TikTok’s Surge: A Deep Dive Into The User Count

In this article, we’ll dive into the astonishing growth of TikTok, providing a detailed analysis of its rapidly expanding user count and what it means for the future of social media and digital marketing.

TikTok Key Statistics

• TikTok boasts an impressive over 1 billion monthly active users globally in 2023 out of a total user base of 1.6 billion.
• TikTok registered a significant revenue of $6 billion in the half of 2023 alone.
• TikTok ads have the potential to reach 1.081 billion adults over the age of 18 each month, showing a wide demographic reach.
• TikTok’s users spend an average of 1.5 hours on the platform daily.
• TikTok has a fairly balanced gender distribution, with 53% females and 46% males.
• The app has been downloaded over 3.9 billion times until the second quarter of 2023

TikTok Users Count

Since its launch in 2017, TikTok has rapidly ascended the ranks of global apps, experiencing exponential year-over-year growth in its user base.

In 2023, TikTok’s user base surged to over 1.6 billion, marking a significant around 15% growth compared to the previous year, as the platform continues to attract diverse demographics and dominate social media landscapes globally.

TikTok Monthly Active Users

Among 1.6 billion global users, the monthly active user accounts for 1.1 billion.

The dramatic jump in TikTok’s monthly active users over the last 5 years

TikTok Users By Countries

With 150 million users, the U.S. dominates TikTok usage, accounting for a substantial portion of the app’s global reach.

Indonesia is the second-largest market for TikTok, with over 110 million users. While the specific growth rate compared to previous years is not mentioned, having 100 million users in a country with a population of around 273 million is noteworthy.

TikTok users by countries in 2023

TikTok Users By Gender

Statistics reveal that the gender distribution among TikTok users is pretty distant between females and males, with women constituting 53% and men making up the remaining 46%.

TikTok users by gender in 2023

TikTok Users By Age

Most of TikTok’s user base is under 30, and the most populous age group falls within the 19 to 29-year-old range.

TikTok users by age in 2023

TikTok Users By Age and Gender

Regarding age demographics, young women aged 18 to 24 make up the largest segment on TikTok, accounting for 20.9% of users. Conversely, men over 55 constitute the platform’s smallest user group, just 2.3%.

TikTok’s users by age and gender in 2023

Sources: datareportal.com

TikTok Revenue Statistics

TikTok has seen remarkable revenue growth, demonstrating its increasing financial strength and market influence. 

The platform generated a substantial $9.4 billion in annual revenue in 2022. Even more impressively, in just the first two quarters of 2023, it amassed about $6 billion, putting it on track to potentially exceed the previous year’s figures if the trend continues. 

TikTok’s revenue reported from the 2017

The primary drivers behind this robust revenue growth include an expanding user base, the success of in-app advertisements, and the platform’s global reach. The app’s versatility in ad types also makes it an attractive platform for advertisers, especially those looking to engage with a younger demographic.

Overall, TikTok’s financial performance suggests a stable and potentially increasing revenue stream, reflecting its position as a go-to platform for users and advertisers.

TikTok In-App Purchase Revenue

TikTok’s in-app purchase revenue experienced a slight decline in Q1 2023, dropping to $497.7 million from $528 million in Q4 2022, representing a 5.7% decrease. 

TikTok’s revenue from in-app purchases from 2018

TikTok Consumer Spending Statistics

TikTok is the first app in history to surpass the $1 billion mark in customer expenditures in just one quarter in 2023.

Geographically, the United States stands as the most significant contributor to TikTok’s in-app consumer spending, accounting for 37% in Q4 2022.

TikTok is the sole non-gaming app to make it into the top 10 revenue-generating apps in the United States for one-time purchases, outperforming well-known games like Candy Crush Saga or Pokémon GO.

Consumer spending on TikTok over the years

TikTok Penetration Statistics

TikTok Penetration Rate

TikTok has achieved significant global penetration. It is used by 30.25% of the world’s over 5 billion internet users, indicating its widespread adoption across different demographics and regions.

TikTok’s penetration rate in each area

TikTok Penetration By Countries

The exceptionally high TikTok penetration rates in Saudi Arabia (116%), the United Arab Emirates (113%), and Malaysia (95%) suggest that the platform is incredibly popular in these countries, possibly due to multiple accounts per user or specific cultural appeal.

Top 10 countries and territories with highest TikTok penetration as of July 2023

Source: Statista

TikTok Users’ Time Spend On The Platform

TikTok users are deeply engaged, spending around 95 minutes on the app daily. This translates to about 6 hours weekly and a significant 26 hours monthly.

