Revealed: Top TikTok influencers in the GCC

Leveraging the impact of video as a tenacious mode of communication and engagement, many influencers and celebrities have taken to TikTok – a social media platform for mobile video content – to connect with a wide-ranging consumer base in an attempt to gain greater viability and influence.

Regionally, TikTok’s top influencers have seen their followers double over the last year, with the cumulative total of the top 10 GCC TikTok personalities growing from 24.6 million at the beginning of 2020 to 54.6 million by February 18 this year.

While a dynamic influencer ecosystem is at play with new personalities propping up to vie for greater viewership, a few constants remain: Influencers from Saudi Arabia and the UAE still dominate the regional top 10 list. UAE-based Jumana Khan led the pack with 8.9 million followers, trailed by UAE’s Ziba Gulley amassing 8.7 million fans and Sarahh Miladd garnering 7.2 million followers.

Saudi Arabia’s iimeeto locked in 6.9 million fans, followed by UAE-based Faryal with 6.6 million fans. The remaining influencers on the top 10 list accumulated a fan base of 16.3 million collectively.

Oman and Qatar recorded the strongest growth, where followers amid the top three influencers grew annually by 658 per cent and 674 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, the GCC top 10 post between two to 24 videos per week.

To foster social awareness and encourage civic responsibility, TikTok – likened to other social media platforms – has undertaken a number of initiatives, such as taking action against Covid-19 vaccine misinformation, refreshing its policies to support community well-being, launching a campaign to highlight the importance of a safe online experience to unveiling activities encouraging users to take up educational content to learn and acquire new skills.