Of all social media platforms, TikTok has gained the most momentum and new users in recent months. With over one billion users, the Chinese social network is the most downloaded app. That's precisely why it's so attractive for improving reach and, above all, appealing to a new, young target group. We are looking at the latest statistics to help you better understand and instrumentalize the app.
The world of marketing is based on two pillars: Creativity and numbers. While campaigns resonate with users through storytelling and aesthetic content, it is the data and statistics that marketers collect, analyze, and evaluate. So, the combination of creativity and numbers is the unique blend of influencer marketing.
We specialize in data, which we prepare for you on our platform. So, you no longer have to spend time with tedious reporting but can use different filters to search our database for the right influencers. The following articles may also be interesting for you:
First of all, some background information about the emergence of the giant TikTok. The platform, now known as “TikTok”, was founded in China by the company Byte Dance in September 2016 and entered the international market in 2017. Originally, users on TikTok shared short videos with a fun and creative spin. With the acquisition of Musical.ly, the number of TikTok users (especially in America) grew significantly. Then, in 2019 and 2020, TikTok became a hype across generations.
By 2021, one billion people worldwide were using TikTok. In other words, that’s two out of ten of the world’s 4.8 billion Internet users who are on the platform. Here are the numbers of monthly active TikTok users since launch (source: businessofapps & Statista):
In 2021, there were more than 100 million European Tiktokers, led by the UK with 23.38 million monthly active users. This is followed by (source: Statista):
Hand on heart: who really doesn’t have TikTok on his or her phone today? According to the annual Apptopia ranking, the app was downloaded 656 million times from the iOS and Google Play Stores in 2021, 94 million of which were in the US, which makes TikTok the most downloaded app in the world for the second year in a row. Like many areas, the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased downloads and TikTok use.
Of particular note is the following for the last quarter of 2021: Instagram has overtaken TikTok, according to SensorTower data, which specializes in the app economy . One explanation could be that India banned the app , leading to the loss of 200 million users. As a consequence, Instagram downloads are probably up again.
If you want to increase your brand awareness quickly, you can bet on TikTok as it is THE platform with the highest engagement rate. In 2021, TikTok videos achieved an average engagement rate of 17.9% while Instagram posts achieved a rate of 3.8% and YouTube had an average of 1.63%.
This rate holds huge potential for businesses. If you want to be one of the lucky ones, check out the Kolsquare blog: How can you improve engagement rates on TikTok? Building a strong and engaged community on TikTok is therefore easier and faster than on Instagram, especially if you want to work with Influencers.
In this blog post, you also learn how to calculate the engagement rate. On Kolsquare, we do this by dividing the sum of interactions (likes, comments, shares, etc.) by the number of views.
The number of teenagers dreaming of becoming Influencers on TikTok is growing and growing. The influencer marketing industry has grown so much in recent years that many young users have new career aspirations. But how many influencers are really competing for followers on the app? According to AFFDE, the number of Influencers on TikTok has grown from 35,528 in 2020 to 106,104 this year. More specifically, it looks like the following:
Charli D’Amelio and Khaby Lame are ranked first and second place of the top 10 Influencers on TikTok, taking turns in ranking every now and then. You can use the Kolsquare database to create the rankings of your choice and, of course, find out who the top 10 are on TikTok. Or, you can read this article: The Top 10 Influencers on TikTok.
The amount of time we spend on social media today is increasing, as is the number of Influencers on the platform. We can start with ourselves and check the tracker on our phone: How long are you on TikTok & Co?
On average, TikTok users spend 52 minutes per day watching videos. The usage time has doubled between 2020 and 2021! Moreover, most TikTok users open the app nine times a day, the majority at least once. For young people between the ages of 4 and 15, the time spent on the app is as high as 80 minutes.
Globally, the average age is between 11 and 24, with almost as many women (49.6%) as men (50.4%). Generation Z is generally the most represented, but TikTok does not stop at the phones of other generations. The Chinese platform is in a period of change and adaptation to a broader audience.
Women (58%) use the application more than men (42%), which is important for brands in the US. The age distribution is as follows:
As a reminder, the UK has the most TikTok users and an overall older audience as 82% of TikTok users are over 18. Europe also has more female users: 65% in the UK and 56% in Norway and Sweden.
The short videos with entertaining and funny content have made the app a success. This also makes it particularly interesting for brands that want to appeal to a young, interactive target group. The promise of virality is generally high. On TikTok, there are many new trends happening quickly, which is why you should trust the influencers – they know what’s hot right now. In general, the most popular content is:
So many topics to get excited about if you use the right hashtags for optimal visibility: A guide to using hashtags on TikTok
Some brands are just starting to appear on the Chinese social network while others have been there since the beginning. As a brand, you can have a presence on the platform and let your creativity run wild. Another way to increase your brand awareness on the app is, of course, to collaborate with influencers.
No matter what sector you come from, increasing visibility, generating more traffic, demonstrating expertise, and developing unique branding should be your ultimate goal. Here are some examples of inspiring brands:
Kolsquare is Europe’s leading Influencer Marketing platform, offering a data-driven solution that empowers brands to scale their KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing strategies through authentic partnerships with top creators.
Kolsquare’s advanced technology helps marketing professionals seamlessly identify the best content creators by filtering their content and audience, while also enabling them to build, manage, and optimize campaigns from start to finish. This includes measuring results and benchmarking performance against competitors.
With a thriving global community of influencer marketing experts, Kolsquare serves hundreds of customers—including Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, Lush, and Hermès—by leveraging the latest Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning technologies. Our platform taps into an extensive network of KOLs with more than 5,000 followers across 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.
As a Certified B Corporation, Kolsquare leads the way in promoting Responsible Influence, championing transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations that inspire positive change.
Since October 2024, Kolsquare has become part of the Team.Blue group, one of the largest private tech companies in Europe, and a leading digital enabler for businesses and entrepreneurs across Europe. Team.Blue brings together over 60 successful brands in web hosting, domains, e-commerce, online compliance, lead generation, application solutions, and social media.
