Knowing who watches your TikTok videos changes how you create content, when you post, and how you monetize. TikTok's built-in analytics dashboard provides demographic breakdowns by age, gender, and location for any account with at least 100 followers. Creators who study this data consistently make better content decisions — they match their tone to their audience's age group, schedule posts when their specific viewers are online, and pitch brand deals with concrete audience data.
This guide explains where to find your TikTok audience demographics, what each metric means, and how to use the data to grow your account and increase earnings.
Where to Find TikTok Audience Demographics
TikTok provides audience demographic data inside the app under Settings > Creator Tools > Analytics > Followers. You need a Creator or Business account (free to switch) and at least 100 followers to access this section.
The Followers analytics tab displays five key data points:
- Gender split — percentage of male, female, and other-identifying followers
- Age ranges — broken into brackets: 13-17, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55+
- Top territories — the countries where your followers are located, ranked by percentage
- Follower activity — a heatmap showing which days and hours your followers are most active
- Follower growth — net new followers per day over the past 7 or 28 days
One critical distinction: TikTok's demographic data reflects your followers, not your viewers. A video that goes viral will reach millions of non-followers whose demographics may differ significantly from your follower base. Video-level audience data is more limited — TikTok shows traffic sources and territories for individual videos but not age or gender breakdowns per video.
Third-party analytics tools like Pentos or Socialinsider can supplement TikTok's native data, but they primarily track public engagement metrics rather than private audience demographics. For a broader analytics framework, see the TikTok analytics guide.
Breaking Down Each Demographic Dimension
Understanding each demographic dimension helps you tailor content, posting schedule, and monetization approach to the people who actually watch your videos.
Age Distribution
TikTok's user base has matured significantly since 2020. The platform-wide age breakdown as of early 2026 looks approximately like this:
| Age Range | % of TikTok Users (Global) | % of TikTok Users (US) |
|---|---|---|
| 13-17 | 15% | 13% |
| 18-24 | 30% | 28% |
| 25-34 | 28% | 27% |
| 35-44 | 16% | 18% |
| 45-54 | 7% | 9% |
| 55+ | 4% | 5% |
Your account's age breakdown will differ from these platform averages based on your niche. Finance creators typically skew 25-44. Beauty creators skew 18-34. Parenting creators skew 28-45. Gaming creators skew youngest at 13-24.
Age data directly affects monetization. Brands pay premiums for the 25-34 age bracket because those users have the highest disposable income and purchasing intent. A creator with 100K followers aged 25-34 commands higher sponsorship rates than a creator with 100K followers aged 13-17, often by 2-3x per CPM.
Check how your audience age distribution compares to your niche average using the engagement rate by niche data. Engagement patterns differ by age group — younger audiences comment and share more, while older audiences tend to have higher watch-through rates.
Gender Distribution
TikTok's global user base splits roughly 54% female and 46% male, but niche-specific splits vary wildly. Fitness creators often see 60-70% male followers. Fashion and beauty creators may see 80-90% female followers. Comedy and entertainment creators tend to land closer to 50/50.
Gender data matters for two reasons:
Brand deal relevance. Sponsors target specific gender demographics. A skincare brand wants a female-skewing audience. A tool company wants male-skewing. Knowing your gender split lets you pitch brands that align with your actual audience, increasing your close rate on sponsorships.
Content calibration. Gender influences content preferences in measurable ways. Male-skewing audiences respond more to direct, results-oriented content. Female-skewing audiences engage more with narrative and community-building content. These are broad trends from engagement data across thousands of creator accounts — your mileage may vary, which is why testing content variables on your own audience matters.
Geographic Location
TikTok shows your top territories as a ranked list of countries. For US-based creators, TikTok does not break data down by state or city — only by country.
Location data affects three things:
Posting time optimization. If 60% of your audience is in the US and 25% is in the UK, you need to find posting windows that catch both time zones during active hours. A 12 PM EST post reaches US lunch browsers and UK evening viewers (5 PM GMT) simultaneously. Use the best posting times analysis to find your optimal window.
Content localization. A creator with 40% US and 30% UK audience should avoid region-specific references that alienate either group. A creator with 90% US audience can lean into US-specific cultural content without worrying about global reach.
Earnings potential. TikTok's Creator Fund and Creativity Program pay different rates based on viewer location. US views pay approximately $0.02-$0.05 per 1,000 views, while views from lower-CPM countries may pay $0.005-$0.01 per 1,000. A creator with 80% US traffic earns significantly more per view than one with 80% Southeast Asian traffic. Use the TikTok money calculator to estimate earnings based on your audience geography.
