During Ramadan, netizens tend to spend more time surfing the web, especially on social media channels. Engagement with regional brands in Facebook increases 30% during Ramadan and 33% on Twitter, compared to other times of the year, according to a recent report released by The Online Project, regional social media agency.

Shifts in social media behavior aren't homogenous across the board, however; Lebanon actually registers the only decrease in Facebook use: users engage 16% less, yet they engage 28% more on Twitter. Egypt and the UAE see some of the biggest boosts on Facebook: Egypt see 105% more engagement, while the UAE sees 57%. In both countries, engagement on Twitter, however, is less affected: Egypt sees a 4% decrease on Twitter, while the UAE only sees an 8% increase.

in Saudi Arabia, social media users engage 33% more on Facebook and 11% more on Twitter. The report assesses engagement across Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and the UAE.

During this general increase in activity, companies often also dedicate more time and effort to engaging with their customers; the biggest four telecom companies in the Arab world spend around 200 million dollars on marketing during Ramadan. 

Most importantly for brands, startups and media outlets, the report details the best times to post: 
UAE: 7pm Facebook, 6pm Twitter
Saudi Arabia: 10pm Facebook, 4-6am Twitter
Jordan: 2-4am Facebook, 6pm Twitter
Lebanon: 10am Facebook, 4pm Twitter
Egypt: 4pm Facebook, 2pm Twitter 
Qatar: 7pm Facebook, 6pm Twitter 

Check out the infographic below for more details or the full report here.