STATISTICS

Social media statistics for the UAE (2026)

The UAE had 11.3 million internet users in October 2025, 99.0 percent of the population, according to DataReportal, and platform ad tools reported 12.5 million social media user identities, more than the population itself. TikTok's ads reached 12.5 million adults, LinkedIn reported 10.0 million members and Facebook's ads reached 9.70 million people. Newer monthly figures from Meta's ad tools, compiled by NapoleonCat, put Facebook's UAE audience at 18.1 million in September 2026, and StatCounter found Facebook sent 78.4 percent of social media referrals to UAE websites that month.

Compiled by the Zolyp team · Every figure checked against its source on

Internet and mobile

How many people in the UAE are online and how fast their connections are, from DataReportal's late-2025 report.

Social media users

DataReportal's estimate of social media use in the UAE, as of October 2025. Several figures exceed 100 percent of the population.

  • 12.5 million

    Social media user identities in the UAE in October 2025, equal to 110 percent of the population.

    "User identities" are accounts, not confirmed people. DataReportal tries to remove duplicates and non-human accounts, but says the figure may not represent unique individuals. DataReportal republishes platform data as is, even when it exceeds 100 percent of the population. Meta, for example, says its estimates can differ from population counts because of people with several accounts and temporary visitors in a location.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 32.9% female

    Share of UAE social media user identities that were female at the end of 2025 (67.1 percent male).

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

Platform by platform

Advertising reach in the UAE in late 2025, from each platform's own ad tools as reported by DataReportal. Ad reach is the audience advertisers can target, not the number of active users.

  • 12.5 million

    TikTok's advertising reach among users aged 18 and above in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 134.6 percent of adults.

    TikTok's ad tools only show audiences aged 18+. DataReportal republishes platform data as is, even when it exceeds 100 percent of the population. Meta, for example, says its estimates can differ from population counts because of people with several accounts and temporary visitors in a location.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 10.0 million

    LinkedIn members in the UAE in late 2025, according to LinkedIn's advertising tools (equal to 87.6 percent of the population).

    LinkedIn counts total registered members, not monthly active users, so this is not directly comparable with the other platforms.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 9.70 million

    Facebook's advertising reach in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 85.0 percent of the population.

    Advertising reach from Meta's ad tools, not monthly active users. Meta says its audience estimates are not a proxy for monthly or daily active users, and one person can have more than one account.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 8.37 million

    YouTube's advertising reach in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 73.3 percent of the population.

    This is advertising reach: the number of people the platform says advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users, and platforms revise these figures often.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 8.05 million

    Instagram's advertising reach in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 70.5 percent of the population and 85.5 percent of adults.

    Advertising reach from Meta's ad tools, not monthly active users. Meta says its audience estimates are not a proxy for monthly or daily active users, and one person can have more than one account.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 5.65 million

    Messenger's advertising reach in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 49.5 percent of the population.

    Advertising reach from Meta's ad tools, not monthly active users. Meta says its audience estimates are not a proxy for monthly or daily active users, and one person can have more than one account.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 5.13 million

    Snapchat's advertising reach in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 44.9 percent of the population.

    This is advertising reach: the number of people the platform says advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users, and platforms revise these figures often.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 2.85 million

    X's advertising reach in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 29.6 percent of adults aged 18 and above.

    DataReportal says X's reach figures can swing sharply even over short periods. This is advertising reach: the number of people the platform says advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users, and platforms revise these figures often.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • 893 thousand

    Threads' advertising reach in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 7.8 percent of the population.

    Advertising reach from Meta's ad tools, not monthly active users. Meta says its audience estimates are not a proxy for monthly or daily active users, and one person can have more than one account.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

Who's online (gender)

Every platform's ad audience in the UAE is mostly male. Gender data are only published for "female" and "male".

Latest monthly figures (September 2026)

Newer than DataReportal's late-2025 report. NapoleonCat publishes monthly audience sizes from Meta's ad tools, and StatCounter shows which social sites sent visitors to UAE websites. Neither is a count of active users.

  • 18.1 million

    Facebook users in the UAE in September 2026 (18,075,200), according to NapoleonCat's figures from Meta's ad tools; people aged 25 to 34 were the largest group (7.9 million).

    The same page's monthly table gives 18.3 million for September 2026, equal to 168.8 percent of the population, and shows 14.5 million in October 2025. Ad-audience data, not active users. NapoleonCat reads it from Meta's advertising tools each month; Meta's figures are estimates of people who accessed their account at least once that month and can be reached with ads. One person can have more than one account, and the method differs from DataReportal's, so the two sets of figures don't match.

