TikTok statistics in the UK 2024: Key figures and user demographics

TikTok user statistics

Last updated: 07.07.2023

When you hear "TikTok", you probably think of Gen Z recording dance challenges to trending songs on a social media app. 💃

But these days there is so much more to the video platform.

You can find a wide variety of content.

TikTok is now influencing millions of people in diverse age groups in the UK and beyond.

Because the app offers more than just entertainment - it makes it possible to express oneself and spread creativity.

Want to know more about why TikTok is so popular?

Check out the most relevant UK stats on the social media platform here. 👇

The Smart Home Fox is looking at various TikTok user statistics on his mobile phone.

A quick look at what’s to come:

  • About TikTok
  • TikTok user statistics in UK and beyond
  • TikTok demographics
  • Average TikTok screentime
  • Most popular TikTok accounts in UK and worldwide
  • TikTok incomes
  • Most popular social media platforms
  • Popular hashtags

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social network, like Instagram, where users can record and upload short videos. 📹

An image showing how TikTok works.
© Bullfrag

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. 📲

The TikTok app is available for download in the Appstore
© Apple

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. 🌍
A graphic showing the two founding years of the apps Douyin and TikTok.

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

A graph showing the total number of TikTok users and monthly active TikTokers.
Source: Statista, TikTok

In September 2021, TikTok reached one billion monthly active users. 🎉

Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 45 %. 📈

A statistic showing the number of monthly active TikTok users worldwide
Source: Statista

This table breaks down the exact figures over the years:

Source: Statista

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.

A statistic showing the number of TikTok users in different countries.
Source: Statista

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:

Source: Statista

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.👨

A graph showing the gender distribution of TikTok users.w
Source: Statista

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.

A graph showing the gender and age distribution of TikTok users in the UK.
Source: Statista

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.

Note: It is still possible for under 13-year-olds to install and use TikTok despite the terms of use. ❗️

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.

UK users spend the most amount of time on TikTok per month, racking up a whopping 27.3 hours a month! 😲
Worldwide monthly time spent on TikTok.
Source: Statista

When it comes to daily use, global users had an average screentime of 95 minutes a day on TikTok in Q2 of 2022. 🕛

Source: Sensortower

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):

A statistic showing the follower count of the world's most popular TikTok users.
Source: Socialblade

And here’s the exact figures displayed in table format:

Socialblade

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:

Source: Socialtracker.io

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". 📺

A statistic showing the income of the highest earning TikTokers.
Source: Statista

Annual incomes (in million US dollars) of the highest-earning TikTokers:

Source: Statista

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. 💶

A graphic depicting the TikTok money-making Creator Fund.
© newsroom.tiktok.com

£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. 📱

TikTok was installed most frequently in Q1 2020: a whole 301 million downloads. 🤯

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.

A statistic showing TikTok worldwide quarterly downloads from 2018 to 2021.
Source: Statista

Source: Statista

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.

A statistic showing the ranking of the most popular social media platforms.
Source: Statista

Check out the data for each platform here:

Source: Statista

Social media platform Active users in millions
Facebook 2,910
YouTube 2,562
WhatsApp 2,000
Instagram 1,478
Weixin / WeChat 1,263
TikTok 1,000
Facebook Messenger 988
Douyin 600
QQ 574
Sina Weibo 573
Kuaishou 573
Snapchat 557
Telegram 550
Pinterest 444
Twitter 436
Reddit 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. 👀

A statistic showing the most used hashtags in TikTok.
Source: Statista

Check out the exact figures below:

Source: Statista

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

Find out more:

  • Why should businesses use TikTok?


    47% of TikTok users in European markets, including the UK, cite TikTok as the platform they used most often to engage with small businesses, according to the company’s own research

    Businesses whose target audience is teenagers to young adults should especially consider TikTok marketing.

    These groups can no longer be reached via classic media, such as TV or print. 📺

    Instead, advertising can be carried out via a company account or through so-called influencer marketing.

    Social media platforms like LinkedIn focus on B2B marketing.

  • Why is TikTok banned in the United States?


    There was never a universal ban on the Chinese app TikTok in the USA. 🛑

    However, former President Donald Trump had initiated court action to stop its use.

    The reason for this was that he saw a "danger to national security" in TikTok. ⚡

    Current president, Joe Biden, is currently reviewing the possible risks posed by TikTok.

  • What to do if my TikTok account has been blocked?


    Your TikTok account may be suspended if you repeatedly fail to comply with the Community Guidelines.

    A notification will inform you if your account has been blocked when you open the app. 📱

    In order to recover your account, you must send an appeal to TikTok.

    Proceed as follows: 

    1. Open the notification.
    2. Tap Appeal.

    Follow the instructions displayed.

    In addition, TikTok provides advice to ensure your account security.

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