Facebook now has 15 million users in the Arab countries and the number is growing rapidly, according to new research. The figure represents about 27% of all internet users in these countries and suggests that Facebook has become an important means for Arabs to communicate with each other. Facebook use in Egypt (currently 3.4 million users) is growing by more than 100% a year, the report says.

The addition of an Arabic-language interface to Facebook just over a year ago has brought an extra 1.1 million users and this is likely to lead to further growth. Even so, English is still the most popular language. Fifty per cent of Facebook users in the Arab countries choose English as their primary language, compared with 25% choosing French and only 23% Arabic.

Preference for English is highest in Lebanon (93%). French is used by the vast majority in Algeria (87%), Morocco (82%) and Tunisia (95%), while preference for Arabic is highest in Yemen (65%).

The study, by the Dubai-based company, Spot On PR, found a relatively low proportion of female Facebook users – 37%, compared with 56% in the US and 52% in the UK.

As might be expected, Arab Facebook users are predominantly young (under 25) and unmarried.