TikTok Statistics 2025: Users, Trends & Analytics

Times are changing for social media, and TikTok is responsible for much of it. Things are set to change for TikTok too, with the slated enforced sale, let’s check in on what makes the platform what it is today, in the year 2025, and how it is likely to change in 2026; from TikTok statistics to explaining the TikTok algorithm and how it works, all the way to new technologies and tips for creators.

TikTok carries a lot of cultural significance. From inception, a decade ago, to strategic acquisitions along the way, and becoming the center of controversy in the entertainment and social networking universe, TikTok has become a full–blown digital economic platform. Creators on the platform earn millions, brands reach billions, and algorithms decide who goes viral and who fades into digital oblivion.

In this article, we will dive into all of the numbers that matter, including user counts and demographics, creator earnings, algorithm changes and more. We will also dig a little into what’s coming in 2026. Whether you’re building a brand, chasing views, or just curious how big this thing has gotten over the years, here’s everything you need to know about TikTok in 2025. We did a similar deep-dive on Twitter statistics as well.

How Many TikTok Users Are There in 2025?

Daily active users on TikTok number between 875 million to 954 million and current TikTok monthly active users are estimated to be around 1.67 billion going into 2026. As of early 2025, TikTok monthly active users were estimated at 1.59 billion globally. Projections show this figure is expected to reach 1.9 billion users in 2029. Even though the company itself doesn’t officially disclose such numbers, analysts estimate a 55–60% conversion rate from monthly to daily users, which is high.

Notably, Most social media platforms achieve around 40–50%. But when it comes to TikTok, people don’t just have TikTok on their phones — they seem to be using it at least every other day.

Top Countries by TikTok Users Count

The US leads in TikTok user count, with the common reported figure being around 135 million active users, and Indonesia and Brazil coming in second and third.

Country	Active TikTok Users
United States	136 million
Indonesia	108 million
Brazil	91.7 million
Mexico	85.4 million
Vietnam	40.9 million

To date, sources are not in consensus as to what qualifies as “active” for TikTok users. For example, YouTube has changed what counts as a view several times over the years, with YouTube homepage autoplays counting as a view but an autoplaying YouTube video embedded on a website not counting.

Whether TikTok calculates engagement by the number of times the app is opened or whether one needs to achieve a certain threshold of engagement is anyone’s guess, but the US has the largest TikTok audience of any single country.

More so, these numbers shift month to month as the platform expands in emerging markets.

Regional Breakdown of TikTok Users Worldwide

The regional breakdown of TikTok users tells a different story, with Asia-Pacific coming in first. This doesn’t come as a surprise, given the app’s Chinese roots and its initial popularity among youth in Southeast Asia as far back as 2018.

The Middle East and Africa region comes in second, with Europe, Latin America, and North America following, respectively. In the European Union specifically, TikTok reported 169 million average monthly active users between January and June 2025.

Region	Number of Monthly TikTok Users by Region	Share of Global Monthly Active User Base
Asia-Pacific	457.6 million	28.6%
Middle East and Africa	360.9 million	22.6%
Latin America	292.6 million	18.3%
North America	189 million	11.8%
Western Europe	158.3 million	9.9%
Central and Eastern Europe	141.5 million	8.8%
Total	1.59 billion

Penetration rates and time spent metrics also give context to the rapid growth of TikTok users around the world.

The Unreceding Tide of TikTok Users in 2025

On another front, also reflective of TikTok’s growing user base, time spent on the app is comparatively higher on TikTok than on other social media apps. Though it varies by region, TikTok users globally spend an average of 95 to 98 minutes per day on the app. 

In the US, the time spent per day metric drops slightly to 52–53.8 minutes daily, but that’s still more than Instagram (35 minutes) or Facebook (30 minutes). And in the Asia Pacific region, Southeast Asia leads in usage time, with the global average being around 34 hours and 15 minutes per month. 

Five countries exceeded the global average of time spent on TikTok per month as of 2024, all of which are in the Southeast Asia region. Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand come in first through fifth, while Singapore came in right below the global average.

As for penetration rates, comparing the leading countries from the two top-most regions worldwide in terms of monthly active users on TikTok, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) seem to have the lead on the US.

In Saudi Arabia, TikTok penetration rate reached 138.2% of the adult population, bearing in mind that people create multiple accounts. Likewise, the UAE hit 123.1%, while in the US and UK, TikTok has penetrated only about half of their digital population.

This could be indicative of a nearly saturated market in the US and UK, especially if these US and UK figures continue to plateau in 2026.

Overall, TikTok’s growth has slowed compared to its explosive surge in 2020–2021, which indicates it could be plateauing soon, even as it pulls in millions of users still.

Nonetheless, there are other factors that need to be taken into account.

Despite a ban that cut off 200 million users in India in 2020, TikTok maintains a strong global presence. The European Union reported 169 million monthly active users across member states in early 2025.

More so, the recent deal for American ownership of TikTok’s US operation could boost further growth in the US, spiking further growth.

On the other hand, TikTok reached over 31 million users in terms of advertising in January 2025, compared to January 2024. This shows a steady 2% year-on-year increase in advertising despite the reported decline in late 2024.

TikTok traffic numbers back this up. In January 2025, TikTok pulled in 2.65 billion visits, up 2.7% from December 2024. Mobile devices drove around 65.1% of that traffic, with desktops accounting for the rest.

This could indicate a trend of recovery that puts TikTok in a good position in 2025, going into 2026, with a still-growing user base.

TikTok User Demographics: Who’s Using the Platform in 2025

TikTok statistics paint a picture that belie the perspective that its audience is made up overwhelmingly of children. TikTok user demographics reveal the truth, that (older) zoomers and (younger) millennials make up the lion’s share of TikTok’s users.

TikTok Statistics 2025: Age Demographics and User Base Shifts

Overall, TikTok skews young, but not as young as one might think. In 2025, users aged 18 to 24 make up the largest single group at around of the platform’s total audience, around 33–35%. That’s roughly 525 to 557 million people globally.

The 18–24 age bracket loves TikTok for discovery — new music, fashion trends, memes, relationship advice, all delivered in mostly under 60 seconds. There’s another demographic that makes up a huge chunk of TikTok’s user base, and they’re aged 25 to 34 years old. This age group comprises 33–34% of the app’s global user base. That’s another 525 million users, indicating millennials have also fully embraced TikTok.

However, even though “kids” worldwide comprise only 18% of the TikTok user base, at around 286 million teenagers, they remain the strongest drivers of TikTok trends. They drive viral challenges and consume content at a higher rate than older TikTok users. On another hand, they’re also the ones advertisers can’t directly target due to age restrictions.

Nonetheless, older millennials and younger Gen X users still comprise a much smaller segment, smaller yet than the teenagers bracket. However, it is growing, and it isn’t just a symptom of “aging up”, which refers to existing users moving from one demographic segment to the other as they age.

As of 2025, the 35–44 age group makes up roughly 12–15% of TikTok’s audience, around 13.5%, which reflects a significant shift from when they were barely present on TikTok just a few years ago. 

Data from 2024 places this age group at a maximum estimate of 12.6%, which indicates a very conservative but significant 0.9% increase in the number of users who fall within this age bracket in 2025.

