Social media has become necessary for people around the world to create and share content which are text-based posts, photos and videos. It allows users to socialize and conduct business. There are many platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram etc. Social media use is both a blessing and a curse. It engages people to maintain personal relationships with family and friends. Cyberbullying, sleep disorder, loneliness, bad mental health are some risk factors associated with the usage of social media.
Social Media in Canada
For the Canadians, social media is the most liked online activities. Social media use in Canada is prevalent across all age groups. It is part of their daily routine. 95% of Canadian adults use at least one social media platform. The most popular social media in Canada for the year 2021 is YouTube.
The number of Internet users in Canada has grown to a whopping 35.63 million. The Canadian population has taken to social media like never before. Canadians, on average, spend about 1.46 hours on social media daily. In Canada, the number of social media users in 2021 has increased to 32.2 million due to deep penetration of internet connectivity among people. The annual growth in active social media users is 8%, an increase of 2.4 million from 2020. Now, social media has become one of the extremely important parts of daily internet usage in Canada. The people of Canada are gradually switching from desktop to mobile devices like smartphone or tablet. 30.65 million are using social media vis mobile devices.
Social media in Canada acts as a platform to gather, share information and express one’s opinion. New topics and conversations began to trend regularly on social media in Canada.
27 November, 2021
| Total population | 37.90 million |
| Active social media users | 32.20 million |
| Number of Internet users | 35.63 million |
| Social Media Users via Mobiles | 30.65 million |
| Number of Mobile Internet users | 30.75 million |
Nowadays, the price of smartphone have been reduced drastically and that has increased the usage of mobile smartphones across Canada. The availability of quick internet at very low prices is another factor for the huge rise in the adoption of social media in Canada. The number of Mobile Internet users has reached 30.75 million, out of which 30.65 million are social media users accessing through mobiles.
| Percentage | in Numbers | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual growth in active social media users. | 8% | 2.4 million + |
| Annual growth of Internet users | 0.9% | 308,000+ |
According to the social media user’s statistics, the annual growth in active social media users is 8%, with more than 2.4 million new users added last year. With this, different trends on social media in Canada will increase in the coming days. The annual growth of Internet users is 0.9% with another 308,000+ new users.
| Average daily time spent using Internet | 6 hours 26 mins |
| Average daily time spent using social Media | 1 hours 46 mins |
In Canada, the average daily time spent using the Internet is 6 hours 26 mins, of which 1 hours 46 mins of the daily time is spent for social media usage.
Most Used Social Media Platforms in Canada 2021
| Platform | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Youtube | 83.60% |
| 76.20% | |
| 54.40% | |
| 37.80% | |
| 31.40% | |
| 30.70% | |
| 21.80% | |
| Tumblr | 8.10% |
| Imgur | 6.60% |
In Canada, Google’s YouTube is the most used social media platform in 2021 with 83.60% of the social media users (26.92 million) joined it. Canada is one of the biggest market for YouTube both in terms of views and subscribers. There are many YouTubers who have benefited a lot from the video sharing giant.
The second most popular platform is Facebook, with 76.20% of the users (24.54 million) in Canada have profiles. Facebook is evenly liked by the political class as well as the masses in Canada. Facebook remains a commanding force for many years to come. Many top brands in Canada use Facebook for engaging with their customers.
Third on the list is Instagram, which has 54.40% of social media users in Canada. A large number of Instagram’s users in Canada are young people, especially teenagers. Facebook is the parent company of Instagram, which paid $1 billion to buy it in 2012. Instagram has grown into a source of income for creators and businesses.
A few other social media platforms that are popular in Canada are microblogging site Twitter (37.8% penetration) and Pinterest, an image sharing site (31.40% penetration). Then comes the business and employment-oriented site, LinkedIn (30.70%% penetration) and Reddit (social news aggregation site) with 21.80% penetration. Last on the list are Tumblr (30.70%% penetration) and an image sharing site, Imgur, with 6.60% penetration.
Popular Messenger Apps in Canada 2021
| Messenger App | Percentage |
|---|---|
| FB Messenger | 63.10% |
| 36.30% | |
| Snapchat | 27.70% |
| Tik Tok | 22.10% |
| Skype | 20.40% |
| Twitch | 11.90% |
| 9.20% |
FB Messenger is the most popular messenger app in Canada. Facebook-owned FB Messenger has 63.1% or 20.32 million of the country’s total users. The second most popular on the list is again Facebook owned WhatsApp, with 36.3% penetration (11.69 million users). The third is Snapchat, which is really popular among teenagers, has 27.7% users. Forth in the list is TikTok with 22.10% users or 7.12 million.
Few other messenger apps that are favoured in Canada are Skype (20.40% penetration), Twitch (11.90% penetration) and WeChat (9.20% penetration).
