAT is the figure for people.
Which apps do Saudis use?
CST’s survey asks which social media apps people use most. Its list, next to what the advertising tools report for the same apps:
| App | CST, most used | Advertising reach (DataReportal) |
|---|---|---|
| 92.7% | Not on the page | |
| Snapchat | 83.6% | 25.3 million, 89.0% of adults |
| TikTok | 77.0% | 38.6 million, 154.3% of adults |
| YouTube | 75.8% | 27.5 million, 79.2% of the population |
| 40.8% | 18.2 million, 71.0% of adults | |
| X | 34.9% | 15.0 million, 57.2% of adults |
| Telegram | 24.3% | Not on the page |
| 18.8% | 17.7 million, 70.0% of adults | |
| Facebook Messenger | 11.6% | 11.1 million, 44.4% of adults |
| Jaco | 5.4% | Not on the page |
Adults means aged 18 and above. YouTube’s section gives the share of the population instead of adults. LinkedIn does not appear in CST’s list; DataReportal shows 12.0 million members, 48.0% of adults, and says that figure counts registered members rather than active users. Reddit has 1.70 million and Threads 1.55 million in advertising reach.
Growth over the year to late 2025 in advertising reach: TikTok +17.7%, Facebook +17.3%, Instagram +13.8%, Messenger +10.4%, LinkedIn +9.1%, Snapchat +4.1%, YouTube +1.1% and X down 6.8%. DataReportal warns that platforms revise these figures, so treat the changes as direction rather than precision.
Age and gender
CST’s report breaks the five biggest apps down by age band and by gender.
| Age | Snapchat | TikTok | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 to 19 | 79.8% | 89.3% | 82.0% |
| 20 to 29 | 93.7% | 91.0% | 82.1% |
| 30 to 39 | 96.2% | 85.2% | 79.7% |
| 40 to 49 | 96.7% | 78.9% | 73.6% |
| 50 to 59 | 96.6% | 71.9% | 66.0% |
| 60 to 74 | 91.5% | 55.0% | 51.7% |
| Age | YouTube | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 to 19 | 80.4% | 37.4% |
| 20 to 29 | 75.3% | 51.2% |
| 30 to 39 | 76.1% | 43.0% |
| 40 to 49 | 74.6% | 39.1% |
| 50 to 59 | 74.2% | 27.7% |
| 60 to 74 | 67.2% | 16.5% |
WhatsApp is close to universal from 20 to 59 and YouTube is the steadiest across ages (67.2% to 80.4%). Snapchat falls 34.3 points between the 10 to 19 band and the 60 to 74 band, and Instagram peaks at 20 to 29 (51.2%) and falls 34.7 points by 60 to 74.
| App | Men (CST) | Women (CST) |
|---|---|---|
| 94.4% | 90.4% | |
| Snapchat | 80.2% | 88.2% |
| TikTok | 76.5% | 77.6% |
| YouTube | 81.1% | 68.8% |
| 39.5% | 42.4% |
Women use Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram at least as much as men in CST’s survey, and GASTAT finds 97.1% of women internet users on social media against 95.7% of men. The advertising tools tell a different story: the female share of adult ad audiences is 43.5% on Snapchat, 41.1% on Instagram, 41.0% on YouTube, 39.1% on TikTok, 38.5% on X, 24.7% on LinkedIn and 22.9% on Facebook. A survey asks people, an ad tool counts accounts it can target, and DataReportal notes that X infers gender rather than asking for it. We cannot tell from outside which is closer for a given business, so check your own pixel and analytics data before splitting a budget by gender.
Where social media sends visits to websites
StatCounter analyses every page view that a social media site referred to the sites that use its tracking code, and reports which platform sent it. Over the 12 months to September 2026:
| Platform | All | Desktop | Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74.75% | 19.28% | 78.49% | |
| X (Twitter) | 8.72% | 18.44% | 8.12% |
| YouTube | 8.11% | 52.95% | 5.11% |
| 6.89% | 0.82% | 7.25% | |
| 0.69% | 4.23% | 0.40% | |
| 0.59% | 1.78% | 0.52% | |
| 0.17% | 1.51% | 0.09% |
Three things stand out. First, the order differs sharply from CST’s: Facebook is eighth in the survey and first by a distance in referrals. Second, the split by device is sharp: YouTube sends 52.95% of desktop social visits against 5.11% on mobile (10.4 times), while Instagram sends 7.25% on mobile and 0.82% on desktop (8.8 times). Third, StatCounter has no category for WhatsApp, Snapchat or TikTok, the top three in CST’s survey, so a site cannot assume it will see visits from them labelled by app.
The monthly values move a lot. Facebook’s share ran from 55.0% in August 2026 to 88.03% in May 2026, a 33.03-point range. YouTube went from 1.87% in May 2026 to 18.33% in July 2026. Instagram fell to 3.08% in February 2026 and was at 16.45% in August 2026, and X went from 16.51% in September 2025 to 4.28% in May 2026. StatCounter revises its data, so the 12-month figures are the safer ones to quote.
