Global social network Facebook, which has garnered a database of 100 million active monthly users in Africa, has released statistics which it claims reflects a global shift towards visual (photos, emojis, stickers and videos) and increased access via mobile devices.

A media release from Facebook said that over the past year the number of video posts per person has increased 75% globally, and the amount of video from people and brands in News Feed has increased 3.6 times year-on-year.

65% of video views globally take place on mobile. In Africa over 80% of Facebook subscribers return to the social network via mobile channels.

According to Internet World Stats as of June 2014 Africa had almost 298 million online users.

In September 2014 Facebook announced it had secured a MAP (Monthly Active People) database of 100 million across Africa.

Of this amount, over 80% return to the social network via mobile channels on the continent.

Detailing the statistics, Aidan Baigrie, Sub-Saharan Africa Facebook, said although South Africa represents one of the Network's core markets because it is most established, he remains reluctant to single out focus territories given that continent's size and diversity.

He did, however, provide some insight into South African user behaviour.

"South Africans are deeply engaged with Facebook. 40% check Facebook before getting out of bed, 36% check Facebook just before going to sleep and 55% check Facebook on mobile when out and about, he said.

The Southern African country has 11million active monthly users, 10 million of whom access the social network via mobile.

Facebook refers to eMarketer research which states that in a matter of two years, video consumption on mobile has grown 532% cross-platform, and, according to Cisco Systems, mobile video overall is estimated to increase 14-fold between 2013 and 2018.

"Expressing ideas through film is a core aspect of how creative people love to bring ideas to life. With the explosive growth of video on Facebook, it is exciting to see News Feed become the center of discovery for this work. We are only just starting to unlock the potential of sight, sound and motion in a feed-driven world." Mark D'Arcy, Chief Creative Offer of Facebook's Creative Shop