Tier 1 Countries — Highest Paying Markets
TikTok pays creators based on where their viewers are located, not where the creator lives. A creator based in the Philippines who attracts a predominantly US-based audience earns US-level RPM rates. Understanding this distinction is fundamental to maximizing your TikTok income.
Tier 1 countries represent the highest-value advertising markets in the world. These are economies where consumer purchasing power is high, digital advertising infrastructure is mature, and brands are willing to pay premium rates for attention. Here is what creators can expect per 1,000 views from audiences in each Tier 1 market.
United States: $1.00 - $2.00 RPM. The US remains the single highest-paying market on TikTok in 2026. American audiences generate the most revenue per view because the US digital advertising market is the largest globally. Finance, technology, and e-commerce niches can push above $2.00 RPM when audience demographics skew toward high-income viewers. Entertainment and comedy content typically lands closer to the $1.00 end of the range.
United Kingdom: $0.80 - $1.50 RPM. The UK is TikTok's second-highest paying market. British audiences are highly engaged with short-form content, and the UK advertising market has aggressively adopted TikTok as a media buy. Creators targeting London-based audiences in finance or fashion niches often see rates at the upper end of this range.
Canada: $0.70 - $1.30 RPM. Canadian RPM rates closely mirror the US market, though slightly lower due to the smaller total advertiser pool. The proximity to US culture means Canadian audiences consume much of the same content, and many Canadian creators find their audience is a mix of Canadian and American viewers.
Australia: $0.70 - $1.20 RPM. Australia punches above its population weight in RPM rates because of strong purchasing power and a well-developed digital ad market. The smaller creator base relative to audience size also means less competition for advertiser dollars. Time zone differences can make it harder to cross-pollinate with US audiences, which keeps many Australian creator audiences predominantly domestic.
Germany: $0.60 - $1.10 RPM. Germany leads the European Tier 1 markets outside the UK. The German advertising market is the largest in continental Europe, and TikTok adoption among German brands has grown steadily. German-language content tends to stay within the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), which concentrates the audience in high-value markets.
Other Tier 1 markets include France ($0.50 - $1.00), the Netherlands ($0.50 - $0.90), and the Nordic countries ($0.50 - $0.95). These markets share the common traits of high GDP per capita, mature advertising ecosystems, and strong brand spending on digital media.
Tier 2 Countries — Mid-Range Markets
Tier 2 countries represent large, growing markets where digital advertising is expanding but has not yet reached the per-user spending levels of Tier 1 economies. These markets often have massive user bases, which means huge view counts are achievable, but each view generates less revenue.
Brazil: $0.15 - $0.40 RPM. Brazil is TikTok's largest market in Latin America and one of the platform's fastest-growing user bases globally. The gap between Brazilian and US RPM rates is significant — a creator would need roughly 5-10x the views from Brazilian audiences to match the earnings from a US audience. However, Brazilian audiences are highly engaged and culturally enthusiastic about short-form video content, making it easier to accumulate large view counts.
Mexico: $0.10 - $0.30 RPM. Mexico follows a similar pattern to Brazil, with strong user growth but lower advertiser spending per impression. Spanish-language content has the advantage of reaching audiences across multiple Latin American markets simultaneously, which can partially offset the lower per-view rates through sheer volume.
Turkey: $0.10 - $0.25 RPM. Turkey has a large and active TikTok user base, but economic conditions and currency fluctuations keep RPM rates lower than Western European markets. Turkish-language content is largely limited to domestic distribution, which constrains the audience ceiling compared to English or Spanish-language content.
Other Tier 2 markets include Poland ($0.15 - $0.35), Saudi Arabia ($0.20 - $0.50), and Argentina ($0.08 - $0.20). These markets are worth watching as their advertising ecosystems continue to develop — RPM rates in Tier 2 countries have generally trended upward over the past two years.
Tier 3 Countries — Lower RPM Markets
Tier 3 markets are characterized by enormous user populations but significantly lower advertising spend per user. Creators in these regions face a volume-versus-value tradeoff: it is relatively easy to get millions of views, but each view generates minimal direct revenue through TikTok's monetization programs.
India: $0.02 - $0.10 RPM. India represents one of the world's largest short-form video audiences. After TikTok's return to the Indian market, the platform regained massive adoption. However, digital advertising CPM rates in India remain among the lowest globally due to the sheer scale of the user base relative to total advertiser spending. Indian creators who earn substantial income from TikTok typically rely on brand deals and affiliate marketing rather than platform payouts.
