Facebook has revealed a list of the most popular emojis in the MENA region, with the red and black hearts and the crying with laughter face coming out on top in Morocco. The social media giant released the new statistics to mark World Emoji Day 2020.
According to recent statistics from the social media giant, Moroccan account holders use the crying with laughter emoji more than any other symbol. The red heart and the heavy black heart are the second and third most popular emojis in Morocco.
Across the Middle East and North Africa, Facebook users favor the crying with laughter emoji, the red and black hearts, the smiling face with heart-shaped eyes, and the rolling on the floor laughing emoji.
The rest of the top 10 emojis used in the MENA region includes the blowing a kiss emoji, the rose, the sparkling heart, the heart suit, and the broken heart.
Facebook’s statistics on the top three emojis by country show a slight variation across states. While Egypt and Lebanon share the same top three most popular emojis as Morocco, users in Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE prefer different emojis to express their thoughts and feelings.
Saudi Facebook users favor the crying with laughter emoji, the red heart, and the rose, while those in the UAE use the crying with laughter emoji, the rolling on the floor laughing emoji, and the heart.
In Algeria, internet users tend to use the crying with laughter emoji, the black heart, and the face with heart-shaped eyes.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook users across the MENA region have turned to the medical mask emoji when messaging and sharing news online. Moroccans have used the emoji more than 1.2 million times, while in both Egypt and Algeria, the medical mask emoji has appeared 3.4 million times.
A recent survey by Viber, a free communication application, revealed that 61% of users in the MENA region turn to emojis to express their emotions and feelings. The same survey showed that only 12% of users in the region do not use emojis at all, preferring to express themselves in words.
