20 Important TikTok Stats Marketers Need to Know in 2020

TikTok stats are a way to see if the hype is real.

And as the numbers show, in many ways, it is. Since its global release in 2018, TikTok’s growth has been explosive. But the viral video app’s success has not come at the expense of competitors like Facebook, Instagram, or even Snapchat. Not yet, at least.

TikTok’s popularity—especially with teens—has inspired copycats, though. Just about every app seems to have a TikTok clone. For Facebook, it’s Lasso. Instagram has Reels. YouTube just launched Shorts. And then there’s Vine’s revival, Byte. Plus WeChat, one of TikTok’s biggest mainland rivals, has entered the short-video arena, too. Not to mention Quibi.

Thinking about adding TikTok to your social media marketing strategy? These TikTok statistics will help you tell the forest from the memes.

1. TikTok is the sixth largest social network

With 800 million monthly active users, TikTok is making headway on Instagram, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, and Whatsapp. But it still has a way to go to catch up. However, it has already surpassed LinkedIn, Reddit, Snapchat, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Source: Digital in 2020

2. So far, TikTok is the No. 1 downloaded app of 2020

Figures released from mobile data and analytics company AppAnnie show that TikTok tops the download charts this year.

Last year was a banner year for the app, bringing in an estimated 738 million downloads—enough to rival, though not surpass Whatsapp, which claimed the top spot with 849 million. Tech analytics platform Sensor Tower sees TikTok closing in on the two-billion downloads mark, with 1.9 billion installs to date.

TikTok’s rise has in many ways been meteoric. Despite only being released globally in 2018, it ranks as one of the most downloaded apps of the last decade.

3. At an estimated $78 billion, TikTok owner Bytedance is the world’s most valuable startup

In September 2018, TikTok’s parent company Bytedance usurped Uber’s long-held position as the world’s most valuable startup.

TikTok user statistics

4. TikTok is available in more than 150 countries

Advertisers on TikTok can reach audiences around the world in more than 75 languages. But the big one here is China, where Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, first got started. Especially since Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, and YouTube have all been blocked on the mainland.

WeChat remains the biggest gateway to China, the largest all-purpose app in the country, and TikTok’s fiercest local rival. And with WeChat now testing short-videos on its platform, and backing TikTok competitor Kuaishou, competition for Chinese attention will only heighten.

5. TikTok clocks 400 million daily active users in China

TikTok’s Chinese counterpart, Douyin, represents the app’s largest population by far. China accounts for more than 90% of daily active users on the app. Outside China, there are 41 million daily active users.

Research from App Annie finds that Chinese users account for 80% of total time spent on TikTok. Indian users account for another 10%.

6. WeChat has 2X more monthly active users in China than TikTok

In some ways, WeChat isn’t a fair comparison to TikTok. People can do just about anything on the super app, from hailing a ride to filing government paperwork—to sharing short videos.

But the comparison shows what TikTok is up against on its own turf, and puts sky high TikTok stats into perspective. For TikTok’s 500 million monthly active users in China, WeChat has more than a billion. Chinese spend roughly one-third of their online time one the app and posted an average of 68 million videos a day in 2017.

7. One-third of all smartphone users in India have downloaded TikTok

India claims more than 120 million monthly active users on TikTok, making it the largest base outside China. The country captured a staggering 41.3% of all downloads in February this year, finds Sensor Tower. And the app’s head of operations in India forecasts 50% growth in 2020.

Notably, TikTok stardom has emerged as a viable source of income for Indians, who are cashing in on the app’s Virtual Gifts, partnerships, and events. This may explain the app’s popularity with lower earners, living outside the country’s urban centers.

According to findings Delhi-based analytics startup Kalagato shared with Quartz, some 52% of Indian users earn less than 25,000 rupees per month, roughly the equivalent of 350 USD.

8. Brazil is TikTok’s third and fastest-growing market, with 8.6% of downloads

China and India may be TikTok’s largest markets, but Brazil is the fastest growing market in terms of year-over-year downloads. Sensor Tower’s most recent findings show that in February, TikTok was downloaded 9.7 million times in Brazil, marking a 992.6% increase from the same time in 2019.

Digital video viewership is through the roof in Brazil, which is why the country has become one of the most competitive landscapes for short video apps. Kwau, a Tencent-backed video app, has a reported 7 million daily active users in Brazil. And with a Brazilian user base of more than 70 million, Instagram has made the country a testbed for its TikTok clone, Reels.

9. There are 30 million monthly active users in the United States

The United States represents a 5% fraction of TikTok’s global audience. But the stat doesn’t tell the whole story about the app’s success in the country.

According to Sensor Tower, TikTok was the top non-game app downloaded in the U.S. in February 2019. AppAnnie reports 375% growth in the U.S., year-over-year.

TikTok clubs are the latest extracurricular at high schools. Creators are founding collectives and taking up residence in cribs like Hype House and Club House with the sole purpose of making videos. And the app’s power as a hitmaker is why artists like Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello, are promoting TikTok dances in a bid for virality.

Justin come down from there! We’ll do ur dance pic.twitter.com/u8sW2g2g6R

— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) April 1, 2020

10. Close to half of all users are between 18-24 years old

TikTok has a reputation for being popular with teens. And it is: 27% of its users are between 13-17 years old. But internal data from March 2019 shows that its largest age demographic (42%) is the young adult crowd.

Combined, the 13-24-year-old segments reps 69% of the app’s user base.

