According to the Datareportal report, Mozambique has 7.96 million Internet users, corresponding to 23.2 per cent of the population. Around 3.2 million have social networks and the majority access them via mobile phones, with a total of 18.91 million active numbers in the country. Discover the portrait of the digital country.
Datareportal’s ‘Digital 2024: Mozambique’ report, published at the end of February, indicates that the country started 2024 with 7.96 million Internet users, which represents 23.2 per cent of the population. This percentage is slightly below the average for East Africa (26.7 per cent), a region that still has 360 million people without Internet access. The good news, according to Kepios, is that there has been an increase of 11.8 per cent (842,000 more users) compared to the previous year.
Qualitatively, Ookla shows that the average mobile Internet connection speed rose by 0.65 Mbps (+3.4 per cent) to 19.78 Mbps, while fixed connection speeds increased by 6.76 Mbps (+107 per cent) to 13.05 Mbps. By type of device, the majority of Mozambicans use their mobile phone (71%) to access the Internet, 28% use a computer and only 1% use other devices such as tablets. Chrome stands out as the most popular browser (86%), followed by Apple’s Safari (5%).
Mobile penetration below regional average
With regard to mobile connections, data from GSMA Intelligence shows that Mozambique has 18.9 million active numbers, 1.3 million more (an increase of 7.3 per cent) compared to the previous year. This does not necessarily indicate the actual number of users, as many have more than one device for personal and professional use. Considering these figures, it can be inferred that 55% of the population owns a mobile phone, a percentage below the regional average of 73%.
In January this year, 40.2% of Internet users in the country used at least one social networking platform, 41.3% of whom were women and 58.7% men… Facebook is undoubtedly the most popular social network
The DataReportal report also shows that 9.3 per cent of the population (3.2 million) use social networks, a significant increase of 39.1 per cent (900,000 more people) compared to the previous year. This percentage is almost in line with the East African average, which is 10.1 per cent. Again, analysts suggest that the statistics may be overestimated, as they don’t refer to unique users. On the other hand, they claim that the main social platforms only count users over the age of 13 (or 18). The consultancy reveals that in January this year, 40.2 per cent of Internet users in the country used at least one social networking platform, 41.3 per cent of whom were women and 58.7 per cent men.
Facebook is Mozambicans’ favourite social network
Facebook is undoubtedly the most popular social network in Mozambique, with 3.2 million users, 41.3 per cent of whom are female and 58.7 per cent male. According to Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, the reach of this network has grown by 39.1% (900,000 more) in the last year, although a downward trend has been observed since October 2023. Given that the creation of Facebook accounts is restricted to people over the age of 13, this means that the network is used by 15.1 per cent of the ‘eligible’ population and 40.2 per cent of Internet users, regardless of age. The study adds that Facebook Messenger, the instant messaging feature, has 291,800 users in Mozambique, mostly men (61.6 per cent).
In second place in preferences is TikTok, with 1.46 million users over the age of 18, representing 8.5 per cent of all adults and 18.3 per cent of Internet users, with women being the most representative audience (51.7 per cent). Considering the popularity of this network among younger people globally, it’s possible that the actual number of users is higher than estimated. LinkedIn occupies third place, being more orientated towards the professional public.
The DataReportal report also shows that 9.3 per cent of the population (3.2 million) use social networks, a significant increase of 39.1 per cent (900,000 more people)
Although the consultancy warns that the statistics for this platform are not directly comparable, as they only refer to users registered as ‘members’, it suggests that 610,000 Mozambicans (1.8 per cent of the total and 7.7 per cent of those with Internet access) use LinkedIn, with around 70 per cent being men. If we consider only those over 18, the percentage rises to 3.5 per cent of the population.
Instagram registers 51% growth compared to 2023
Instagram ranks fourth, with 595,400 users in Mozambique, 201,000 more (an increase of 51%) compared to 2023. This figure corresponds to 1.7% of the population (or 2.8% of those over 13) and 7.5% of all Internet users. On this platform, men are in the majority (52 per cent). In fifth place is the social network X (formerly Twitter) with 68,700 users, 80 per cent of whom are male, representing around 0.2 per cent of the country’s population and 0.9 per cent of Internet users. The analysts point out that this data refers to the network’s advertising reach (which has varied significantly and decreased by 12.1% compared to January 2023) and not to the volume of monthly active users.
It’s important to mention that all the data in Datareportal’s report refers to January 2024 and is based on estimates for Mozambique’s population of 34.37 million, an increase of 953,000 people (2.9% growth) compared to the previous year. Of this population, 50.9 per cent is female and 49.1 per cent male. Around 39% live in urban centres and 61% in rural areas. The average age is ‘only’ 17.1 years (64 per cent are under 25). With a mostly young population, it’s not surprising that Mozambique will present itself as a ‘more digital’ country in 2024. However, this report also shows that there are significant challenges to overcome.
E&M Magazine
By: Jaime Fidalgo – Photo: D.R.
