Since 2021, the Israel Internet Association (ISOC-IL) has continuously monitored the usage characteristics of social media and online services in Israeli society. Our data is segmented by usage frequency and various demographic variables, including age, gender, residential area, education level, and more. Our analysis is based on regular surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024 with representative samples of ~1,000 respondents from across the spectrum of Israeli society, and seeks to understand the evolving relationship between Israelis and the digital realm.
The latest data visualization tools on this page present a snapshot of the extent of social media and online service usage among both adults and adolescents in Israel as of the first quarter of 2024, with comparisons to previous years based on targeted periodic surveys.
Key findings reveal that YouTube and WhatsApp lead in usage with a remarkable 98% reach among the population, showing subtle increases from the previous year. In contrast, Facebook usage among adults has declined to 87% from 90% last year, indicating shifting preferences. Telegram shows significant growth, from 54% at the beginning of 2023 to 70% in early 2024, becoming increasingly popular across various age brackets. Additionally, TikTok usage among the general population has risen from 49% to 54%, with the most substantial growth observed in young adults aged 18-22.
Our data also highlight the various usage patterns within the Arab community, where TikTok is more distinctly prevalent, and daily usage of platforms varies considerably from the general trends.
This comprehensive study allows us to understand the evolving digital landscape and its impact on different segments of Israeli society. Our interactive dashboards enable stakeholders, policymakers, and the public to explore these trends in depth and tailor their strategies and services accordingly.
See below for the interactive data segmentation tools and detailed highlights from our findings.
Adult Population in Israel
As it did in early 2023, YouTube continues to lead at the top of the chart in 2024 with 98% usage among the population (an increase of one percent from last year), but now shares first place with WhatsApp, the instant messaging application currently owned by Meta, also with 98% usage, indicating a 3% increase in app usage since last year. Facebook, Meta’s social media platform, maintains third place on the chart – but the data show a drop in its use among the adult population in Israel, with 87% compared to 90% use last year.
There was a marked increase (16%) in the use of Telegram among the general population, rising to 70% of users at the beginning of 2024, compared to only 54% at the beginning of 2023. In particular, the app has gained popularity in the upper and lower age brackets: 18-22 year olds with an increase of 15% (from 62% in 2023 to 77% in 2024) and 50-59 year olds with an increase from 47% to 62%.
TikTok climbed from 49% of Israeli adults in 2023 to 54% in 2024, with its most significant increase among 18-22 year olds, rising from 71% in 2023 to 80% in 2024. TikTok also increased by 6-7% among 23-39 year olds. The use of Pinterest grew more moderately, with an increase of 7% bringing it to 35% of adult users. So too, LinkedIn saw an increase from 30% of the general population in 2023 to 34% in 2024.
Among the Arab population, the top rankings are quite similar, but it is worth noting that 71% reported using TikTok, of which 58% reported daily use. In contrast, only 66% reported using Telegram, and out of those only 28% reported daily use.
WhatsApp leads with not only the highest number of users but also with the greatest frequency of use, standing out at the top of the chart with 95% of users reporting daily use, while Facebook rises from third to second place with 67% reporting daily use.
Out of the 54% of adults who reported using TikTok, 47% use it on a daily basis. This figure marks an increase compared to last year’s 49% use, of which 42% reported daily use.
Although Facebook Messenger holds fifth place in the category of general use with 75% of users, only 25% of those users use it every day, as compared with other apps such as Telegram which has 43% daily users out of 70% of users in general, Instagram with 60% out of 75% users in general, and Twitter-X with only 20% daily users out of 37% who use it in general.
Segmented by age group, YouTube is used daily mainly by the 18-49 age groups (between 53%-60%), but in the older age groups we saw lower rates of daily use with 36% of 50-59 year olds and 33% of the 60+ group. In addition, 64% of respondents who did not complete their high school education reported daily use of the platform, compared to 50-52% daily use among those with higher education levels.
