WILLEMSTAD – WhatsApp is by far the most widely used social media platform among young people in Curaçao between the ages of 15 and 24, according to figures highlighted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in connection with International Youth Day.
The statistics provide a snapshot of how young people use social media and participate in sports and social and cultural activities.
WhatsApp leads social media use among Curaçao youth, with 91.7 percent using the platform. Facebook follows at 78.1 percent, while 73.3 percent use YouTube.
TikTok and Instagram are also popular among the younger population, with usage rates of 66.4 percent and 66.0 percent, respectively.
CBS also highlighted figures on sports participation. Outdoor football is the most commonly practiced sport among those aged 15 to 24, accounting for 10.3 percent.
Other forms of physical activity, including dancing, fitness or Zumba, and walking, hiking or trekking, account for 5.3 percent. Fitness and Zumba separately were reported at 5.1 percent.
The figures also provide insight into young people's participation in Curaçao’s social and cultural life, either as active participants or spectators.
Carnival has the highest level of participation, at 52.1 percent, followed by Seú at 37.1 percent. Music festivals account for 8.0 percent.
CBS placed the figures in the spotlight as part of International Youth Day, offering a picture of some of the digital, sporting and social activities that form part of the lives of Curaçao residents between the ages of 15 and 24.