MANILA – Despite the fact that only one third of Filipinos have access to the internet, the Philippines has the fastest-growing online population in the last five years, leading other fast-emerging markets like Indonesia and South Africa.
The Philippines’ internet population has had a 531 percent growth, according to data from the Global Web Index.
The Philippines also ranks highest in terms of global social network penetration, with over 70 percent compared to the global average of around 50 percent. According to 2011 data on We are social, Filipinos spend an average of 21.5 hours a week online.
They noted that Facebook is particularly popular, explaining that the social network allows Filipinos to stay in touch. This is especially important for those with Overseas Foreign Workers in the family.
There has also been a growth in the number of Filipinos accessing the internet via mobile, with the availability of more affordable smartphones.
According to 2012-2013 data from TNS, 45 percent of 38,000 respondents in Metro Manila, said they use mobile phones to browse the internet; 44 percent to access their social networking sites; and 37 percent to check their emails.
The study also said that smartphone usage in the country is at 53 percent, according to a report on the Philippine Star.
Despite this growth of consumers in the digital space, the estimated digital advertising spend for 2014 is about 3 billion pesos. This is a small amount compared to the total advertising pie, IMMAP president Michael Palacios said in a previous interview.
“That percentage is not proportional to the amount of time spent. I think we’re getting to the point where decision makers are increasingly digital savvy, but we’re not there yet,” he said.
