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Social Media in France - 2023 Stats & Platform Trends

Last Updated: October 30, 2023
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How is social media in France?

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.

Historical Internet Penetration
Unit: % of Total Population
Cellular Subscription %
Unit: per 100 People

Social Media's User Demographics in France

Given the latest survey available, in France there are about 54.4 million active social media users (Log in at least once in a month) in 2022. This is about 80.3 % of the addressable  demographics. Also, Throughout 2021 to 2022, the number of users has grown 6 %.

Social Media User Demographics
Note: Meta's figure as reference, 2022

Key Drivers of Using Social Media in France

Source: GWI. Users aged 16-64 years old

Key Accounts Followed For Users in France

Source: GWI. Users aged 16-64 years old

What Platforms are Users in France Typically on?

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.

Most Used Platforms, 2022
Unit: %
Most Liked Platforms | 2022
Unit: %

How's Facebook Doing in France?

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%.

Facebook Users as a % of Population in France
Unit: %
Facebooks Users in France
Unit: '000 Thousands
Facebook User Penetration in France
Unit: % of Total Population
Facebook User By Age Group in France
Note: As legal restriction, figure of 13-17 is often underestimated(underreported) and 18-24 is overestimated|Unit:'000 People
Facebook User Age Penetration in France
Note: Number may exceed 100% as multi-accounts holders or fake accounts prevail in the country|Unit: %

How's Instagram in France?

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%.

Instagram Users as a % of Population in France
Unit: %
Instagram Users in France
Unit:'000 People
Instagram User Penetration in France
Unit: % of Total Population
Instagram User By Age Group in France
Note: As legal restriction, figure of 13-17 is often underestimated(underreported) and 18-24 is overestimated|Unit:'000 People
Instagram User Age Penetration in France
Note: Number may exceed 100% as multi-accounts holders or fake accounts prevail in the country|Unit: %

How's TikTok in France?

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.

TikTok Users as a % of Population in France
Unit:'000 People
TikTok User Penetration in France
Unit: %

How's LinkedIn in France?

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.

LinkedIn Users as a % of Population in France
Unit: %
LinkedIn Users in France
Unit:'000 People
LinkedIn User By Age Group in France
Unit:'000 People
Reference
  • Internet & Cellular Subscription:World Bank, ITU
  • Currency Exchange: Based on IMF data in 2023/1
  • Demographics: UN Population Database
  • Social Media Behavior: GWI, Hootsuite 2022 Digital Report
  • Meta, LinkedIn Data: Napoleon Cat Stats
  • Data Calculation & Regression:OOSGA.org
  • Analysis:OOSGA Analytics
  • Note: The data for monthly platform usage and the data for the most frequently used platforms are sourced from different research, hence there may be discrepancies in the numbers as both are estimated rather than real figure.
Author: CR Team

Our consumer research practice tracks what customers spend and how they make decisions across major economies in the world.

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