Quick Answer
How many people don’t use social media in 2025?
4.1% of the world’s total population is not on social media.
How many people don’t use social media in 2025?
Wait, what?!
Do we still have them?
It is hard to imagine someone living their life off the grid when a staggering number of people are heavy internet consumers.
But they still exist!
What is more surprising is more and more former social networking app users revert to that way of life to avoid the unnecessary noise and stress that come with being connected 24/7.
Honestly, such a trend should not come as a surprise given that social media platforms have only become mainstream in the last 20 years.
This means that although Maslow’s hierarchy of needs says that it is our natural programming to pursue love and belongingness, this does not necessarily have to come from people online.
How Many People Don’t Use Social Media in 2025?
To answer the question “How many people don’t use social media?”, 4.1% of the world’s total population is not on social media.
This may be a small percentage, but there are a number of external factors that contributed to why some members of the population are not into likes and shares.
Social Media Usage and Smart Phone Penetration
First is smartphone penetration.
Although social media platforms can be accessed across different devices, particularly through personal computers, there is a heavy concentration of social media consumption using smartphones.
Today, 83% or 6.6 billion people own at least one smartphone.
On the other hand, this means 17% of what is left live without them.
It is safe to assume that a significant percentage of people without smartphones may also be out of social media.
Social Media Usage and its Correlation to Internet Penetration
Another reason is internet penetration.
Social media platforms are not offline sites–they need the presence of the internet for access, with some requiring a fast and reliable one to load content.
As of January 2022, only 62.5% or 4.95 billion people are internet users.
Without the internet, there will be no way for people to build their presence online.
In Middle Africa, the region with the lowest active social media users globally, only 8% of the population use these platforms.
This is attributed to the region’s low internet penetration rate which remains low at only 14% as of January 2020.
Meanwhile, consumer preference is also included among the top reasons why people don’t use social media.
There has been a significant behavioral shift in how countries view social media relative to their well-being and productivity.
Nowadays, more and more members of the population are deliberately migrating their lives off the grid for personal reasons.
Social Media Usage Percentage per Region of the World
Take a look at this data from Hootsuite which details social media usage percentage relative to a region’s total population.
The Americas
- North America – 82% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 18% isolated from any of these platforms
- Central America – 73% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 27% isolated from any of these platforms
- South America – 79% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 21% isolated from any of these platforms
- The Caribbean – 55% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 45% isolated from any of these platforms
Europe
- Northern Europe – 85% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving only 15% isolated from any of these platforms. This region has the highest social media usage rate globally
- Eastern Europe – 70% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 30% isolated from any of these platforms
- Western Europe – 84% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving only 16% isolated from any of these platforms
- Southern Europe – 76% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 24% isolated from any of these platforms
Africa
The continent has the lowest social media usage rate around the world with Middle and Eastern Africa having the lowest percentage at 8% and 10%, respectively.
- Northern Africa – 56% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 44% isolated from any of these platforms
- Middle Africa – 92% of the region’s total population is isolated from any social media platforms
- Eastern Africa – 90% of the region’s total population is isolated from any social media platforms
- Western Africa – 84% of the region’s total population is isolated from any social media platforms
- Southern Africa – 45% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 55% isolated from any of these platforms
Asia
- Central Asia – 67% of the region’s total population is isolated from any social media platforms
- Eastern Asia – 69% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 31% isolated from any of these platforms
- Western Asia – 70% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving only 30% isolated from any of these platforms
- South Asia – 66% of the region’s total population is isolated from any social media platforms
- Southeast Asia – 72% of the region’s total population are on social media, leaving the remaining 28% isolated from any of these platforms
Social Media: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Any novel discovery comes with both good and bad.
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity answered a lot of fundamental questions about our existence but also gave birth to the atomic bomb.
This is also the case with social media platforms. These sites make communication seamless and instant.
In a more economical context, these help businesses target customers better, thus giving them a better opportunity to make money.
On the other hand, social media platforms have also been a source of stress, anxiety, and unproductivity for some.
One good way to overcome this is to identify the right type of social media platform that best suits your needs.
Not known to some, there are different types of such platforms namely social networking sites, microblogging sites, media sharing platforms, social news pages, and online forum sites.
Find out which one works best for you and make good use of them to improve your life.
Conclusion
In this epoch where people see the heart button as a form of liking someone online rather than a plain shape, there are still those living their lives isolated from the internet’s buzz.
There is nothing wrong with being off the grid. On the other hand, social media platforms are also efficient ways to seek opportunities.
The organizational psychologist Adam Grant found out in a study that four months of limiting social media usage for an hour per day led to happier and healthier lifestyles.
This means digital abstinence yields better results than complete desolation.
Thanks for reading our article on how many people don’t use social media in 2025.
