TikTok is experiencing a meteoric rise since the short video format has become a social media staple in recent years, especially in times of reduced attention span.
So you shouldn’t be surprised to learn there are almost a billion TikTok users, many of whom are attempting to make a career out of it!
To do that, they often draw inspiration and learn from the top 3 most followed TikTok accounts in 2022. Keep on reading to learn why!
Top 3 Most Followed TikTok Accounts in 2022!
While one could say a TikTok influencer is any user with over 1,000 followers, the accounts listed below have impressed tens of millions of them.
Most of these megastars are also very different from each other, come from diverse backgrounds, and produce unique content for different target groups.
That said, you don’t have to adjust your personality to make it on TikTok, but you should still check out and learn from the following influencers!
1. Khabane Lame – 154.9 Million Followers
- Likes (billions): 2.42
- Country of origin: Senegal/Italy
- Profession: Social media personality
Khaby Lame is in a world of his own, as unlike most of the stars on this list, he made it to the top by reacting to videos with his signature hand gesture and muted response.
His story serves as an inspiration to many emerging TikTok stars since Khaby became a social media hero overnight and without any special skills of his own.
Although simple, his idea was ingenious: he uses TikTok’s ‘Duet’ and ‘Stitch’ features to openly mock complicated ‘life hacks’ by presenting a much simpler solution.
Owing to his “exasperated everyman quality” that represents most of us, he became the biggest TikTok star in the world by surpassing Charli D’Amelio in June 2022.
2. Charli D’Amelio – 150 Million Followers
- Likes (billions): 11.3
- Country of origin: United States
- Profession: Dancer & social media personality
Until she was dethroned by Mr. Lame in 2022, Charli D’Amelio held the No.1 spot on TikTok for over two years, which she rightfully earned by posting viral dance videos.
That said, with 150 million followers and over 11 billion likes, Charli is still the undisputed TikTok queen, and no female star is surpassing her any time soon.
She may be a big superstar right now, but this young prodigy was a competitive dancer for over ten years before starting her TikTok career in 2019—an impressive feat when you learn she started dancing when she was around three years old!
Some of her most recent and impressive accomplishments include: creating a very successful YouTube vlog with 9.4 million subscribers, starring in a feature film, docuseries, and a Super Bowl ad, and participating in and winning Dancing with the Stars.
3. Bella Poarch – 92.9 Million Followers
- Likes (billions): 2.23
- Country of origin: Philippines/United States
- Profession: Singer & social media personality
Trailing Charli with almost 60 million followers less is the Philippine-born U.S. singer and social media star Bella Poarch, who posted TikTok’s most liked video, lip-syncing to “M to the B” by British rapper Millie B, in August 2020.
Adopted by a U.S. military officer when she was three years old, Bella grew up to become a military officer herself—a career that she quit when she created her TikTok account in early 2020, intending to become a musician.
She amassed a vast following and skyrocketed to fame in less than a year. Her dream came true soon after that: she starred in several music videos (‘Build a Bitch, ‘Dolls’, and ‘Inferno’), released her first EP in late 2022, and became a brand ambassador.
Aiming for the Top!
Dozens of TikTokers outside the top three are looking to climb to the peak and become the world’s most famous social media stars. Below, we tell you about three of them!
4. Addison Rae – 88.9 Million Followers
- Likes (billions): 5.8
- Country of origin: United States
- Profession: Dancer & social media personality
Every list of popular social media influencers puts Addison Rae Easterling close to the top for a good reason: she is among the most-watched TikTok influencers of all time!
With close to 6 billion views of her mostly dancing videos, her career has exploded: she released a debut single (“Obsessed’) in 2021, starred in a Netflix original movie (“He’s All That”), and started a very successful YouTube vlog (almost 150 million views).
Nowadays, she is making around $8.5 million per year, and things are only looking up for this megastar, as she has signed to star in several Netflix films, appeared in an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and launched her own fragrance line.
5. MrBeast – 77.4 Million Followers
- Likes (billions): 0.72
- Country of origin: United States
- Profession: Social media personality
Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast is one of YouTube’s biggest stars: 219 million subscribers and 34 billion total views would do that for you!
Inevitably, his YouTube fame spilled over to TikTok, where he has close to 80 million followers. However, while he is known for his expensive and crazy stuns on YouTube, his TikTok channel features mostly donation videos and wild trips around the world.
Currently, he’s one of the biggest social media philanthropists and often leads massive environmentalism projects like Team Seas, which raised $30 million to clean up the ocean, and Team Trees, which raised $20 million to plant 20 million trees.
6. Zach King – 73.5 Million Followers
- Likes (billions): 0.95
- Country of origin: United States
- Profession: Social media personality
Rising in popularity with his “magic vines”—digital sleight-of-hand videos that show a magic trick in six seconds—Zachary King has surely made a name for himself on TikTok.
Do you remember Vine? Known as the original TikTok, it allowed posting short-form videos (even shorter than TikTok), but its timing was wrong as it was shut down in 2016.
If you do, then you definitely remember Zach King, as he made his name there before moving his presence onto TikTok. Now, he produces all kinds of videos on various subjects, from short and sweet TikToks to high-production illusions with celebrities.
Bottom Line
Nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find a young person who has not heard of the TikTokers listed above, as they are the trendsetters of the modern age. Because of that, they are responsible for setting a good example for tens of millions of followers and leveraging their fame to raise awareness about social issues. After all, fame comes with a price!
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Aditya is an Azure DevOps and Infrastructure Virtualization Architect with experience in automation, infrastructure management, and designing and implementing virtualization solutions. His expertise encompasses both on-premise and cloud-based systems. Aditya's articles on TechJury serve as a reliable resource for individuals and organizations looking to harness the power of cloud computing, embrace automation, and leverage infrastructure-as-code practices.