90 lakh Bangladeshis joined social media between 2020 and 2021: report

Bangladesh has seen an exceptional growth in the number of social media users in the past year.

The number of people who joined a social platform or network in the country increased by nine million (90 lakh) between 2020 and 2021, according to The Digital Report, a report published by global media company We Are Social.

The total number of social media users in the country is 45 million, according to the report released in February 2021. It is equivalent to 27.2 percent of the total population of the country, the report reveals.

On the other hand, globally over half a billion people started using social media during last year, said the report.

The figures bring the total number of users on social media worldwide to 4.33 billion, or more than half of the world's total population (7.85 billion), We Are Social reported.

While these figures are impressive, they are logical given the global health crisis that has forced people to use other means of communication rather than in-person meetings. This is the main explanation for this increased online social activity, as demonstrated by the study.

Among other South Asian countries, Pakistan also saw an increase of nine million users during the time between 2020 and 2021.

In India, 47 million people started using social networks between 2020 and 2021.

In Myanmar the number of social media users increased by seven million during the time, the report states.