No business can afford to ignore social media as part of its marketing mix. But, unless you are a global multinational, it is also impossible to effectively manage all of the social media networks that are on offer.
To be most effective, companies and their marketing agencies should look to be active in two or, at most, three networks and distribute their content marketing assets in a focused way. This allows you to become proficient in the nuances of the those platforms and maximise results.
The difficulty for Australian organisations is understanding the nuances of which social media channels are most effective and active locally. Typically the published social media statistics focus on a United States or global centric view of the data.
This post collates Australian social media statistics from across a wide variety of sources. We have then analysed those statistics to provide recommendations to for businesses on which platform are most effective in different use cases.
- Overall Australian Social Media Statistics
- Australian Social Media Usage Statistical Highlights
- Australian Social Media Average time on Site and Traffic Ranks
- The Top Australian Social Media Sites By Web Traffic:
- Australian’s Most Favourite Social Media Platforms
- Australian Social Media Usage by Age
- Australian Social Media Advertising Statistics
- Key Statistics for The Top Australian Social Media Sites By Advertising Reach:
- Australian Internet access
- Key Australian Facebook Facts
- Key Australian LinkedIn Facts
- Key Australian Instagram Advertising Statistics
- Key Australian Snapchat Advertising Statistics
- Key Australian Twitter Advertising Statistics
- Key Australian Pinterest Advertising Statistics
- Source List
Overall Australian Social Media Statistics
In general, Australians are reasonably avid consumers of social media. At least as avid as the US market, but not as active as some Asian countries.
Australians are avid users of Social Media. As might be expected younger people are more likely to use social media.
Australian Social Media Usage Statistical Highlights
- In February 2022, 21.45 million Australians, were active users of social media, i.e. 82.7% of the Australian population have active social media accounts. That’s a 4.6% increase on 12 months before. (Source)
- 18.2% of Australian internet users (16-64) say they follow influencers or other experts on-line (Source)
- 96.4% of Australian internet users between 16 and 64 accessed a social media network or messaging service in December 2020. (Source).
- YouTube (78.2%) and Facebook (77.7%) are tied for the most popular social media platform in Australia. (Source)
- In February 2022, 30.3% Australians state they use Social Media when looking for information about a brand. This is down from 32.4% in October 2020 (Source, Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- 98% of Australian users access social media via a mobile device. (Source)
- Australians spend an average of 1 hour 57 minutes per day on social media, this is flat over the past 24 months of 1Q2020->1Q2021. (Source, Analysis Genroe)
- Australian’s have one of the lowest number of social media accounts per person in the world (and average of just 7.2 per person. This should be compared to Japan (3.5) and India (10.0.) (Source, Source)
- 52% of Australian’s use Social Media as a source of news. This is just below the worldwide average of 55% (Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Social Media News
- 30% more Australians trust their social media news sources than those in the USA but only 73% as many Australians trust their social media news sources than those in The Netherlands. (Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Australians are concerned about real or fake online news at about the same rate as those in the United States. (Source, Analysis: Genroe)
Australian Social Media Average time on Site and Traffic Ranks
It’s not surprising that social media sites are some of the most commonly accessed in Australia. Below is an analysis of traffic rank Vs the average daily site visit time.
The Top Australian Social Media Sites By Web Traffic:
| Rank | Social Media Network |
|---|---|
| 1 | Youtube |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 |
Australian’s Most Favourite Social Media Platforms
| Rank | Network | % Saying it’s their “Favourite” |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | YouTube | Excluded |
| 2 | 27.2% | |
| 3 | 16.2% | |
| 4 | Messenger | 9.0% |
| 5 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | TikTok | 6.0% |
| 7 | Snapchat | 4.2% |
| 8 | 2.6% |
In Australia in December 2021 the daily average time on site for the top 6 social media networks was
| Social Media Network | Daily Time On Site |
|---|---|
| Youtube | 19 minutes 33 seconds per day (abut stable in last 180 days) |
| 18 minutes 40 seconds per day (down 56 seconds in the last 180 days) | |
| 5 minutes 56 seconds per day (up 2seconds in the last 180 days) | |
| 9 minutes 3 seconds per day (up 12 seconds in the last 180 days) | |
| 4 minutes 48 seconds per day | |
| 11 minutes 11 seconds per day (up 4 seconds in the last 180 days) |
There are several items of particular note in this analysis:
- Youtube has a long dwell time (19:33mins) and offers good opportunities for B2B marketers (Source).
- In July 2022 Reddit, had fallen from 5th to 12th most trafficked site in Australia. Dwell time had also fallen to just 5:46 minutes. If may no longer present good opportunities for marketers.(Source, Source)
- LinkedIn, while not being the highest traffic site, has a respectable dwell time of high value B2B users.
- Between January 2020 to July 2020, Twitter fell out of the top 50 most trafficked sites in Australia. Twitter does not have the same influence in Australia as it does in other geographies. (Source. Analysis by Genroe)
Australian Social Media Usage by Age
However, when overall population dynamics are included the over representation of younger users in social media usage is much more muted. It’s really only at age 65+ that usage drops off dramatically as a proportion of overall population.
