Over nine million people used WhatsApp every day in the Netherlands in 2021, an increase of roughly 500,000 daily users from previous years. This DAU metric was much less for Instagram and YouTube, reaching 3.7 million and 3.1 million daily active users respectively. When it comes to overall user numbers for social media in the Netherlands, WhatsApp and Facebook both had over ten million users in 2019.
How much time does a Dutch person spend on social media?
Dutch Internet users spent on average 84 minutes a day browsing social media sites via any device in 2020, a number that was significantly lower when compared to other European countries. According to a 2020 survey, more than half of the interviewed social media users said they spent less than one hour online on Facebook.
Which social media platform do Dutch Millennials use the most?
Millennials, ages 23 to 37, prefer to use WhatsApp. Facebook was also popular, with 82 percent of the respondents to a 2020 survey saying they use the social network. The same survey mentions that 23-to-37-year-olds are also part of the user base of Instagram and Snapchat in the Netherlands. However, a 2021 report shows that Instagram was much more popular among Millenials than it was among the Generation Z.
Number of daily active users (DAU) of the leading social media platforms in the Netherlands from 2016 to 2021, by social network
(in million users)
N 2014 = 15,179; N 2015 = 10,395; N 2016=10,484; N 2017=8,194; N 2018=6,783; N 2019 = 7,012; N 2020 = 7,000, N 2021= 7,021
Age group
15 years and older
Method of interview
Online survey
Supplementary notes
The figures have been taken from several publications. TikTok was only included in 2020, whereas Foursquare and WeChat did not return that year. The source only looks at the ten most used social media platforms.
The sample is a representative reflection of the Dutch population of 15 years and older.
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Newcom. (January 23, 2021). Number of daily active users (DAU) of the leading social media platforms in the Netherlands from 2016 to 2021, by social network (in million users) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 18, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/639790/social-media-active-user-penetration-in-the-netherlands-by-social-network/
Newcom. "Number of daily active users (DAU) of the leading social media platforms in the Netherlands from 2016 to 2021, by social network (in million users)." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 18, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/639790/social-media-active-user-penetration-in-the-netherlands-by-social-network/
Newcom. (2021). Number of daily active users (DAU) of the leading social media platforms in the Netherlands from 2016 to 2021, by social network (in million users). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 18, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/639790/social-media-active-user-penetration-in-the-netherlands-by-social-network/
Newcom. "Number of Daily Active Users (Dau) of The Leading Social Media Platforms in The Netherlands from 2016 to 2021, by Social Network (in Million Users)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/639790/social-media-active-user-penetration-in-the-netherlands-by-social-network/
Newcom, Number of daily active users (DAU) of the leading social media platforms in the Netherlands from 2016 to 2021, by social network (in million users) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/639790/social-media-active-user-penetration-in-the-netherlands-by-social-network/ (last visited May 18, 2022)
