Social Media Statistics for Malaysia [2022]

Whether used as a primary means of doing business, connecting with friends and family, and learning about relevant news and events, social media has taken control over how we live life as we know it. In marketing, many people use social media marketing for advertising and promoting their businesses, goods, and brands.

People also use social media to build connections with others and communicate with those already in their lives. Whether we like it or not, these platforms are becoming an integral part of our everyday life as a means of communication.

Social media usage in Malaysia is no different, where the digitalization of the Malaysian media landscape has reached a point where consumers can get what they need with a few button taps.

After we've taken a look at general social media statistics, in this blog we'll dig deeper into social media statistics for Malaysia.

Table of Contents

• General Social media statistics in Malaysia

• Social media usage in Malaysia 2022

• Most used social media in Malaysia 2022

• Social media users in Malaysia 2022

• Malaysian Social media users by age

General Social media statistics in Malaysia

• Total population of Malaysia: 32.98 million
• Number of internet users in Malaysia: 29.55 million
• Malaysians' daily time spent on the internet: 9 hours and 10 minutes.
• Male Malaysian Users: 48.6%
• Female Malaysian Users: 51.4%

A large majority of Malaysia's citizens are connected to the internet, with 89.6% of the country's entire population online. That number has risen over the past year, with an additional 2.3 million active social media users on Malaysia's social media platforms.

Interestingly enough, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted studies such as the social media statistics for Malaysia, meaning there may be even more actual users active on social media platforms. Creating accurate reports when it comes to studies is vital for businesses to analyze the performance of social media posts to garner quantitative insights (and put those into actionable social media reports).

Remember: Regardless, data such as these figures are suitable bases for understanding social media statistics in Malaysia.

Social media usage in Malaysia 2022

• Time spent on social media in Malaysia: 3 hours and 2 minutes
• How many Malaysians use social media to look for info on brands and products?: 54.7%
• The social media industry in Malaysia is expected to reach $403.2 million
• 37% of Malaysians use social media to research items before making a purchase

Many Malaysian internet users rely on search engines, online shopping, and social media to learn about new products and services. This emphasizes the need to use social media to reach out to your intended audience in Malaysia. Advertising your brand to inform consumers about products builds relationships with that demographic and promotes brand awareness and brand recognition. This is a fantastic tool for monitoring potential customers and rival businesses.

Being the only nation to place social media at the top of its chart for product research and analysis, it's clear that social media marketing is vital to Malaysian companies' digital marketing strategies. The social media industry in Malaysia is expected to snowball, reaching $403.2 million by 2022. Another third of Malaysians, or 37%, use social media to research items before making a purchase.

Most used social media in Malaysia 2022

Percentage of total Malaysian social media users on...

• WhatsApp: 93.2%
• Facebook: 88.7%
• Instagram: 79.3%
• Telegram: 66.3%
• Facebook Messenger: 61.6%
• Tiktok: 53.8%

Regarding which social media is used the most in Malaysia, WhatsApp takes the cake, with 93.2% using the social media platform to keep in touch with friends and family. Although strictly a messaging platform, it is the primary outlet to stay connected with colleagues and loved ones.

Tip: Learn how to use WhatsApp for business.

Concerning consuming boatloads of content, the most used social media platform in Malaysia is Facebook, with 88.7% of total social media users in Malaysia using it. Whether it be filling spare time, reading news stories, or seeing what's being talked about, it is the all-in-one solution and one-stop shop for anything and everything you can know about the world.

Tip: Check these Facebook Marketing Tips, and how to use Facebook for Lead Generation Ads.

Instagram rounds out the top 3 most used social media in Malaysia, with 79.3% of all users having profiles on the application. Nowadays, many small businesses have resorted to Instagram to advertise their products, with the platform being an easy-to-use medium to display their many items.

Advertising becomes that much more vital, and you can get in touch with Meltwater to learn how to use paid ads on Instagram to reach the audience you desire.

Social media users in Malaysia 2022

• Number of social media users in Malaysia: 30.25 million
• Percentage of social media users in Malaysia: 91.7% 
• Increase of social media users in Malaysia from 2021-2022: 8%

When analyzing social media, businesses see that they market their products to specific segments. In a time where 2 out of 3 Malaysians purchase items they need online, performing social listening is vital in targeting your customers.

With Google Networks, including Gmail, YouTube, and millions of other websites, your business has the potential to reach 29.55 million Malaysian internet users. Increasing your brand's visibility and credibility in the eyes of the Malaysian public through effective digital marketing and advertising is critical to company success in this day and age.

Tip: Meltwater's social marketing solution can help you reach a bigger Malaysian social media audience.

Malaysian Social media users by age

When separating the social media users by age in Malaysia, those born through the internet boom, aged 25-34, are the most active.

Taking 17.6% of the entire population of Malaysia puts that demographic at a whopping 5.8 million users. It is important to consider age demographics when gauging the performance of your social media content through a social media audit and social media analytics, as different age ranges are engaged by different kinds of content.

Social media usage among youth in Malaysia takes up almost a fourth of the entire population of Malaysia, with 27.7% of users aged below 18 years old. This makes parental controls of streaming sites such as YouTube and Netflix as crucial as they've ever been in a world where anyone can access any content online.

How To Dominate The Malaysian Social Media Space

The high internet penetration, the government's willingness to prioritize internet infrastructure, and robust economic development in Malaysia have repeatedly shown the country a bright future in digital marketing.

Marketing via social media, search engine optimization, and various online strategies are worth exploring if you want to succeed in Malaysia's online marketplace.

Our different Meltwater solutions can help you and your brand do exactly that! Just fill out the following form to get a free 15-minute tour of our platform.