Amid the protests in Nepal over social media ban, reports have noted that Nepal has 13.5 million active Facebook users, and 3.6 million Instagram users.
Published: September 8, 2025 7:31 PM IST
Kathmandu: As the protest in Nepal led by the Zen Z generation gets violent in Nepal, the situation in India’s neighborhood is getting out of hand. The youth of Nepal are protesting against the KP Oli government after the government recently banned several social media platforms including Facebook (Meta) and X (earlier known as Twitter). Protests are taking place at various places and eight people have died in the clashes, while hundreds have been injured. Especially Generation-Z and people earning from social media are most angry against this decision. However, at a time when Nepal is burning, it needs to be known that how many people actually use Facebook, Instagram and X.
Why are young Nepalis protesting against government?
The government of Nepal led by KP Sharma Oli has banned a total of 26 social media and communication apps, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Reddit, LinkedIn, Discord and many others, causing a massive wave of anger in the youth of Nepal.
How many people use social media in Nepal?
Social media usage is very high in Nepal and about 80% of internet traffic comes from these platforms. Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and YouTube are the most used apps. As per data taken from Data Reportal, Nepal has 13.5 million active Facebook users, 10.85 million Messenger users, 3.6 million Instagram users, 1.5 million LinkedIn users and 466,100 X (formerly Twitter) users as of 2024.
Story highlights:
- Nepal is burning under the protests against the KP Oli government.
- The protestors are protesting against the social media ban.
- The Nepalese government had earlier banned Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and YouTube.
Why government banned social media apps in Nepal?
The reason for the ban was that the companies were not following the order of the Nepal government to register with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, appoint a grievance redressal officer and open a liaison office at the local level. Earlier also, Nepal had banned apps like Telegram and TikTok due to violation of rules.
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