Indonesia: $0.03 - $0.08 RPM. Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest TikTok market. The combination of high mobile penetration and a young population drives enormous view counts, but advertiser spending per impression remains low. TikTok Shop has become an important supplemental income stream for Indonesian creators, often exceeding direct platform payments.
Philippines: $0.02 - $0.06 RPM. The Philippines has one of the most active TikTok user bases in the world relative to population size. Filipino creators are among the most prolific content producers on the platform. However, RPM rates reflect the country's lower advertising market, making it difficult to earn meaningful income from platform payouts alone.
Other Tier 3 markets include Vietnam ($0.02 - $0.07), Bangladesh ($0.01 - $0.04), and Egypt ($0.02 - $0.06). Creators in these markets should treat TikTok platform payouts as a baseline and build revenue through alternative channels.
Why Earnings Differ by Country
The gap between a $2.00 RPM in the United States and a $0.03 RPM in Indonesia is not arbitrary. Three structural factors drive these differences.
Advertiser demand and competition. TikTok monetizes through advertising, and the amount advertisers are willing to pay for impressions varies enormously by market. In the US, thousands of brands compete for audience attention through TikTok's ad platform, which drives up the cost per impression. In markets with fewer advertisers or lower ad budgets, there is less competition for impressions, and the resulting CPM rates are lower. This advertiser spending flows through to creator payouts.
Audience purchasing power. Advertisers pay more to reach audiences that have more money to spend. A TikTok user in the US or UK is, on average, a more valuable advertising target than a user in a lower-income economy because the probability of conversion to a purchase is higher and the average transaction value is larger. This is not a judgment on the value of different audiences — it is a reflection of how advertising economics work.
Market maturity and infrastructure. Tier 1 countries have well-established digital advertising markets with sophisticated targeting, measurement, and attribution tools. Brands in these markets understand TikTok's value proposition and allocate significant budgets accordingly. In newer or less developed advertising markets, brands are still experimenting with TikTok as an ad channel, which means smaller budgets and lower CPM rates. As these markets mature — and they are maturing rapidly — RPM rates will continue to climb.
Currency exchange rates also play a role. TikTok pays in USD or local currency equivalents, and creators in countries with weaker currencies may see additional variability in their effective earnings depending on exchange rate movements.
How to Target Higher-Paying Audiences
If your current audience is concentrated in lower-RPM markets and you want to increase your per-view earnings, these strategies can shift your audience composition toward higher-paying geographies.
Create content in English. English-language content has the widest reach into Tier 1 markets. Even if English is not your first language, the RPM differential between English-language and non-English content can be substantial enough to justify the effort. Creators who switch from local-language to English content routinely report 3-10x increases in per-view earnings.
Post during Tier 1 peak hours. TikTok's algorithm prioritizes distributing content to users who are currently active on the platform. Posting during US peak hours (7-9 AM, 12-3 PM, or 7-11 PM Eastern Time) increases the probability that your content reaches American viewers during its critical early distribution window. UK peak hours (12-2 PM, 6-9 PM GMT) serve a similar function for the European Tier 1 market.
Use culturally relevant references. Content that resonates with Tier 1 audiences — referencing shared cultural touchpoints, current events, or trends specific to those markets — will naturally attract and retain viewers from those geographies. Study what is trending on TikTok in the US and UK and adapt your content to participate in those conversations.
Optimize your profile for international appeal. Your bio, profile picture, and pinned videos create first impressions for new viewers. If you want to attract a global, English-speaking audience, ensure your profile communicates that clearly. A bio written in English with a clear value proposition tells viewers from Tier 1 markets that your content is made for them.
Collaborate with creators in target markets. Duets and stitches with creators who already have Tier 1 audiences can introduce your content to those viewers. When a US-based creator duets your video, their American followers see your content and may follow you if it resonates. This cross-pollination is one of the fastest ways to shift your audience geography.
The most effective approach combines multiple strategies simultaneously. A creator who posts English-language content during US peak hours while participating in trending conversations will see a compounding effect on their Tier 1 audience share. Track your audience geography through TikTok Analytics and measure how these adjustments shift your viewer distribution over time.