Differences Between Age Groups in the Adult Population
For 18-22 year olds, the most dominant platform is Instagram (90%) followed by TikTok (80%), with 82% of Instagram users reporting daily use, and 72% of TikTok users reporting daily use.
86% of 23-29 year olds report using Facebook and Instagram, while 76% use Telegram. In contrast with the younger age group who reported 80% use, only 59% of respondents aged 23-29 report using TikTok .
Israelis in the 30-39 age group predominantly prefer Facebook with 90% use compared to only 75% Instagram and 54% TikTok use. In this age group, 42% use LinkedIn, 40% Pinterest, and 37% Twitter.
90% of 40-49 year olds are on Facebook (with 72% of them reporting daily use of the platform), 73% are on Telegram, 68% on Instagram, 49% on TikTok and 38% on Twitter.
90% of 50-59 year olds report using Facebook, 75% of them on a daily basis. Interestingly, 74% said they use Facebook Messenger, placing the app in fourth place for this age group.
It is also interesting to view the survey data in comparison with Bezeq’s internet report data, according to which at the close of 2023 (nearly simultaneous with our early 2024 survey) 76% of the adult population reported using Facebook, only 16% LinkedIn, 13% Twitter, 58% Instagram, 26% TikTok and 40% Telegram.
Within the Arab population, 18-22 year olds reported particularly high rates of social media use – with 100% using YouTube, WhatsApp and TikTok, and 83% using Facebook and Instagram. In this age group, 67% also report using Discord, though not on a daily basis, but rather several times a week. Aside from the younger age bracket, TikTok is especially popular among 40-49 year olds (82%) who also use Facebook extensively – 97% of users of whom 76% use it daily.
Differences Between Demographic Groups in the Adult Population
Geography
In Tel Aviv, Twitter-X stood out with 47% of users compared to 37% of the general population.
The Jerusalem area recorded a significant increase in usage, with 76% of users on Telegram (a 22% increase from 2023), a 21% increase in TikTok use between 2023 and 2024 (31% and 52% respectively), a 17% rise in LinkedIn use, a 16% rise for Instagram, a 13% increase on Signal and 12% increase on Twitter.
Daily use of TikTok was most prominent in the Haifa area and the North with 32.7% of users and in the Sharon area with 55.3%.
Gender
Nationwide, 45% of men report using Twitter compared to only 29% of women. In contrast, Instagram is used by 80% of women compared to only 71% of men. So too in daily use of Instagram, we see an increase of 14% (from 49% to 53%) in women’s use of the platform between 2023 and 2024. The use of Facebook is actually quite balanced, with 86% of men and 88% of women reporting using it, though daily use of the platform is noticeably more popular among women of whom 66% use it daily as opposed to only 52% of men who use it daily. Daily use of Facebook decreased for both genders from 65% in 2023 to 59% in 2024.
In Tel Aviv and Gush Dan 60% of men use Twitter-X, 57% use TikTok, and 71% use Instagram. In comparison, 74% women in Tel Aviv use Instagram, 52% use TikTok and only 34% X.
In the Arab population, TikTok’s popularity among both genders is evident with 68% of women using the platform, of whom 56% use it daily, and 73% of men using the platform, 60% of whom report daily use. In contrast, Instagram is especially preferred by women, with 67% daily use out of 92% who use it in general, compared to only 79% of men who use the platform.
Education, Income and Marital Status
Overall, 34% of the general population use LinkedIn and of these 15% use it on a daily basis, but differences based on level of education can be seen in the use of this platform: 43% of those with a higher education degree (Bachelor’s or higher) reported using the platform compared to only 27% among those with an education level lower than that. However, when it comes to daily usage individuals with less than a high school education exhibit the highest usage rate, at 12%.
Meanwhile, TikTok usage tends to decrease as level of education increases. Among those with lower education levels, 60% report using the platform, of which 51% report daily use, compared to those with a Bachelor’s degree or higher who report 49% use in general, 42% of them on a daily basis..