(Source, Source, Analysis by Genroe)
Australian Social Media Advertising Statistics
- Australian digital advertising grew by an enormous 25.8% to the end of first quarter 2021. This is around 2.5 times the expected global spend growth, which is expected to be 10.6%. (Source, Source, Analysis: Genroe).
- Australia is estimated to be the 5th largest Social Media Advertising market in the world. (Source)
- Australia’s total Social Media Advertising market size is forecast to grow to USD 2,718m by 2024.(Source)
Social media platforms ebb and flow over time – when was the last time you logged into your myspace account?
Investing in a platform it is important to identify which platforms your potential customers use, which are growing and which shrinking. This allows you to invest your time wisely for the longer term.
Below are the eligible audience reaches as a percentage of the total Australian population, (13+) for each of the major networks
Key Statistics for The Top Australian Social Media Sites By Advertising Reach:
| Rank (By Reach) | Network | Growth Last Quarter | Population Reach | Number | Female/Male Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Youtube | 89.1% (18+) | 17,820000 | ||
| 2 | 1.7% | 70.4% | 14,080,000 | 53% / 47% | |
| 3 | 0% | 64.9% | 13,000,000 | 46.2% / 53.8% | |
| 4 | 0% | 58.9% | 11,780,000 | 54.7% / 45.3% | |
| 5 | Snapchat | 1.4% | 34.0% | 7,350,000 | 53.7% / 46.3% |
| 6 | TikTok | 6.7% | 34.4% (18+) | 6,880,000 | 56.8% / 43.2% |
| 7 | 20.0% | 4,335,000 | |||
| 8 | 18.5% | 3,700,000 | |||
| 9 | Messenger | 2.1% | 420,000 |
Unfortunately there are no locally available data on social media advertising fees for Australia but the following global statistics provide an effective ready reckoner on what to expect on a relative basis.
What is clear here is the predominately B2B network (LinkedIn) has much higher cost per click rates AND much lower click through rates. This generally equates with the value per sale being higher in B2B marketing and the cost per lead being acceptably higher.
Australian Internet access
- There are ~1.26 mobile connections for every man, woman and child in Australia . (Source, Analysis by Genroe)
- Australia has the worlds 67th fastest average fixed line internet speed (51mbps). Slower than Denmark (169MBPS), Latvia (67MBPS) and Colombia(74MBPS). (Source, Analysis by Genroe)
- Australia has the worlds 15th fastest average mobile internet speed (75mbps). Faster than than Singapore (64MBPS), United States (59MBPS) and Canada (60MBPS). (Source, Analysis by Genroe)
- 32.5% of Australian internet users (16-64) use tools to block ads online (October 2021, Source)
- 37.5% of Australian internet users (16-64) are concerned about mis-use of their personal data (Source)
Australian Internet Media Consumption
Australians internet media consumption is substantial. In October 2021 (Source) it looked like this:
Here are the numbers as of October 2021:
| Internet Media Type | Australians Using |
|---|---|
| Australian internet users (16-54) listening to podcasts | 19.5% |
| Australian internet users (16-54) watching VLOGs | 16.1% |
| Australian internet users (16-54) using phone for video call | 29.3% |
| Australians (16-64) playing video games (on any device) | 75% |
| Australians (16-64) owning a smart home device (13th highest rate in the world) | 14.4% |
Key Australian Facebook Facts
- Facebook is Australia’s most popular social network (16-64 years olds) with 66%, or 16 million, Australians using Facebook on a monthly basis. This is steady on the previous period (Source, Analysis by Genroe)
- Facebook is Australia’s 3rd highest trafficked site after Google and YouTube. (Source)
- Australia Facebook users are the fourth most active “Likers” in the world an average of 15 likes per month vs the global average of 12. (Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Australia Facebook users are equal 6th most active “commenters” in the world an average of 8 comments per month vs the global average of just 5. This has declined in the last 12 months by 1 comment per month (Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Visitors spend an average of 18 min 49 secs and view 8.29 pages per day on Facebook (Apr-Jun 2020, (Source)
Australian Facebook Demographics
While users skew to the 25-34 age group, there are more than 1.9 million Facebook users over 65 in Australia (Facebook data analysis by Genroe)
| Age | Number of Users |
|---|---|
| 13-17 years old | 820,000 |
| 18-24 years old | 4,000,000 |
| 25-34 years old | 5,100,000 |
| 35-44 years old | 3,900,000 |
| 45-54 years old | 2,900,000 |
| 55-64 years old | 2,100,000 |
| 65+ years old | 1,900,000 |
Australia’s Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger) Demographic Profile:
| Age | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| 13-17 | 2.6% | 2.0% |
| 18-24 | 9.4% | 8.9% |
| 25-34 | 12.8% | 12.3% |
| 35-44 | 10.4% | 8.9% |
| 45-54 | 7.7% | 6.3% |
| 55-64 | 5.5% | 4.2% |
| 65+ | 5.3% | 3.7% |
Australian Facebook Advertising Statistics
- Total audience (aged 13+): 18 million (Facebook data analysis by Genroe)
- Australia Facebook users are some of the most active advert clickers in the world an average of 22 adverts clicked per month vs the global average of 12. This is in the top 8% of countries globally. (Source, Source Analysis: Genroe)
- Facebook has an estimated 80% market share of the Australian Social Media Advertising market. (Source)
Facebook Australian Advertising Audience By Education
- University Graduate: 5.1 million (Source)
Facebook Advertising Costs and Conversion Rates Q3 2020 (Global)
Key Australian LinkedIn Facts
- LinkedIn is Australia’s premier B2B Social Media platform.
