What is TikTok?
TikTok is a social network, like Instagram, where users can record and upload short videos. 📹
TikTok videos vary wildly - from dancing and lip-syncing along to songs, to short travel vlogs and news updates.
The app is free to download from the Google Play Store for Android or from the Apple App Store for iOS devices. 📲
When was TikTok released and who invented it?
In 2016, TikTok was released by parent company ByteDance under the name Douyin in China.
TikTok then became internationally accessible in 2017. 🌍
The predecessor app Musical.ly was bought by ByteDance in the same year. 💵
This has allowed TikTok to expand its target audience to Gen Z internet users in America. The two apps use the same software.
Douyin is compliant with Chinese censorship restrictions. 🚫
So now that we've looked at some background information on the platform, let's have a look at TikTok's statistics and demographics below. 👇
Why is TikTok so popular?
TikTok is one of the most popular social networks today.
TikTok is now available in 154 countries and 75 different languages. 🌍
But why do people love this app so much? 🤔
There are three main reasons for this:
-
Community spirit:
TikTok publishes content that is not available on any other social network. -
Authentic content:
Users can express themselves through videos without having to pay much attention to aesthetics. Relatable content also connects users. -
Simple editing options:
TikTok offers a wide selection of effects, filters and trendy songs for this purpose. ✨
The best way to get an impression of why the app is so entertaining is by watching this compilation video:
How many people have TikTok - user statistics for UK and worldwide
In September 2021, TikTok reached one billion monthly active users. 🎉
Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 45 %. 📈
This table breaks down the exact figures over the years:
Year |
Number of TikTok users worldwide (in millions) |
January 2018 | 55 |
December 2018 | 271 |
December 2019 | 508 |
July 2020 | 689 |
September 2021 | 1,000 |
The US has the most TikTok monthly users in the world, with 136.5 million.
The app is also popular in Indonesia (99.07 million users) and Brazil (73.58 million users).
The number of TikTok users in the UK is 23.38 million per month, which puts the UK in 12th place.
24% of internet users in the UK between 15 and 25 years old use TikTok.
The exact statistics of TikTok users in selected countries are listed in the following table:
Country | TikTok users (in millions) as of April 2022 |
United States | 136.42 |
Indonesia | 99.07 |
Brazil | 73.58 |
Russia | 51.30 |
Mexico | 50.52 |
Vietnam | 45.82 |
Philippines | 40.36 |
Thailand | 38.38 |
Turkey | 28.68 |
Pakistan | 24.05 |
Saudi Arabia | 23.62 |
United Kingdom | 23.38 |
Egypt | 21.35 |
Iraq | 20.16 |
Germany | 19.51 |
France | 19.30 |
Japan | 16.28 |
Malaysia | 15.98 |
Italy | 15.34 |
Spain | 14.98 |
As the statistics show, TikTok is clearly a key player in the social media arena in the UK.
TikTok user demographics in the UK and worldwide
A total of 57% of all TikTok users worldwide are female. 👩
43% of the user base are male.👨
In the UK, the ratio of male to female users is even starker: females account for 66.25% of all TikTok users in the UK, as opposed to only 33.75% males.
The total of UK TikTok users in the most popular age bracket, 18-24 year olds, adds up to just over 40%. It’s clear that Gen Z can’t get enough of scrolling TikTok.
Despite Tiktok’s growth among the younger generation, the statistics show that the app does not seem to have aroused much interest among older adults.
Just 2% of adults over 45 in the UK use the video-sharing app.
What is the age limit for TikTok?
TikTok states in its terms of use that the minimum age is 13 years for users residing in the EU, Switzerland and the UK.
In addition, parents should read the guardian’s guide to ensure the digital safety of their children.
How much time do users spend on TikTok in the UK?
The worldwide monthly time spent on TikTok is 19.6 hours.
When it comes to daily use, global users had an average screentime of 95 minutes a day on TikTok in Q2 of 2022. 🕛
Which TikTokers have the most followers?
Globally, the most followed TikTok influencer so far in 2023 is Khabane Lame with 154 million followers. 🌟
The Senegalese-Italian TikToker gained popularity by making fun of overly complicated lifehack videos and presenting much simpler solutions.
Until recently, Charli D'Amelio was considered the top influencer on the social media platform with her TikTok dances. 💃
Now she is a very close second with 150 million followers.
The 10 Top TikTok accounts with the most followers worldwide (as of January 2023):
And here’s the exact figures displayed in table format:
Number | Name | Number of followers (in millions) |
1 | Khabane Lame | 153.9 |
2 | charlie d'amelio | 149.5 |
3 | Bella Porch | 92.7 |
4 | Addison Rae | 88.9 |
5 | Will Smith | 73 |
6 | Zach King | 72.4 |
7 | Kimberly Loaiza | 71.5 |
8 | MrBeast | 68.8 |
9 | TikTok | 66.9 |
10 | cznburak | 66.8 |
Top 10: UK TikTok users with the most followers (as of January 2023)
Kyle thomas from Kent is the most popular TikTok influencer in the UK with 32.3 million followers as of January 2023.