Most Used Devices in Canada
| Device | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Laptop & Desktop | 55.90% |
| Mobile Phone | 38.30% |
| Tablet | 5.7% |
In 2021, the most dominant device in Canada is the Laptop & Desktop, with a share of 55.90%. The next device on the list is Mobile Phone with 38.30%, followed by tablet with 5.7%.
Most Popular Browser in Canada
| Browser | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Chrome | 51.30% |
| Safari | 30.30% |
| Microsoft Edge | 6.30% |
| Firefox | 4.90% |
| Samsung Internet | 3.60% |
| Internet Explorer | 1.40% |
| Opera | 0.60% |
| Others | 1.50% |
Predictably Google developed Chrome is the most popular browser in Canada with a share percentage of 51.50. Safari is second on the list with 30.30% market share, followed by Microsoft Edge (6.30%) and Firefox (4.90%). This is followed by Samsung Internet, Internet Explorer and Opera.
Top Websites in Canada in 2021 (Alexa)
| Google.com |
| Youtube.com |
| Amazon.ca |
| Google.ca |
| Facebook.com |
According to Alexa website, the top website in Canada is Google.com. Second, on the list is Youtube.com followed by Amazon.ca, Google.ca and Facebook.
Top Mobile Apps in Canada 2021
| App Name | Parent Company |
|---|---|
| Facebook Messenger | Facebook, Inc |
| Facebook, Inc | |
| Facebook, Inc | |
| Facebook, Inc | |
| Amazon | Amazon |
The top mobile apps in Canada are Facebook Messenger, followed by Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Amazon. Four of the top five mobile apps are owned by Facebook, Inc.
Internet & Mobile User Statistics of Canada 2021
| Total Population | 37.9 Million |
| Active Internet Users | 35.63 Million |
| Mobile Internet Users | 30.75 Million |
| Average daily time spent using Internet | 6 hours 26 mins |
| Avg Daily Time Spent using Internet on Mobile Devices | 2 hours 42 mins |
Canada has an Active Internet Users number of 35.63 Million, which is 94% of the population of Canada. 35.63 Million are Mobile Internet Users, which is 81.13%.
Internet Connection Speed in Canada
| Avg Broadband Internet Speed | 156.07 Mbps |
| Avg Speed of Mobile Internet Connection | 97.39 Mbps |
The average broadband internet speed is 156.07 Mbps, which is a 28.40% increase when compared with previous year. The average speed of mobile internet connection is 97.39 Mbps. When compared to the previous year, there is a growth rate of 37.70%.
Mobile Connections in Canada
| Number of Mobile Connections | 37.14 million |
| Prepaid Connections | 28.78 million |
| Postpaid Connections | 8.36 million |
| Broadband Connections as Percentage of all Mobile Connections | 67.90% |
The number of mobile connections in Canada are 37.14 million. The mobile connection as per the percentage of total population is 98%. There is an increase of 3.2% or 1.1 million extra connections added from the previous year. There are about 28.78 million prepaid connections, which is about 77.5% of the total mobile connections in Canada. The postpaid connection in Canada is much less, with 8.36 million. This is about 22.5% of the total connection. The broadband connections as percentage of all mobile connections is 99.40%.
| Hours spent using Mobile Phones | 13.86 Billion Hours |
| Number of Mobile Apps Downloaded | 1.14 Billion |
13.86 Billion hours is the total hours spent using the mobile phone in Canada. The total number of mobile apps downloaded is 1.14 billion.
Most used Mobile Apps by Category in Canada
| Mobile Apps | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Social Networking Apps | 88.00% |
| Chat Apps | 84.70% |
| Entertainment & Video Apps | 71.80% |
| Maps Apps | 69.70% |
| Shopping Apps | 60.10% |
| Banking Apps | 51.00% |
| Music Apps | 48.00% |
| Game Apps | 46.20% |
| Health Apps | 30.20% |
The Social Networking Apps are the most used mobile apps in Canada, with around 88% of them use it. Next on the list is Chat Apps with the usage of 84.70%. The Entertainment apps (71.80%) and Maps Apps (69.70%) are equally used in Canada. Then comes the Shopping Apps (60.10%) followed by Banking Apps (51.00%), music apps (48.00%), Game Apps (46.20%) and banking apps (30.20%).
Top Mobile App by Number of Downloads in Canada
| Mobile Apps | Parent Company |
|---|---|
| Zoom Cloud Meetings | Zoom |
| Tik Tok | Bytedance |
| Microsoft Teams | Microsoft |
| Facebook Messenger | Facebook Inc. |
| Facebook Inc. | |
| YouTube | |
| Facebook Inc. | |
| Netflix | Netflix |
| Amazon Prime Video | Amazon |
| Spotify | Spotify |
The top mobile app by number of downloads in Canada is Zoom Cloud Meetings, which is used for video teleconferencing. It is followed by video-focused social networking service app, TikTok, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Then comes YouTube followed by Facebook, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Spotify.
(Source: We Are Social)
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
