Key Takeaways

• The number of active influencers on Instagram rose from 500,000 in 2019 to about 37 million in 2022.
• The number of active influencers on TikTok rose from 16,394 in 2018 to 106,104 in 2020.
• Instagram was the preferred social media platform by brands for influencer marketing in 2020 and 2021, with 93% and 97% of the survey respondents choosing this platform as their preferred choice.

Introduction

Influencer Market Statistics

1. Global TikTok Influencers

 

Source

 

• According to data published by Statista, the total number of TikTok influencers globally from 2018 to 2020 was:
• 2018: 16,394 
• 2019: 35,528 
• 2020: 106,104 

2. Global Instagram Influencers

• The Small Business reports that the number of active influencers on Instagram rose from 500,000 in 2019 to about 37 million in 2022. Itt seems that the 37 million figure was discovered using the same methodology as MediaKix (or EarthWeb). However, we decided to include it, given that it provided additional context on growth.
• Specific influencer platforms report having the following number of influencers in their databases: 8.6 million (HypeAuditor), 12 million (Socialbakers in 2018), 10 million (Picodash). However, those numbers are impossible to verify. They may have been exaggerated for marketing purposes. Hence, they are also only provided for additional context.

3. Distribution of Instagram Influencers by Number of Followers

 

Source

 

• Statista reports that 44.13% of influencers on Instagram have between 5,000 to 20,000 followers. This is the category with the most number of followers globally.
• The category with the least percentage is influencers with 1 million followers and above. They make up just 0.34% of influencers on Instagram.
• Other categories are shown in the chart above.

4. Distribution of TikTok Influencers by Number of Followers

 

Source

 

• According to a report by Statista, over half (50.51%) of influencers on TikTok have 1,000 to 5,000 followers. This represents the category with the least number of followers based on Statista ranking.
• Influencers with 1 million followers and above make up just 0.24% of total influences around the globe.

5. Social Media Preference for Influencer Marketing

 

Source

 

• According to a survey result published by Linqia, Instagram was the preferred social media platform by brands for influencer marketing in 2020 and 2021, with 93% and 97% of the survey respondents choosing this platform as their preferred choice.

•  Instagram stories and TikTok made up the top three preferred platforms from the survey, as can be seen in the chart above.
• However, the popularity of TikTok ensured that the choice of TikTok as the preferred social media platform by brands for influencer marketing rose the most between 2020 and 2021, from 16% to 68%. This represents a 300% rise from one year.

Additional Findings - The Use and Effectiveness of Influencer Marketing

• According to eMarketer, 55.4% of US marketers used influencer marketing in 2019, compared to 62.3% in 2020. The figure was expected to grow to 67.9% in 2021 and 72.5% in 2022.

 

Source

 

• TAKUMI's survey among consumers from the US and the UK found that influencer marketing is the only channel that has become more effective since the start of the pandemic. Specifically, 46% of consumers considered it effective in 2021, compared to 34% in 2019.

Research Strategy