TikTok, or Douyin as it’s known in China, has taken the digital world by storm since its launch in September 2016. Initially a platform for short-form lip-syncing and dancing videos, TikTok has rapidly transformed into a fully-fledged video service catering to all types of viewers.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, had prior experience with successful apps like the AI-powered news platform Toutiao. Drawing from this experience, TikTok incorporated similar AI technology to identify users’ interests and deliver more relevant content.

While many Chinese apps have struggled to gain traction abroad, TikTok managed to penetrate international markets through its acquisition of Musical.ly in 2017 for a whopping $1 billion. This move added 80 million users, mostly from the US, to TikTok’s user base.

In just three years since its launch, TikTok became the most popular app in 2019 and 2020, with 693 million and 850 million downloads respectively. It even secured the seventh spot among the most downloaded apps of the entire decade, posing a formidable challenge to Facebook’s dominance in the realm of social networking in the West.

Despite its remarkable growth, TikTok has faced its fair share of controversies. It was temporarily banned in India and Pakistan in 2019 due to “morality issues,” though the bans were later lifted. However, in June 2020, India reinstated the ban along with several other Chinese-based apps as tensions between the two countries escalated.

While TikTok faced the possibility of selling its US operations to a holding company controlled by Walmart and Oracle, President Trump’s executive order was ultimately rescinded by the Biden Administration.

Despite the setbacks caused by the Indian ban and competition from Facebook and Snapchat’s TikTok clones, the app continues its rapid ascent. It is projected to surpass 1 billion monthly active users by the end of 2021.

Let’s take a closer look at some key statistics that shed light on TikTok’s revenue generation and user base.

TikTok Key Statistics

• TikTok generated an estimated $9.4 billion in revenue in 2022, representing a staggering 100% increase year-on-year.
• TikTok boasted 1.4 billion monthly active users in 2022, and this number is expected to soar to 1.8 billion by the end of 2023.
• In China alone, TikTok garners over 780 million daily active users.
• TikTok has been downloaded over three billion times.

TikTok Revenue

TikTok’s revenue growth has been nothing short of extraordinary in recent years. In 2022, the app generated a jaw-dropping $9.4 billion in annual revenue.

TikTok Quarterly Revenues 2017 to 2023 ($mm)

TikTok Annual Revenues 2017 to 2022 ($mm)

Source: TikTok Report

TikTok Users

By the end of 2022, TikTok had attracted a whopping 1.6 billion users, and this number is projected to surge to 1.8 billion by the end of 2023.

TikTok Quarterly Users 2018 to 2023 (mm)

TikTok Annual Users 2018 to 2022 (mm)

Note: Values represent monthly active users in Q2 of respective year. Source: TikTok Report

TikTok Users by Region

TikTok boasts a substantial user base across all regions. Notably, the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China and India, is home to over 500 million TikTok users.

TikTok Annual Users by Region 2018 to 2022 (mm)

Source: TikTok Report

Douyin Users

Douyin, the Chinese iteration of TikTok, reigns supreme in China with over 750 million daily active users. It is among the most popular apps in the country.

Douyin Annual Daily Active Users 2017 to 2022 (mm)

Source: CNBC

TikTok Downloads

TikTok has dominated as the most downloaded app for three consecutive years and set a record for the highest number of downloads in a single quarter in Q1 2020.

TikTok Quarterly Downloads 2017 to 2023 (mm)

TikTok Cumulative Downloads 2017 to 2022 (mm)

Sources: Apptopia, Data.ai

TikTok Age Demographics

TikTok primarily attracts users under the age of 30, with the largest age group falling between 20 and 29 years old.

TikTok Worldwide Age Demographics 2022 (%)

Note: Individual country demographics are available in the TikTok Report. Source: App Ape

TikTok Gender Demographics

While TikTok has historically been more popular among women, the gap between male and female users is closing as the app sheds its teenage-dancing stigma.

TikTok Worldwide Gender Demographics 2022 (%)

Sources: App Ape, Bloomberg

TikTok vs Social Apps: Users

Want to dig deeper into the world of social apps? Check out our comprehensive Social App Report!

TikTok FAQ

What is TikTok’s global internet penetration?
TikTok is currently used by 18% of global internet users aged 16 to 64 (GlobalWebIndex).

What countries is TikTok most popular in?
Outside of China, TikTok’s largest markets are the US, Indonesia, and Brazil.

How many users did TikTok have in India before it was banned?
Before the ban, TikTok had amassed 190 million users in India, making it the app’s second-largest market behind China.

How many times has TikTok been downloaded?
As of June 2021, TikTok reached a staggering three billion downloads. It ranked as the seventh-most downloaded app of the 2010s (Data.ai).

What is TikTok’s peak quarterly downloads?
TikTok witnessed a record-breaking 315 million downloads in Q1 2020, excluding Chinese third-party app stores (SensorTower).

What is TikTok’s rating?
TikTok proudly claimed the title of the most positively reviewed app in the US in 2020, amassing an impressive 88% positive reviews (SensorTower).

How many marketers plan to use TikTok?
According to HubSpot, 14% of marketers intend to increase their spending on TikTok in 2021. However, only 3% view it as the most effective social media channel, according to CivicScience.

What is TikTok’s valuation?
Investors valued TikTok at $50 billion in 2020 (Reuters).

What is ByteDance’s valuation?
As of now, ByteDance’s valuation stands at $180 billion, although private market trading has surpassed $350 billion (SCMP).

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