As of February 2025, the United States was the region with the largest TikTok audience by far, with almost ****** million users engaging with the popular social video platform. Indonesia followed, with around ***** million TikTok users. Brazil came in third, with almost ***** million users on TikTok watching short-videos. From Reels to Shorts: social short video takes the internet Between 2021 and 2022 some of the most popular social media platforms have been adding short-video features on the heels of TikTok’s popularity. YouTube Shorts, which rolled out to the global market in June 2021, reached *** billion monthly active logged-in users in 2023. In comparison, Instagram’s short-video format Reels, which launched in August 2020, presented a higher view rate than regular videos on the platform between June 2021 and June 2022, as well as a higher likes rate than other content types on Instagram. TikTok business model TikTok is owned by the Beijing-based ByteDance, along with the short-video app Douyin (TikTok’s version for the Chinese market), video platform Xigua, and popular news app Toutiao. While the products intended for domestic market consumption operate in the Chinese digital ecosystem and have a plurality of established monetization methods such as a live-shopping events hosted by famous influencers, TikTok’s main revenue stream comes from online advertising. In 2022, TikTok was estimated to have generated around **** billion U.S. dollars worldwide via online advertising.

As of August 22, 2023, Yang Ge, also known as Crazy Xiaoyangge, was the most popular influencer on Douyin with *** million fans. Half Past Six of Chen Xiang, a family-style situation comedy directed by Chen Xiang took the second spot with ** million followers. The third place went to Ares Cheng and his wife Yan Zhen. Douyin and TikTok Douyin, literally meaning “shaking sounds” in Chinese, is the sister app of TikTok. Introduced by ByteDance in 2016, Douyin created a new digital phenomenon in the short videos space. In less than three years, the app had reached *** million daily active users in the Chinese market. After Douyin’s success, ByteDance acquired the lip-sync app Musical.ly in 2017. The move has strategically migrated Musical.ly’s large teenage user base in the United States and Europe to TikTok, bringing the latter to the top of global social media. Douyin influencers and e-commerce Douyin has also become an important platform for e-commerce and marketing. Li Jiaqi, who used to be the ***** most-followed influencer on Douyin, has been using the platform to promote various beauty products. The most successful Douyin livestreamers can generate over *** billion yuan of sales revenue in a month. Luxury brands like Dior and Coach have also launched their marketing campaigns on the short video app.

Bite-sized video format has taken social media usage to another level. Douyin, TikTok’s sister app, is the Chinese household name for short-form videos. In May 2025, the app had amassed *** million monthly active users in the country. Douyin’s supremacy Sophisticated algorithms, engaging features, a user-friendly interface, and a robust content ecosystem have given Douyin’s an edge in digital entertainment. Its closest local rival, Kuaishou – targeting app users from small towns and villages – only managed to secure *** million monthly active user mark in May 2025. Other contenders, such as Xigua Video and Douyin Huoshan, were far behind with less than 100 million users each. When it comes to monthly user time spent, Douyin and its speed version were leading the pack by at least ***** hours. More than a social media Such massive app usage makes the bite-sized video app an effective channel for e-commerce and brand marketing. By 2024, the most-used Chinese online shopping platform was set to expand its retail sales by ** percent. Countless brands are leveraging the platform for product promotion and consumer engagement. Automotive manufacturers **** and ***** , and high-end fashion houses ************ and ************* have created the most successful brand profiles on Douyin.

Douyin, the original Chinese version of TikTok developed by Bytedance, remained as the leader in China’s short-formed video scene. In May 2025, the app boasted to have *** million active users across the country. Its closest rival, Kuaishou experienced a modest rebound in active users, reaching *** million. Douyin’s popularity Since its debut in 2016, Douyin has stood out from the crowd with its comprehensive feature set, such as editing tools, filters, and effects, as well as its interactive social component. The platform's algorithm and AI technology have also been instrumental in personalizing content and surfacing viral content. Apart from Douyin, Bytedance also owned other beloved short video platforms Xigua Video and Huoshan Video. Kuaishou on the rise Launched in 2011, Kuaishou offers similar features as Douyin, but with an additional live streaming feature. The second most used short video app has become the favorite among rural users. Its gamification features, such as virtual gifts and rewards, have been particularly effective in driving user engagement and spending. In 2024, the company achieved a total revenue of ***** billion yuan.

