Note: This blog is based on the Digital 2023 Global Overview Report – produced in partnership with Meltwater and We Are Social. See Simon Kemp's article about The Changing World of Digital in 2023. Download the Global Digital Report 2023 for free.
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When it comes to information and communications technology (ICT), the Singaporean market is among the most sophisticated and developed in the world. It's hardly surprising that Singaporeans would be highly connected digitally, heavy users of technology, and avid consumers of digital media, given the prevalence of digital experiences in daily life there. Singapore is a tiny country, so it's easy to forget that its citizens are as tech-savvy as anybody else and live in a highly developed, smart nation.
The government has invested heavily in online infrastructure to harness technology to transform healthcare, transportation, services, and businesses. The growth of this smart nation has further unlocked the capabilities of gamers and the metaverse as new-age influencers, giving way to traditional forms of advertising.
As a result, listening to what your audience wants and adapting your social media marketing strategies to the shift in Singapore’s media landscape will be key in 2023.
In this article, we'll look at the numbers and metrics that matter for Singapore's ever-evolving digital media landscape.
Table of Contents
Population essentials in Singapore
Internet usage statistics in Singapore
General social media statistics in Singapore
Social media usage statistics in Singapore
Mobile usage statistics in Singapore
Ecommerce statistics in Singapore
Digital marketing statistics in Singapore
Population essentials in Singapore
Singapore is a tiny island city-state in Southeast Asia that is well-known for its modern infrastructure, pristine natural surroundings, and rich cultural heritage. 52.3% of Singapore's 6 million residents are men, while 47.7% are women. One of the world's wealthiest nations, its robust economy is built on commerce, banking, and industry, making it a gleaming jewel in Asia's crown.
It’s a highly literate, urbanised nation, with 100% of its citizens living in its developed, smart nation. The nation’s population is on the older side, though, with the average age being 42.7 years old.
Like many other modern countries, its residents have easy access to the internet and a broad range of media outlets. On the contrary, as this snapshot of Singaporeans' daily media usage habits shows, they spend less time on all media types, especially compared to Singapore social media statistics in 2022.
As a whole, Singaporeans are spending 29 minutes fewer each day online than they did a year ago. Also, Singapore social media use has dropped by 11.9% overall, raising the issue of how much the COVID-19 pandemic affected usage. Although there’s been chatter about the migration from print to digital media, as seen in our e-book, conventional forms of media like television, radio, and newspapers are still quite popular in Singapore, especially radio, which is seeing a gain in its use by 4.8%.
Internet usage statistics in Singapore
At 5.81 million internet users, or 96.9% of the total population, Singapore has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world. Although Singapore internet use has decreased over the last year, the total number of internet users still increased by 0.7%.
The Singaporean government has made significant investments in infrastructure to enable the digital economy and aggressively encourages the use of technology and the internet. Several international technology corporations have set up shop in Singapore because of this, making the country a centre for technological development and creativity. Knowing how connected almost all its people are, understanding the heartbeat of public opinion in Singapore through effective social media listening is key to developing social marketing campaigns that work.
Singaporeans' top three internet uses are all connected to keeping up with current events and learning new things, whether local or global news or researching a subject of personal interest. The pedigree of Singaporeans to stay ahead is in full display, as the internet is utilised to find information (64.8%), keep up to date with local news (57.2%), or research how to do things (54.8%).
General social media statistics in Singapore
With such lightning-fast connections, Singaporeans spend an average of 2 hours and 13 minutes daily on social media. An estimated 5.08 million people there (or 84.7% of the total population) use an average of 7.1 social media platforms, all connected for many reasons. The rise in popularity of Singaporeans' online activities may be attributed to several factors. Keep an eye out for the growing popularity of social commerce as more and more Singaporeans use it to research and make purchases.
In 2023, social media in Singapore will serve a wide range of functions for its citizens, including communication, education, recreation, and business. It’s an exciting time for many companies to capitalise on, with so many people online and ready to be engaged on social media for whichever purpose.
Singaporeans, particularly those with far-flung family and friends, may use social media as a quick and simple means of communication. Especially with those in the nation very focused on their careers and are always seeking opportunities to expand their professional networks and get exposure for their talents and expertise, it provides a nice little break and morale boost to keep in touch with friends and family (45.9%).
They utilise sites with content like YouTube and TikTok to unwind and be entertained by watching short-form videos, enjoying tunes, and keeping up with their favourite personalities. 36.7% of its users report using it to pass the time, especially on a commute home or when relaxing after a hard day at work.
Social media usage statistics in Singapore
This chart gives us not only an idea about the general use of social media in the country but also the Singapore youth social media statistics. This social media statistic is important in understanding who you can target with your digital marketing initiatives.
The 25-to-34-year-old demographic is the most active segment in Singapore regarding social media usage, with 31.3% of all users being this age. When it comes to a younger target segment, Singaporean youth (24 years old and younger) comprise 18.3% of all total users.
Singapore youth use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch, especially with their friends in this new digital age. Singaporean youths increasingly look to their families for guidance and regulation as they navigate the increasingly complex digital media landscape. This is especially true given the surge in popularity of online video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Tiktok. They also use collaborative tools like blogs and informative educational sites, which are particularly helpful when researching classroom needs.
