The Philippines continues to be a digital powerhouse in Southeast Asia, ranking among the world’s most connected and socially engaged nations, according to Digital 2026, the latest global report from Meltwater and We Are Social that tracks worldwide digital and social media trends.
The report reveals that 83.8% of Filipinos are now active Internet users, with the country ranking 12th globally in total number of users — over 98 million individuals.
Filipinos also remain among the world’s most digitally engaged, spending an average of 54 hours per week online, second only to Kenya.
Filipinos’ love affair with social media shows no sign of slowing. The study notes that 85% of Filipinos are on YouTube, making the Philippines the top YouTube user country in the world, while 82.2% are active on TikTok.
Filipinos also rank second globally in time spent watching online videos — over 20 hours per week, with users spending more than five days each week consuming long and short-form video content.
Social media has also become a key driver of consumer behavior, with 41.9% of Filipinos discovering brands through social platforms — aligning with global trends where social media has overtaken search engines among younger users as the primary source of brand discovery.
In one of the most striking findings, the Philippines ranks 6th globally in ChatGPT usage, with 42.4% of individuals aged 16 and above using the AI tool in the past month — far above the global average of 26.5%.
The report notes that more than 1 billion people worldwide now use generative AI tools monthly, reshaping how people search for and process information.
This growing reliance on AI is mirrored in the Philippines, where both individuals and businesses are rapidly integrating AI into everyday tasks and marketing strategies.
The country’s e-commerce sector continues to thrive, with 56.4% of Filipinos buying online each week. A majority of consumers now prefer digital shopping over in-store purchases, reflecting the broader regional trend toward online retail.
Meanwhile, 67.1% of Filipinos pay for some form of digital content each month, in line with the global average of 67%, signaling a mature digital economy increasingly reliant on subscriptions and streaming services.
Globally, the Digital 2026 report marks a major milestone:
Over 6 billion Internet users worldwide.
5.66 billion social media user identities, equivalent to 68.7% of the world’s population, forming a global “social media supermajority.”
More than 1 billion active AI users each month.
$1.16 trillion projected global ad spend in 2025, with 74.4% going to digital channels and $277 billion to social media advertising alone.
“We’re seeing a profound shift in how people discover brands, with more people turning to social media and AI platforms than ever before,” said Alexandra Bjertnæs, Chief Strategy Officer at Meltwater.
“Among younger audiences, social media ads now carry more weight than traditional search in shaping awareness and perception.”
Toby Southgate, Global Group CEO at We Are Social, added: “A ‘supermajority’ of the world is now active on social media — this is where brands win or lose. Success in this new landscape will be defined by cultural understanding and the ability to earn attention with ideas that are truly worth talking about.”
Mimrah Mahmood, Meltwater’s Asia Pacific vice president, emphasized the region’s influence: “Asia Pacific remains one of the most dynamic digital regions in the world. The Philippines exemplifies this dynamism — highly connected, socially active, and quick to embrace new technologies like AI.”