Since launching in 2016, TikTok has rapidly grown in popularity, reaching an estimated 834 million users.
The short-form video hosting service’s popularity isn’t in question. But what demographics does the app appeal to? And is the app really for an exclusively young audience?
We’ll explore these questions and more below:
Contents
- TikTok Demographic Data (Key Statistics)
- TikTok Users By Age
- TikTok Users By Gender
- TikTok Users By Region
- Most Popular TikTok Creators
TikTok Demographic Data (Key Statistics)
- 1 in 4 TikTok users are under 20 years old
- TikTok has more Gen Z users than Instagram
- The majority of TikTok creators are aged 18 to 24
- 57% of TikTok users are female
- The US has the largest TikTok audience (over 135 million)
- Almost 90% of Saudi Arabian adults use TikTok
- The average age of the top 10 TikTok creators is 24 years old
- Each of 2021’s top seven TikTok earners was 25 years old or younger
TikTok Users by Age
The largest proportion (25%) of US TikTok users are 10 to 19 years of age. In fact, 47.4% of TikTok users are under 30.
The share of TikTok users decreases in size as age groups advance. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those aged 50+ make up the smallest share of TikTok users at just 11%.
Here’s a breakdown of TikTok users by age:
| Age Group | Proportion of US TikTok Users |
| 10-19 years | 25% |
| 20-29 years | 22.4% |
| 30-39 years | 21.7% |
| 40-49 years | 20.3% |
| 50+ | 11% |
The social media platform’s appeal to a young audience has taken TikTok above Instagramin terms of popularity among Gen Z users.
Here’s a look at projected Gen Z TikTok users versus Instagram and Snapchat from 2019 to 2025:
| Year | TikTok | Snapchat | |
| 2019 | 19.8 million | 26.1 million | 33.7 million |
| 2020 | 29.5 million | 29.5 million | 38.1 million |
| 2021 | 37.3 million | 37.3 million | 42 million |
| 2022 | 41.4 million | 41.4 million | 44.5 million |
| 2023 | 45 million | 45 million | 47 million |
| 2024 | 48.3 million | 48.3 million | 49.6 million |
| 2025 | 48.8 million | 48.8 million | 49.5 million |
TikTok Users by Gender
As of the latest data (January 2022), the majority of TikTok users are female (57%). And 43% are male.
In a similar vein, the majority of TikTok creators are also female (53.79%). While 46.21% are male.
Split by age, the single largest group of TikTok users is female 18-24 year-olds (23.8%).
On the other end of the spectrum, male 55+ year-olds are the smallest group (1.7%).
| Age Group | Proportion of TikTok Users | |
| Female | Male | |
| 18-24 years | 23.8% | 17.9% |
| 25-34 years | 17.1% | 13.9% |
| 35-44 years | 7.2% | 6.1% |
| 45-54 years | 3.7% | 3% |
| 55+ years | 2.4% | 1.7% |
Source: DataReportal
TikTok Users by Region
The US has the single largest TikTok audience with over 135 million users.
That’s approximately 38% more than second-placed Indonesia’s 99 million users.
| Rank | Country | TikTok Audience 2022 |
| 1 | United States | 136.42 million |
| 2 | Indonesia | 99.07 million |
| 3 | Brazil | 73.58 million |
| 4 | Russia | 51.3 million |
| 5 | Mexico | 50.52 million |
| 6 | Vietnam | 45.82 million |
| 7 | Philippines | 40.36 million |
| 8 | Thailand | 38.38 million |
| 9 | Turkey | 28.68 million |
| 10 | Pakistan | 24.05 million |
Looking at TikTok penetration by nation, Saudi Arabia leads the way with around 9 in 10 (87.9%) over 18s using the social media app.
That’s almost 6x the global average of 15.9%.
TikTok's penetration in the US is now above the 50% mark (50.3%). In total, 14 recorded nations have a penetration rate above 50%.
And 9 of the top 10 countries by TikTok penetration rate are located in Asia, with Chile (9th) being the sole exception.
| Rank | Country | TikTok Penetration |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 87.9% |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | 81.3% |
| 3 | Kuwait | 75.4% |
| 4 | Thailand | 63.6% |
| 5 | Qatar | 62.1% |
| 6 | Malaysia | 61.2% |
| 7 | Cambodia | 61% |
| 8 | Chile | 57.5% |
| 9 | Kazakhstan | 57.1% |
| 10 | Vietnam | 55.6% |
In terms of growing markets, Singapore has seen the largest increase (74%) in hours spent on TikTok between 2020 and 2021.
From the available data, two other nations (Indonesia - 67%, Russia - 51%) have seen a higher-than-global average (48%) annual increase in TikTok hours.
