Data analysis company DataReportal just released the latest research on TikTok users, which reveals that nearly half of Thailand’s population are monthly active users of TikTok. Data from Insider Intelligence further specifies that 49.3% of all social media users in Thailand use TikTok, ranking no. 1 among all countries. Thailand is followed by the US, Vietnam, Mexico and Brazil in user penetration.
At the same time, Insider Intelligence’s data show that the US still has the most users with 113.3 million Americans using the platform, while Thailand ranks no. 8 with 40.3 million users. The difference in population base made the penetration data even more impressive.
Thailand has seen rapid growth in e-commerce, estimated to grow 11.93% between 2023 and 2027. As of 2022, 26% of the e-commerce in Thailand is social commerce and the proportion is still growing. Sellers have flocked to TikTok, making Thailand the third largest market in Southeast Asia for TikTok, after Indonesia and Vietnam. However, TikTok Shop, TikTok’s social commerce wing, shut its doors in Indonesia after Jakarta banned social platforms from participating in e-commerce directly.
Closing e-commerce in its largest market in Southeast Asia will certainly have a substantial impact on TikTok, especially when offline retailers in other countries are expected to follow Indonesia’s steps and lobby for a ban. Thailand’s Trade Competition Commission is looking into further regulate e-commerce platforms like TikTok with its digital guidelines. What’s in store for TikTok and other e-commerce platforms in Southeast Asia remains to be seen.