This isn’t just a hobby; for many, TikTok is a daily routine. 

Over a lifetime, a user might spend an estimated 2.3 years on the platform, indicating its long-term appeal. 

Furthermore, the fact that users open the app on average 9 times a day shows its compelling nature and the strong pull to keep checking in.

TikTok users’ average time spent on period

TikTok’s Rank Among Other Social Media Platforms

As of the latest data, Facebook leads the pack with approximately 2.9 billion users, making it the largest social media platform globally. 

TikTok, while incredibly popular and fast-growing, ranks fifth on the list. The three social platforms with more users than TikTok are Whatsapp, Instagram, and WeChat.

U.S. adults now spend an average of 55.8 minutes daily on TikTok as of 2023. Considering TikTok only launched in the U.S. in 2017, its rise in user engagement is noteworthy. 

Within a few years, it attracted a vast audience and ensured deep interaction. Its progress is evident from its milestones: In 2019, TikTok surpassed Instagram in daily usage. By 2020, it outpaced Facebook; by 2022, it even overtook YouTube, previously a dominant force in user engagement.

Time spent on selected social platforms by US adults in 2023

TikTok seems to have found a winning formula that captivates users more than its rivals. Whether it’s the algorithm, the concise video style, or its interactive elements, TikTok strikes a chord with users, making them stay longer than on older social platforms. As of 2023, TikTok is evidently the go-to platform for marketers aiming to hold an audience’s attention.

TikTok’s Total Downloads Globally And By Region

TikTok has crossed the 3 billion download mark, making it only the second app to achieve this milestone after Facebook. Its enduring appeal is further evidenced by its impressive performance in Q1 2023, which saw about 20% growth in downloads from the previous quarter (Q4 2022), reaching 242.6 million global downloads.

Remarkably, TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2022, boasting 879.2 million global downloads. This speaks to its broad appeal across various markets and suggests that its momentum is not slowing down but, instead, accelerating.

Number of TikTok cumulative downloads globally from 2018

It’s difficult to perform a detailed analysis without the specific download numbers for each country. However, the fact that Colombia led in TikTok downloads on iOS devices in Q2 2022 is particularly intriguing.

TikTok downloads on iOS by country as of Q2 2022

This iOS data could also be a valuable insight for marketers targeting specific geographic areas. The high download rate in Colombia could indicate a burgeoning market for TikTok influencers and advertisers, who might consider focusing more of their efforts on this demographic.

Other Facts

Best Time To Post On TikTok

According to a study by Influencer Marketing Hub, the optimal times to post on TikTok in EST vary throughout the week. Especially, Tuesdays at 9 a.m., Thursdays at 12 a.m., and Fridays at 5 a.m. are high-engagement periods. 

Additionally, each day of the week has specific times that tend to generate more engagement, such as Mondays at 6 a.m., 10 a.m., and 10 p.m., or Saturdays at 11 a.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

Tailoring your posting schedule to these times could boost your content’s visibility and engagement.

Most Popular Category on TikTok

Using hashtags in these categories helps categorize the content, making it easier for users to find videos that interest them.

According to TikTok statistics, the “entertainment” category is popular worldwide, amassing a staggering 535 billion hashtag views. Users are most interested in entertainment-related content, followed by popular categories like dance, pranks, fitness/sports, and home renovations/DIY. 

The most popular categories on TikTok as of 2023

Social Media engagement rate

Based on data from Upfluence, TikTok significantly outperforms Instagram and YouTube regarding social engagement rates, both for Micro-influencers and mega-influencers. 

Micro-influencers on TikTok have an astonishing engagement rate of 17.96%, far higher than the 3.86% on Instagram and 1.63% on YouTube. Even Mega Influencers on TikTok maintain an engagement rate of 4.96%, notably higher than their counterparts on Instagram and YouTube, with rates of 1.21% and 0.37%, respectively. 

This suggests that TikTok is a much more engaging platform overall, regardless of the influencer’s following size.

TikTok Usage Statistics

• In 2021, TikTok announced it had reached a significant milestone of 1 billion active users globally, showcasing its meteoric rise and success in a relatively short period.
• TikTok’s iOS version is particularly strong, boasting over 30 million daily active users, while its Android version trails behind with around 15 million daily active users.
• Children are among the most engaged TikTok users, spending an average of 75 minutes per day on the app.
• The app’s popularity is expected to grow in the UK, with projections estimating 15 million UK TikTok users by 2025.

TikTok Interaction Statistics

From 2017 to 2019, TikTok saw an astonishing 1,533% increase in user participation in the United States, highlighting its rapid growth and adoption.

