Since launching in early 2018, TikTok’s been covered by seemingly every major news publication and racked up millions of downloads globally.

Despite its popularity, the app can still feel like a bit of a mystery to marketers, especially since TikTok doesn’t always disclose key app metrics. 

As someone who’s gotten sucked into the app, blogged multiple times about it, hearted hundreds of posts, and even made a few videos of my own, I’m fairly certain that this platform will stick around for quite some time. 

But, luckily, with mounting data and statistics about TikTok, you don’t just have to take my word for it. To help you make informed decisions about your strategy, we’ll cover key TikTok statistics and facts to know, whether you’re just starting out on the app or you’re looking to update your strategy. 

Already know what stats you’re looking for? Jump there with this table of contents: 

43 TikTok Stats to Know in 2022

Within TikTok’s first year, it reportedly reached 500 million monthly active users. Wondering if this was just a fluke or a viral trend that will simmer down? Think again. According to TikTok and its company heads, the audience might be larger and more promising than we think.

• In September 2021, TikTok celebrated reaching 1 billion monthly active users. (TikTok)
• Musical.ly, a lip-syncing app which ByteDance purchased and merged with TikTok, reportedly had 100 million monthly active users when it was purchased by TikTok in 2018. (The Verge)
• Douyin, TikTok’s original standalone app in China, had 300 million users at the time Musical.ly merged with TikTok. (The Verge)
• In 2020, TikTok was the most downloaded app globally (850 million downloads), followed by WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. (Apptopia)
• TikTok is the Top Free App in the Entertainment section of the Apple App Store. (Apple App Store)

While TikTok’s user base is dominated by Gen-Z in the United States, many millennials have adopted it around the world. And, although it might feel like TikTok is huge in the U.S., the app’s biggest audience actually comes from China, where the platform is called Douyin.

Here’s a breakdown of TikTok’s major demographic.

• 52.38% of TikTok users globally are between the ages of 18 and 24. (Statista)
• The United States, Indonesia, and Brazil have the largest audiences on TikTok as of April 2022. (Statista)
• As of April 2021, 48% of U.S. adults between 18-29 use TikTok, compared to 20% of adults between 30-49 and 14% among 50-64 year olds. (Pew Research Center)
• One-quarter of Americans between 12 and 34 have used TikTok compared to 3% of adults aged 35+. (MarketingCharts)
• TikTok is now available in more than 200 countries. (Oberlo)
• Over 22.2 million of TikTok’s monthly active users are in Indonesia. (Statista)
• The social media apps Gen Z uses most are TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. (HubSpot Blog)

TikTok is a fast-paced app. The second you log in, you see a video at the top of a feed that’s algorithmically curated around your interests. 

From my own experience, I’ve found that TikTok can easily cause you to spend more time than expected watching an endless stream of often comedic videos. Since these videos are usually between 15 seconds and one minute, it makes the app ideal for people who need quick entertainment on their morning commute or when they’re bored at home.

Because of TikTok’s quick pace and entertainment factor, the stats below aren’t that surprising:

• The average user spends 89 minutes per day on the app, according to a leaked deck from TikTok. (Music Business Worldwide)
• As of September 2021, there are 14.43 million daily active users using the TikTok Android App and the average user spends 12.3 hours per month using it. (Statista, HootSuite)
• TikTok is one of the most downloaded apps in the Google Play Store. (Statista)
• According to a leaked TikTok deck, the average user opens the app 19 times per day. (Music Business Worldwide)
• There are 29.7 million global DAU on the TikTok iOS app as of January 2021. (Statista)
• 88% of people on TikTok report that the sound on the platform is central to the overall app experience. (TikTok)
• 68% of TikTok users say videos using popular songs help them remember brands better. (TikTok)
• 36% of consumers want to learn about products through short-form videos like TikToks or Reels. (HubSpot)
• 55% of users say TikTok helps them discover new things. (Material)
• 55% of TikTok users use the platform to research brands or products. (TikTok)

• The TikTok community is more frequently and consistently engaging with content on the platform than they are on other social media platforms. (Neuro-Insight). 
• When users see brands organic TikTok content before their paid ads, there is a 27% increase in brand recall. (Neurons Inc.)
• 71% of TikTok users say the app has a bigger impact on their lives than other apps they use, and 79% say it inspires them to do new things in real life. (TikTok)
• TikTok users are 1.3x more likely to agree that the platform helps them hear different perspectives than they normally hear vs. other entertainment and social brands. (TikTok & Material)
• TikTok users are 1.3x more likely to know about products and trends before their peers.  (Material & TikTok)

• 2 out of 3 users are likely to buy something while on the platform. (TikTok)
• 50% of TikTok users have bought something after watching a TikTok LIVE. (TikTok)
• TikTok users are twice as likely as users of traditional social platforms to recommend a product or service they’ve discovered on the app and 1.5x more successful at convincing others to try the product or service. (Material & TikTok)

• The most followed creator on TikTok is Khaby Lame with 147.7 million followers. Following close behind is Charlie D’Amelio with 144.6 million. (Wikipedia)
• One of the earliest branded hashtag challenges was Guess’ #InMyDenim challenge. According to TikTok, videos marked with this hashtag have received a grand total of 38.8 million views. (TikTok)
• 77% of TikTok users like when brands come up with new challenges, trends, or memes for others to join in on. (TikTok)
• TikTok users say that you don’t need to have thousands of followers to go viral on TikTok. (TikTok)
• 80% of top TikTok videos had music and upbeat songs. (Invideo)
• Remixing a TikTok trend leads to a 14% increase in watch time. (TikTok)
• Rapper Lil Nas X credits the success of his song “Old Town Road” to TikTok. The song was propelled to #1 on the Billboard Top 100 in 2019 after the artist uploaded it to TikTok. (BuzzFeed News)

Here’s a compilation of TikTok’s #CowboyChallenge where people wearing normal clothing cut to themselves in cowboy costumes to the song “Old Town Road.”

• TikTokoffers five advertising tiers aimed at big brands. One of which, a branded hashtag challenge, reportedly costs $150,000 per day. (TikTok Pitch Deck Notes First Reported by Digiday)
• TikTok generated an estimated 4 billion in revenue in 2021. (Bloomberg
• Consumer spending on TikTok has surpassed $2.5 billion globally. (Sensor Tower)
• TikTok has a 4.8-star rating in the Apple App Store and 4.5 in the Google Play Store. (Apple App Store, Google Play Store)
• Bytedance, TikTok’s parent company is valued at $140 billion, making it the world’s most valuable startup. (CBInsights)
• TikTok has an ad reach of roughly 885 million people. (DataReportal)

The Mysteries of TikTok

Although TikTok is a top social platform and is ramping up its options for advertisers, it’s still rather new. When a company or startup is new, it’s not uncommon for leadership to hide early numbers, even when a brand is successful. In fact, we’ve seen this with other major companies like Snapchat and Netflix.

Despite the launch of TikTok For Business in mid 2020, there’s still a lot more to learn as TikTok’s global teams and ByteDance continue to remain hush-hush about major metrics. In the coming years, as TikTok continues to draw in more advertisers, it wouldn’t be surprising if we started to see more transparent information about the app and its user base. 

In the meantime, If you want to learn more about TikTok, you can read up on its short history and early success in this post, or click here to find a how-to guide for using the app. In addition, you can discover important TikTok facts app on various websites: 

Want to see what other businesses are doing on TikTok? Check out this roundup of brands on TikTok.