Notably, while this can be indicative of the aging up phenomenon, it also indicates that more and more users from the specified age group are boarding the TikTok train. In fact, men aged are the largest demographic slice on TikTok, which we will dive deeper into in the gender demographics section.

Gen X and older Millennials are showing up for cooking content, home improvement tips, and financial advice, as well as nostalgic throwbacks. TikTok’s algorithm serves them exactly what they are looking for, so their feeds look nothing like that of a teenager.

Older age groups also have a surprising presence on TikTok, small but surprising, with users 45 and older accounting for about 6–10% of all TikTok users. Notably, that percentage is small but it is growing.

TikTok Statistics 2025: Gender Demographics 

Gender distribution in 2025 leans slightly male, globally. As of February 2025, TikTok statistics showed 55.7% of TikTok users are male and 44.3% are female. In the US, it is a different story, where women make up about 54.4% of users and men account for 45.6%, as of April 2025. Other sources still estimated 56.77% of traffic going to TikTok was male.

To further understand how gender distribution may vary across different age groups, we need a deeper breakdown of TikTok statistics. 

As of February 2025, men aged 25 to 34 make up 20.7% of TikTok’s global audience, the largest demographic slice. Women in the same age group account for 14.6%.

Men aged 18 to 24 represent 16.6%, while women in that bracket make up 14.1%. If anything, these numbers show TikTok’s appeal spanning genders and age groups, with minor variations.

What TikTok Statistics Mean for Creators in 2025

Users from different age groups use TikTok differently, according to TikTok statistics in 2025. The topics each group follows more closely helps creators navigate this labyrinth. And while statistics detailing these differences in relation to teenage and young adult users are not readily available, time spent on the app is one of the most critical TikTok users behaviour indicators.

Factoring in the average app opens per day metric, one begins to understand how TikTok fairs across different demographics. Globally, children aged 11–17 spend about 75 minutes (1.25 hours) on TikTok, every day.

If we expand the age group to include all of Gen Z, TikTok statistics 2025 show users up to age 26 spend an average of 2.53 hours per day on TikTok.

More so, regardless of age, average TikTok users open the app around 20 times a day, spending around 95 minutes a day on the app. In the US, about 57% of teenagers say they visit TikTok daily, compared to seven in ten visiting YouTube every day.

On the other hand, older users seem to open TikTok less often but spend longer sessions watching content, particularly those 45+. The older generations, while not necessarily creating content on TikTok, are actively consuming content on TikTok.

In terms of users, TikTok statistics 2025 show the platform’s user base is quite diverse and brands targeting Millennials or Gen X can reach them on TikTok just as easily as they would Gen Z. The key is creating content that resonates with the targeted age group, instead of assuming TikTok is one-size-fits-all.

Important TikTok Statistics 2025: Overview

Age Demographics

• 18–24 year olds lead at 33–35% of users (~525–557M globally) — prime discovery demographic
• 25–34 year olds close second at 33–34% (~525M users) — millennials fully engaged
• Teens (under 18) only 18% of base (~286M) but drive viral trends despite advertiser restrictions
• 35–44 age group growing to 13.5%, up from 12.6% in 2024 — older millennials/Gen X joining
• 45+ users account for 6–10% — small but growing segment

Gender Split

• Globally: 55.7% male, 44.3% female
• US: 45.6% male, 54.4% female 
• Largest slice: Men 25–34 at 20.7% of global audience
• Women aged 25–34 follow at 14.6%

Usage Patterns

• Average user: Opens app ~20 times/day, spends 95 minutes daily
• Gen Z (up to 26): 2.53 hours per day on average
• Teens (11–17): 75 minutes daily
• 45+ users: Fewer opens but longer viewing sessions
• US teens: 57% visit TikTok daily vs 70% for YouTube

When Did TikTok Come Out and When Did It Get So Big?

TikTok started as Douyin in China (where it still uses that name) in September 2016, just over a decade ago, founded by Beijing-based company ByteDance. The Chinese tech giant launched it as a short-video app for the local market at first but quickly realized there was huge, untapped potential in the global market.

Overall, the concept of the app was simple — let people create 15-second videos with music, filters, and effects, but it caught on so fast that by 2017 ByteDance had shifted its sights to the global market. Mobile-first short-form video content had existed before, popularized by Vine, which released in 2013 and was shuttered by its corporate owner, Twitter, on January 17, 2013. The link between Vine and Twitter was a crucial one for the popularization of both platforms and short-form video as a whole.

Just two months after the global launch in September 2017, ByteDance made the power move that took TikTok to an entirely new level. In November, the company acquired Musical.ly for a reported $1 billion. By August 2018, ByteDance had merged it with the TikTok app and brand.

Being the most popular lip-syncing app in the US and Europe at the time, Musical.ly already had 100 million monthly active users in June 2018 — and predominantly in markets TikTok had not penetrated. By acquiring Musical.ly, ByteDance effectively cornered a massive share of the market for itself, becoming one of the fastest growing social media platforms to date.

Needless to say, the timing was perfect. By 2019, 4G LTE had become widespread across industrialized countries — particularly in China and most of the western hemisphere by 2019. This provided the infrastructure for the kind of internet bandwidth needed for seamless video streaming. Smartphone cameras had evolved too, with triple and quad-lens systems becoming standard in 2018, making professional-quality video accessible to everyone. Gen Z was looking for something that capitalized on these fundamental improvements, something other than Instagram and Snapchat, and TikTok gave them exactly that.

This trifecta of market factors resulted in meeting demand for short-format videos that had nowhere else to go after Vine. The format also lent itself naturally to the infinite scrolling model perfected by Twitter and Instagram. The curated algorithm that seemed to read users’ minds doubled down on its popularity.

The arrival of the all-new TikTok in the US and Europe, having already dominated the massive Chinese market, resulted in the app’s userbase exploding from 55 million users in 2018 to 693 million downloads in 2019.

TikTok During Covid-19

TikTok statistics showed even more growth in 2020, with the first quarter alone seeing 313.5 million downloads worldwide. When Covid-19 was declared a pandemic and worldwide lockdowns began, the perfect storm had formed, changing the world of social media for good.

The pandemic kept people home and glued to their phones. TikTok quickly became the go-to app for entertainment, dance challenges, cooking hacks, and everything in between.

By September 2021, TikTok announced it had reached 1 billion monthly active users. That milestone put it in the same league as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. It took these platforms over a decade to get there, and TikTok did it in just five years.

Still, this rapid growth did not come without its challenges, and a whole lot of scrutiny. 

In 2020, India banned TikTok over data security concerns, cutting off 200 million users overnight. The US government followed with threats of its own, citing fears that ByteDance could share American user data with Chinese authorities. President Trump even signed an executive order to force the sale of TikTok in the US during his first presidency. But legal challenges had stalled the sale.

TikTok Ban Delays and Mandatory Sale

Fast forward to 2024, when Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The law gave ByteDance nine months to divest TikTok’s US operations or face a nationwide ban. On January 19, 2025, the ban was briefly enforced and TikTok actually went offline for American users for hours. Soon after, incoming President Trump signaled he’d grant ByteDance an extension, and the app came back online — on the condition that the sale goes through.