Where the sources disagree
| Question | What the sources say | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Size of Facebook | 18.8% (CST), 17.7 million and 70.0% of adults (DataReportal), 74.75% of social referrals (StatCounter) | Who says they use it, how many ads can reach, who sends visits |
| Size of Instagram | 40.8% (CST), 18.2 million and 71.0% of adults, 6.89% of referrals | Same three questions |
| Size of TikTok | 77.0% (CST), 38.6 million and 154.3% of adults | The ad reach figure is not a head count |
| Size of Snapchat | 83.6% (CST), 25.3 million and 89.0% of adults | Close, 5.4 points apart; YouTube is also near (75.8% against 80.0% of internet users) |
| People on social media | 96.2% of internet users (GASTAT), 112.3% of internet users (DataReportal) | A survey of people against a count of accounts |
| Audience by gender | Women at least as active as men (CST, GASTAT); about 4 in 10 on most ad audiences (DataReportal) | A survey against ad tools; check your own data |
| Growth of X | Down 6.8% in reach (DataReportal); 34.9% (CST); 8.72% of referrals | X’s tool figures fluctuate, DataReportal says |
What this means for SEO in Saudi Arabia
This section is our analysis, not a source figure.
- Quote a platform and a measure. “38.6 million Saudis” is a figure about accounts. For people, use the 96.2% from GASTAT, and for a platform, say whether it is survey use, advertising reach or referrals.
- Match the channel to the buyer’s age. If your buyers are 20 to 49, CST shows Snapchat at 78.9% to 91.0%, TikTok at 73.6% to 82.1% and Instagram at 39.1% to 51.2%. Clinics and travel companies should read those bands against their own patient and booking data. See our dental SEO and travel SEO services.
- Do not rely on social platforms to report their own traffic. Facebook is 74.75% of social referrals and the three apps Saudis use most are not in StatCounter’s list. Tag the links you share with UTM parameters and add a “how did you hear about us” field to forms. Our guide to website traffic but no sales starts from tracking.
- Treat search as the place where buying research continues. GASTAT finds 57.2% of internet users look for information about goods or services online and 71.0% of individuals buy online, with clothing at 88.8% of online shoppers. E-commerce SEO pages should answer those product questions in Arabic and English. More context is in our Saudi e-commerce statistics.
- Add links where each platform sends visits. YouTube sends 52.95% of desktop social visits, so description links matter for desktop research, and Facebook is the main referrer on mobile (78.49%).
- Plan on ranges, not months. Facebook’s referral share moved 33 points in a year. Use 12-month averages and your own Search Console and GA4 data. The same caution applies to device splits, covered in our Saudi internet statistics.
- Do not read social growth as search demand. TikTok’s reach grew 17.7% and X’s fell 6.8% in a year, which says nothing about how many people search for your category on Google.
Starting a Saudi SEO programme? See our SEO agency in Saudi Arabia page, or ask for a free SEO audit.
Methodology and sources
- CST, Saudi Internet 2025 (5th edition), report page and PDF, downloaded on 21 October 2026 (26,969,611 bytes). Pages used: 19 (most used social media applications), 20 (by age group) and 21 (by gender). We read the values on the rendered pages and checked each against the PDF’s text layer. The report gives no sample size, survey dates or base for these pages.
- GASTAT, ICT access and usage by households and individuals 2025, survey of individuals aged 15 to 74, one-page results PDF opened on 25 October 2026.
- DataReportal, Digital 2026: Saudi Arabia, published 8 November 2025 with data from October 2025, opened on 25 October 2026. Advertising reach figures come from each platform’s own planning tools and are not monthly active users. Kepios revises them, and DataReportal asks readers not to compare them with earlier reports.
- StatCounter Global Stats, social media stats for Saudi Arabia, CSV exports downloaded on 25 October 2026 for September 2025 to September 2026 (monthly series and 12-month aggregates, all devices, desktop and mobile); every export was fetched twice and was identical. StatCounter measures page views to sites that use its tracking code, see its FAQ, and we did not check its panel. It labels X as Twitter.
- Our calculations (ranges, ratios, age differences and the gap between social media identities and internet users) use the values in the CSV. Not used: any source that gave no method or date, and paid datasets we could not open.
Free download: saudi-social-media-statistics.csv, with 260 rows: CST, GASTAT and DataReportal figures with their page references, StatCounter monthly series and 12-month aggregates, and our calculations, each with its source.
How to cite this page
Khaleej SEO, “Saudi social media statistics: 38.6 million is TikTok’s number, not a head count”, khaleejseo.com/blog/saudi-social-media-statistics/, updated 25 October 2026. The charts may be reused with this credit and a link.
Updates
- 25 October 2026: first published, with CST and GASTAT 2025 data, DataReportal October 2025 data and StatCounter data to September 2026. We update the page when DataReportal publishes its next Saudi report, when StatCounter adds a month, and when CST or GASTAT release new editions.
Arabic and English SEO specialists for e-commerce stores, dental clinics and travel companies. Our team has led SEO for some of the largest e-commerce brands in the Gulf, across 7 MENA markets.