TikTok Hit 488.2 Million Downloads in H1, the Second Largest Number in the App’s History

Published October 15, 2024

Even eight years after its launch, TikTok’s popularity hasn’t faded a bit, with the video-sharing platform seeing impressive downloads quarter after quarter. According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, TikTok hit 488.2 million downloads in the first half of the year, the second-largest number in the app’s history.

The Second Largest H1 Downloads After 2020

Unlike many Chinese apps that failed to succeed outside China, TikTok snowballed into one of the world’s most popular apps, with more than 1.6 billion users across the globe. The app managed to push itself into the overseas market by acquiring Musical.ly in 2017, adding 80 million users to TikTok’s platform, mostly Americans.

Although TikTok’s success has been occasionally interrupted by data privacy controversies and even a potential ban in its second-largest market, the United States, the number of TikTok downloads continues rising. Statista and AppMagic data shows that the video-sharing app hit 488.2 million downloads in the first half of 2024, 2.2 million more than in the same period a year ago. Moreover, this represents the second-largest H1 figure after 2020, which is still a record year for TikTok downloads.

Between January and June 2020, TikTok was downloaded 605.4 million times worldwide. In H1 2021, downloads dropped by a massive 37% to 381 million, but quickly recovered and continued rising ever since. Statistics show that the first half of 2022 and 2023 brought 415.2 million and 488.2 million downloads, respectively.

According to AppMagic data, TikTok downloads continued rising over the past three months, helping the app to surpass 5.7 billion lifetime downloads globally across iOS and Android platforms. This huge milestone makes the video-sharing platform one of the most downloaded apps in the world, alongside social media giants Facebook and Instagram.

People Spend an Average of 31 Hours and 43 Minutes Using TikTok Per Month, Three Hours more than YouTube and Twice more than Facebook or Instagram

Besides seeing more and more downloads, TikTok usage time has also significantly increased. According to the latest DataReportal Digital Global Statshot Report, Android users had an average of 310 monthly TikTok sessions, spending 31 hours and 43 minutes watching video content on the platform, the highest number in the social media landscape. These figures are even more impressive when compared to those of other social media giants.

For instance, YouTube users spent an average of 28 hours and 41 minutes using the app each month, or three hours less than TikTok. Facebook and Instagram had much lower usage time. Statistics show Android users spend an average of 18 hours and 45 minutes monthly using the Facebook app.  Instagram followed with two hours less than that, or 16 hours and 56 minutes on average.

Jastra Kranjec

Jastra is an editor, writer, and PR specialist with years of experience in news, research, and report writing. Over the years, she has covered different topics and markets, including social media, digital content, the creator economy and the entertainment industry.