Stacy Jo Dixon
Research expert covering social media usage worldwide
Facebook is the social media king of the North. The social network reigns supreme in terms of reach, user numbers, and favorability in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, leaving little room for rivals—at least when it comes to social networking. Looking to the future, should the social media giant be careful of complacency in order to stay relevant?
Throughout the Nordic region, Facebook is the leading social network in terms of visits, towering over competitors Instagram, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter). The same trend can be seen when asking consumers about their favorite social media platforms. Unsurprisingly, Facebook takes the top spot in this respect again, being viewed more favorably than YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Messenger, Facebook’s mobile messaging app, is also popular in the Nordic region, with audience sizes being just a little smaller than Facebook’s.
Unfortunately for Facebook, the online shopping arena is dominated by Instagram. In 2023 in Denmark, 68 percent of digital shoppers said they were following influencers, brands on Facebook, whilst 72 percent were following these types of accounts on Instagram.
Younger audiences use social media for following influencers, brands, and for online shopping, so it may be advantageous for Facebook to maintain relevance with Generation Z and Generation Alpha to ward off competitors in the future.
Facebook stands out from the crowd
The majority of the population of the Nordics are using Meta’s Facebook. In Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, roughly eight out of ten people use the platform. Penetration of the service is a little lower in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. As of January 2024, Sweden had 5.65 million Facebook users, Denmark had 3.4 million, whilst Norway and Finland’s Facebook audience stood at 3.15 million and 2.3 million, respectively.Throughout the Nordic region, Facebook is the leading social network in terms of visits, towering over competitors Instagram, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter). The same trend can be seen when asking consumers about their favorite social media platforms. Unsurprisingly, Facebook takes the top spot in this respect again, being viewed more favorably than YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Millennials are still on Facebook
Looking at who uses Facebook in the Nordics contradicts the common assumption that the platform is only for older generations. In Sweden, 22.7 percent of Facebook users are aged 25 to 34 years, making this age group the largest user base of the social network. Additionally, across Denmark, Norway, and Finland, this age group make up the largest share of Facebook’s users. However, daily active usage among young people in Sweden decreased from 69 percent in 2022 to 47 percent in 2023. Overall, women make up slightly more of Facebook’s audience than men in the Nordics.Messenger, Facebook’s mobile messaging app, is also popular in the Nordic region, with audience sizes being just a little smaller than Facebook’s.
Falling short when it comes to online shoppers
Facebook does not have any immediate competition, but it struggles to appeal to digital shoppers in the way that other platforms do. In the first quarter of 2024, seven percent of visits to e-commerce websites in the Nordic countries came from social media referrals, a rate slightly lower than the global average. Tablets contributed the most traffic, with 22 percent of their traffic coming from social media links.Unfortunately for Facebook, the online shopping arena is dominated by Instagram. In 2023 in Denmark, 68 percent of digital shoppers said they were following influencers, brands on Facebook, whilst 72 percent were following these types of accounts on Instagram.
Younger audiences use social media for following influencers, brands, and for online shopping, so it may be advantageous for Facebook to maintain relevance with Generation Z and Generation Alpha to ward off competitors in the future.
