Facebook growth stalls in Germany and France

eMarketer last week downgraded Facebook user growth in France and Germany. eMarketer says younger age groups are shifting their usage to other platforms.

The total number of Facebook users in Germany will grow just 0.1% this year to 26.8 million, an addition of about 20,000 users. The number of users under 35 years old will drop by 2.2% in 2019. According to eMarketer, the most significant drop will affect users 12 to 17, who will be down 9.1% year over year. That’s a loss of around 170,600 users in that age bracket.

By 2023, the percentage of internet users in Germany between 12 and 17 who use Facebook will drop to just over one-third.

“The good news for Facebook is that Instagram will pick up at least some of the lost core Facebook users in both France and Germany,” eMarketer senior analyst Jasmine Enberg said. “The question is whether Instagram can continue making up for Facebook’s losses. Competing platforms like Snapchat are diversifying their services and other digital entertainment options, including video and messaging, and continue to capture consumer attention.”

In France the user growth will turn negative sooner than in Germany. The total number of Facebook users will drop this year for the first time by 0.2% to 28.0 million people. Users under 19 will drive the decline by leaving the platform.