In late September 2025, Trump signed an executive order approving the sale of TikTok’s US business to a consortium that includes Larry Ellison’s Oracle. US TikTok users will be transferred to a separate app, whose algorithm and user data will be under the consortium’s control. ByteDance will own less than 20% of the US-based company. The Chinese government has also signed off on the deal, according to the US Treasury. As per the executive order, if the deal isn’t concluded before January 23, 2026 — 120 days from the order’s signing — the US will likely reimplement the TikTok ban.

Surprisingly though, through all of the chaos, TikTok kept growing, spreading among youths like a wildfire in a lush and spacious woodland. As of 2025, TikTok was the 8th most visited site on the internet and the 5th most popular social media platform globally, trailing only Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

Understanding TikTok Hashtags

TikTok is a digital behemoth, with many cogs working in the background. Together, each cog contributes to make the app that it is today. Of these, two are vital for making the best of TikTok: Hashtags and the renowned TikTok algorithm.

Trending TikTok Hashtags: What are TikTok Hashtags?

As much as hashtags are just labels, they’re also how videos get discovered and help the algorithm know videos are related. When a video goes viral, content with the same hashtag can pull traffic to the platform, encouraging others to upload their own videos. It creates a positive feedback loop that can draw millions of views. TikTok is no different; it’s how many popular creators got their start.

Throughout the year, the most searched hashtags haven’t changed much at the top since 2024. As of October 2025, the “For You Page” hashtag #fyp still is the most popular hashtag on TikTok, accumulating 100 trillion views across all posts using it. The hashtag #foryou came in second, with approximately 50.9 trillion lifetime views, according to Statista.

These numbers represent lifetime views across all posts using these hashtags, showing just how many people are trying to land on the coveted For You Page. The higher the views, the greater the potential search traffic for the specific hashtag. 

That said, it isn’t enough to just throw in viral TikTok hashtags. It is best when planned and used strategically, by combining different types of hashtags.

The Viral and the Niche: TikTok Hashtags

A viral hashtag is one that can generate or drive way more views than the search volume suggests, which in the case of the aforementioned hashtags is massive. But a viral hashtag means much higher competition, making it extremely difficult to go viral as countless others are trying to ride the tidal waves of trending TikTok hashtags. 

One thing that seems to level the playing field for TikTok users is that the platform doesn’t consider a user’s follower count when pushing content. This clears a much more pragmatic, technical, content-centric path for going viral on TikTok.

Compared to most other platforms, the tactical and strategic pathways to creating successful content on TikTok has very little to do with how popular users are. It is about the content itself, its relevance and timeliness and the hashtags used.

For example, when selecting hashtags,it is better to focus on relevance rather than just focusing on volume. A video using #fyp might face intense competition, but pairing it with niche-specific tags (hashtags) increases discoverability by helping the algorithm understand the context of the content being posted.

Niche tags are hashtags representing specific TikTok communities, such as #BookTok or #SustainableFashion. So far, it seems that these hashtags serve as a tool or gateways to targeting TikTok user groups with specific interests.

That said, there are other social media platforms where users can readily find trending hashtags on their home page or feed. This makes it easier for users to be part of the trend, but that’s not the case with trending TikTok hashtags. 

Finding these hashtags, which ones are trending, which are not, and which ones to use could be a bit kerfuffling for users who are new on the platform.

Trending TikTok Hashtag: Where and How to Find Them

Users can view trending TikTok hashtags either through the search function or through the Official TikTok Creative Center on a browser. A recent TikTok update has made the process of tracking trending TikTok hashtags even more rewarding, especially for creators.

There are four methods — that we know of — for users to keep up with trending TikTok hashtags. Among these, using the creative center and search insights have shown to be among the more effective methods.

Method 1: Using the Search Bar (In-App)

1. Tap the Search Icon: Open the TikTok app and tap the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the “For You” page.
2. Enter a Relevant Keyword: Type a broad keyword related to your content or niche (e.g., “cooking,” “fashion,” or “gaming”) and tap search.
3. Select the “Hashtags” Tab: The search results page will display different categories like “Top,” “Users,” and “Hashtags.” Swipe to and tap on the Hashtags tab.
4. Analyze the Results: TikTok will present a list of related hashtags, sorted by popularity. Users can see the number of views each hashtag has accumulated, which indicates a hashtag’s current trending status.

Method 2: The Official TikTok Creative Center (via Web Browser)

For more detailed, data-driven insights (especially useful for content planning), use the official Creative Center in a web browser. This tool provides regional and industry-specific data. 

1. Go to the Creative Center: Open a web browser (on mobile or desktop) and visit the TikTok Creative Center.
2. Navigate to the Trends Tab: Click on the Trends tab and select Hashtags.
3. Filter Results: Users can filter by:
   1. Industry: Narrow down hashtags specific to the targeted niche (e.g., Beauty, Food & Beverage, Home Improvement).
   2. Region: See what is trending in specific countries.
   3. Time Frame: View trends over the last 7, 30, or up to 120 days.
4. View Analytics: Click “See Analytics” on any hashtag to learn more about its performance, related videos, audience insights, and regional popularity. 

Method 3: Observing the “For You” Page and Competitors

1. Scroll the FYP: Simply scrolling through the “For You” page can give users a feel for what is popular. Pay attention to recurring hashtags, sounds, and challenges that appear across multiple videos.
2. Check Top Creators: Look for the hashtags successful creators use within a niche or user group on their high-performing posts. They often jump on trends early. 

Method 4: TikTok’s Creator Search Insights

Like TikTok Creative Center, but accessible in-app and quite comprehensive. It is very helpful when planning content.

1. Go to Search: In the search bar, type in “creator search insights”
2. Tap on View: Click on the red view button to access insights.
3. Choose Category: Choose from Suggested, Trending and Photo Posts.

Under the suggested category, it shows “content gap” and “searches by followers”. Those two subcategories help users plan their content accordingly, either to plug content gaps and capitalize on potential traffic opportunities or cater to the likings and interests of a user group’s follower base.

In trending, users can find topics, hot trends, sounds, effects, templates, and hashtags, which are essential for content planning. Data in this section gives users almost everything they need to know about what is trending on the app, including trending TikTok hashtags. It also covers other useful elements that help content planning, including which sounds, effects and templates to use to increase viral reach and exposure chances.

A noticeable change on TikTok is that it is now pushing Photo Posts to diversify its content and user base. The outstanding majority of the content on TikTok has been videos over the years. Needless to say, many users prefer posting and consuming images, and those usually go to Instagram. Therefore, TikTok launched the new content type, Photo Posts, in an attempt to attract and retain users who prefer this type of content.

Users can now also capitalize on TikTok pushing photo posts to get some more traction on the app, bringing in profile views and hopefully more followers.

Trending TikTok Hashtags: What to Expect in 2026

The year 2025 brought a shift in how hashtags work. In addition to introducing new content types and pushing that kind of content, i.e. photo posts, trending on TikTok now requires adopting a different approach from yesteryears.

TikTok in 2025 Prefers Originality

Following a series of algorithm changes, TikTok has begun favoring original content over reposts. This means that videos using trending hashtags need to offer something fresh. Just slapping #Viral or #FYP on a recycled clip will cut it no longer.