TikTok is an online platform, originally launched in September 2016 in China, which promotes video sharing among social media users. According to the source, Twins Style were the leading TikTok creators in Poland as of April 2022, with 14.3 million followers on the platform. Polish content creators especially favor the trends and challenge video category offered by the app.

TikTok in Poland 

TikTok’s main function is to allow its users to create and share short mobile videos, which the majority of Poles discovered through their friends. In 2019, most Polish TikToks were recorded in the users’ homes. As for the usage frequency, the mobile app is mainly viewed from one to five times a day, with an average daily amount of time spent there exceeding one hour. Videos uploaded by popular TikTok creators was the most enjoyed platform content among the users from Poland.

The profile of a Polish TikTok user 

The video app is most popular among teenagers aged 18 to 24 years old. A typical Polish TikTok user spends their free time mostly online, with Fortnite and FIFA being their favorite games to play. When it comes to food and drink preferences, the app users are most keen on consuming Tymbark beverages and eating out at McDonald’s. In 2020, another application most likely to be found installed on a Polish TikToker’s mobile device was Instagram, as reported by 45.9 percent of the platform’s users.

Explore TikTok Shop Statistics for 2025, including the distribution of shops by category and region, GMV amounts, and total sales. Discover popular categories like Womenswear & Underwear and Beauty & Personal Care. Analyze regional adoption levels with Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam leading the way. Uncover the dominance of Beauty & Personal Care in GMV and sales. Experience the global presence and economic impact of TikTok Shops in eCommerce.

In May 2025, Tencent’s super app WeChat remained the most popular mobile app in China with around **** billion monthly active users (MAUs). Its older instant messaging sibling QQ climbed to second, with about *** million MAUs. Messaging, e-commerce, utility, and video streaming apps occupied the most spots in the top 20 list. What makes WeChat so attractive to users? WeChat is a multi-functional app beyond messaging and social networking. From mobile payment and taxi-hailing to making appointments and holiday planning, it provides almost everything to every mobile user in China. WeChat users are from various age groups from teenagers to old adults. In general, most WeChat users spent at least ** minutes per day on the app. In fact, many companies also use this "super app" to advertise their brands, and its business version Wecom to communicate internally. The promising future of short video apps The rise of short video entertainment is another important trend in the world’s second most populous country, especially in rural regions. ByteDance’s Douyin, which TikTok was cloned from, is one of the key players in the Chinese short video arena. Founded in 2016, Douyin had overtaken its imminent rival Kuaishou (Kwai) as China’s top short video app within 4 years. As the demand for rural life live streaming has been accelerating, industry experts expected that Chinese short form video market would continue to grow to reach a total revenue of *** billion yuan by 2024.

TikTok, the popular social media platform, has also expanded into the realm of eCommerce, allowing users to set up online stores. Among the various categories on TikTok, Womenswear & Underwear emerges as the most prominent, hosting the highest number of online shops. It captures 5.64% of the total TikTok store count. Following closely, Beauty & Personal Care and Home Supplies hold significant shares as well, accounting for 5.59% and 5.13%, respectively.

Analyzing the total sales figures provides insights into the performance of different categories within the TikTok eCommerce platform. Among them, Beauty & Personal Care emerges as the dominant force, contributing significantly to the total sales on TikTok Shops. With its appealing products and favorable market conditions, Beauty & Personal Care captures the attention of a substantial portion of users. Additionally, Womenswear & Underwear and Food & Beverages also make a notable impact on the platform's sales, accounting for 14.36% and 6.96% of the overall TikTok Shops sales landscape.

