Screen Time Report
From adopting the use of a residential proxy to becoming a social media influencer, technological advancements are changing the ways in which we use the internet. Although it is no secret that mobile phones have taken over our lives, this is now more apparent than ever as we are racking up an average global screen time of 6 hours 58 minutes per day.
To find out how screen time differs around the world, we have analyzed a range of factors and normalized their scores out of ten to reveal the countries with the biggest overall screen time.
With an overall score of 8.37 /10, the United Arab Emirates has the biggest screen time of any country
To find out which countries have the highest overall screen time, we have taken a range of factors, including internet adoption and the number of social media platforms used, and normalized these out of ten to give each country an overall screen time score. Here’s what we found.
Countries with the biggest overall screen time score
Key: Overall screen time score /10
1. United Arab Emirates
8.37 /10
Taking the top spot on our list of countries with the biggest overall screen time, tallying up a score of 8.37 /10, is the United Arab Emirates. Some of the factors which have contributed to this country’s position on our ranking are the fact that 99% of this country’s population are internet users, and 57% of the daily internet time here is spent using mobile phones.
2. Saudi Arabia
8.20 /10
Saudi Arabia is next on our list with an overall screen time score of 8.2 /10. This country shares some of the same scores with its Middle Eastern counterpart, the United Arab Emirates, but falls just shy of the top spot due to having a slightly smaller daily internet usage time and a smaller average number of social media platforms used per month.
3. Malaysia
7.56 /10
Despite finishing in third place on our list of the countries with the biggest overall screen time score, Malaysia has the highest daily internet time expenditure of all the countries in our top three - totaling 8 hours and 6 minutes per day. This, paired with a 96.8% internet adoption rate, are just some of the factors which have contributed to Malaysia's overall screen time score of 7.56 /10.
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Internet users make up 99% of the population in four countries - United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, and Norway
As well as looking at which countries have the overall biggest screen time, we also wanted to break each factor down into its own ranking. Below is a list of the countries with the biggest percentage of internet users.
Countries with the biggest percentage of internet users
Key: Internet adoption (%)
1. United Arab Emirates
1. Saudi Arabia
1. Ireland
1. Norway
99% Internet adoption
Due to their appearance in the overall screen time score ranking above, it may come as no surprise to see the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia at the top of this list. In addition to this, the United Arab Emirates is among the fastest internet-providing countries in the world, which is likely why 99% of its population have adopted this service.
Two other countries, namely Ireland and Norway, also have a 99% internet adoption rate which also puts them at the top of this ranking. With so many countries at the top of our list, it appears that the internet is more popular now than ever.
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South Africa spends more time on the internet than any other country - averaging 9 hrs 38 mins per day
To find out which countries are surfing the web most frequently, we have also ranked them based on their average daily time spent on the internet. Here’s what we found.
Countries with the biggest overall screen time score
Key: Daily time spent on the internet (hrs & mins)
1. South Africa
9 hrs 38 mins
Taking the title of the biggest internet addicts in the world is South Africa. Despite the fact that only 72.3% of the population uses the internet in this country, it is clear that those who have adopted the internet here are hooked, evidenced by the 9 hrs 38 mins of daily internet usage in South Africa.
2. Brazil
9 hrs 32 mins
With an average daily internet usage of 9 hrs 32 mins, Brazil ranks in second place on our list. Although this country isn’t known for its fast internet speed, this hasn’t stopped the residents here from making the most of its benefits.
3. Philippines
9 hrs 14 mins
Completing our top three list of countries spending the most time on the internet per day is the Philippines, totaling 9 hrs 14 mins. A lack of censorship for internet users in this country, paired with an increased cost of living, is likely why Filipino residents are spending copious amounts of hours online.
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With 8.7 social media platforms being used per month, India has a higher average than any other country
Figures have revealed that over half of the world’s population is now using social media, but which countries are utilizing the most social media platforms? Below is a list of countries with the highest average number of social media platforms used per month.
Countries with the highest average number of social media platforms used per month
Key: Social media platforms used (per month)
1. India
8.7
As one of the most populated countries in the world, it may come as no surprise that the residents of India are utilizing social media platforms. From Facebook to LinkedIn, the people in this country appear to be well-versed in this sector, evidenced by the 8.7 average number of social media platforms used per month.
2. Brazil
8.4
With an average of 8.4 social media platforms used per month, Brazil and Indonesia appear joint second on our list. In addition to their position on our ranking, these two countries also share similarities in terms of which social media platforms are most popular - with Instagram and Facebook being among the favorites.
3. United Arab Emirates & Philippines
8.2
With an average of 8.2 social media platforms used per month, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines are next on our list. Both of these countries have already been featured on our Screen Time Report, but they also appear in this ranking as having the third-highest average number of social media platforms used per month.
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63.4% of all internet usage in Indonesia is carried out using mobile devices - the highest percentage of any country
Phones have become a staple in so many lives, with many of us using them for things outside of phone calls and texting. To find out which countries are utilizing mobile phones the most, we have compiled a list of the countries with the highest share of daily internet time for mobile phones.
Countries with the highest share of mobile-related internet usage
Key: Share of daily internet time for mobile phones (%)
1. Indonesia
63.4%
Taking the top spot in our list of the countries with the biggest share of mobile-related internet usage is Indonesia. With 63.4% of all internet time coming from mobile phones, it appears that the people of Indonesia are making the most of being able to have the internet at their fingertips.
2. Thailand
62.8 %
Next up on our list is Thailand. This country’s mobile internet usage makes up 62.8% of all daily internet time here which is higher than the worldwide average of 56.9%, and the second highest of any country on our list.
3. India
61.4 %
Completing our top three list of countries with the highest percentage of mobile internet usage, totaling 61.4%, is India. After appearing at the top of our social media ranking earlier in this report, it is likely that the residents here enjoy using their mobile devices to scroll through social media.
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Methodology
We used Data Reportal to find the following data for each country: internet users as a percentage of the total population, daily time spent using the internet, average number of social media platforms used per month, and the share of daily internet time on mobile devices.
We removed any countries for which we were unable to collect all of the data, leaving us with a total list of 44 countries.
We used the screen time factors (internet users, daily time spent using the internet, average number of social media platforms, and daily internet time on mobile devices) and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get an overall ‘screen time score’ for each country.
