TikTok gets largest advertising audience globally from SEA: report

Singapore – Southeast Asia (SEA) has emerged as TikTok’s largest advertising audience globally, according to a report by socially-led creative agency We Are Social and media intelligence company Meltwater. The report covers global social media and digital trends.

We Are Social and Meltwater’s report has found that 24.4% of TikTok’s advertising audience share comes from SEA, significantly higher than other regions. Thailand takes the second-highest spot amongst monthly users worldwide, with eight in ten using the platform.

Within SEA, the Philippines consumes over 20 hours of online video content each week, exceeding the average of 11 hours and 39 minutes in the entire region. Short-form videos on TikTok and Reels take up most of this time.

Social media plays a crucial role in consumers’ journeys, with over 80% of Vietnamese and Indonesians using social media to research brands. Over 60% of Malaysians and Filipinos also look for brands on social media platforms.

Meanwhile, preferences for messaging platforms vary in the region. 92% of Malaysians, 91% of Indonesians, and 82.1% of Singaporeans are active on WhatsApp. Messenger is more preferred by users in the Philippines (93%), Thailand (78.3%) and Vietnam (76.3%).

On a global scale, YouTube records the largest advertising audience amongst social media platforms with 2.54 billion active users monthly. The Philippines (86.2%) and Vietnam (85%) take the highest share of monthly users globally.

Naiyen Wang, managing director, Southeast Asia at We Are Social, “The Digital 2025: July Statshot really drives home how important social media and influencer marketing are becoming in Southeast Asia. Consumers in this region are highly active on social media and are navigating multiple platforms to research and engage with brands. What really grabs their attention is content that’s funny and entertaining with that viral spark. For marketers, that means shifting gears from selling to creating content that people actually enjoy and want to engage with.”