TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in Singapore over the last few years. After launching in 2016, TikTok quickly gained traction among Singaporean users, especially teenagers and young adults. By 2018, it had over 1 million users in Singapore. The app’s hallmarks – short-form videos, viral challenges, and highly shareable content – resonated with Singaporeans looking for entertaining, creative content.
TikTok benefited from strong growth in Singapore’s mobile internet access and smartphone ownership rates in the mid to late 2010s. As connectivity improved, adopting new mobile apps became much easier. TikTok capitalized on this by making its app lightweight and intuitive. The Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 onwards also acted as a accelerant, with lockdowns and restrictions leading to increased app downloads and screen time across multiple demographics.
Today, TikTok is firmly situated as one of Singapore’s top social media platforms, used daily by millions to create, share, and consume bite-sized, entertaining video content. This article will explore the key demographics and characteristics that comprise TikTok’s diverse user base in Singapore.
Age Demographics
According to Start.io, the largest demographic of TikTok users in Singapore falls within the 25-34 age group, making up 35.2% of users. The second largest group are those aged 18-24 at 33.5%. Together, these two groups make up over 68% of TikTok’s userbase in Singapore.
The 35-44 age group comprises 2% of users, while 45-54 makes up 0.7%. Those aged 55 and above only account for 0.4% of TikTok users in the country. This data indicates TikTok’s strong appeal among young adults and youth in their late teens to early 30s in Singapore. As per LinkedIn, the 25-34 demographic forms the biggest user segment on TikTok locally.
Sources:
https://www.start.io/audience/tiktok-users-in-singapore
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/understanding-tiktoks-user-demographics-e-commerce-singapore
Gender
According to a LinkedIn article, male users account for around 47% of TikTok’s user base in Singapore, while female users make up about 53%. So there is a relatively even split between male and female users on the platform in Singapore, with a slightly higher proportion of female users.
Income Levels
Research shows that TikTok users in Singapore span a wide range of income levels, from low to high income households. According to a 2023 report, the largest income bracket represented among TikTok users in the US was $100,000+ at 40.2% (SupplyGem, 2023).
In Singapore specifically, most TikTok users seem to fall in the middle to higher income brackets. Data from Glassdoor shows the average hourly pay for TikTok employees in Singapore ranges from $27/hr for a Content Moderator to $123/hr for a Technical Program Manager (Glassdoor, 2023). This suggests the platform attracts a workforce with above average earning potential.
While TikTok likely has users across all income spectra, the data indicates a skew towards middle to high income brackets, especially for the young professional demographic that makes up a large portion of its users.
Education Levels
Research shows that the majority of TikTok users in Singapore have at least some college education. According to Statista, in 2022 over 60% of TikTok users in Singapore had at least some college education. Only around 11% had only a high school degree or less. The largest share of users (37.6%) had a bachelor’s degree.
This indicates that while TikTok has users across education levels, it skews towards those with higher education like college and university degrees. The creative and informative content on TikTok likely resonates with the more educated users in Singapore.
Geographic Distribution
In Singapore, TikTok usage is concentrated in urban areas compared to rural areas. According to Age distribution of Tiktok app users in Singapore 2022, the majority of users are located in the main urban centers like Singapore City, Jurong East, and Pasir Ris. This correlates with population density, as over 90% of Singapore’s population lives in urban housing. Rural areas tend to have lower TikTok usage due to less access to high-speed mobile internet. There is also a correlation between income and TikTok usage, as rural areas generally have lower average incomes. TikTok’s content and features seem to resonate more with urban millennials and Gen Z users.
Occupations
TikTok users in Singapore come from a diverse range of occupational backgrounds. Some of the most common jobs and occupations among TikTok users include:
Students – With TikTok’s popularity among teenagers and young adults, students make up a large percentage of users. TikTok serves as an entertaining study break and creative outlet for many students.
Office workers – TikTok has become a popular platform to find humor and entertainment during work breaks. Professionals across various office jobs browse TikTok for fun videos.
Service industry workers – Those working in food service, retail, hospitality, and other service jobs represent a significant share of TikTok users. TikTok provides entertainment during downtime at work.
Creative professionals – Many creators, influencers, designers, artists, and other creative professionals leverage TikTok to showcase their talents, build their personal brands, and reach new audiences.
Unemployed – TikTok serves as a creative outlet and potential source of income for unemployed users through monetization programs like the Creator Fund.
According to TikTok Careers (https://careers.tiktok.com/), the company also hires for positions in engineering, sales, marketing, operations, and more.
Interests
Based on content engagement data, some of the top interests of TikTok users in Singapore include:
Food and Cooking – Singaporeans love food videos and many top creators focus on food recipes, cooking tips, and restaurant recommendations. Food is a universal interest that connects people.
Comedy and Entertainment – Funny videos, jokes, skits, and relatable content perform very well. TikTok is seen as an entertaining escape from daily life.
Music and Dance – Lip syncing, dancing to trending songs, and showing off music skills are popular activities. Music is a big part of TikTok’s identity.
Fashion and Beauty – Outfit ideas, styling tips, makeup tutorials, and beauty product reviews attract big engagement. Users enjoy expressing themselves through fashion.
Travel – Singaporeans share their experiences visiting local attractions or overseas destinations. Travel content allows living vicariously.
According to a recent TikTok report, the most popular content categories in Singapore are food, comedy, dance, beauty, and music.
Motivations for Use
Singaporeans are drawn to TikTok for a variety of reasons. The top motivations include entertainment, self-expression and socializing. TikTok’s fun and entertaining short videos keep users engaged for hours. The platform’s tools allow users to showcase their talents or personalities through singing, dancing, comedy and more. TikTok provides a creative outlet for self-expression, especially among younger users. Users can also easily connect with friends, family and relate to strangers worldwide. Some even achieve TikTok fame. The app’s addictive scrolling makes it easy to pass time and beat boredom. As TikTok influencer culture grows locally, many are motivated by hopes of gaining a following, collaborations and sponsorships.
According to one source, “TikTok is an outlet for them to destress through light-hearted content” (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/understanding-tiktoks-user-demographics-e-commerce-singapore). Young Singaporeans especially appreciate having a platform for creative expression and connecting with peers. Overall, TikTok’s fun and social nature makes it an ideal escape from daily stresses.
Conclusion
The majority of TikTok users in Singapore are young people under the age of 25. While TikTok has users across all income levels, gender identities, education backgrounds, and occupations, the most engaged users tend to be students and young professionals. TikTok has substantial penetration across the country, with users in all major cities and geographic regions.
The biggest motivations for Singaporeans to use TikTok are entertainment, creativity, self-expression, and connecting with others. TikTok serves as both a creative outlet and a social platform for most users. While some use it to share their talents or make an income, most are on the app for fun, laughs, and community.
The key takeaways are that TikTok in Singapore has a youthful user base seeking entertainment, social interaction, and creative opportunities. While widely popular across demographics, the platform resonates most strongly with young people under 25 throughout the country.
