Thailand tops Asia and ranks second worldwide in TikTok usage, according to a report by We Are Social. The country also holds the ninth position globally in advertising reach on the platform.
The Digital 2025: July Statshot report reveals that Southeast Asia makes up nearly 25% of TikTok’s global advertising audience, making it the platform’s largest region for ad viewers.
Thailand boasts the second-highest proportion of monthly active TikTok users globally, with over 80% of internet users engaging with the platform each month — significantly higher than the global average of 30%.
Naiyen Wang, Southeast Asia Managing Director at We Are Social, highlighted the importance of social media and influencer marketing in the region, where consumers are highly active across multiple platforms for research and brand interaction.
Content that is humorous, entertaining, and potentially viral captures their attention. As a result, marketers are encouraged to shift from hard selling to creating engaging content that resonates with audiences.
Southeast Asian internet users spend more time watching online videos weekly than the global average of nearly 12 hours. In the Philippines, users watch over 20 hours of video per week, predominantly short-form clips such as TikToks and Reels.
YouTube remains the largest social media platform worldwide in terms of advertising audience, with 2.54 billion monthly active users. Countries in Southeast Asia are among its most avid users, occupying half of the top ten global rankings for monthly usage share. The Philippines (86.2%) and Vietnam (85%) lead in this category.
More than 20% of internet users in the region follow social media influencers and watch their content regularly. In the Philippines, 43.5% follow influencers, and about half view influencer videos weekly.
Viral, meme-based videos are the second most popular form of online video content globally among users aged 16 to 64 — after music videos. TikTok dominates this category, with nearly 80% of users engaging with the platform for humorous or viral content.
Social media greatly influences brand discovery. Over 80% of users in Vietnam and Indonesia research brands on social platforms, while more than 60% of Malaysians and Filipinos do the same, affecting their purchasing decisions.
Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are the leading platforms for brand research worldwide, with Facebook generating over 70% of social media web traffic globally—surpassing 90% in Indonesia, indicating its vast brand reach potential in Southeast Asia.
Messaging app preferences vary by country. WhatsApp is dominant in Malaysia (92%), Indonesia (91.3%), and Singapore (82.1%), whereas Messenger leads in the Philippines (93%), Thailand (78.3%), and Vietnam (76.3%). Southeast Asia also has the highest Messenger ad audience share at 22.7%.
Telegram enjoys greater popularity in the region compared to the global average, with nearly two-thirds of internet users in Malaysia and Indonesia accessing it monthly, despite only a third globally.
Southeast Asians use more social platforms than the global average, with Malaysians leading at an average of 8.42 platforms per person. Additionally, over half (51.4%) of Indonesian internet users are active on Twitter (X) monthly.
A strong interest in AI is evident, with six out of ten Vietnamese internet users and nearly 40% of Malaysians using ChatGPT regularly.
Overall, the region’s active digital engagement underscores the importance for brands to tailor their digital and social media strategies accordingly.