UK Digital Users: eMarketer's Updated Estimates for 2017

Executive Summary

The UK is one of the most digitally advanced markets in the world. This year, 54.8 million people, or 82.6% of the country’s population, will access the internet regularly.

• The UK internet audience will see slow growth in 2017, climbing 2.4%. eMarketer has slightly increased its projection for the overall number of UK internet users throughout the forecast period, based on data showing higher-than-expected usage among those ages 45 and older.
• There will be 42.5 million UK smartphone users this year. While gains will continue to slow through 2021, two-thirds of the UK’s population will own a smartphone by 2019. A majority of growth will come from older people upgrading their features phones, encouraged by affordable models, improved device functionality and larger screens.
• At least 35.6 million people, or more than half of the UK population, will use a tablet at least monthly in 2017. But growth is leveling off: The UK’s tablet audience will increase just 3.1% this year and slow throughout the forecast.
• Social networking is one of the most popular digital activities in the UK. More than two-thirds (67.1%) of internet users will sign in to a social network this year. Facebook will be the most widely used platform, with 88.3% of social networkers and 59.2% of internet users accessing it.
• Instagram and Snapchat continue to grow quickly in the UK. Instagram’s user growth will outpace Snapchat’s, increasing 34.8% to 16.7 million users in 2017, while the latter will jump 20.2% to total 14.0 million.