The US experienced an increase of 19% in hours per month spent on TikTok last year.
| Rank | Country | Year-Over-Year Growth |
| 1 | Singapore | 74% |
| 2 | Indonesia | 67% |
| 3 | Russia | 51% |
| - | Worldwide | 48% |
| 4 | Brazil | 44% |
| 5 | Australia | 40% |
| =6 | Mexico | 37% |
| =6 | United Kingdom | 37% |
| 8 | Turkey | 35% |
| 9 | Canada | 32% |
| 10 | Argentina | 29% |
Sources: DataReportal, Data.ai
Most Popular TikTok Creators
Looking at TikTok creator ages, figures are skewed towards a younger demographic.
Young adults (18-24 years) make up over half of the creators (52.83%). While under 18s make up a comparatively low 27.47%.
| Age Group | Proportion of TikTok Creators |
| Under 13s | 8.7% |
| 13-17 years | 18.67% |
| 18-24 years | 52.83% |
| 25-34 years | 15.03% |
| 35-44 years | 2.75% |
| 45-54 years | 1.65% |
| 55+ years | 0.36% |
As of July 2023, Khabane Lame is the most-followed TikTok creator with over 160 million followers.
Charli D’Amelio is the only other creator with upwards of 100 million followers at the time of writing. At 19, she is also the youngest creator to crack the top 10.
Zach King (33) is one of just three top 10 creators aged 30 or above
In total, 10 of the top 15 are at least partially American.
| Rank | Creator | TikTok Handle | Age | Nationality | Followers | Likes |
| 1 | Khabane Lame | @khaby.lame | 23 | Senegalese-Italian | 161 million | 2.4 billion |
| 2 | Charli D'Amelio | @charlidamelio | 19 | American | 151.8 million | 11.5 billion |
| 3 | Bella Poarch | @bellapoarch | 26 | Filipino-American | 93.9 million | 2.3 billion |
| 4 | Jimmy Donaldson | @mrbeast | 25 | American | 92.6 million | 0.9 billion |
| 5 | Addison Rae | @addisonraee | 23 | American | 88.7 million | 5.8 billion |
| 6 | Zach King | @zachking | 33 | American | 80.6 million | 1.1 billion |
| 7 | Kimberly Loaiza | @kimberly.loaiza | 26 | Mexican | 80.6 million | 5.1 billion |
| 8 | Burak Özdemir | @cznburak | 29 | Turkish | 74.6 million | 1.5 billion |
| 9 | Dwayne Johnson | @therock | 51 | American | 74.1 million | 0.53 billion |
| 10 | Will Smith | @willsmith | 54 | American | 74.2 million | 0.54 billion |
| 11 | Dominik Robledo | @domelipa | 22 | Mexican | 71.9 million | 4.5 billion |
| 12 | BTS | @bts_official_bighit | 26-31 | South Korean | 63.9 million | 1.3 billion |
| 13 | Selena Gomez | @selenagomez | 31 | American | 59.1 million | 0.62 billion |
| 14 | Jason Derulo | @jasonderulo | 34 | American | 58.1 million | 1.3 billion |
| 15 | Dixie D'Amelio | @dixiedamelio | 22 | American | 56.6 million | 3.3 billion |
* As of Jan 12, 2024
2021 data for the top earners on TikTok reveals that Charli D'Amelio made approximately $17.5 million that year. Sister Dixie ranked second with $10 million.
Combined ($27.5 million), the D'Amelios out-earned the rest of the top seven ($23.05 million).
In total, 3 teenagers made up the top seven TikTok earners in 2021. And the average age came in at just under 21 years old.
All the listed creators are either American (5) or Canadian (2).
| Rank | Creator | TikTok Handle | Age* | Nationality | Earnings 2021 |
| 1 | Charli D'Amelio | @charlidamelio | 17 | American | $17.5 million |
| 2 | Dixie D'Amelio | @dixiedamelio | 20 | American | $10 million |
| 3 | Addison Rae | @addisonraee | 21 | American | $8.5 million |
| =4 | Bella Poarch | @bellapoarch | 24 | Filipino-American | $5 million |
| =4 | Josh Richards | @joshrichards | 19 | Canadian | $5 million |
| =6 | Kris Collins | @kallmekris | 25 | Canadian | $4.75 million |
| =6 | Avani Gregg | @avani | 19 | American | $4.75 million |
* As of December 31, 2021
Sources: weCreate, Social Blade, Forbes
Conclusion
It’s fair to say that TikTok’s global appeal has permeated several age groups and regions.
Nonetheless, there is a clear preference among younger users. And creators are similarly young.
The only question is whether this trend will persist as TikTok continues to gain users in the coming years.
For more TikTok-related data, take a look at these posts: Top TikTok Trends and Important Social Media Trends.
