Who Is the Biggest TikTok Influencer in 2025? Followers, Views, and Engagement Explained

You want one name. Fair. The short answer to who’s the biggest TikTok influencer right now is Khaby Lame by follower count. But “biggest” can also mean most watched, highest engagement, or the creator who can actually move people to act. Numbers jump daily and get messy across regions and categories, so I’ll give you a clear answer and a clean way to verify it yourself in under a minute.

• As of August 29, 2025, Khaby Lame is the most-followed individual on TikTok by a wide margin.
• If you care about punch-per-post (views and likes per video), MrBeast and Khaby typically top the charts, with Zach King often spiking on illusion posts.
• Follower count ≠ influence. Engagement rate, average views, and audience fit matter-especially for brand deals.
• Douyin (China’s TikTok) is a separate app and isn’t included in global TikTok rankings.
• Always verify in the app; third-party trackers lag or estimate. I’ll show you how.

TL;DR: Who holds the top spot right now

If you measure “biggest” by follower count on TikTok (not across all platforms), Khaby Lame (@khaby.lame) leads the pack in 2025. His silent comedy translates across languages, which keeps his videos evergreen and globally shareable.

Snapshot as of today (August 29, 2025, Dubai time):

• Khaby Lame - roughly mid-160M followers
• Charli D’Amelio - low-150M range
• MrBeast - low-to-mid 120M range
• Bella Poarch - low-90M range
• Addison Rae - high-80M range
• Zach King - low-80M range

Why it matters: if you’re a fan, follower count is the easiest yardstick. If you’re a marketer, you’ll want more context-how many people actually see a post, who they are, and how they behave. We’ll cover that next, with simple formulas and a table you can use right away.

How to measure “biggest” on TikTok (and how to check it yourself)

“Biggest” can mean different things depending on your goal. Here’s a practical way to define it so you don’t get misled by flashy numbers.

Pick your metric-based on what you need:

• Followers: good for reach potential and pop-culture clout. It’s the headline number.
• Average views per video (last 15-20 posts): good for current, real audience attention.
• Engagement rate: good for depth of connection. Basic formula below.
• Share rate and save rate: signals of “I need to show/keep this,” useful for virality and brand lift.

Quick formulas (keep it simple):

• Average views per post = total views of last 20 posts ÷ 20
• Engagement rate (basic) = (likes + comments + shares) ÷ followers × 100%
• Engagement-to-reach rate (better) = (likes + comments + shares) ÷ views × 100%

How to verify “biggest” yourself in 60 seconds:

1. Open TikTok. Search “Khaby Lame.” Tap @khaby.lame. Note the follower count on the profile header.
2. Check @charlidamelio, @mrbeast, @bellapoarch, @addisonre, and @zachking the same way.
3. For per-post punch: open each creator’s feed, scan the last 15-20 posts, and eyeball average views/likes. You don’t need exact math-look for the usual range.
4. Optional: cross-check with a reputable analytics platform (e.g., a social stats tracker or influencer auditing tool). These tools may lag a bit, but they’re useful for patterns.

What counts as “big” in 2025?

• Followers: 50M+ = mega. 100M+ = platform-defining.
• Engagement rate (on followers): 3-8% on TikTok is strong for mega-creators. Under 1% means the audience is likely fatigued or misaligned.
• Average views: above 10M per post, consistently, is elite at the top tier. Spikes to 40M+ happen with viral concepts or collaborations.

Pitfalls to avoid when you compare creators:

• Apples vs oranges: Douyin (China) data does not mix with TikTok. Treat them separately.
• Dead weight followers: a 150M account can post niche content and hit fewer views than a 20M account that’s on-trend.
• Posting cadence: creators who post less may show higher averages because they only publish “bangers,” while daily posters will have more variance.
• Region bias: algorithm distribution can skew by language and locale. A creator may dominate in one region and be unknown elsewhere.
• Third-party estimates: tracking sites scrape data and can lag. Always confirm in-app.

Source: Public counts visible on TikTok profile pages and recent post feeds, reviewed August 29, 2025. Exact numbers change daily and vary per region.

Rules of thumb you can trust:

• If your KPI is fame or mass awareness, follower count is fine for a quick screen. Then sanity-check views.
• If your KPI is performance (clicks, sales), prioritize engagement-to-reach and audience fit. Smaller creators can outperform.
• For brand safety and consistency, review the last 30-60 days, not a lifetime highlight reel.

Simple decision guide:

• Need the biggest name for a splashy launch? Shortlist: Khaby Lame, Charli D’Amelio, MrBeast.
• Need predictable, high watch-time? Look at Zach King and creators with clear series formats.
• Need niche authority (beauty, fitness, food)? Search by topic in Discover, then apply the checks above.

Profiles that define the leaderboard (and what made them huge)

Khaby Lame: The universal joke. Khaby’s genius is simplicity-wordless punchlines that roast “life hack” nonsense. No translation needed, which lowers friction for a global audience. It’s why he keeps a lead in followers: you can watch him in Dubai, Brazil, or Italy and laugh without captions. He’s worked with top fashion labels and major brands, but he rarely breaks the format that made him big. That consistency is a growth moat.

