TikTok has passed Instagram to become Costa Rica’s second most used social network, marking a major shift in how people in the country consume digital content and how businesses may need to reach them. The latest report from the University of Costa Rica’s Center for Research in Communication (CICOM) found that TikTok is now used by 58% of Costa Rica’s adult population with a cellphone, ahead of Instagram at 47%.
Facebook remains our country’s most used social network at 80%, while WhatsApp continues to dominate overall digital communication, reaching 96% of adults with mobile phones. The finding confirms TikTok’s rapid rise in Costa Rica. The platform has grown from 36% usage in 2023 to 58% in 2025, while Instagram has remained largely flat after peaking at 48% in 2024 and slipping slightly to 47% in 2025.
The change matters for tourism operators, restaurants, hotels, real estate agents and small businesses that have long treated Instagram as the natural place to promote travel, lifestyle and hospitality content. Instagram is still widely used, especially among younger people, university-educated users and residents of the Central Valley. But the numbers show that TikTok is no longer a secondary platform in Costa Rica.
The study also challenges the idea that TikTok is only for teenagers and young adults. CICOM found that users between 18 and 34 and those between 35 and 54 use TikTok in nearly the same proportion. The report also found that TikTok is one of the few major platforms in Costa Rica with a gender difference, with more women than men reporting use of the app.
For businesses aimed at tourists, the shift is especially relevant. Hotels in Guanacaste, tour companies in La Fortuna, surf schools in Tamarindo and restaurants in Manuel Antonio have increasingly relied on short-form video to show experiences rather than simply advertise them. TikTok’s format favors quick clips of beaches, food, wildlife, tours, nightlife and travel tips, giving smaller operators a way to compete without large traditional advertising budgets.
The report also shows that WhatsApp remains essential for closing business. While TikTok may help travelers find a restaurant, hotel or tour, WhatsApp is still the main channel many Costa Rican businesses use to answer questions, send prices, confirm reservations and communicate with customers. CICOM found that 95% of adults with cellphones use WhatsApp intensely, and its use shows no major difference by gender or place of residence.
Facebook also remains difficult to ignore. Despite years of predictions about its decline, it continues to lead among social networks in Costa Rica, with 80% usage. That means businesses should be careful about abandoning older platforms too quickly, especially when targeting residents, expats and older travelers.
The practical takeaway is not that Instagram is dead in Costa Rica. It remains a major platform and still plays an important role for brands built around images, aesthetics and lifestyle. But TikTok’s rise means a social media strategy based only on Instagram now risks missing a large part of the Costa Rican audience.
The CICOM survey was conducted by phone among 792 adults from August 25 to 29, 2025. The study has a 95% confidence level and a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The results apply to Costa Rica’s adult population with a cellphone, not the total population.
