Chinese-owned social media app TikTok has become the most downloaded social media app in Pakistan in 2019, according to US-based market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
WhatsApp is the most downloaded non-gaming app in Pakistan so far this year with 18.1 million downloads, while TikTok is second on the list with 16.3 million downloads between January 1 and November 16.
The data compiled by Mobile Insights Strategist Craig Chapple, shows that TikTok has surpassed 1.5 billion downloads globally on the App Store and Google Play as it continues to be one of the world’s most popular apps.
Other top apps include, Messenger with 15.7 million downloads, followed by Facebook with just over 15 million installs while Instagram holds the fifth spot with 4.3 million downloads in the past eleven months.
Sensor Tower is the leading provider of market intelligence and insights for the global app economy.
It is worth noting that TikTok has been downloaded 25.5 million times in Pakistan since its launch, becoming one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the country.
| Apps | Downloads (Jan 1 to Nov 16, 2019) | Downloads (2018) |
| WhatsApp | 18.1 million | 18.01 million |
| TikTok | 16.3 million | 8.5 million |
| Messenger | 15.7 millon | 16.6 million |
| Facebook | 15.3 million | 15.9 million |
| Instagram | 4.3 million | 5.1 million |
TikTok was the fourth most downloaded non-gaming app in the world last year, hitting 655.8 million unique installs. In 2019, the app has accumulated 614 million downloads — 6 percent more than it had by the same point last year — and looks set to surpass 2018’s total.
It is currently the third most downloaded non-gaming app of the year, behind WhatsApp at No. 1 with 707.4 million installs and Messenger at No. 2 with 636.2 million. It sits above Facebook at No. 4 with 587 million downloads and Instagram at No. 5 with 376.2 million.
TikTok crossed the 1-billion downloads milestone in February 2019, taking just under nine months to generate a further 500 million installs. It took slightly more than seven months for the app to grow from 500 million to 1 billion global downloads.
Bytedance, the Chinese owner of the app, has clearly invested heavily in marketing and user acquisition for TikTok to expand its international growth, said Chapple.
"The TikTok format is ideal for making videos go viral, further powering its growth and status as a must-have social media app, both for creators interested in making their own content, and the more casual user looking for entertaining videos."
Other social media sites including Facebook are keeping a close eye on TikTok as it has forged its own niche in the market and offers something that other social media apps don't, becoming particularly popular with under-20s, he concluded.
Revenue on the rise
The report further showed that the lifetime user spend in TikTok has hit $175 million worldwide across the App Store and Google Play.
Chinese users, according to Sensor Tower, were the main driving force who have spent $84.5 million in the app, or 48.3 percent of all revenue. The US was No. 2 for revenue, accounting for $62.4 million, or 35.7 percent, while Great Britain was No. 3 with $6.9 million, or 3.9 percent.
To date in 2019, TikTok has generated $115.3 million from user spending, or 65.9 percent of total lifetime gross revenue. The increasing popularity of it can be measured by the rising revenue numbers as user spending in the app has increased every month in 2019 since February, peaking at $18.2 million in October.
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