TikTok became popular worldwide mainly around 2019 and 2020. The merger with Musical.ly in 2018 laid the foundation for its international growth. During the coronavirus pandemic, the app became much more visible. So there is no fixed day when TikTok broke through: the app’s launch is different from the moment when you started seeing it everywhere.
Below, you can read how that growth unfolded and what can be said about the Netherlands and Belgium.
When did TikTok become popular worldwide?
The worldwide breakthrough happened in phases. This timeline shows how the 2018 merger, the growth around 2019 and 2020, and the milestone in 2021 followed one another.
| Period | What happened? |
|---|---|
| 2018 | TikTok and Musical.ly merge. This is an important turning point. |
| 2019 and 2020 | TikTok breaks through widely. The coronavirus pandemic may have accelerated that growth. |
| 2021 | TikTok reports a milestone showing how large the app has become worldwide. |
On 27 September 2021, TikTok reported in the announcement of the billion user milestone that more than 1 billion people used the app each month.
That figure concerns people worldwide during that period. It does not mean they all watched daily, posted videos themselves or were active at the same time. Nor is it a current user count.
What role did Musical.ly play in TikTok’s breakthrough?
Musical.ly played an important role in TikTok’s growth. On 2 August 2018, TikTok reported in the announcement of the merger with Musical.ly that both apps would continue under the name TikTok.
That is why 2018 is a turning point, but not the date when TikTok became popular. The merger has a fixed date. Awareness grows step by step, and not in every country or group of friends at the same time.
Would you like to know more about that transition? Then read when Musical.ly became TikTok.
When did TikTok become popular in the Netherlands?
For the Netherlands, no exact breakthrough year can be identified without Dutch usage figures covering several years. The worldwide growth around 2019 and 2020 provides context, but does not show when TikTok became widely known in the Netherlands.
It also matters what you mean by popular. Are you looking at young people who used the app, all users or how many people knew the name? Those moments do not necessarily coincide.
Suppose you discovered TikTok through friends during the first lockdown. Then 2020 feels like the beginning to you. That tells you when you became familiar with the app, not when the first people in the Netherlands used it.
When did TikTok become popular in Belgium?
For Belgium too, stating one exact year would be too definite. Determining the Belgian breakthrough requires Belgian usage figures. The worldwide timeline or Dutch figures do not provide a precise answer.
When looking at figures, pay attention to who was counted. For example, a study among Flemish teenagers does not tell you how many people in Belgium as a whole use TikTok. The number of downloads is also different from the number of people who continue using the app.
Do you need a date for a presentation or school assignment? Use the international timeline and state that it concerns the world. So do not call a worldwide milestone a Belgian milestone.
Why did TikTok become so popular during the coronavirus pandemic?
The coronavirus pandemic may have accelerated TikTok’s growth. The app did not only begin then: the foundation for its international growth was already in place before the lockdowns.
One possible explanation is that short videos suited the amount of time many people spent at home. You could watch a video, forward it or create your own version. For example, think of a dance in the living room or a short video about exercising at home.
These characteristics help explain why such videos can spread easily:
- Quick to watch: you can watch a video in between other activities.
- Immediately recognisable: an everyday situation needs little explanation.
- Join in yourself: you can use an idea for your own version.
These are possible explanations. They do not show exactly how much growth the coronavirus pandemic caused. You can read more about the appeal in why TikTok is popular with users.
What does TikTok’s popularity say about your own videos?
A popular app does not automatically make your own account popular. The worldwide number of users does not say how many people will watch your next video.
Would you like to post something yourself? Choose one recognisable moment that you can show without a long explanation. For example, film yourself repotting a plant as an exercise and show the result at the end. Then ask someone whether they immediately understand what you are showing. This way, you work on a clear video without knowing in advance how many people will watch it.
When TikTok became big is a different question from why people like to keep watching. You can read more about the second question in what makes TikTok so popular.