Likewise, seasonal hashtags are also expected to keep driving engagement. Tags like #Halloween2025, #SummerVibes, and #HolidaySeason spike during their respective seasons, showing that users actively search for relevant content, time-wise. Overall, brands that jump on these early see better reach than those posting generic evergreen content.

No More Stuffing Tags 

The algorithm also tightened up on hashtag stuffing, much like search engines. TikTok now limits posts to a maximum of 5 hashtags, as of August 2025. Three to five well-chosen hashtags used to outperform a wall of 20 random ones before the change anyway.

More so, mixing broad tags (e.g. #TikTokTrends) with niche ones (e.g. #BookTok, #FitnessTips) gives creators a better shot at both discovery and targeted engagement.

What Hasn’t Changed for Trending TikTok Hashtags in 2025

The trending sounds dynamic still works the same in 2025. To date, trending sounds go hand-in-hand with hashtags. A video using a viral audio clip and relevant hashtags gets a much harder push from the algorithm.

Creators can consult with TikTok’s Creative Center or Creator Search Insights for more current data on what music to pair with their hashtags and content. It helps creators explore what sounds and tags are gaining traction in real time, with the window for catching these trends usually ranging from 48 to 72 hours. More often than not, these trends peak and fade rather quickly.

Bottom line? Hashtags still matter in 2025 and will likely still matter in 2026, but strategy matters more. 

As of 2025, creators need to balance between good content and strategic audience targeting. Random tags will likely not save weak content, and great content can just as easily flop without the right tags. Using trending sounds can still help with getting content discovered and gaining traction. More so, we expect that 2026 will be all about matching content with the people who are actively looking for it.

Now that we’ve covered trending TikTok hashtags, what they are, what they do, how to use them, and how to help them reach users, let’s tackle the TikTok algorithm.

The TikTok Algorithm: How It Works in 2025

Let’s be clear. TikTok really favours creative, engaging, original content and has no regard whatsoever for follower counts when deciding to push content. Unless users cater their content and hashtags to Searches by Followers, as explained in the trending TikTok hashtags section above, their follower counts would mean nothing to the TikTok algorithm.

Learning how to work with the TikTok algorithm, instead of fighting it, is a user’s best bet, according to the trending TikTok hashtags dynamics we covered and the TikTok statistics 2025 data we analysed so far.

Work Within the TikTok Algorithm, not Against It!

The TikTok algorithm is the framework within which every TikTok user and creator exists. Understanding the algorithm and knowing how to maximize success within that framework is generally the best bet for creators on the platform. 

“Cracking the algorithm” in order to go viral doesn’t usually involve fighting an uphill battle against it but instead optimizing on metrics that TikTok uses to measure success.

What is shown to work, based on our analysis of TikTok statistics 2025 data and trending TikTok hashtags, is niche content that is authentic while appealing to one or more sub groups. Users whose content is trending often combine one or two relevant niche hashtags with one or two relevant broad and viral tags.

This is what we mean by going with the TikTok algorithm instead of going against it. There’s a method to the commercial madness, and in the next section of this article, we will showcase proven techniques used to leverage the algorithmic motion of the TikTok ocean.

Another thing to keep in mind is that no company wants its algorithm gamed; it’s designed to feed people what they want to watch. That said, any genuine “groundbreaking hack” to beat the algorithm is often uncovered quickly, and will likely be patched up as quickly as it is exploited. So, expect a lot of claims to come out about beating the algorithm once TikTok’s US algorithm comes under new control.

Moving forward, to understand TikTok, one must understand the TikTok algorithm, so let’s discuss how it measures success.

What Really Matters to the TikTok Algorithm

The TikTok algorithm isn’t random. It relies on inputs and signals that guide its invisible content-pushing hands, with trending TikTok hashtags being the most compelling evidence of its ingenuity.

At its core, the TikTok algorithm tracks three main signals: user interactions, video information, and device settings.

1. Engagement and User Interactions

User interactions include every action users take on TikTok, including likes, shares, comments, follows, videos watched all the way through, and videos skipped. This is what we generally refer to as engagement.

Some of the algorithm’s learning mechanisms depend on observation, like how long users watch something and whether they rewatch it. Other aspects rely purely on human input, like selecting “not interested”. All of this feeds into a profile of preferences that informs the algorithm as to what may or may not be preferred by the user.

2. Content and Video Information

As for the content itself, the app analyzes everything pertaining to the content and videos themselves, i.e. video information. Such information covers everything from captions to hashtags, sounds, and trending topics. 

If a video uses a popular sound or trending hashtag, TikTok knows what category it fits into. The algorithm also factors in video length, effects used, and how quickly engagement is building, contributing to its predictive capabilities. Videos that racks up likes and comments in the first hour are seen as strong content worth pushing to more TikTok users.

3. Device Settings

Device settings also help inform the TikTok algorithm, including language preference, country location, and device type. TikTok uses this information to show region-specific content and optimize video loading based on device capabilities. 

If a user is in the US, they’ll see more English-language content from American creators than one would in Brazil, where they’d get more Portuguese-language videos.

Behind the Scenes of the TikTok Algorithm Machine

The TikTok algorithm doesn’t take follower count into consideration. A brand-new account with zero followers can go viral on the first video if the content hits just as it would if it were published by an account with millions of followers. 

This is what sets TikTok apart from other social media, including Instagram and YouTube, where having an established audience gives creators a head start. How does TikTok’s algorithm do that?

The TikTok algorithm’s process of pushing content goes through a number of simple processes on loop that helps determine which content is worth pushing. Some of these are consecutive loops and others are simultaneous. At different stages of the content’s lifetime journey, several instances of this entire process may be running at the same time the more viral a video gets.

Stage 1 of the TikTok Algorithm Process: Pilot Exposure

This step is simple and fairly straight forward. First, TikTok tests every video with a small group of users. If those users engage, it expands the reach by pushing it to more users, gradually. If they skip, the video dies.

With every expansion, the algorithm collects engagement data to finally determine the value of the content and decide whether to push or kill it. Watch times and replays play a huge role in this decision, as to whether the circle of users to whom the algorithm decides to push the content should be expanded or not.

How it determines its exposure or reach expansion path depends on engagement and user groupings.

Stage 2 of the TikTok Algorithm Process: Measuring Engagement

Once the video starts reaching users, the TikTok algorithm continues to collect data to refine whether it should continue being served and to whom. Even after a video achieves strong reach, at any point in its lifecycle, once engagement metrics start fluctuating, the growth trajectory drops almost immediately.

To begin with, watch time matters more to TikTok’s algorithm than likes. TikTok wants people glued to the app, so videos that keep viewers watching get rewarded heavily. 

As a result, a 15-second video watched start to end would beat a 60-second video with more likes where people move on halfway through. That’s why hooks matter — the first three seconds on a TikTok video decide whether someone sticks around or scrolls on.

Completion rates and replays also boost a video’s reach. If people watch a video multiple times, it signals strong content, which is exactly what TikTok’s looking for. 

A common method to boost this is to make a video seamlessly loop so viewers don’t realize they’ve watched it twice. This is how creators leverage the TikTok algorithm’s known rewards to make the content appear to be generating more engagement than it truly is.