TikTok's Chinese version Douyin has become highly popular in China. Experts projected that Douyin's user base in the Chinese market would very likely surpass *** million by 2025. **** half of the internet users accessed their Douyin account via mobile devices.

The reach and influence of TikTok Shops extend beyond geographical boundaries, showcasing its global presence in the eCommerce market. Notably, Thailand emerges as an outstanding performer in terms of total sales on TikTok Shops, displaying the prosperity of its eCommerce ecosystem. Moreover, both Philippines and Malaysia contribute significantly to the platform's sales, collectively representing 25.22% and 15.67% of the total global sales on TikTok Shops. The impressive performance of these regions underscores their strong consumer base and their embrace of the exciting possibilities offered by TikTok Shops.

The Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) is an important metric that reflects the monetary value of transactions within the TikTok eCommerce platform. Analyzing the GMV amounts by category reveals that Beauty & Personal Care plays a dominant role, generating the highest GMV among all categories. It accounts for 22.50% of the total TikTok shop GMV. Following closely behind, Womenswear & Underwear and Menswear & Underwear exhibit significant GMV contributions as well, representing 12.56% and 8.06%, respectively.

The GMV generated by TikTok shops varies across different regions, reflecting the economic impact of the platform on a global scale. Among the regions we monitor, Thailand stands out as a leader in terms of GMV, indicating a prosperous TikTok eCommerce economy. Moreover, Vietnam and Malaysia demonstrate significant contributions to the total GMV, accounting for 20.79% and 14.68% of the global TikTok shop GMV, respectively. Beyond these regions, other notable areas such as Philippines, Indonesia and United States also make substantial GMV contributions.

Ralph Lauren emerged as the most successful luxury brand on the Chinese short video app Douyin. During the week from April 20 to 26, 2025, the American luxury fashion empire scored over 246,000 points on Douyin's brand index. Longines slipped to the second place with about 215,600 points, followed by Louis Vuitton and Tissot which were head-to-head. The former long-time winner, Dior has lost its luster but remain one of the top ten. The brand index evaluates the overall performance of luxury brands on Douyin, based on effective brand content, user reach, and user search volume. Luxury marketing in China Social marketing, particularly content marketing, referral links on videos, and affiliate marketing with live streamers, has become the center of luxury marketing in China. Many high-end brands have used social media to build loyalty and drive word of mouth. The most effective platforms to reach new and diverse customers were Weibo (Twitter of China), Xiaohongshu (Chinese equivalent of Instagram), and Douyin (TikTok’s sister). Short videos featuring major fashion shows were extremely popular on Douyin. To engage with Chinese high-end consumers, luxury ads need to be relatable, authentic, and accurate. Which luxury brands have stood out? Among the luxury labels in China, Louis Vuitton and Dior have achieved outstanding marketing impact. When it comes to online advertising budgeting, Prada, however, came in second after Louis Vuitton; Lancôme and Shiseido were leading the luxury perfumes and cosmetics segment, whereas Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany were the biggest spenders in the luxury jewelry segment.

In 2024, TikTok counted approximately 1.14 billion users worldwide, up by around 70 percent compared to 2022. Launched in 2017 as the international version of Chinese-developed social media Douyin, TikTok rose to popularity in 2020, reaching a peak of approximately 313.5 million downloads during the first quarter of the year. The popular social media platform is forecasted to reach approximately 1.9 billion users in 2029.

