The Philippines had 95.8 million social media user identities and 98 million Internet users in the latest country-specific digital report, underscoring the scale of the market as generative artificial intelligence reshapes how people worldwide find information and discover brands.
The figures, published in the Digital 2026 Philippines report by We Are Social and Meltwater, provide local context for the companies’ new Digital 2027 global report released on Oct. 21.
Globally, monthly generative AI users reached 3.24 billion, equivalent to 38.9% of the world’s population, after growing 57.2% in 12 months. Social media user identities climbed to 5.81 billion, or 69.9% of the global population.
The global report also found that traffic across the world’s largest websites has declined as users increasingly turn to social platforms, mobile apps, and AI-powered services.
For the Philippines, the shift carries implications for technology adoption, digital commerce, advertising, and how businesses reach consumers.
Filipinos spend nearly 34 hours weekly on social media
The Digital 2026 Philippines report counted 95.8 million social media user identities, equivalent to 81.9% of the country’s population. The total increased by 10.3%, or nine million identities, over the preceding year.
Filipinos spent an average of 33 hours and 50 minutes weekly on social media, while 97.8% of Internet users accessed the Internet through mobile phones, according to Meltwater’s country analysis.
Facebook remained the most widely used platform, with 94.9% of Filipino Internet users reporting use of the service. Messenger followed at 90.6%, YouTube at 85%, TikTok at 82.2%, and Instagram at 71.2%.
The figures highlight the importance of mobile access and social platforms in the country’s digital economy, where consumers use online services for communication, entertainment, news, and product research.
Philippines shows strong AI adoption
The Philippines also ranked among the countries with high generative AI usage in the previous edition of the global report.
Digital 2026 data showed that 42.4% of Filipinos aged 16 and older had used ChatGPT in the preceding month, placing the country sixth worldwide for the measure. That was well above the global average of 26.5%, according to the report published in October 2025.
Separately, an October 2026 study commissioned by Amazon Web Services found that 32% of Philippine businesses were using AI, up from 21% a year earlier. The study estimated that the increase represented more than 396,000 businesses.
The figures measure different groups and periods: the ChatGPT statistic covers individual use of one AI service, while the AWS study measures AI adoption among businesses. They nevertheless point to growing use of AI among Filipino consumers and enterprises.
Digital advertising and online shopping expand
Digital advertising accounted for $2.12 billion of the Philippines’ $3.53 billion in total advertising expenditure in 2025, according to the Digital 2026 Philippines data.
Social media advertising spending reached an estimated $679 million, up 14.5% year on year, while influencer advertising spending rose 15% to $125 million.
Online shopping also continued to expand. Some 23.5 million Filipinos purchased consumer goods online, a 9.8% increase from the previous year. Annual online consumer goods spending reached $14 billion, up 14.4%.
Mobile devices accounted for 57.5% of e-commerce spending, reinforcing the role of smartphones in online transactions.
The figures suggest that social media is not merely a channel for audience engagement but also an increasingly important part of the path from product discovery to purchase.
AI changes how people find information
The Digital 2027 global report identified a decline in traditional web usage alongside rising generative AI adoption.
Meltwater reported that Web traffic fell 6.8% between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2026. The broader report also found that time spent on the web declined 11.2% over the past two years.
However, search engines remain more widely used than AI platforms for brand research. Online adults are 74% more likely to say they visit search engines than AI platforms when researching brands, according to the global findings.
The report estimated global digital advertising spending at $967 billion and found that Internet users spent an average of 19 hours and 18 minutes weekly on social media.
For Philippine businesses, the findings raise questions about how to maintain visibility as consumers move among search engines, social platforms, mobile applications, and AI-generated answers.
The Digital 2027 report draws on research from GWI, Similarweb, Statista, and other data providers. Its global findings describe changing online behavior, while the latest country-specific figures cited here come from Digital 2026 Philippines.
