How Influencer Culture Varies Around the World
Key Takeaways
- Africa has the highest average influencer-following rate at 33.4%, with all five surveyed markets ahead of the United States.
- Only three of Europe’s 23 surveyed markets exceed the worldwide benchmark of 22.6%: Norway, Portugal, and Ireland.
- The Philippines has nearly three times Japan’s influencer-following rate, highlighting wide differences across Asia.
Influencer culture is often associated with the United States, home to some of the world’s biggest social media personalities and platforms. Yet following influencers is considerably more common in several countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Ghana leads the global ranking, followed by the Philippines and Brazil. Meanwhile, the U.S. sits well outside the top 10, despite its prominent role in global social media culture.
This visualization uses Q2 2025 data from GWI, published in the Digital 2026 Global Overview Report. It measures the share of social media users aged 16 and older who follow influencers across 53 countries and territories.
Ghana Leads the Global Influencer Rankings
The table below ranks all 53 surveyed markets by the share of social media users who follow influencers.
| Rank | Country / territory | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ghana |
46.8% |
| 2 |  Philippines |
42.9% |
| 3 |  Brazil |
40.4% |
| 4 |  South Africa |
35.2% |
| 5 |  Thailand |
32.9% |
| 6 |  Malaysia |
32.3% |
| 7 |  Nigeria |
32.0% |
| 8 |  Indonesia |
31.7% |
| 9 |  United Arab Emirates |
29.5% |
| 10 |  New Zealand |
28.4% |
| 10 |  Saudi Arabia |
28.4% |
| 12 |  Kenya |
28.3% |
| 13 |  Norway |
27.9% |
| 14 |  Chile |
27.8% |
| 15 |  Portugal |
27.6% |
| 16 |  Argentina |
26.6% |
| 17 |  Ireland |
26.3% |
| 18 |  Mexico |
26.2% |
| 19 |  Colombia |
25.9% |
| 20 |  Australia |
25.0% |
| 21 |  Egypt |
24.6% |
| 22 |  India |
24.3% |
| 22 |  Poland |
24.3% |
| 24 |  Serbia |
22.9% |
| 24 |  Spain |
22.9% |
| 26 |  Singapore |
22.8% |
| 27 |  South Korea |
22.1% |
| 28 |  Croatia |
21.7% |
| 28 |  Greece |
21.7% |
| 30 |  Vietnam |
21.5% |
| 31 |  United States |
21.4% |
| 32 |  Canada |
21.3% |
| 33 |  Hong Kong |
21.2% |
| 34 |  Bulgaria |
21.0% |
| 35 |  Romania |
20.7% |
| 36 |  Sweden |
19.6% |
| 37 |  Italy |
19.1% |
| 37 |  Netherlands |
19.1% |
| 39 |  Hungary |
18.7% |
| 39 |  United Kingdom |
18.7% |
| 41 |  Germany |
18.5% |
| 42 |  France |
18.4% |
| 43 |  Austria |
17.5% |
| 44 |  Denmark |
17.3% |
| 45 |  Israel |
17.2% |
| 45 |  Switzerland |
17.2% |
| 47 |  Taiwan |
16.3% |
| 48 |  Belgium |
16.0% |
| 49 |  China |
15.8% |
| 50 |  Czechia |
14.4% |
| 50 |  Japan |
14.4% |
| 52 |  Türkiye |
11.4% |
| 53 |  Russia |
7.5% |
Ghana tops the ranking at 46.8%, followed by the Philippines (42.9%) and Brazil (40.4%). These are the only three markets where more than 40% of social media users follow influencers.
South Africa ranks fourth at 35.2%, followed by Thailand at 32.9%. Malaysia, Nigeria, and Indonesia also place among the top 10.
The United States ranks 31st at 21.4%, just ahead of Canada at 21.3%. The Philippines’ rate is roughly twice that of the U.S.
At the bottom, Russia has the lowest share at 7.5%, followed by Türkiye at 11.4%. Japan and Czechia are tied at 14.4%.
Ghana’s rate is more than six times Russia’s, a gap of 39.3 percentage points.
Africa Leads, While Europe Ranks Last
Regional averages reveal broader differences in influencer-following habits. The table below groups the 53 markets into seven regions, with each market weighted equally regardless of population.
| Region | Markets surveyed | Average influencer-following rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 5 | 33.4% |
| South America | 4 | 30.2% |
| Oceania | 2 | 26.7% |
| Asia | 12 | 24.9% |
| North America | 3 | 23.0% |
| Middle East | 4 | 21.6% |
| Europe | 23 | 20.0% |
Africa leads at 33.4%, followed by South America at 30.2%. Europe ranks last at 20.0%, more than 13 percentage points behind Africa.
All five African markets surveyed, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt, have higher influencer-following rates than the United States.
Europe shows the opposite pattern. Only Norway, Portugal, and Ireland exceed the worldwide benchmark of 22.6%, while the other 20 surveyed markets fall below it.
Asia averages 24.9%, but its markets vary widely. The Philippines leads at 42.9%, compared with 14.4% in Japan and 15.8% in China.
North America averages 23.0%, with Mexico’s 26.2% exceeding the rates in both the United States and Canada.
These regional figures are unweighted averages of surveyed markets, not population-weighted estimates for entire continents. Coverage also varies considerably, from 23 markets in Europe to just two in Oceania.
The Link Between Social Media Use and Influencers
Countries with high social media usage also tend to feature prominently in the influencer-following rankings.
A previous Visual Capitalist analysis of which countries spend the most time on social media found that Kenya, South Africa, Brazil, and the Philippines were among the leaders in daily usage. All four also have relatively high influencer-following rates, suggesting a possible connection.
However, these rankings measure the share of social media users who follow influencers, not total audience size, engagement, or purchasing behavior.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
If you enjoyed this visualization, explore Attention Rich: The next generation of influence visualized on the Voronoi app.