Many celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon to create an account on Douyin (aka TikTok) – the most popular short video app in China. Some of them have the power to influence millions of people with a single post. As of August 22, 2023, Andy Lau, an actor and singer from Hong Kong, is the most followed celebrity on Douyin. His account had amassed about ** million fans in China. The second place belonged to the Taiwanese singer and composer Will Liu with about **** million followers. What is Douyin? Launched by ByteDance in 2016 as a 15-second music video UGC app, Douyin is one of the pioneers in the “fast entertainment” industry. Within merely four years, the app managed to reach *** million daily active users. Behind Douyin’s success is its sophisticated AI-based algorithm, which is designed to learn user preferences so well as to constantly fine-tune which videos should appear on the feed to get users to stay in the app. Viral videos on Douyin can gain up to *** million views within ** hours. Douyin and influencer marketing Owing to its massive user base and traffic, the Chinese TikTok has become a new marketing battlefield sought after by many brands. The app offers display ads, buzz marketing, and live-streaming functions for companies to promote their products. Foreign cosmetics brands Olay, Guerlain, and Unny have also reached out to top-tier influencers on Douyin to boost their brand awareness.

ByteDance’s triumphant TikTok/ Douyin is one of the most successful Chinese brands that have made its name beyond borders. The short video brand enjoyed immense popularity around the world, surpassing Instagram and WhatsApp to be the most downloaded mobile app. In 2025, the brand value of TikTok/Douyin amounted to *** billion U.S. dollars. It was the second most valuable unicorn worldwide as of 2024 with a market cap of *** billion U.S. dollars. TikTok versus Douyin: the major differences After Douyin’s success in China, ByteDance launched TikTok in 2017— a separate, international version of Douyin. The video-sharing platforms, though quite similar in interface and functions, are two independent entities. Douyin and TikTok differ in accessibility (mainland China versus rest of the world), content results (China-based content versus international content), positioning (skills and lifestyle-tips-based versus more art-based), and functions (Douyin has more advanced live streaming and in-app purchase features). Who is using TikTok and Douyin? The duo possessed a large user base. In 2025, TikTok was estimated to have over *** million users while that of Douyin would exceed *** million in China. American and Southeast Asian countries were TikTok’s major markets. On average, the international version had a relatively older user composition than its Chinese sister app – a ***** of users aged below 34 years registered on TikTok versus **** of Douyin users were under 31 years. In some countries like the United States, TikTok has achieved a high penetration rate among young adults.

Many Chinese mobile users like sharing their daily life stories on Douyin, the local version of TikTok. In 2021, Beijing was the most-beloved Chinese city, winning about *** billion likes among the app users, up from *** billion likes in a year prior.

According to a survey on digital usage in China, around 91.8 percent of respondents had used WeChat as of the third quarter of 2023. The short video app Douyin, the social commerce site Xiaohongshu, and the Twitter-like site Weibo, were among the most popular social media platforms in China. How successful is WeChat in China? The country’s most popular messaging app, WeChat, boasts over one billion monthly active users. For many Chinese consumers, WeChat is part of daily life, helping them to organize tasks such as paying bills, ordering food delivery, and calling a taxi. On average, WeChat users spent about an hour and 20 minutes per day on the app. Large user base with high engagement The social media scene in China is huge and mobile-centric. In 2023, the social media penetration rate amounted to 74 percent in China, slightly higher than in countries like the United States and Japan. While the user number has shown signs of reaching a saturation point, Chinese consumers have been spending more time online, with a considerable daily usage of social media.

As of June 30, 2025, ByteDance's flagship product TikTok had amassed around **** billion global downloads since its release in 2016. The Chinese company owns *** apps that operate in ** countries across the world. TikTok’s unstoppable popularity TikTok currently enjoys almost *** billion global audiences, with a ***** living in Indonesia, the United States, Brazil, and Mexico. There was little effect with the TikTok bans from the European Union and a few other countries, barely slowing the short video app’s global expansion. The global mobile app download figures in March 2024 highlighted Facebook and Instagram as the only rivals against the Gen Z’s digital darling. ByteDance’s other gems CapCut, a video editor that complements TikTok, is ByteDance’s second beloved application. It was the only tool app that cracked the top ten most downloaded mobile apps in 2024. The app’s recent artificial intelligence capabilities have cemented its role in content creation among other leading AI tools. Other prominent apps from ByteDance are ******* (China's most popular news and information app), *********** (a video-sharing site), and ***** (a beauty camera and photo editor).