TikTok users with more than 100 thousand followers experience the highest levels of engagement, indicating the platform’s ability to offer influencers significant reach and interaction.

Songs On TikTok

TikTok has emerged as a powerful force in the music industry as a discovery platform for new songs. According to the TikTok Newsroom, 75% of its users discover new music through the app. The impact goes beyond just the app; approximately 175 songs that gained traction on TikTok also found their way onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2022.

Users typically use external tools like Shazam or voice searches on Google to recognize new songs and then add them to platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Yet, TikTok is looking to evolve beyond just a music discovery platform. They plan to use these moments of music identification to promote their music service, TikTok Music, to retain users within their ecosystem.

TikTok First-Time Installs

In 2021, TikTok had 740 million new installs globally, a 24.5% drop from the prior year. Despite this recent decline, the app has grown by 13% in first-time installs since 2018, when it had 655 million new downloads.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, TikTok was downloaded by 186 million new users.

TikTok Users Are Enjoying Longer Videos

TikTok’s move from short clips to allowing 10-minute videos shows its adaptability and attunement to user needs. In countries like the USA, UK, Japan, and Vietnam, the warm response to longer videos indicates users want more than fleeting entertainment; they crave deeper content. 

This could reshape popular content on TikTok, allowing creators to delve into intricate subjects and improve storytelling. The positive reception to this change might guide TikTok’s future strategies.

TikTok TV Insights

Introduced in November 2021, TikTok TV is a strategic move into the living room, a domain where YouTube already thrives. Considering that over half of YouTube’s viewers opt for TV screens, TikTok is poised to tap into this trend. By offering its content on bigger screens, TikTok might attract a wider age range, including those who favor TV viewing over mobile.

Most Popular TikTokers

In June 2022, Khaby Lame surpassed Charli D’Amelio to become TikTok’s most-followed creator. He is renowned for his videos that humorously critique life hacks. Charlie D’Amelio followed him on the list.

List of most-followed TikTok accounts

TikTok Music Statistics

TikTok Music appears to be TikTok’s ambitious foray into the music streaming industry. Initially launched in Indonesia and Brazil, the platform is now expanding its reach to include select users in Australia, Mexico, and Singapore via a closed beta test. 

Offering a three-month free trial for new users indicates that TikTok is keen on attracting a large initial user base. The accessibility of the beta program through multiple avenues—music.tiktok.com, Apple App Store, and Google Play Store—also suggests that TikTok aims for broad-based participation.

TikTok’s Ad

TikTok’s advertising platform has a substantial reach, targeting over 21% of internet users above the age of 18. This equates to an audience of approximately 1.081 billion users, signifying a vast market for advertisers to tap into. 

The platform is particularly strong in reaching the Gen Z demographic, with a higher penetration among female users at 25% compared to 17.9% for male Gen Z users.

TikTok Development Timeline

TikTok, set to celebrate its 7th anniversary in September 2023, has had an eventful journey since its inception

• 2016: ByteDance launched Douyin, the precursor to TikTok, in China.
• 2017: TikTok was introduced to international markets and merged with Musical.ly to expand its reach and features.
• 2018: The app gained rapid popularity, becoming one of the most downloaded apps globally.
• 2020:
  • June: India banned TikTok, citing data privacy and national security issues.
  • October: The U.S. government expressed data privacy concerns, sparking talks of a potential ban.
  • November: A deal with Oracle and Walmart led to the formation of TikTok Global to address U.S. data security concerns.
• 2021: TikTok surpassed 1 billion monthly active users worldwide despite the ban in India.
• 2021-2022: The platform rolled out new features like longer videos and e-commerce integrations.
• 2023: TikTok remained a leading social media platform, continually evolving and retaining millions of users worldwide.

TikTok Trends

If you want to maximize your reach on TikTok, staying updated with the latest trends is key. These trends are often high-engagement, shareable, and offer a creative way to connect with audiences.

These are some outstanding and sustainable trends you can follow and try on the TikTok platform: 

• Dance challenges
• ASMR videos
• Viral meme templates
• Virtual survival tours
• Cooking challenges
• Sustainability hacks
• Skill-Share or tutorials
• Flashback Fridays

Bottom Line

In 2023, TikTok continues to be a juggernaut in the social media landscape, boasting a diverse user base and innovative features that keep the platform fresh. 

Whether you’re a creator, a marketer, or an everyday user, understanding these statistics and trends can offer invaluable insights into what makes TikTok tick and how to leverage its power for your own goals.