Saudi Arabia has among the highest social media and internet penetration globally, presenting major opportunities in e-commerce and internet services going forward. Here are some statistics and facts about the internet market in Saudi Arabia:
- Internet penetration reached 93.3% in 2020, with over 34.2 million internet users out of a population of around 35 million (DataReportal).
- Saudi Arabia has the highest social media penetration rate in the world at 99% according to DataReportal.
- The most popular social media platform is YouTube with penetration exceeding 90%, followed by Facebook at 89% and Instagram at 84%.
- E-commerce spending is projected to reach $13.9 billion in 2025, up from $7.9 billion in 2020 (Statista).
- The e-commerce market saw 46% growth from 2020-2021 as pandemic accelerated adoption of online shopping (Euromonitor).
- Downloads of online shopping apps grew 45% from 2019 to 2020 driven by demand spike during lockdowns (App Annie).
- Adoption of digital payment methods like Apple Pay and STC Pay jumped manifold during pandemic (Arab News).
- Vision 2030 aims to increase the digital economy’s contribution to GDP from 1.5% to 4% partly driven by internet economy growth.
- Government initiatives like establishing the National E-Commerce Council and Saudia Payments aim to boost e-commerce and digital payments adoption.