Of the respondents who reported a higher than average income level – 88% use Facebook, 77% of them daily, 97% use YouTube, 53% of them daily, 74% use Instagram, 73% use Telegram, and 40% LinkedIn.
Among respondents with an average income or lower, 88% use Facebook, 65% of them on a daily basis. 98% use YouTube, 76% Instagram, 74% Facebook Messenger, 69% Telegram, 56% TikTok, 36% X and 32% LinkedIn.
Facebook and Instagram are favored by single men and women with 85% using each of the platforms. Telegram is also popular with 76%, Facebook Messenger with 75% and TikTok with 69%. In comparison, married men and women or those who live with a partner reported similar rates of use for Facebook and Facebook Messenger (88% on Facebook and 74% on Facebook Messenger), but only reported 69% use of Instagram, 68% use of Telegram, and 49% use of TikTok.
Teen and Youth Population in Israel
WhatsApp is also the leading platform among adolescents with 99% use, followed immediately by YouTube with 98%. In this segment of the population, Instagram holds third place with 84% of respondents, 82% of whom report daily use. Following Instagram is TikTok with 70% usage, of which 77% use it every day. In fourth place is Telegram with 66% of adolescents, followed by Pinterest with 62% – compared to only 32% of the adult population.
Facebook is used by 59% of the adolescents who responded to the survey, with 38% of them using it only rarely.
27% of young people report using X, of which 17% use it on a daily basis.
38% of young people reported using Snapchat, of which 14% reported daily use. This is a particularly high rate of use compared to the adult population, which reported only 22% general use and only 3% of them on a daily basis.
Differences Between Adolescent Age Groups
85% of 16-17 year olds are on Instagram, with 82% of them using it on a daily basis. 71% are on TikTok with 74% of them using it on a daily basis. Only 67% are on Facebook with 17% using it on a daily basis, and 40% are on Discord.
In the case of 13-14 year olds, 79% are on Instagram and of these 83% report daily use of the platform, 67% are on Pinterest, 65% on TikTok with a fairly high daily use of 76%, and 56% on Telegram. 48% report using Facebook, with 44% using it only rarely, and 46% report using Discord.
Differences Between Demographic Groups Among Adolescents: Gender and Geography
82% of adolescent boys are on Instagram, compared with 87% of adolescent girls. This is an interesting figure in light of the data reported by the Child Online Protection Bureau in February 2024, according to which in the Jewish population more girls than boys are on Instagram – 81% compared with only 56% of boys, indicating a more significant gap between young women and young men.
Meanwhile, according to our data 65% of boys are on Discord compared to 24% of girls. On Pinterest, 78% of adolescent girls reported use, 17% of them daily use, compared to 44% of adolescent boys in general, of which 13% use it on a daily basis.
On X, the gender differences in the young population are particularly significant: 41% of boys report using the platform, compared to only 15% of girls. In Tel Aviv and Gush Dan, 100% of respondents reported using YouTube and WhatsApp, 88% Instagram and 72% on TikTok. In the Jerusalem area, on the other hand, although 100% of the respondents reported using WhatsApp – 94% using YouTube, the other platforms have noticeably fewer users – only 69% on Instagram, 63% on Telegram and 60% on TikTok.
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Methodology
The 2023 data presented are based on a survey conducted on behalf of the Israel Internet Association in January 2023 by the Maagar Mochot Research Institute under the management of Prof. Yitzhak Katz, using 1040 adult respondents who constitute a representative sample of the Israeli population, across its various demographic subsets. The 2024 data are based on a survey conducted on behalf of the Israel Internet Association in January 2024 by the Geocartography Research Institute, using 1004 adult respondents who constitute a representative sample of the Israeli population and 245 respondents aged 13-17 (due to limitations pertaining to the sampling of minors, the adolescent sample is not representative of the Arab and ultra-Orthodox segments of the population).
The full report and datasets (in Hebrew) are available here.
For additional information and collaborations, contact our International Department: [email protected]