Saudi Internet Penetration Reaches 99%

According to the “Internet Saudi Arabia” report for 2023, published by the Communications, Space, and Technology Commission, both men and women demonstrated high levels of internet usage, with rates of 99.3 percent and 98.5 percent respectively. The report also says that 52.3% of users spend more than seven hours online each day.  

Writing for Economy Saudi Arabia, Elias Al Helou reports on the recently published “Internet Saudi Arabia” report for 2023 by the Communications, Space, and Technology Commission.  The report provides a host of data on internet usage in Saudi Arabia, including:

“A majority of users (52.3 percent) spend more than seven hours per day online, with the majority accessing the internet from their homes (84.7 percent), while on the move (72 percent), and from their workplaces (43.4 percent). The peak hours for internet usage were between 9 PM and 11 PM, with Fridays experiencing the highest activity. Additionally, the report identifies December as the month with the highest internet usage.

 In terms of devices, mobile phones are the primary means of internet access, accounting for 98.9 percent of usage, followed by computers at 55 percent and tablets at 39 percent. The dominant mobile operating systems are Android at 61.5 percent and iOS at 38.1 percent, while Windows leads among computer operating systems at 91.1 percent, followed by Mac at 7 percent.

The report also highlights the most prevalent online activities, including government services, accessed by 95.5 percent of users, and banking services, accessed by 73.6 percent of users. Online shopping is also popular, with 63.7 percent of users purchasing products or services online. Women engage in online shopping to a greater extent (74.6 percent) compared to men (55.7 percent).”

 In January 2024, Saudi Arabia had 36.84 million internet users and 35.10 million social media users, which is 94.3% of the population. According to a survey from the third quarter of 2023, WhatsApp is the most popular social media platform in Saudi Arabia, with 83.1% of internet users reporting that they use it. 

The average mobile data consumption per person in Saudi Arabia is 44 GB per month, and mobile phones are the most common device used for browsing, accounting for 98.9% of usage. 
According to Statista, the number of internet users in Saudi Arabia is expected to increase by 2.5 million users (6.81%) between 2024 and 2029, but the population share with internet access is expected to remain at a similar level of 98% in 2029 as it is in 2024
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