    Source: NapoleonCat (from Meta's ad tools), Facebook users in United Arab Emirates, September 2026 (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

  • 11.0 million

    Instagram users in the UAE in September 2026 (10,963,300); people aged 25 to 34 were the largest group (4.9 million).

    The same page's monthly table gives 11.2 million for September 2026, with 66.7 percent men. Ad-audience data, not active users. NapoleonCat reads it from Meta's advertising tools each month; Meta's figures are estimates of people who accessed their account at least once that month and can be reached with ads. One person can have more than one account, and the method differs from DataReportal's, so the two sets of figures don't match.

    Source: NapoleonCat (from Meta's ad tools), Instagram users in United Arab Emirates, September 2026 (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

  • 78.4%

    Facebook's share of website visits referred by social media in the UAE in September 2026, ahead of Instagram (8.27 percent), X, listed as Twitter (6.63 percent), YouTube (3.52 percent) and Pinterest (1.9 percent).

    StatCounter counts page views on websites that use its tracking code and records which social media site sent each visitor. It measures where website traffic comes from, not how many people use each platform, and apps that keep people inside them (such as TikTok) send few visitors to websites.

    Source: StatCounter Global Stats, Social Media Stats United Arab Emirates (September 2026), checked 15 October 2026

Year-on-year change in ad reach

How each platform's advertising reach in the UAE changed between late 2024 and late 2025.

  • +1.79 million

    Growth in TikTok's adult advertising reach in the UAE between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (+16.7 percent).

    DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +1.15 million

    Growth in Instagram's advertising reach in the UAE between October 2024 and October 2025 (+16.7 percent).

    DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +1.00 million

    Growth in LinkedIn's reported audience in the UAE between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025 (+11.1 percent).

    Based on registered members, so it may not reflect active use. DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • +650 thousand

    Growth in Facebook's advertising reach in the UAE between October 2024 and October 2025 (+7.2 percent).

    DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

  • -183 thousand

    Change in X's advertising reach in the UAE between the end of 2024 and late 2025 (-6.0 percent).

    DataReportal warns that year-on-year changes in ad reach can come from platforms correcting their own data (for example removing fake or duplicate accounts), not only from real changes in use.

    Source: DataReportal (Kepios, We Are Social & Meltwater), Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates (5 November 2025), checked 15 October 2026

What this means for a small business

  • Almost everyone in the UAE is online and on fast mobile connections, so video and high-quality images load well. Don't hold back on short vertical video.
  • Audience figures above 100 percent reflect visitors and people with several accounts. Use them to compare platforms, not to estimate how many real customers you can reach.
  • LinkedIn reaches a very large share of UAE adults, which makes it a strong channel for business services, recruitment and B2B offers.
  • Most platform audiences in the UAE are male, while Snapchat and Instagram have the highest share of women. Pick platforms based on who buys from you.
  • Plan around the local calendar. Ramadan, both Eids and UAE National Day are the moments customers expect to hear from local brands.

Knowing where your customers are is half of it; the other half is posting there every week. Make a post with the free generator or let Zolyp plan and write the week for you.

Common questions

How many people use social media in the UAE?

DataReportal counted 12.5 million social media user identities in the UAE in October 2025, equal to 110 percent of the population. The figure is higher than the population because it counts accounts, which can include visitors and people with more than one account.

Which social media is most used in the UAE?

By advertising reach in late 2025, TikTok was largest with 12.5 million adults, followed by LinkedIn (10.0 million members), Facebook (9.70 million), YouTube (8.37 million) and Instagram (8.05 million). These are ad tool figures reported by DataReportal, not monthly active users.

How many people in the UAE use the internet?

DataReportal estimated 11.3 million internet users in the UAE at the end of 2025, or 99.0 percent of the population. The median mobile download speed was 614.42 Mbps, according to Ookla data in the same report.

Is LinkedIn popular in the UAE?

Yes. LinkedIn's ad tools reported 10.0 million members in the UAE in late 2025, equal to 87.6 percent of the population, up 1.00 million over the year. LinkedIn counts registered members rather than active users, so actual use is lower.

Cite this page

You're welcome to use these figures. Please cite the original source shown under each one, and link to this page if it helped: Zolyp, “Social media statistics for the UAE (2026)”, updated 15 October 2026, https://www.zolyp.com/statistics/social-media-statistics-uae

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