TikTok is a wild ride these days, and things can change fast — but you can always count on data will guide your way through the chaos.
Here are 35 TikTok stats marketers need to know to build a social marketing strategy that works in 2025.
Key trends
- Growing reach: While TikTok’s core audience still skews young (69.1% aged 18-34), its U.S. user base now spans all age groups, with notable adoption among adults aged 50-64 (26%).
- Content consumption over creation: 48% of U.S. TikTok accounts have never posted a video, only using TikTok as a hub for consuming content. Users are there to be entertained, discover new products, and even find news (52% of users regularly get news from the app!).
- High impact on purchase decisions: TikTok isn’t just for brand awareness. 45.5% of U.S. users are expected to make a purchase on the platform in 2025, which is the highest percentage among all social platforms. Product discovery, reviews, and authentic brand personalities drive this behavior, solidifying TikTok’s e-commerce influence.
General TikTok stats
1. TikTok has 1.582 billion monthly active users
For now, it still lags well behind Facebook and Instagram, which have 3.065 billion and 2.0 billion MAUs, respectively. But Statista forecasts the number of TikTok users will reach 2.35 billion by 2029.
2. The TikTok app was downloaded 186.26 million times in Q4 2024
That’s the combined total for iOS and Android. It’s the lowest number of quarterly TikTok downloads since Q4 2021, when the app was downloaded 161.65 million times.
3. TikTok was the fifth-most downloaded app (free) in the Apple App Store in 2024
It maintained its #5 position from 2023. Threads was the only social app with more downloads, coming in at #3. For context, Instagram was #9 and Facebook was #14.
TikTok benchmarks for marketers
4. The average engagement rate for brands on TikTok is 2.2%
This is based on Hootsuite’s original research with Critical Truth in Q4 2024. Note, though, that the rate varies significantly by industry. For example, it is:
- 0.6% for Dining, hospitality, and tourism
- 2.2% for Media and entertainment
5. The average brand posts 12.4 times per week on TikTok
Again, this comes from Hootsuite research with Critical Truth in Q4 2024. This is down from 17.4 posts per week in Q3. This is about the same amount that brands post on Facebook, significantly more than they post on Instagram and LinkedIn, and significantly less than they post on X.
6. The optimal posting TikTok frequency for brands is 3-5 posts per week
It seems brands may be posting more short-form video than they need to. Hootsuite’s research with Critical Truth found that the optimal posting frequency is significantly less than what brands are currently doing.
TikTok audience demographic stats
7. 16% of TikTok’s global audience are women aged 18-24
A further 15% of the user base are women in the 25 to 34 age group.
8. Young male users make up 19% of TikTok’s audience
On the flip side, approximately 19% of TikTok users are males aged 18-24. A further 19.1% of users are men aged 25 to 34. Combined, the last two stats mean that 69.1% of the platform’s audience is aged 18 to 34.
9. In 3 countries, TikTok user numbers add up to more than 100% of the adult population
Those countries are Saudi Arabia (133.7%), United Arab Emirates (118.5%), and Malaysia (108.7%). TikTok reaches more than 90% of the population in Vietnam (94.5%) and Thailand (91.5%), and more than 80% in Chile (88.7%), Mexico (87.7%), and Indonesia (82.5%).
TikTok’s Chinese version, Douyin, reaches 78.4% of internet users in China.
In the United States, TikTok reaches 120.5 million people, or 50.6% of the adult population.
10. 59% of U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 use TikTok
As do 40% of those aged 30 to 49. And lest you think TikTok is only a popular social media platform among young folks, consider that 26% of Americans aged 50 to 64 use the platform, along with 10% of those over 65.
11. 26% of U.S. men use TikTok, compared to 39% of U.S. women
This means that the U.S. differs from the global market. Globally, 54.8% of users are men and 45.2% are women.
12. The largest income group of U.S. TikTok users makes $30K to $69.9K a year
39% of that income group uses the platform, compared to 37% of those who make under $30K, 36% of those who make $70-$99.9K, and 26% of those who make $100K+.
13. In the U.S., TikTok is more popular among people without a college degree
26% of college graduates use the platform, compared to 37% of those without a degree.
TikTok usage statistics
14. United States adults spend an average 78.4 minutes per day on TikTok
That’s the highest among social media platforms. YouTube comes in next at 75.8 minutes.
15. U.S. moms spend a combined 10,454,000 minutes per month on TikTok
That’s more than 174,000 hours. The only platform where American moms spend more time is Facebook/Messenger.
Source: eMarketer
16. 58% of U.S. teens use TikTok daily
And 17% say they use the platform “almost constantly.” Only YouTube has higher usage rates among teens. Snapchat comes in third.
Source: Pew Research Center
17. The most popular hashtag is #fyp
This TikTok hashtag referring to the For You Page had 55.4 trillion views as of January 2024.
18. Tutorials are the most popular type of content on TikTok
An Adobe study found that 62% of users prefer them. This is followed by product or service reviews at 39%, and personal stories at 38%.
19. 40% of Americans have used TikTok as a search engine
That percentage rises to 64% among Gen Z. In fact, 10% of Gen Z says they are more likely to use TikTok than Google to search.
