Facebook Virtual Economy: How much Facebook users in Asia are spending on social games?
During the period between June 01 2010 and August 10 2010, the total Facebook users in Asia increased by 33%, from 64,638,960 to 86,059,780. Indonesia continues to lead in Asia with 26 million users (or 30% of total Facebook users in Asia), followed by Philippines (15 million), India (11 million), Malaysia (7.6 million) and Taiwan (6.9 million).
About 66% of the Facebook population in Asia (or a total of 57,115,340) reside in the southeast Asian countries – Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia.
| Facebook Users in Asia, by Country (as of August 10 2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Rank | Country | Total Facebook Users | ||
| 1 | Indonesia | 26,082,760 | ||
| 2 | Philippines | 15,158,060 | ||
| 3 | India | 11,475,640 | ||
| 4 | Malaysia | 7,622,460 | ||
| 5 | Taiwan | 6,914,000 | ||
| 6 | Thailand | 4,570,700 | ||
| 7 | Hong Kong | 3,425,760 | ||
| 8 | Singapore | 2,234,740 | ||
| 9 | Pakistan | 2,192,080 | ||
| 10 | South Korea | 1,252,220 | ||
| 11 | Japan | 1,233,280 | ||
| 12 | Vietnam | 1,015,540 | ||
| 13 | Bangladesh | 919,400 | ||
| 14 | Sri Lanka | 616,200 | ||
| 15 | Nepal | 512,180 | ||
| 16 | Macau | 204,560 | ||
| 17 | Brunei | 162,660 | ||
| 18 | Laos | 173,800 | ||
| 19 | Cambodia | 94,620 | ||
| 20 | Maldives | 80,420 | ||
| 21 | Afghanistan | 46,540 | ||
| 22 | Mongolia | 45,020 | ||
| 23 | Bhutan | 27,140 | ||
| TOTAL | 86,059,780 | |||
Source: Facebook.com |
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Social Games in Asia Now, let’s take a stab in estimating the size of Facebook social games economy in Asia, using the total Facebook users in Asia (Table above). It is reported that 50% of Facebook users are playing social games. So, out of the total of 86 million Facebook users in Asia, 43 million are playing social games.
According to these articles on Playdom and Zynga, the percentage of social game spenders is between 1% and 2%. Let’s assume 1.5% of total social gamers are paying for virtual good; there are a total of 645,448 users paying for virtual goods.
To estimate the ‘value’ of the virtual goods economy, let’s assume each of the ‘spending’ social gamers spends USD10 a month (Playdom estimated USD20 per user per month). So, the total spending on virtual goods by Facebook users in Asia is USD 6,454,484 a month or USD 77,453,808 a year!
A Summary of Facebook Social Games Spending in Asia
| Total Facebook Users in Asia | Total Facebook Users Playing Social Games | Total Social Game Spenders on Facebook | Total Social Game Spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 86,059,780 | 43,029,890 | 645,448 | USD 6,454,484 per month |