Charli D’Amelio: The early mover who stayed relevant. Charli built massive momentum during TikTok’s 2020-2021 surge with dance trends, then expanded into lifestyle, fashion, and TV. She’s a case study in platform-native fame evolving into mainstream celebrity. Expect her average views to fluctuate with outside projects, but her cultural footprint remains huge.

MrBeast: Cross-platform gravity. MrBeast didn’t start on TikTok, but his format-big reveals, clean hooks, and story-driven stunts-travels well. He posts fewer TikToks than dedicated short-form creators, but when he does, they hit hard and travel across languages. Brands love him for conversion proof on YouTube; that halo helps his TikTok presence land outsized views per post.

Bella Poarch: From meme to music. Bella’s breakout was the “M to the B” lipsync-one of TikTok’s most recognizable clips ever. Rather than chase the same trick forever, she pivoted into music while keeping a strong short-form presence. She’s a lesson in channeling viral fame into a sustainable brand.

Zach King: The illusions never get old. Zach’s seamless practical effects have cross-generational appeal and replay value, which keeps his engagement rate high. His content is safe for brands and easy to localize, which explains steady growth even without constant trend-hopping.

Addison Rae: Mainstream crossover. Addison’s brand spans beauty, music, and acting. On TikTok, she’s steady-less spiky than a stunt channel, more lifestyle-driven. That makes her valuable for fashion and beauty deals aimed at a female-skewed audience that trusts her taste.

What creators and marketers can copy:

• Make the first second count. All of these creators front-load the hook.
• Build a repeatable format. Series beat one-offs for retention and subscriber growth.
• Remove friction. Clear visuals, simple concepts, minimal text-especially for global reach.
• Collaborate with creators in overlapping niches to cross-pollinate audiences.
• Bank the wins. Recut what worked into sequels or a “best of” for new followers.

From my side of the world (I’m writing this from Dubai), brands here love formats that travel without translation-short visual gags, satisfying reveals, and food content perform well across Arabic, English, Hindi, and beyond. That’s Khaby’s edge in a nutshell.

Checklist, FAQ, and next steps

One-minute checklist to validate “biggest” today:

1. Open TikTok; search @khaby.lame. Record follower count.
2. Check @charlidamelio, @mrbeast, @zachking, @bellapoarch, @addisonre.
3. Scan the last 20 posts for each. Note typical views and likes-ignore outliers.
4. Confirm “biggest” based on your metric: followers for fame, average views for attention, engagement for persuasion.

Fast heuristics when choosing a partner:

• New product launch (mass awareness): prioritize follower count + recent average views.
• Performance campaign (sign-ups, sales): prioritize engagement-to-reach + audience match over raw followers.
• Brand safety: review captions and comments from the last 60 days; look for controversy patterns.
• Region fit: use TikTok’s Discover and live search in your target market; look at comment language to gauge audience.

Mini-FAQ

• Is Khaby Lame still number one in 2025? Yes, by follower count as of August 29, 2025, based on in-app profiles.
• Who gets the most views per post? It swings by video concept and posting cadence. MrBeast and Zach King often post high-velocity clips with strong averages; Khaby is consistently high due to universal humor.
• Does China’s Douyin count? No. Douyin is a separate app with separate rankings and content rules. Global “TikTok” lists exclude it.
• Are follower counts reliable? The in-app follower number is the source of truth. Third-party tools can lag or estimate.
• Why do engagement rates look low on mega accounts? Big accounts have broader, less concentrated audiences. A 2-4% engagement rate at 150M followers is huge in absolute numbers.
• How often do rankings change? Daily at the margins, slowly at the top. Expect fluctuations, but the top two or three rarely swap places overnight.
• Who’s biggest in my country? Search your niche on TikTok, filter by location if available, and scan comment language. Local agencies and analytics tools can break down country-level audience data.
• What about brand accounts? They can be huge but aren’t usually counted as “influencers.” When in doubt, separate creator vs brand vs media accounts.

Next steps if you’re a creator:

• Pick your metric: are you chasing followers, views, or conversions? Focus your format around that.
• Build a repeatable concept you can film twice a week for 8 weeks. Stability beats sporadic viral hits.
• Watch your last 20 posts. Kill what underperforms; double down on your top two hooks.
• Collaborate with creators who share your audience, not just your niche.

Next steps if you’re a marketer:

• Define success (reach vs action). That choice changes everything.
• Create a short list of 10 creators: 3 mega, 4 mid, 3 niche. Run small tests to see who converts.
• Ask for audience insights: country split, age, gender, top interests, average views on last 30 posts.
• Measure beyond likes: track unique codes, landing page traffic, or lift studies if budget allows.

Troubleshooting common snags:

• Numbers don’t match across tools: trust the app first, then use external tools for trends, not absolutes.
• Creator hides likes: judge by view counts and comments; ask for screenshots of insights for recent posts.
• Follower dips after news or controversy: review sentiment in comments; decide if the risk fits your brand.
• Great engagement but low sales: misaligned audience. Reassess creative fit and call to action, not just the creator.

Final thought you can use today: if someone asks, “Who’s the biggest on TikTok?” give them the quick answer-Khaby Lame by followers-then ask, “Biggest for what?” The right metric makes the decision obvious.