Facebook remains dominant as TikTok gains Filipino users, Pulse Asia survey shows

• Photo from Pixabay

Facebook continued to dominate the Philippine social media landscape, while TikTok posted the largest increase in account ownership among major platforms, according to Pulse Asia’s July 2026 Ulat ng Bayan survey.

Among internet users who access social media or online news, 99 percent said they had a Facebook account, unchanged from March 2026. Facebook ownership reached 100 percent in Metro Manila and Mindanao and remained at 98 to 99 percent across other geographic areas.

YouTube ranked second, with account ownership rising three percentage points nationwide from 70 percent in March to 73 percent in July.

Photo courtesy of Pulse Asia

The platform, however, recorded contrasting regional movements. YouTube ownership increased by 11 percentage points in Balance Luzon and 10 percentage points in Metro Manila but fell by 21 percentage points in the Visayas, from 90 percent to 69 percent.

TikTok posted the strongest nationwide growth among the platforms included in the survey. Its account ownership increased by seven percentage points, from 35 percent in March to 42 percent in July.

TikTok’s growth was recorded across all geographic areas and socioeconomic classes. The largest increase was among Class E respondents, where ownership rose by 13 percentage points to 35 percent.

TikTok ownership also increased by 12 percentage points in the Visayas, 11 percentage points in Metro Manila, 10 percentage points among Class ABC respondents, and nine percentage points in Balance Luzon.

Despite its growth, TikTok remained behind Facebook and YouTube nationally. It was most widely used among Class ABC respondents at 51 percent and in Metro Manila at 50 percent.

Instagram ownership stood at 17 percent nationwide, slightly lower than the 18 percent recorded in March. However, it increased by 10 percentage points in both Metro Manila and the Visayas.

Meanwhile, six percent of respondents said they had an account on X, formerly Twitter, up slightly from five percent in March. Ownership was highest among Class ABC respondents at 14 percent.

The figures were based on respondents who use the internet to check social media accounts or access news, rather than the entire adult population.