Thailand leads Asia in TikTok usage, ranks 2nd globally: report

Thailand has become the top country in Asia and the second globally for TikTok usage, according to a report from We Are Social.

The report shows that over 80% of Thai internet users engage with TikTok each month, far above the global average.

Southeast Asia now accounts for nearly 25% of TikTok’s global ad audience, giving the region the platform’s largest ad-viewer base.

Thailand also ranks ninth worldwide in ad reach on TikTok.

🔗 Source: The Nation

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Thailand’s social media evolution shows dramatic shift from Facebook stagnation to TikTok leadership

Thailand’s current TikTok dominance represents a notable pivot from just six years ago when traditional platforms were struggling to grow.

In 2018, Thailand had 49 million Facebook users but recorded only 4% year-on-year growth—the lowest on record at that time1. Meanwhile, newer visual platforms like Instagram grew 24% and Twitter expanded 33% during the same period1.

Today’s data showing eight out of ten Thai internet users actively engaging with TikTok monthly demonstrates how quickly consumer preferences can shift toward platforms offering short-form, entertainment-focused content.

This transition suggests Thai consumers moved away from Facebook’s longer-form social networking model toward TikTok’s algorithm-driven entertainment, aligning with the platform’s strength in humorous and viral content that the report identifies as particularly appealing to the region.

2️⃣ Social media saturation directly correlates with e-commerce leadership in Thailand

Thailand’s position as the world’s second-highest TikTok user base coincides with its global leadership in online shopping behavior.

Thai internet users lead the world in weekly online purchases, with 66.6% shopping online regularly2. This performance occurs alongside Southeast Asians using an average of 7.11 social media platforms compared to the global average of 6.833.

The connection becomes clearer when considering that influencer marketing now drives up to 21% of annual e-commerce sales across Southeast Asia4.

Thailand’s heavy TikTok usage, combined with the platform’s strength in brand discovery and its 80% user engagement rate with humorous content, creates an ideal environment for social commerce where entertainment transitions into purchasing decisions.