Top Social Media Platforms in Singapore
It's easy to look at WhatsApp and think it's simply a messaging service for keeping in touch with friends and family. Nonetheless, it is now often employed by companies to provide clients with individualised, concierge-level service. Whatsapp is the most used social media platform in Singapore, with 83.2% of those aged 16 to 64 on it.
Today's customers want instantaneous responses to their inquiries, a customised brand experience, and delivery through their preferred channels. This provides a golden chance for companies to immediately connect with prospects and customers, cater to their tastes, and stand out by giving consumers a unique experience. Because of WhatsApp's meteoric rise in Singapore, it is now the preferred medium for consumer communication.
In Singapore, a large portion of the population uses Facebook, making it one of the most popular social networking sites. It is Singapore's most popular social networking site, with over 3.3 million monthly active users. Its popularity stems from the fact that it serves as a one-stop shop for the most common social media-related activities that Singaporeans engage in, such as maintaining personal relationships, keeping up with the news, and establishing relationships with companies.
Marketers can potentially engage more than half the country's population by publishing relevant content to target audiences that make sense for your brand. To put it in perspective, your ads are more likely to be a hit rather than a miss, even more so with Facebook users aged 13 or more, as ads hit their target 61.3% of the time!
Singapore's digital economy is growing exponentially, with Instagram steadily becoming a viable option for e-commerce. Instagram is used by many companies - especially cosmetics and clothing brands - to advertise and market their goods to customers. The network has evolved into a social commerce platform in addition to its traditional uses, including keeping up with friends and sharing personal images and videos.
In today's Singapore social media landscape, leisure time is often associated with shopping. With the growth of social commerce comes the opportunity to interact with customers and build relationships via engaging product-related content. Over the last year, there’s been a 56.7% increase in web traffic referrals from third-party websites to Instagram. It’s the highest increase of traffic generated from other sites out of all the social media platforms in Singapore, as brands have taken to Instagram to try and sell their goods to consumers.
Mobile usage statistics in Singapore
Singapore has 9.22 million active cellular connections and a smartphone penetration rate of 88.4%, with the number of cellular connections increasing by 6.6% over the last year. This can be attributed to the rise of ecommerce and the overall push to be a digitalised society.
This rise in mobile cellular connections has sped over the last couple of months, with a 2.6% increase only from October 2022 to January 2023, double that of the previous period of growth. Due to developments in mobile technology, today's smartphones are more capable, complex, and feature-rich than ever before. In addition, Singapore has a robust mobile infrastructure with a high-speed internet connection that will improve, making it a no-brainer for people to utilise the internet and mobile apps to facilitate their work and leisure demands.
Increased online sales and the emergence of social commerce have led to an intensely competitive market. To survive and thrive, businesses need to use more sophisticated forms of digital marketing that use advanced data analytics.
Ecommerce statistics in Singapore
While shopping for goods or services online, it may be helpful to quickly and easily compare costs from many vendors. Typically, these services compile and present the price details of a certain product or service in a unified view as they are offered by several online retailers or service providers.
In Singapore, more and more people use online purchasing platforms like Amazon, Shopee, and Lazada because of their convenience and accessibility. It's becoming clearer that customers have also become much savvier in the digital shopping scene, with a growth of 8.9%, as being more connected has led to searching for the best offers online. Companies should not only make it more convenient for customers to buy with them, but they should also provide competitive price
Singaporeans purchasing consumer products has climbed by 6.4% overall, with residents increasingly favouring online means to acquire their everyday necessities. With the rapid spread of COVID-19, online shopping has become an integral part of daily life, forcing businesses to adapt to consumers' shifting purchasing preferences.
This has been aided by the country's population adopting modern technology in the form of mobile phone use, as was indicated earlier. It's been a theme in these Singapore social media statistics that as the government has provided citizens with suitable digital infrastructure, annual consumer spending has increased by 149 million (+2.4%).
Digital marketing statistics in Singapore
Businesses in Singapore that have been able to take advantage of digital marketing tactics over the last year have seen substantial growth. The efficiency and effectiveness of an organisation's advertising efforts may be increased by narrowing down on a certain audience's characteristics, preferences, and habits.
The widespread use and expansion of Singapore's digital infrastructure and the country's residents' openness to digital lifestyle changes have fueled an uptick in online advertising campaigns. There has been an increase of 15.3% in the total digital advertising spend by Singapore companies as a direct result of the rising popularity of Internet use. As a result, the number of potential customers exposed to the numerous innovative ads these businesses have prepared for them has only increased.
It has become a huge challenge for marketers to acquire trustworthy influencers who align with their brand's values and deliver on reach and engagement. Locating dependable influencers with an established following is difficult; finding one that is a natural fit for your company branding is even more so.
Tip: Take a look at the top Instagram influencers in Singapore to find the right partnerships.
Singapore, a country well-versed in social media, has seen an uptick in the use of influencers by businesses in advertising campaigns as word of their effectiveness has spread. Many companies have been increasingly employing this strategy, with a 20.7% increase in influencer advertising spend, the greatest change in digital marketing spend in Singapore.
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