Stage 3 of the TikTok Algorithm Process: Targeted Conveyance

This is a process that cascades across all stages of TikTok video’s lifetime, and it is where the loop goes on until engagement metrics start to drop. This stage is all about engagement across different user groupings.

To begin with, TikTok groups users into micro-communities. And if three people like the same video, the algorithm assumes they have similar interests and creates a cluster. It can identify the similar interests from the video’s hashtags and the users’ own content preferences.

From there, the TikTok algorithm starts serving all three users similar content. If someone in that cluster watches a video, TikTok tests it with other members of that same cluster or user group. This is how niche communities like #BookTok or #FinTok form. The algorithm identifies shared interests and amplifies content within those groups or clusters.

However, the TikTok algorithm doesn’t stop with that specific cluster or user group. Like a vineyard, clusters and user groups overlap, like a bunch of vin diagrams. 

For example, some users within the #BookTok cluster will have one or more other shared interests, which means they are part of at least one other user group. 

Sometimes, all the members within this subgroup — within the #BookTok cluster for example — who share other interests with other clusters, will engage positively with a video from a creator. When that happens, the TikTok algorithm clicks it and may decide to push said video to users within the other clusters with whom #BookTok users share specific other interests. 

The algorithm tests it to a small group of that other cluster, and if it takes, it pushes the video to the rest of the members of the cluster, and so on. 

In short, this is what happens when the content’s reach starts branching out, or cluster-hopping, and is how videos become viral.

Whether the content posted actually goes viral in 2025 or 2026, on the other hand, is no longer just a question of user groupings and engagement in the superficial sense. Another layer has been incorporated into the TikTok algorithm’s process – originality.

Stage 4 of the TikTok Algorithm Process: Valuation Beyond Engagement

While the TikTok algorithm values engagement, it also values original content over reposts. In 2025, TikTok updated its systems to penalize videos ripped from other platforms or recycled from old TikToks. Duets, stitches, and collaborations still perform well, but straight-up reposts will not be pushed.

When it comes to content and how it goes viral, these four stages we put together cover all of the important inner-workings of the TikTok algorithm process as far as they’re publicly understood.

As far as our research goes, this is how TikTok navigates the push-or-kill algorithm. Learning all about it and how to leverage it seems to be the only viable, straight-up growth hacking technique that is terms-and-condition-friendly, at least.

Know Your Audience: How Creators Leverage the TikTok Algorithm

Knowing one’s audience and how the algorithm works, including how trending TikTok hashtags become so viral, is the key to achieving success on TikTok.

Between all the things that really matter to the TikTok algorithm — engagement metrics, content information, and device settings, and all the tools that users can use to learn about the audiences that interact with their content — creators have a 360-degree vantage point. But research shows that isn’t enough.

It could work, of course, when combined with timeliness, relevance, originality, and authenticity, which is where things get a bit more tricky. It is why consistency with authentic, original targeted content seems to work better on the long run than creating unauthentic content to fill in content gaps, original as it may be.

To create targeted content, creators often combine their technical knowledge of how the TikTok algorithm and trending TikTok hashtags work with knowledge of their audience.

Needless to say, there are best practices for creating good, engaging content that users can follow and adapt their content to in order to leverage the TikTok algorithm and mechanisms to their advantage, which we will cover in this section. But there is the question of knowing which user groups or audiences in general to cater to and what they like.

To understand who is on TikTok and how they would interact with specific and different kinds of content, who to target and who not to target, creators, users, and businesses often follow different approaches:

1. The Blueprint-First Approach: This is the approach favoured by brands and businesses, as well as big-time creators who become more or less institutions of their own, with marketing teams and other support staff. The approach focuses on developing a blueprint of the digital market and audiences before launching the digital communications and marketing process. This includes market research and audience segmentation to develop clear audience personas, including preferences, likes, dislikes, behavioural patterns and more. This planning- and research-heavy approach depends on market feedback and adjusts accordingly.
2. The Target Practice Approach: When budgets are tight and resources are limited, small and micro businesses and users who want to become creators on TikTok build their content strategies on assumptions and educated guesses. The most common assumptions are “there must be people out there who are like me and share my interests” and “I know my product or service is needed out there, and I know there are people on TikTok who are interested”. Following these assumptions, content is created and refined on-the-go, collecting data and feedback from analytics and other tools. They set their targets, practice on them, and see what sticks.
3. The Segment Safari Approach: This is a hybrid approach that combines aspects of the two other approaches. Tools such as insights and analytics provide invaluable information that, combined with observation, can help users determine audience segments somewhat accurately. This approach is optimal for users who understand the TikTok algorithm and how trending TikTok hashtags work, but have limited financial resources. So, using said tools and some rapid market research, they can create clear user personas and observe how user groups within these personas (using niche hashtags) interact with different content. They develop their own content accordingly, keep track of all relevant metrics, and adjust as they go, creating a full-scale blueprint within three to nine months. They segment their audiences, based on clear data-backed input, then they “walk among them” and observe them, developing a deeper understanding of their likes and dislikes; their personas. Then, they test them with content, and expand accordingly.

Those are the three approaches used to understanding audiences and users on Tiktok and how to identify what kind and type of content appeals to them. How to create that content is a bit of a different story.

Here’s what is shown to work according to analysis and observation of top TikTok users, the TikTok algorithm and trending TikTok hashtags:

1. Hooks are vital in the first three seconds, and engagement loops help. A good hook captures TikTok users’ attention. And if the content sparks comments, users are encouraged to reply to them. That boosts engagement metrics, which informs the TikTok algorithm. Videos and content that generate conversations get more reach than videos that just get passive likes.
2. Relevant hashtags and sounds boost reach, and trends move fast. Hashtags trend and die out rather quickly, which is why relevance and timeliness are of the essence. Jumping on sounds or challenges that go viral within the first 48 hours works, according to the data. Users and creators who post with relevant hashtags and sounds get a better shot at riding the wave. However, by day three or four, trends are saturated, and late content ends up competing with thousands of other posts from TikTok users trying to trend.
3. Post consistently and be authentic. The algorithm favors accounts that upload regularly because it signals ongoing activity. Posting three to four times a week often works for creators, as it keeps their content in rotation. Daily posting works even better, but only if quality doesn’t drop, as the TikTok algorithm rewards authenticity and originality and usually kills unoriginal content.

That said, it is important to recognize that while the TikTok algorithm is really good at what it is intended to do, it isn’t perfect. Sometimes great videos flop, and sometimes mediocre ones blow up. Timing, luck, and viewer mood all play a role in deciding whether videos succeed or not on TikTok.

Nevertheless, understanding the mechanics gives users an edge, and there really isn’t a thing on TikTok that a little bit of experimentation would not fix. Many if not most successful creators and influencers use these tactics and so should you.

Top TikTok Users: Most Popular Creators & Influencers

Many on TikTok have hit one level of fame or another, and many use TikTok for a variety of purposes, catering different kinds of content for different audiences. There is no ready-made recipe for success on TikTok, or anywhere else in life, real or virtual.

Still, aspiring creators can learn from top TikTok users and influencers, while leveraging the technical knowledge and tips in this article, to pave a way for themselves.

