The 2025 edition of Ranked by SquirrelPR has revealed that platform’s traffic volume is not solely dictated by country’s population. Instead, factors such as content depth, innovation, cross-border digital access, and demographic appeal play significant roles. This can lead to high Returns on Investment (RoI).

The report cited Egypt’s population of about 114 million, but one of its digital news platforms recorded over 450 million visits in 2024.

In Egypt, Youm7, an Arabic-language news platform, has the rankings with the highest visits. This suggests a broad appeal beyond Egypt, likely extending across the Middle East. The platform also benefits from Egypt’s high literacy rate (74 per cent) and strong internet penetration (72 per cent)—factors that contribute to the country’s dominance in digital news rankings.

Ranked2025 tracks digital news platforms across four major categories: News & Public Affairs, Business & Financial News, Technology News, and Entertainment & Lifestyle.

The report covers five key African markets, including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and Ghana – which collectively accounted for over 4 billion digital news visits in 2024.

However, the report added niche media remains an untapped opportunity in several markets. Egypt has limited niche reporting, despite strong general news readership.

Nigeria excels in entertainment journalism, but business and tech reporting have room for growth. South Africa, the most mature digital market, dominates business and technology news but lacks entertainment-focused outlets. Ghana and Kenya present significant opportunities for business, tech, and entertainment reporting.