10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know [Updated April 2020]
TikTok is an iOS and Android media app that can be used for creating and sharing short videos. It was initially launched as Douyin in September 2016, in China. The following year, in 2017, the app was launched by ByteDance for markets outside of China. TikTok is available all around the world via the App Store or Google Play stores.
Article by Maryam Mohsin 10 Jul, 2022

Most people might recall TikTok as being the hit pop single by Kesha. And we don’t blame them. But for the teens of the world, it has taken a completely different meaning. Try asking one of Gen Z’ers and they’ll tell you that TikTok is a completely new subculture. TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world which presents an alternative version of online sharing. It allows users to create short videos with music, filters, and some other features. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s cringey, but it’s definitely addictive. And while for many people TikTok seems to be filling a void left by Vine, there’s much more to it than just that. TikTok provides a platform for users to express themselves in a very creative way. But what exactly is this mystery app that youngsters can’t seem to get enough of? Let’s take a look.

What is TikTok? TikTok is an iOS and Android media app that can be used for creating and sharing short videos. It was initially launched as Douyin in September 2016, in China. The following year, in 2017, the app was launched by ByteDance for markets outside of China. TikTok and Douyin both use the same software, but maintain separate networks in order to comply with Chinese censorship restrictions. TikTok is available all around the world via the App Store or Google Play stores. Our favorite cover of “Stand by Me.” 😍 pic.twitter.com/qcVTwiPvI5 — TikTok (@tiktok_us) October 22, 2018 Some of you might be wondering why TikTok might sound oddly similar to Musical.ly in terms of what you do within the apps. And there’s a good reason why. In late 2017, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, purchased Musical.ly. As a result of the merger, TikTok had smooth access to targeting the US teenage market which previously belonged to Musical.ly. To give you an idea of what TikTok aims for as a company, their mission is “to capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and precious life moments, directly from the mobile phone. TikTok enables everyone to be a creator, and encourages users to share their passion and creative expression through their videos.” In doing so, TikTok competes with giants like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook that have either the backing of Google or Facebook. What helps TikTok stand out among the competition is that it’s more of an entertainment platform, instead of a lifestyle platform. And what makes it so attractive is that practically anyone can become a content provider because of the simplicity of using the app. That’s why it appeals to so many content creators around the world and why they’re exploring ways to improve their TikTok growth. Now that we understand what TikTok is, let’s dive into the top 10 TikTok statistics for 2022, and why knowing them can be useful for marketers around the world. By the way, here’s a course on Tiktok marketing and a blog post that discusses TikTok for business that can teach you critical tactics for getting sales using Tiktok. Top 10 TikTok Statistics 1. How Many Users Does TikTok Have? Launched in September 2016, TikTok has exploded in popularity over the past few years. The latest TikTok statistics show that, as of July 2022, the platform has over one billion monthly active users worldwide (DataReportal, 2022). That makes TikTok the seventh-most popular social media platform in terms of users, ahead of others that have been around much longer such as Snapchat, Pinterest, and Twitter. Just to give you an idea of how other apps performed in comparison with TikTok’s growth, it took Instagram 7.7 years from its launch to hit the one-billion user mark. Facebook, widely known as the king of social media, took 8.7. The only social media platform to reach this milestone quicker than TikTok is Facebook Messenger. With that said, this TikTok user statistic of one billion does not include users in China, home to TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. That’s because the social media site operates under a different name there. Called Douyin, this Chinese version of TikTok boasts 613 million daily active users. This means that together, TikTok and Douyin have over 1.6 billion active users worldwide. 2. How Many Downloads Does TikTok Have? In February 2019, TikTok reached its first billion downloads. The app took just under eight months to gain half a billion more. These figures are nothing short of impressive, considering that the app was launched only as recently as 2016. Today, TikTok’s growth is showing no signs of stopping. The latest TikTok statistics show that as of April 2020, the popular video app has been downloaded more than two billion times worldwide on both the Apple App Store and Google Play (Sensor Tower, 2020). In other words, TikTok was able to double its number of downloads in just over a year—a clear sign of the app’s skyrocketing popularity. That’s not the only significant download landmark that the app has reached. In the first quarter of 2020, there were a total of 315 million TikTok downloads worldwide. Not only is this a whopping 58 percent increase from the previous quarter, but more impressively, it is also the highest amount of downloads an app has ever received in a given quarter. The surge in downloads is most likely a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Under lockdown, consumers were spending increasingly more time on their mobile phones and seeking out entertainment and new ways to stay connected, which in turn, drove TikTok downloads. 3. TikTok is the Most Downloaded App on the Apple App Store If the previous TikTok statistic didn’t amaze you, this one will surely blow you away. TikTok is the most downloaded app on the Apple App Store in Q2 2022, with over 60 million downloads in a single quarter on iPhone and iPad devices (Sensor Tower, 2022). The app strongly beats out CapCut, Google Maps, YouTube, and Instagram, which round out the top five. In comparison, TikTok is the third-most downloaded app on Google Play, behind Facebook and Instagram. However, that’s not to say that TikTok’s any less popular among Android users. Looking at hard numbers, we see that there were 125 million downloads by Android users in Q2 2022. TikTok is also sitting comfortably at the top of the list of the most downloaded app worldwide, with around 187 million downloads in Q2 2022. In comparison, the second-most downloaded app, Instagram, saw around 170 million downloads. More impressively, It’s the eighth time in the last ten quarters that Tiktok has topped the charts. 4. TikTok Conquers US Youngsters TikTok might still be a bit of a head-scratcher for the older generations, but it has really hit the nail on the head when it comes to engaging with youngsters. 62 percent of TikTok users in the US are aged between 10 and 29 (Statista, 2020). In comparison, just 7.1 percent of them are over the age of 50. Why is TikTok so popular among the younger generation, while many older social media users have never heard of it? Simply put—it’s by design. To start off, the lure of TikTok among the younger generation can be explained by the fact that the app’s creators decided to choose users aged under 18 as their target audience from the very beginning. In a way, you can say that TikTok creators understood the younger generation much better than their competitors. With their target audience specified from the start, they studied their habits and preferences, which helped them create a social media app that gives them exactly what they’re looking for. TikTok allows its users to express themselves creatively. Sharing amusing videos of themselves singing, dancing, or lip-syncing to their favorite tunes are just some ways youngsters use TikTok.