Overview of Internet Usage & Online Behavior in Saudi Arabia
Over the last ten years, Saudi Arabia has made great strides in digital transformation, placing itself at the forefront of internet and social media utilization within the Middle East. The Kingdom has a population size larger than 37 million and almost has an internet usage rate of just under 99%, showcasing the country’s focus on technological development and advancement of digital infrastructure.
In January 2025, the estimated number of internet users in Saudi Arabia stood at 33.9 million, with a penetration percentage of 99. Between January 2024-2025, the users of the internet grew by 1.8%, which is about 597,000 new users. Furthermore, the number of mobile subscriptions reached more than 49.89 million in February 2024 for a country of this population size means that almost every citizen is able to use mobile services. It is of importance that 98.9% of users of the internet in Saudi Arabia use their mobile devices to access the internet which clearly shows that content needs to be designed for mobiles.
Mobile Internet Access
As the numbers associated with mobile data subscriptions grow there is a constant rise in the usage of the Internet. The greater mobile phone ownership allows a large percentage of the population to connect to the Internet, which enhances the need for mobile-optimized services and content. This shift demonstrates that companies in Saudi need to urgently partner with a skilled marketing firm or SEO company.
The Popularity of Google Within the Region
In Saudi Arabia, the Google search engine has the biggest market share. Saudi Arabia is no different. Google holds almost the entire percentage of market share available, with various other products of Google comprising significant portions of those referred to on the search engines. For businesses trying to improve their visibility online, this is instructive since they have to ensure their marketing efforts target Google’s algorithms and ad networks.
Google still dominates the search engine industry in Saudi Arabia. As of February 2025, Saudi Arabia had a Google search engine host market share of 94.45% against Bing’s 2.43% and Yandex’s 0.74%. This should serve as a point for businesses to recognise the importance of concentrating their SEO efforts on Google if they wish to reach out to the Saudi audience.
Social Media
Social media is an integral part of life for many, if not the majority, of Saudi citizens. A large section of the populace interacts with social media, spending considerable time on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. This allows for easy marketing and branding which targeted advertisement can fully capitalise on. Marketing firms who understand the Saudi populace can help formulate campaigns that target market the audience effectively.
In addition, video consumption is comparatively higher, with most users watching online videos on a daily basis. The aforementioned phenomena demonstrates the success and potential of video marketing as well as the popularity of YouTube as a customer engagement and brand visibility platform.
Social media usage is deeply ingrained in Saudi society. Figures for early 2025 report that Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have a sizeable user base with Snapchat having 24.7 million users which corresponds to 72.1% of the population. Such high engagement offers a lot of value for targeted advertisement and social media marketing. Added to that, many users also consume an excessive amount of video content, which means video marketing strategies will be much more effective. Marketing on YouTube is especially powerful for brand recognition and customer engagement.
E-Commerce and Advertising
Saudi Arabia’s e-commerce landscape is flourishing as a considerable portion of people who use the internet rely on it for shopping.
The world advancement is facilitated by a strong digital advertising sector, with businesses spending large amounts of money on online advertising due to its affordability and ability to capture the attention of the desired audience. The Google search engine’s dominance also heightens the need to invest in marketing and optimisation of a company’s website.
Importance of SEO Marketing Companies
A business trying to build its image online has to consider the assistance of an search engine marketing company and agency for them to be effective in such an unprecedented digital setting. These agencies enable businesses to strategically position themselves in the Saudi digital environment by providing services such as search engine optimisation, content marketing, social media marketing, and data analytics. Also, local insights into consumer trends and cultural behaviours to the target audience help in campaign formulation make these agencies helpful.
Closing Remarks
The statistics referring to internet usage in Saudi Arabia demonstrates how integrated and mobile and social media centred the society is. The population’s overwhelming use of Google’s search engine, the high levels of video watching, and active e-commerce participation create challenges and opportunities for businesses simultaneously.
To take advantage of these trends and connect with the Saudi online audience, businesses must work together with an SEO company and marketing agency.
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