Here’s the full age breakdown:

• Age 13-17: 27%
• Age 18-24: 42%
• Age 25-34: 16%
• Age 35-44: 8%
• Age 45-54: 3%
• Age 55+: 4%

In terms of gender, TikTok skews 60% female and 40% male.

11. At least 40 TikTok stars have more than 10 million followers

And it’s top 25 accounts have more than 20 million followers. On Douyin, there are influencers with even more followers.

With 44.4 million fans, Charli D’Amelio is TikTok’s biggest star. What’s noteworthy here is that TikTok stars outshine mainstream celebrities. Most of TikTok’s top creators came to fame on TikTok, or its predecessor Musical.ly—not elsewhere.

This is in stark contrast with Instagram, which counts Cristiano Ronaldo, Ariane Grande, Dwayne Johnson, and Selena Gomez among its top users. They’re all on TikTok, too, but only Ronaldo cracks the top 25 list.

TikTok usage statistics

12. TikTok users spend an average of 46 minutes a day on the app

According to company documents from March 2019, the average U.S. TikTok user opens the app eight times a day and sticks around for 46 minutes. By some accounts, that’s more time than people spend on Facebook.

Most credit TikTok’s high usage figures to the algorithm that powers its For You feed, sucking viewers in one video at a time. And making better recommendations as it goes. In the U.S. it adds up to 37 billion monthly video views on average.

But for every two TikTok lurkers there’s about one creator: 34% of the app’s daily active users in the U.S. shoot once a day.

13. Some 35% of TikTok users have participated in a hashtag challenge

According to TikTok, 16% of all videos on its platform are tied to hashtag challenges, and more than one-third of its users have tried them.

Brands are jumping aboard, too. Clean & Clear India raked 10,400 new followers and inspired 2.62 million videos with its branded hashtag challenge. Snackmaker Kind gobbled up 60 million views in about 24 hours with its challenge.

14. 64% of Tik Tok users have tried face filters or lenses

Top filters and creative effects on TikTok include the Face Zoom, Green Screen, Disco, Whirlpool, and Portrait.

@mar_king17♬ Y4MONI Original Sound – Y4MONI

Brands can take part with 2D and 3D branded lenses of their own. When they partner with TikTok to create them, they nab a spot in the “Trending” tab for 10 days. Costs run from $80,000-$120,000 depending on design complexity.

15. More than 14 million educational videos were shared in China last year

Educational content is taking off on TikTok—especially in China and India. According to ByteDance’s annual report, some 14 million “knowledge-based content” videos were shared on the platform in 2019.

The success of instructional videos led Bytedance to promote what it branded as #EduTok in India. Since introducing the hashtag last summer, it’s been viewed 85.8 billion times.

#TheEduTokProgram is officially launched!????
TikTok is ready to welcome more partners and creators to join our community, together we can make knowledge great again!
Sign up now in the TikTok app to get supported for sharing knowledge.#TikTok #Edutok @TikTok_IN pic.twitter.com/atu5bsl9SV

— TikTok_EduTok (@TikTokEduTok) October 19, 2019

In the United States, personal finance gurus are trending on the app. Another cohort of TikTokers are offering career tips.

TikTok for business statistics

16. TikTok ranks sixth among apps for consumer spending worldwide

Research from AppAnnie shows that user spending on TikTok is on the rise. The report puts TikTok behind Tinder, YouTube, Netflix, iQIYI, and Tencent Video. But notably, the app ranks ahead of Disney+, Google One, Pandora Music and Line Manga.

Overall, consumers spent a record 23.4 billion in apps this year—making Q1 2020 the largest earning quarter ever, finds AppAnnie.

17. TikTok guarantees five million daily impressions for brand takeover ads

Brand takeover ads appear as soon as the app is opened. The full-screen video, GIF, or image lasts a few seconds and links to an internal or external website.

According to a leaked TikTok pitch deck from June 2019, these placements cost $50,000 per day. And they come with a couple guarantees: Only one advertiser per day, and five million impressions.

18. Ads prices range from $50 to $150,000 on the platform

Advertisers with access to TikTok’s self-service ads platform can set daily or all-time budget caps, starting with a minimum budget of $50 at the ad group level. The most expensive ad type listed in the company’s leaked pitch deck is the branded Hashtag Challenge.

Ad formats and pricing includes:

• In-Feed Video: $25,000 minimum per campaign with $30,000 daily maximum.
• Brand Takeover: $50,000 per day.
• Hashtag Challenge: $150,000 for six days.
• Branded Lenses: $80,000 – $120,000

Read Hootsuite’s complete guide to TikTok advertising for marketers.

19. TikTok’s Creator Marketplace list more than 1,000 stars

Launched late last year, the Creator Marketplace is a portal for brands and agencies to find and connect with the platform’s whitelisted stars. Still in testing mode, the invitation-only database lets brands search with a variety of filters like location, number of fans, and content topic. Brands can also drill down on the creator’s audience demographics, with insights on gender, location, and age.

20. TikTok competitor Byte plans to pay creators $250,000 for videos

There’s no definitive way to know how much TikTok’s top creators are getting paid. But the price tag TikTok’s latest U.S. competitor, Byte, has put on videos provides some indication.

With its kickoff slated for April 15, Byte’s partner program plans to put the cash directly in creators’ pockets in exchange for quality content. The program underscores how central creators are to an app’s success. And in some ways, it foreshadows potential bidding wars on top talent.

TikTok influencers make money through partnerships, virtual gifts from fans—and by carrying their success off the platform. According to estimates from Blue Lotus Capital Advisors, $3 billion was spent on digital gifts on Douyin last year.

Here’s everything you need to know about Byte.