20. 48% of U.S. TikTok accounts have never posted a video
And only 40% of users have posted TikTok videos that are publicly visible. Further, 70% of U.S. TikTok users have no bio information in their profile at all. They’re there to consume content, not create it.
21. 95% of U.S. TikTok users say they use the app because it’s entertaining
Yes, that’s almost all of them. It’s the highest percentage for any of the social media apps.
Source: Pew Research Center
22. 17% of American adults regularly get news from TikTok
Of course, TikTok is not just for entertainment, it’s also becoming a source of news for many users. 17% of all American adults regularly get news on the platform, rising to 39% of adults under 30. And 52% of all TikTok users say they regularly get news on the app, up from 43% in 2023.
Source: Pew Research Center
23. 45% of Gen Z TikTok users have shared a video with friends in the last month
That’s up from 37% in 2020. Brands that create content designed to spark conversation may benefit from this extended reach.
24. 76% of TikTok users enjoy a mix of images and video content
You don’t need to post a video every single time. Mix things up by testing images and carousels to see how they perform with your target audience.
TikTok advertising stats
25. 52% of consumers who buy after seeing TikTok ads were only exposed to the ad on TikTok
That means they did not see the product advertised in any other online video, online audio, paid search, or other social networks. There’s often a lot of overlap among social media audiences, but this indicates advertisers can find customers on TikTok that they may be missing elsewhere.
26. TikTok is expected to have the highest increase in CPM among social platforms in Q1 2025 at 15.6%
However, the actual cost will still be lower than on Meta platforms. eMarkter predicts TikTok’s CPM to increase to $7.03 in Q1 2025, compared to $12.53 for Meta.
Source: eMarketer
TikTok for business statistics
27. There are more than 7 million businesses on TikTok
It’s clear that brands want to be part of the TikTok community. Check out our tips from successful TikTok creators to help your brand stand out from the crowd.
28. 81% of TikTok users say the platform introduced them to something they didn’t know they liked
You already saw that TikTok is often used as a search engine. But this stat highlights the other side of brand discovery – people are introduced to whole new areas they would never even have thought to search for. For brands, that means it’s critical to understand the communities on TikTok that would be a good fit for your content, rather than only serving your existing audience.
29. The best time to post on TikTok is 12-2 p.m. Monday or 11:30 p.m. Saturday – 12:30 a.m. Sunday
This comes from Hootsuite’s original research with Critical Truth in December 2024.
30. TikTok ranks 4th for marketer ROI confidence
63% of marketers who use social listening are confident in their TikTok ROI, compared with 52% of those who don’t have a social listening plan in place. That puts TikTok behind LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook for both groups.
Source: Hootsuite Social Trends Report 2025
31. 40% of TikTok users say showcasing personality makes a brand more relevant
This is not the platform to share boilerplate corporate content. Get creative and connect with the community. Put some thought into your brand voice – it might be different here than on other platforms.
32. 68% of TikTok users say brands should learn from comments to understand their audience
Honestly, we’re surprised this number isn’t 100%. Almost every comment provides some insights about your audience, what they want on the platform, and how they expect to engage with your brand.
33. 62% of U.S. TikTok users use the app to look at product reviews or recommendations
That’s far more than the other social platforms. Only 44% of Instagram users, 37% of Facebook users, and 29% of X users said they use those platforms for product discovery.
34. 74% of U.S. women ages 18 to 49 use the platform for product discovery
That’s the largest TikTok audience group using the platform to look for reviews and recommendations. Men in general use the platform less for this purpose, as do users aged 50+.
Source: Pew Research Center
35. 45.5% of U.S. TikTok users are expected to make a purchase on the platform in 2025
That’s the highest percentage among all social platforms. Facebook comes in second at 38.5%
2024 marked the first time that TikTok surpassed all other platforms for ecommerce.
Source: eMarketer
How to use TikTok stats to inform your strategy
These TikTok statistics are more than just trivia. From conquering the algorithm to understanding how to work with influencers, there’s plenty here to guide your TikTok marketing strategy in 2025.
1. Compare the user statistics to your target audience
TikTok is kind of middle-of-the-pack when it comes to marketers’ ROI confidence. That may be because marketers are thinking too narrowly about typical TikTok users.
Sure, the majority of users are Gen Z or young millennials. But a significant segment of U.S. adults up to age 64 also use the app, and even 10% of U.S. senior citizens. If you exclusively market to seniors, this may not be the best app for you, but you don’t need to be a purely youthful brand to find connection here.
2. Go for entertainment value
The stats make it clear. TikTok users expect the app to be entertaining. Many of them have never posted any content, but they’re happy to share videos they enjoy with friends.
If you’re having a hard time finding a brand voice that works in this environment, it may be worth partnering with TikTok influencers who already have an established community that’s relevant to your brand.
3. Review your posting strategy
The TikTok stats reveal that brands may be posting more than they need to on the platform. Try experimenting with how much content you post every week to see if your engagement rate improves. Also be sure to switch up your content formats, as the stats show TikTok users enjoy a mix of photos and video.
Grow your TikTok presence alongside your other social channels using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts for the best times, engage your audience, and measure performance — all from one easy-to-use dashboard. Try it free today.