Here again are the exact figures in tabular form:
Number | Name | Number of followers (in millions) |
1 | kyle thomas | 32.20 |
2 | Guinness World Records | 19.80 |
3 | Jamil Jamel Neffati | 17.80 |
4 | Shauni | 16.80 |
5 | Joel M | 16.60 |
6 | Holly H | 16.00 |
7 | evie meg | 14.70 |
8 | Rhia | 14.30 |
9 | Zhong | 13.90 |
10 | thepoolguyml | 13.20 |
Income of the highest-earning TikTokers influencers
Sisters Charlie and Dixie D'Amelio were the two highest-earning TikTokers in 2021.
They earned a total annual income of 27.5 million U.S. dollars. 💵
Their income includes advertising contracts as well as their show "The D'Amelio Show".
Third place goes to Addison Rae with 8.5 million U.S. dollars.
Rae additionally markets her own cosmetics brand "itembeauty" and had a role in the Netflix film "He’s all that". 📺
Annual incomes (in million US dollars) of the highest-earning TikTokers:
Name | Annual income (in million US dollars) |
Charlie D'Amelio | 17.50 |
Dixie D'Amelio | 10 |
Addison Rae | 8.50 |
Bella Poarch | 5 |
Josh Richards | 5 |
Kris Collins | 4.75 |
Avani Gregg | 4.75 |
How can you make money with TikTok?
Revenue streams for TikTok users can include livestreams, affiliate marketing, sponsorship and merchandise / product sales. 💰
In addition, users can also earn money via the TikTok Creator Fund. 💶
£231 million is available in the fund. TikTok has even committed to increase the fund to one billion dollars in the US over the next three years. 📈
The fund programme was set up to support content creators and motivate them to create more interesting content on TikTok. 📱
However, the following requirements must be met in order to be eligible for TikTok financial support:
- be at least 18 years old
- at least 10,000 followers
- at least 100,000 views in the last 30 days
- resident in the United States of America, Great Britain, France, Spain, Germany or Italy
- content compliant with TikTok community guidelines
What is the average TikTok engagement rate?
The average TikTok engagement rate is 6.72%. TikTok is the most engaging social media platform, with a still-increasing engagement rate. These TikTok statistics show the platform is definitely worth a try if you're trying to reach an audience.
How many downloads does TikTok have?
TikTok reached 3 billion downloads in 2022, making it one of the most popular apps on the market.
In September 2022, it was the most-downloaded app in the Google Play Store worldwide.
The video platform was downloaded 205 million times around the world in Q2 2021. 📱
This is a huge increase of 58% compared to the previous quarter.
Presumably, this increase in downloads is due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
People sought entertainment and connection with others while in lockdown.
Below are the TikTok statistics for downloads per quarter.
Quarter | Number of downloads (in millions) |
Q1 '18 | 111 |
Q2 '18 | 156 |
Q3 '18 | 184 |
Q4 '18 | 206 |
Q1 '19 | 188 |
Q2 '19 | 157 |
Q3 '19 | 176 |
Q4 '19 | 201 |
Q1 '20 | 318 |
Q2 '20 | 301 |
Q3 '20 | 188 |
Q4 '20 | 174 |
Q1 '21 | 178 |
Q2 '21 | 205 |
Which is the most popular social media platform?
The top 3 most popular social media platforms include Facebook (2.9 billion active users), Youtube (2.6 billion active users) and Whatsapp (2 billion active users). 🏆
With 1 billion active users, TikTok is currently the 6th most popular social media platform as of January 2022.
Check out the data for each platform here:
Social media platform | Active users in millions |
2,910 | |
YouTube | 2,562 |
2,000 | |
1,478 | |
Weixin / WeChat | 1,263 |
TikTok | 1,000 |
Facebook Messenger | 988 |
Douyin | 600 |
574 | |
Sina Weibo | 573 |
Kuaishou | 573 |
Snapchat | 557 |
Telegram | 550 |
444 | |
436 | |
430 | |
Quora | 300 |
With user statistics like these, it's clear that the importance of TikTok for marketing shouldn't be dismissed.
We've also shared some statistics on the new social media platform, BeReal - check it out here!
The 10 most popular TikTok hashtags 2022
The most used hashtag with 18.57 trillion post views is "fyp", which stands for "for you page". #️⃣
With 6.3 trillion views, the hashtag "viral" lands in second place.
"Duet" is the third most used hashtag on TikTok and has 2.4 trillion post views. 👀
Check out the exact figures below:
Hashtag | Post views in billions |
fyp | 18,571.10 |
viral | 6,363.70 |
tiktok | 2,482 |
duet | 2,418.20 |
trending | 1,670.40 |
funny | 1,511.60 |
comedy | 1,243.10 |
humour | 684.4 |
love | 611.5 |
stitch | 570.1 |
Table of Content
TikTok statistics in the UK 2024: Key figures and user demographics
When was TikTok released and who invented it?
How many people have TikTok - user statistics for UK and worldwide
TikTok user demographics in the UK and worldwide
How much time do users spend on TikTok in the UK?
Which TikTokers have the most followers?
Income of the highest-earning TikTokers influencers
How many downloads does TikTok have?
Which is the most popular social media platform?