Wants to know most popular social media in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka, a South Asian country on the Indian Ocean, habituates 21.92 million people (2024). And the number of internet users reach 12.34 million with 56.3% penetration. Almost all internet users are now more or less well-connected to at least one social media platform.
Different digital surveys indicate wildly distinctive values when it comes to social media users. One thing is almost constant though, the dominance or preference of a particular network. And knowing the most popular social media network in Sri Lanka can help your local initiatives.
The largest social media platform’s outreach is 7.5 million through advertisements alone in Sri Lanka. But the actual number is close to 8.75 million in 2024. Adults (25 years to 34 years) make up the largest user group by holding a 2.5 million user base. Even the growth rate is magnificent with 950K new users within one year (2023 – 2024). It keeps the most popular social media network on hype with 14.5% increments.
The messaging platform probably holds the most users across Sri Lanka, counting almost 11 million in 2024. It’s no wonder why people prefer the social media app, given its wide range of sharing options for files and enlarged connectivity. The platform is more like an all-in-one solution to everyday networking. Anyone with the internet can easily use its simplified interface with minimal literacy/understanding.
YouTube
Google’s video-sharing/streaming platform holds about 7.23 million users in 2024 based on ad outreach. The number significantly falls short of the total monthly active profiles with or without logins. Lots of Lankan people check YouTube content only for information or entertainment. The total percentage, holding a great number, continues to expand its overall reach through increased quality or consistency.
TikTok
ByteDance’s much-popular video platform occupies about 4.4 million users in Sri Lanka alone. The data exclusively reports adult users so the actual number should stand considerably high. The overall viewers also indicate a great participation of females against males, counting 41.1% against 58.9% respectively. Local businesses and lots of youngsters increasingly use social media to make some quick money.
Messenger
Meta’s advertising analysis revealed 4 million active users, representing about 18.2% of the entire local. It’s an incredibly popular platform to make calls/chats with people individually or in groups. The social media is now directly embedded into Facebook’s original interface, letting you utilize it with an account. More users are connecting through Messenger, surging the overall reach for months.
The professionals’ platform features about 2.1 million registered members as of early 2024. The number of monthly active audiences is lower since not every member utilizes LinkedIn. However, youngsters and grownups continue to register and actively use social media for professional work and/or benefits. About 300K new users (16.7% increase) checked into the platform in a span of one year (2023 – 2024).
The image-sharing platform features a 1.75 million user base in Sri Lanka as of early 2024. It indicates that Instagram is yet to thrive in the country, despite outmatching some other social media by numbers. The growth rate is quite impressive though, measuring a 25% increase between 2023 and 2024. About 350K new logins took place in the time, indicating a significant rise in popularity amidst certain users.
X (Twitter)
The platform’s proprietary ad resources reported 309K users in early 2024. It represents only about 1.4% of the total Lankan population on Twitter. However, the data specifically focuses on advertising demographics. So, the actual number of active users may be significantly higher than 1.4%. Elon Musk’s social media has yet to obtain a reasonable positive among Sri Lankan social media users.
Others
Noteworthy social media platforms like Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram also share tiny fragments of the total users. Pinterest is the leading one with continuous surges and plunges in active user numbers, primarily remaining close to 3%. Sri Lankans also use Reddit to some extent, counting about 0.8% – 1.0% most of the time. Telegram, on the other hand, lacks sufficient data to denote its popularity in the island country.
Wrapping Up
It’s difficult to imagine digital life without social media networking and Lankan people are no exception. Facebook and WhatsApp are the two pioneering platforms to expand the overall outreach in the region. Others are also gaining momentum with a greater number of users registering into leading platforms.
Many social media platforms, especially apps, continue to be installed on Lankan people’s smartphones. The country is well-known for its high literacy rates, making it a great hub for social media users intending to do business or share ideas/content.
Contact Tectera for social media marketing Sri Lanka.
