The growth of internet usage in Saudi Arabia reached 99% of the population, with the average mobile data consumption per person reaching 44 GB monthly, a report said, citing data from a government agency that monitors development of the communications technology sector of the kingdom.

Saudi Internet Report 2023 from the Communications, Space, and Technology Commission (CST) highlighted key insights and statistics on internet usage and online behaviour in the kingdom in the report, aimed at enhancing digital services, enabling investors and entrepreneurs, and contributing to the development of a thriving digital economy, Saudi Press Agency, said.

The report said that the peak hours of internet usage are from 9pm to 11pm, and it pinpointed Friday as one of the heaviest internet usage days of the week.

Mobile phones emerged as the most used devices for browsing the internet, accounting for 98.9% of usage compared to other devices.

The report included a study on online shopping behaviour, revealing that 93% of such shopping occurs on local websites, rather than international ones.

The report also featured an analysis of the top data-consuming applications and services, placing YouTube on the top list, followed by TikTok and Facebook.

Moreover, the most downloaded e-government applications in 2023 are Nafath’, ‘Absher’, and ‘Tawakkalna Services’.