Khaby Lame: The Legend Among Top TikTok Users

Khaby Lame has more than 162.4 million TikTok followers, the highest followership in the world. Lame, the Senegalese-Italian creator, built his entire brand on silent reaction videos. 

He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he just watches overly complicated life hacks, then demonstrates simpler ways to do them. No voiceovers, no fancy edits, just deadpan humor that translates across languages and cultural barriers. 

In 2022, he overtook Charli D’Amelio, the famous American social media celebrity and competitive dancer who came to prominence in late 2019, with 155.4 million followers on TikTok. He hasn’t looked back since.

MrBeast: One of the Best Top TikTok Users with a Bit of a Twist

MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) ranks third with 107.8 million TikTok followers. He’s better known on YouTube, where he gives away millions in wild challenge videos, but his TikTok presence is massive.

Like many multiplatform creators, he uses TikTok to promote his content and activities on YouTube, considering it another digital channel to funnel views and engagement into another (more profitable) platform.

MrBeast’s content centers on spectacle — last to leave challenges, extreme giveaways, rebuilding entire neighborhoods. His TikTok videos are often teasers or highlights from YouTube content, driving cross-platform traffic.

Bella Poarch comes in fourth with around 94 million followers, and Addison Rae fifth, with nearly 88 million followers.

Will Smith is Among the Top TikTok Users in 2025

Yes, the Will Smith! Even Will Smith is on TikTok, and he has around 76 million followers. His TikTok content focuses on humorous skits, collaborations with influencers and other celebrities, dance challenges, nostalgic references to his career, and the promotion of his new music. It is highly edited, entertaining, and aims to connect with a broad audience across generations. 

Right behind him, ranks Mexican singer and influencer Kimberly Loaiza, with 75 million followers. She posts music snippets, behind-the-scenes content, and lifestyle videos.

Spencer Pratt: Best Performing TV Star Among the Top TikTok Users

The Hills reality TV star Spencer Pratt reportedly earned approximately $20,000 in one week from TikTok Live gifting alone. Gifting is direct monetary support from fans, unrelated to his earnings from the show. In the same week, he made an additional $4,000 from standard TikTok content views, for a total of $24,000.

There’s much to earn for top TikTok creators. From TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program to brand deals, affiliate marketing, merchandise, and cross-platform traffic and content, the platform has become a launching pad, not an end goal. Creators use TikTok’s massive reach to build audiences, then monetize elsewhere—YouTube, Instagram, or by selling their own products.

How to Get More Views on TikTok: Tips

All those top TikTok users had one thing or another to build on. Some had a unique, original approach, like Khoby Lame, others already had fame and fortune. And not all of them use TikTok with the intention of making money off of it.

This isn’t the case for many of the aspiring creators and marketers on TikTok, who are trying to build or boost their careers using TikTok.

So far, we’ve covered a lot about TikTok and how it works, as well as how creators, businesses and users are using TikTok. But there’s still a lot more to it than that. In addition to the technical and content aspects, there are other things that users need to keep in mind as they navigate the world of TikTok. And by navigate, we mean scoring views, gaining followers, and perhaps going viral on TikTok.

Best Time to Post on TikTok for Maximum Reach

Timing matters on TikTok, but not in the way one would think. The best time to post isn’t universal – it depends on the target audience’s location, their daily habits and preferences. Data from millions of posts can reveal clear patterns for creators to leverage to their advantage.

As of October 2025, according to Buffer’s analysis of over 1 million TikTok videos, the highest engagement happens on Sunday at 8 PM, followed by Tuesday at 4 PM, and Wednesday at 5 PM. These time slots consistently pull more views than early morning or midday posts, because people are winding down, scrolling before bed, or taking a break from work.

Mondays through Thursdays perform best overall. Sunday has the lowest engagement, except for that 8 PM spike. Saturday shows steady activity from 10 AM to 7 PM. However, posting before 7 AM is not advised, because that’s when engagement drops, according to SproutSocial.

Notice the pattern? Engagement climbs later in the day. TikTok’s user base skews younger, and Gen Z scrolls hard in the evenings. 

Teens and young adults check TikTok during lunch breaks, after school, and before bed. Mornings, especially before 9 AM, see lower activity. Notably, time zones matter, so pay attention.

It goes without saying, but we’re saying it anyway: if a video or post gets likes, comments, and shares within the first hour, TikTok pushes it to more people. That’s why posting at a time when one’s target audience is active really matters.

Best Time to Post on TikTok: Consistency vs Timeliness

In many instances, consistency beats timing. Posting at the same time every day trains users on TikTok when to expect more of the content they like. If they know that a creator drops a video at 6 PM every day, provided they’re interested in the content and what the creator has to say, they’ll check in. 

This is likely the only instance in which a creator’s follower count actually matters, assuming they have a strong follower-base, of course, or if a business has built effective brand advocacy dynamics on TikTok. Moreover, but only to some extent, the TikTok algorithm also notices consistent posting and rewards it with better reach.

Users can learn all about when their audiences are active and what they’ve been interested in by simply consulting their TikTok analytics. It shows when one’s followers are most active, and if the user is running a business or creator account, they use that data to fine-tune their posting schedule and planning.

The Best Strategy for Posting on TikTok? A/B Testing!

Again, experimenting on TikTok is the only way to know for sure, when it comes to posting strategies and tactics, not content strategies. The content and hashtagging guidelines in this article, how the TikTok algorithm and trending TikTok hashtags work, all of this is proven, solid fact. 

There’s no wiggle room when it comes to hooking audiences or creating original authentic content, let alone how to hashtag for success on TikTok. But when it comes to when to post, what kind of content to post, and how to target practice or segment safari on TikTok, that’s when experimentation and data testing proves more rewarding.

Still, starting with general best practices as to when to post and what kind of content to post gives new creators on TikTok a launchpad. Posting between 4 PM and 9 PM on weekdays, for example, has shown to be an effective starting schedule. Users are encouraged to track their results for two weeks and adjust accordingly. 

If Tuesday at 6 PM consistently outperforms other times, users can safely choose to stick with it. And if Friday mornings surprise with high, unexpected engagement, creators are in no way advised not to adjust. Every creator’s audience habits can be unique, and data testing and experimentation beats educated guessing every time.

The best performing posting strategies in this article just give users some effective, data-backed posting schedule recommendations to start with. There’s no static template that works for everything, everyone, everywhere. There are guidelines and indicators, and then there’s the creator, the content itself and the audience.

So, with all of these elements and variables factored in, all the experimentation we’ve been talking about, how does one measure the fruits of their digital labour on TikTok?

TikTok Profile Views: How to Track & Optimize

TikTok tracks profile views, i.e. how many people click through to check out a creator or business’s page. It’s a direct indicator of interest. Someone saw some content they liked and wanted to see more. 

Tracking profile views helps understand what content drives curiosity and what falls flat. This data is accessible through the TikTok analytics dashboard of a business or creator account.

Go to Settings, tap Creator Tools, then Analytics. The Profile Views section shows how many people visited a user’s page over the last 7 or 28 days.

Normally, profile views spike when a video goes viral. If a clips hits the For You Page and racks up millions of views, users can expect profile visits to jump. 