TikTok Audience Demographics Benchmarks by Niche
Comparing your audience demographics to niche benchmarks reveals whether your content attracts the audience you intend to reach — or whether there is a mismatch that needs fixing.
| Niche | Typical Age Skew | Typical Gender Split | Top Territories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance/Investing | 25-44 (55%+) | 65% male | US, UK, Canada |
| Beauty/Skincare | 18-34 (70%+) | 85% female | US, UK, Philippines |
| Fitness | 18-34 (65%+) | 60% male | US, UK, Australia |
| Cooking/Food | 25-44 (60%+) | 55% female | US, UK, India |
| Comedy/Entertainment | 18-24 (45%+) | 50/50 | US, UK, Brazil |
| Parenting | 25-44 (75%+) | 70% female | US, UK, Canada |
| Tech/Gadgets | 18-34 (60%+) | 70% male | US, India, UK |
| Education | 18-34 (55%+) | 52% female | US, India, UK |
If your actual demographics diverge sharply from your niche benchmarks, investigate why. A finance creator with a majority 13-17 audience may be creating content that appeals to curiosity rather than buying intent — which reduces sponsorship value. A beauty creator with 50% male followers may be attracting viewers for entertainment rather than product interest — which changes what brands will sponsor.
Demographic misalignment is not always bad. A fitness creator with an unusually high female audience may have found an underserved niche (women's strength training, for example) that commands premium sponsorship rates from targeted brands.
Turning Demographic Data into Content Strategy
Raw demographic data becomes useful only when it drives specific content and scheduling decisions.
Match content complexity to age. If 60%+ of your audience is 18-24, keep explanations concise and visual. If your audience skews 35+, you can go deeper on analysis and longer-form content. Check how different video lengths perform for your audience using the short vs. long video comparison data.
Schedule around your audience's active hours. TikTok's Follower Activity heatmap shows exactly when your followers are online. Post 30-60 minutes before peak activity so TikTok's algorithm has time to test your video on the initial audience before peak hours bring maximum traffic.
Build a demographic-aware media kit. Brands want to see audience data before approving sponsorships. Export screenshots of your age, gender, and location breakdowns. Include your engagement rate alongside demographic data — a high engagement rate with a well-defined demographic is the most valuable combination for brand deals.
Monitor demographic shifts monthly. Your audience demographics change as your content evolves. A viral video in a new category can shift your age or gender distribution within days. Track these shifts monthly and adjust your content strategy to retain the audience segments most valuable for your monetization goals.
Use demographics to assess content-audience fit. If you create content for small business owners but your audience is primarily 13-17, your targeting is off. Either the content packaging appeals to the wrong group, or your distribution channels (hashtags, sounds, collaborations) are pulling in the wrong audience. Review your content pillars to realign.
Calculate Your Audience-Engagement Correlation
Demographic data becomes more powerful when combined with engagement metrics. Different audience segments engage at different rates — and understanding this correlation helps you predict which content will perform best.
Creators with audiences concentrated in the 18-34 age range typically see engagement rates between 4-8%. Creators with older audiences (35+) often see slightly lower engagement rates (3-5%) but higher watch-through rates and more meaningful comments. The micro vs. macro engagement rate data shows how account size interacts with these demographic patterns.
To calculate your demographic-adjusted engagement rate:
- Pull your total engagement (likes + comments + shares) for the past 30 days
- Divide by total views for the same period
- Compare this rate against the niche benchmarks in the table above
- If your rate falls below your niche average, investigate whether a demographic mismatch is the cause
Use the engagement rate calculator to automate this calculation and track trends over time. Pair it with monthly demographic reviews to build a complete picture of who your audience is and how effectively your content resonates with them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many followers do I need to see demographic data?
You need at least 100 followers and a Creator or Business account (free to switch in Settings). Below 100 followers, TikTok does not display the Followers analytics tab. The data becomes more statistically reliable once you pass 1,000 followers, since small samples can produce misleading distributions.
Does TikTok show demographics for individual videos?
No. TikTok provides demographic data (age, gender) only at the account level for your follower base. Individual videos show traffic sources, territories, and engagement metrics, but not age or gender breakdowns. Third-party tools cannot access per-video demographic data either, since TikTok does not expose it through any API.
How often does TikTok update audience demographic data?
TikTok updates follower demographic data approximately once per week. The Follower Activity heatmap (showing when followers are online) updates more frequently, roughly every 2-3 days. If you gain a large number of followers from a viral video, expect the demographic shift to appear in analytics within 5-7 days.
Can my audience demographics affect my earnings?
Yes, significantly. TikTok's Creativity Program pays different rates based on viewer geography — US views earn roughly 3-5x more per 1,000 views than views from Southeast Asia or South America. Age matters for sponsorships: brands pay 2-3x more to reach the 25-34 age bracket compared to the 13-17 bracket. Gender skew determines which brand categories are viable for your account.
Related Resources
- TikTok Analytics Guide — Full breakdown of every metric in TikTok's analytics dashboard
- Engagement Rate Calculator — Calculate your engagement rate and benchmark it against niche averages
- Best Posting Times on TikTok — Optimize your posting schedule based on audience activity data
- TikTok Money Calculator — Estimate earnings based on views, audience geography, and engagement