Pakistanis watch around 560 million YouTube videos every day, making the country the world’s biggest YouTube-watching market, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd.) Hafeez ur Rehman.
The PTA chairman said Pakistan ranks first globally in YouTube video consumption, with approximately 96 million users watching more than half a billion videos on the platform every day.
He shared the figures while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Tuesday.
Pakistanis Send 12 Billion WhatsApp Messages Every Day
The PTA chairman also revealed figures for TikTok and WhatsApp usage in Pakistan.
According to him, TikTok has around 100 million user accounts in Pakistan, while approximately 150 million Pakistanis watch videos on the platform.
WhatsApp has around 100 million users in the country. Pakistanis make approximately 1 billion calls and send 12 billion messages through the messaging platform every day.
These figures highlight the enormous volume of digital activity taking place across Pakistan’s social media and communication platforms.
5G Users Reach 1.8 Million in Pakistan
Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja told the committee that social media and artificial intelligence (AI) were driving a sharp increase in internet data consumption.
She said Nawaz Sharif’s government had introduced 4G services in Pakistan, while the current government had conducted the country’s 5G spectrum auction. She added that no spectrum auction had taken place after Nawaz Sharif left office.
According to the minister, Pakistan now has around 1.8 million 5G users, with services being introduced across 24 cities.
However, she acknowledged that telecom operators face infrastructure problems, including electricity shortages and equipment theft.
She said entire mobile towers, generators and diesel supplies were sometimes stolen, disrupting network operations.
The growing use of video streaming, social media and AI is increasing pressure on Pakistan’s telecom infrastructure as demand for faster and more reliable internet continues to rise.