Optimizing for More TikTok Profile Views

When TikTok users come across a video they like, they often check to see if the creator has more similar content. Profiles that deliver on this expectation, often get followers. If it’s a random piece of content or the user is inconsistent with their content, visitors will likely leave, which is why profile optimization is important.

1. Optimized Bios Hook in More TikTok Profile Views

Profile viewers and visitors should be able to know exactly what kind of content to expect from a creator from their bio. Fitness creators, for example, are just expected to say so. The same goes for creators who post cooking hacks. Vague bios like ‘just here for fun’ don’t convert visitors into followers.

2. Pinning the Right Video Brings in More Value from TikTok Profile Views

A profile video, pinned at the top, is sort of like a trailer for a creator’s page. Pinning a video that best represents your work, or one that represents your best work, is important. High engagement, clear value, and typical style should be the go-to metrics for deciding which post to pin as one’s profile video.

3. Getting Serious Converts More TikTok Profile Views

This could sound like another way to say ‘be consistent’ and maybe it is. But a profile with one viral video and nothing else looks a lot like a fluke. On the other hand, a profile with 50 videos in the same niche signals the creator is serious, even if none of them went exactly viral, as long as they’re good and consistent. Visitors are more likely to follow if they see a catalog of content they’ll enjoy.

4. Use TikTok Profile Views as a Measure of Conversion

Profile views reveal what’s working. If a specific video type drives profile clicks, users are encouraged to make more of it. If dance videos get 10,000 views but only 50 profile visits, they’re entertaining but not converting. If tutorial videos get 2,000 views and 500 profile visits, that’s a higher conversion rate. This means that people want more of that. 

TikTok profile views help creators know what is good for them. And do not mistake fleeting likes with consistent progress on TikTok. They may look a lot alike, but in reality, they’re not.

TikTok Analytics: What Works and What Doesn’t

One of the most important TikTok Analytics metrics to watch for is TikTok Profile Views. Spikes in profile view analytics should also be reflective of growth in followers. 

If views are up but followers are flat, the content isn’t really converting. That indicates the user’s bio needs to be refined, a better video should be pinned, or more consistent posting is needed. If views and followers both climb, then something’s being done right. Creators are encouraged to find out what is driving growth, and keep at it!

Bear in mind that TikTok views and profile views aren’t the same. A video can get a million views with zero profile clicks if people watch and scroll. Meanwhile, a video with 10,000 views and 2,000 profile clicks shows strong interest. Needless to say, the second one is more valuable for long-term growth.

Also, remember profile views are a two-way street. To hide profile views, Go to Settings, Privacy, then toggle off “Profile Views”. By turning it off, users are disallowing other users to see that they’ve viewed their profile. However, this also means one won’t be able to see who’s seen their profile. That may be okay for TikTok users who are just consuming content, but most creators leave it on for the data.

How Much Does TikTok Pay for 1 Million Views?

Now that we have covered all of the inner workings of TikTok and its great algorithmic machine, let’s move on to the business side – i.e. making money. 

Notably, there isn’t just one way to make money off of TikTok. Earnings also vary wildly, as TikTok pays creators through multiple channels, based on which program they’re in, where a target audience is located, and what kind of content is being posted.

That said, let’s explore the various channels and programs through which TikTok pays its creators.

1. TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program

TikTok replaced the old Creator Fund, which paid between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 views, with the Creator Rewards Program, which pays $0.40 to $1.00 per 1,000 views. That’s $400 to $1,000 per million views — 10 to 25 times more than the old fund.

Additionally, high-retention, niche content can push earnings even higher. Some creators report earning up to $6 per 1,000 views.

Another thing to take into consideration is geography. Views from the US and UK pay more than views from developing countries because advertisers spend more to reach those audiences. If a million views come primarily from India or Southeast Asia, naturally, creators should expect lower payouts.

To be eligible for the Creator Rewards Program, creators need to have at least 10,000 followers, 100,000 views in the last 30 days, and videos longer than one minute. Users also need a business or creator account to be eligible, and must be 18 or older. More so, only users in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain qualify right now.

2. TikTok Brand Deals

Beyond direct platform payouts, creators earn through brand deals. This is sort of why or sometimes how many people become “influencers” on social media.

Influencer Tier	Follower Count	Estimated Earnings Per Post
Nano influencers	1k–10k followers	$50–$250 per post
Micro influencers	10k–100k followers	$200–$1,000 per post
Mid-tier influencers	100k–500k followers	$500–$5,000 per post
Macro influencers	500k–1M followers	$1,250–$10,000 per post
Mega influencers	1M+ followers	$10,000+ per post

TikTok influencers with 10,000 to 500,000 followers can make anything from hundreds to thousands per post, and the pricing increases when it comes to niches.

3. TikTok Live

Another revenue stream that is TikTok LIVE, where viewers send virtual gifts during live streams, and creators convert those gifts into cash. The currency for cashing out, diamonds, pay about $0.05 each. 

Top live streamers like Spencer Pratt reportedly make $20,000 per show.

4. TikTok Shops

TikTok creators can also promote products directly in their videos and TikTok Shop lets creators earn commissions, with affiliate rates ranging from 5% to 20%. A creator promoting a $50 item with a 15% commission earns $7.50 per sale, which isn’t bad. If 1,000 people buy the product, that’s $7,500, which is way more than any ad revenue from 1 million views.

5. TikTok Subscriptions

In the US and Canada, TikTok gives creators up to 90% of subscription revenue. If 100 people subscribe at $5 per month, that’s $450 monthly income. YouTube takes 30% while TikTok takes 10%. That’s a huge incentive for creators to build paying communities.

Nonetheless, the reality is that most creators don’t rely on TikTok’s direct payouts. They usually opt for brand deals, affiliate marketing, and cross-platform income (YouTube, Instagram, merchandise) to make the bulk of earnings. To many of them, TikTok is the funnel, or the place to build an audience. The real money happens elsewhere.

How to Reset Your TikTok Algorithm (For Non-Creators)

First things first, TikTok’s algorithm is the reason users can’t stop scrolling. It’s one of the most sophisticated recommendation systems ever developed. It decides which videos land on a user’s For You Page, and it’s good.

However, if for whatever reason the For You Page feels stale or off, users can easily just reset it.

Go to Settings, tap Content Preferences, then select Refresh Your For You Page. 

This wipes a user’s recommendation history, giving the feed on a user account’s home page a fresh start on TikTok. It’s irreversible, so users are encouraged to only do it if they genuinely want to rebuild their feed from scratch. 

Notably, resetting the feed doesn’t delete a user’s account or the content they’ve posted — it just clears the algorithm’s preferences memory. After a reset, TikTok will show a mix of popular content to gauge what users engage with, to rebuild a steady feed of content that individual users actually like. Over the next few days, the TikTok algorithm will start narrowing the feed based on new interactions, likes and preferences.

TikTok Trends 2026: Future Predictions & What’s Next

Everything said, it doesn’t seem like TikTok is not slowing down any time soon. Projections from multiple analytics firms estimate the platform will reach 1.9 to 2.25 billion users by 2026. That puts it on track to overtake Instagram’s current user base within the next couple of years.

