The UK will lose its spot as the top social networking country in western Europe by the end of 2014, with Germany set to push the British into second position, according to the latest forecast from eMarketer.
The number of social network users in Germany is expected to reach 35.4 million by the forecast period, which is more than the UK’s estimated 33.9 million by then.
By the end of 2017, the social networking audience in Germany is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% compared to a CAGR of 4% in the UK, which still places the UK in second with 36.7 million users, followed by France with 30.1 million users.
In terms of Facebook usage, the UK still tops the list with nearly 30 million residents accessing Facebook per month, compared to the 22.1 million users anticipated each for France and Germany.
Currently, about 50% of the UK population and over six in 10 internet users make use of Facebook, following highly developed and homogeneous markets such as Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Of the overall social network users in the country, the Facebook-using population comprises 93.4%, which is slightly less than Spain’s rate of 93.9%.