- Visitors spend an average of 10 min 42 secs and view 8.52 pages per day on LinkedIn (December 2020, Source)
- 59% of LinkedIn Users return fewer than 3 times a week. (Source)
- LinkedIn has an estimated 5% market share of the Australian Social Media Advertising market. (Source)
- 64.9% of Australian’s 13+ have a LinkedIn account. It has the third highest penetration rate of all social media platforms after Facebook and YouTube, (Source Analysis by Genroe)
The implication for B2B business using LinkedIn is that they need to post new content several times a week to ensure that it gets in front of the majority of uses in the infrequent number of times they visit the site.
Australian LinkedIn Advertising Statistics
- Total audience: 64.9% of Australian’s 13+ in July 2022 (Source )
- LinkedIn is one of only three only global social networks (Tiktok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest) where Australia ranks in the top 20 countries for advertising reach.(Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Australia is the 12 largest LinkedIn advertising reach market in the world. (Source, Analysis: Genroe)
LinkedIn Australian Advertising Audience By Seniority
| High level individuals (Partner, Owner, Director, CXO, VP) | 1.4 million |
| Middle Management (Managers, Senior staff) | 3 million |
| Junior (Unpaid, training, entry level) | 2.8 million |
Note that numbers will not add to 11 million as data not available on all users.
LinkedIn Australian Advertising Audience By Company Size
| Micro-Companies (up to 10 employees) | 600,000 individuals |
| SMEs (11 to 200 employees) | 1,300,000 individuals |
| Corporate (201-1000 employees) | 770,000 individuals |
| Enterprise (1001+ employees) | 2,300,000 individuals |
Note that numbers will not add to 11 million as data not available on all users.
LinkedIn Advertising Costs and Conversion Rates Q2 2021 (Global)
- Average Cost per Click: USD5.58
- Senior decision-makers: $6.40
- Junior employees: $4.40
- Average Cost per Thousand impressions (CPM): USD33.80
- Global Cost per Lead ranges from $15 to $350
- Linkedin Lead gen form completion rate benchmark: 10%
- Average Click Through Rate for APAC: 0.8%
(Source)
Key Australian Instagram Advertising Statistics
- Total Australian Instagram audience reach is: 11 million or 51.6% of the population aged 13+ (Source)
- 56.5% of Instagram users are Female and 43.5% are male. (Source)
Key Australian Snapchat Advertising Statistics
- Total Australian snapchat advertising audience reach is: 6.80 million, up 50,000 (1%) in the last 12 months (Source)
- Australia has the 17th largest Snapchat advertising audience reach market in the world. Down two spots in the last 12 months. (Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Snapchat is one of only three only global social networks (Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter) where Australia ranks in the top 20 countries for advertising reach.(Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Snapchat has an estimated 5% market share of the Australian Social Media Advertising market. (Source)
Key Australian Twitter Advertising Statistics
- Australia is not in the top 20 Twitter advertising audience reach markets in the world. (Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Total Australian Twitter advertising audience reach is 18.5% of Australians aged 13+ (Source )
- From January 2020 to July 2020 Twitter fell out of the top 50 most trafficked sites in Australia. Twitter does not have the same influence in Australia as it does in other geographies.
- Twitter has an estimated 5% market share of the Australian Social Media Advertising market. (Source)
Key Australian Pinterest Advertising Statistics
- Total Australian Pinterest advertising audience reach has risen ~60k (1.3%) to 4.65m in 18 months to October 2021. This is 21.5% of the Australians aged 13+ (Source, Source, Source, Source Analysis: Genroe)
- Australia has the 10th largest Pinterest advertising audience reach market in the world. This has fallen one place in the last 12 months. (Source, Source, Analysis: Genroe)
- Pinterest is one of only three only global social networks (Tiktok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest) where Australia ranks in the top 20 countries for advertising reach.(Source, Analysis: Genroe)
Source List
Source 1: The Global State of Digital 2021
Source 2: Digital 2021- Australia
Source 3: The Global State of Digital 2020
Source 4: Digital 2020: October Global Snapshot
Source 5: Social media marketing trends in 2021
Source 6: Speedtest Global Index
Source 7: Alexa – Top Sites In Australia
Source 8: Understanding Facebook Ads Cost: 2019 & 2020 Benchmarks
Source 9: Share of LinkedIn users in Australia as as of April 2018, by frequency of use
Source 10: Regional population by age and sex
Source 11: Hootsuite Global Report
Last Updated 13 July 2022