Latin America is driving the fastest growth, at 34% year-over-year increase in users, fueled by rising smartphone adoption and affordable mobile data. Brazil and Mexico lead the charge, with millions of new users joining monthly. Southeast Asia remains a stronghold, but growth rates are stabilizing as market saturation hits.

Ad revenue is also climbing. TikTok pulled in $23.6 billion in 2024, with projections of $34.8 billion by 2026. US projections alone stand at $9.5 billion in ad revenue in 2025, making it TikTok’s most lucrative market.

As of yet, the ownership change hasn’t slowed things down for TikTok. Oracle now manages US user data, and the deal brought regulatory clarity. Advertisers who paused campaigns during the ban scare are back, and spending is up. Brands that hesitated before are now committing long-term budgets, with the new deal.

The fact is that things are changing in the world of social media. Especially as TikTok is creating new channels for advertising, monetization and commerce, as well as social networking.

TikTok Shop on the Rise

TikTok Shops is reshaping e-commerce. In December 2023 alone, TikTok Shop generated $349 million in revenue, according to Forbes.. That number is expected to multiply in 2025 as more creators and brands integrate shopping features into videos. 

As of 2025, TikTok Shops hosts more than 15 million merchants worldwide, spanning over 70 million listed products across 750+ categories.

Live stream shopping, a massive trend in China, is gaining traction in the US. Creators can tag products, sell during live streams, and earn commissions instantly.

TikTok Videos are Better and Longer

On the creator side, video format is evolving and TikTok extended video length to 3 minutes in 2021 and 10 minutes in 2022. Additionally, signs point to the notion that longer content gains more traction, as TikTok experiments with 60-minute videos.

The algorithm now rewards watch time over view count, so creators posting 3–5 minute videos can earn more than those sticking to 15-second clips. Educational content, storytelling, and mini-documentaries are thriving.

TikTok Augmented Reality Tools

TikTok is also investing heavily in Augmented reality (AR) tools, allowing creators to build immersive experiences. It is called Effect House, and was launched publicly in February 2022.

If anything, we expect more interactive effects, virtual try-ons for fashion and beauty products, and gamified content in 2026 and beyond.

TikTok is a Search Engine

Like Artificial Intelligence (AI) treading on Search Engine turf, TikTok now functions as a search engine for Gen Z. Nearly 40% of young people search TikTok before Google when looking for restaurant recommendations, product reviews, or how-to guides. 

TikTok is optimizing for search functionalities by improving keyword matching and SEO features. Creators who write keyword-rich captions and use relevant hashtags will get more traffic from search in 2026.

AI Content on TikTok

On the other hand, AI-generated content is still a wildcard on TikTok. TikTok’s systems can already detect AI-generated videos, but enforcement is inconsistent as to what passes through the gates and what doesn’t. Some AI content goes viral, while other posts get flagged and are suppressed. 

It is likely that TikTok will refine its policies to keep up with the growth in generative AI, as it improves, much like Google did with its policies pertaining to AI content. YouTube labels synthetic media, so it isn’t farfetched to think that TikTok may start labeling AI-generated content too.

TikTok Kicking it with the Big Leagues

Market-wise, competition is heating up. Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat Spotlight are all fighting for short-form video dominance. YouTube Shorts hit 70 billion daily views in 2024, and Instagram Reels is pushing hard with monetization features.

The New Era of TikTok in 2026

Another wildcard that is hard to predict in 2026 is regulation. The US deal brought a level of stability, but other countries are watching closely and things may change faster than one would expect.

The EU has strict data privacy rules, and TikTok must comply or face fines, and India still hasn’t lifted its ban yet. How TikTok will navigate global regulations may shape its growth trajectory even as new markets open up.

To keep up with the competition, TikTok is testing new ways for creators to earn, including tipping features, paid exclusive content, and enhanced affiliate marketing tools. 

The goal is to keep top creators on the platform instead of losing them to YouTube or Patreon. The bottom line is that more monetization options mean more creators can go full-time, which means more content and better engagement.

If anything, TikTok statistics in 2025 show the TikTok creator economy is maturing. In 2020, most creators were hobbyists, to say the least. But by 2025, full-time TikTok creators are building businesses, hiring editors, forming content teams, and launching product lines. 

Key Takeaways from TikTok Statistics 2025

TikTok Monthly Active Users and Growth

• TikTok has an estimated 1.67 billion monthly active users globally, projected to reach 1.9 billion by 2029
• Daily active users: 875–954 million with a 55–60% conversion rate (higher than typical 40–50%)
• US leads with ~135 million users, followed by Indonesia and Brazil

TikTok Demographics Summary

• 18–24 age group: 33–35% (~525–557M users)
• 25–34 age group: 33–34% (~525M users)
• Under 18: Only 18% (~286M) but drive trends
• 35–44 growing to 13.5%, up from 12.6% in 2024
• 45+ accounts for 6–10% and growing
• Gender split: 55.7% male globally, but 54.4% female in US
• Men 25–34 are the largest demographic slice at 20.7%

TikTok User Behavior

• Average daily usage: 95 minutes, opening app ~20 times/day
• Gen Z (up to 26): 2.53 hours/day
• US teens: 57% visit TikTok daily vs 70% for YouTube
• Southeast Asia leads in usage time globally

TikTok Algorithm Essentials

• Three main signals: user interactions, video information, device settings
• Follower count doesn’t matter; new accounts can go viral instantly
• Watch time matters more than likes
• First 3 seconds are critical
• Original content favored over reposts (2025 update)
• Maximum 5 hashtags (as of August 2025)

TikTok Monetization Recap

• Creator Rewards Program: $400–1,000 per million views (up from $20–40 with old Creator Fund)
• Requirements: 10,000 followers, 100,000 views in 30 days, 1-minute+ videos
• Brand deals: Influencers with 10K-500K followers earn hundreds to thousands per post
• TikTok Live gifting can generate $20,000+ per show for top streamers
• TikTok Shop commissions: 5-20% on product sales
• Most creators rely on cross-platform monetization, not TikTok direct payouts alone

Best Practices on TikTok

• Best posting times: Sunday 8 PM, Tuesday 4 PM, Wednesday 5 PM (highest engagement)
• Consistency beats timing; post 3-4 times/week minimum
• Hook viewers in first 3 seconds
• Use 3–5 relevant hashtags (mix broad + niche)
• Pair trending sounds with relevant hashtags within 48–72 hours
• Videos longer than 1 minute earn more in Creator Rewards

2026 TikTok Trends Forecast

• TikTok Shop revenue expected to multiply (generated $349M in Dec 2023 alone)
• Video lengths extending (now up to 60 minutes in testing)
• TikTok functions as search engine for Gen Z (40% search TikTok before Google)
• Ad revenue projected to reach $34.8B by 2026
• Latin America fastest growth at 34% year-over-year

Conclusion

This marks the end of our deep-dive into TikTok statistics. We’ve tried to compile as much relevant and up-to-date factual information on the state of TikTok as we enter 2026. An undeniable fact is that TikTok isn’t going anywhere. The platform survived a ban, looking at an imminent shift of ownership in the US, and is still growing. TikTok’s momentum is not likely to dissipate any time soon. Whether it hits 2 billion users in 2026 or takes until 2027, the trajectory is clear, it is one-way, and that is up.

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