In a digital landscape once ruled by text and voice, video has taken the throne—and TikTok now wears the crown.
According to a new report by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), TikTok has emerged as Uganda’s top internet data consumer, accounting for a staggering 56% of all Over-The-Top (OTT) traffic between January and June 2025.
This figure places the Chinese-owned short-form video platform well ahead of familiar names like WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.
In raw data terms, TikTok users consumed 22.4 million gigabytes—more than double the 9.6 million gigabytes used by WhatsApp, which, despite its popularity, only accounted for 24% of OTT traffic.
“These figures highlight changing user habits, with video-based platforms now dominating Uganda’s digital landscape,” the report reads.
While WhatsApp still leads in subscriber numbers with 9.2 million users, TikTok is hot on its heels with 9.1 million—but the difference lies in how users engage. TikTok’s endless scroll of high-definition video clips makes it the most data-hungry platform in Uganda, and by far.
YouTube followed in third place, attracting 6.4 million users and accounting for 13% of OTT data with 5 million gigabytes consumed.
Though widely used for streaming, it’s TikTok’s mobile-first, bite-sized content that seems to have captivated Uganda’s digital audience most.
Meanwhile, platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter (X) have been relegated to the margins, each claiming between 1% and 2% of OTT traffic. Interestingly, Netflix, despite having only 220,000 subscribers, recorded an outsized 700,000 gigabytes of usage—showcasing the platform’s high data intensity driven by long-form video content.
The trend reflects a broader cultural shift in Uganda’s internet behavior—one rooted in the fast-paced, visual-first appetite of a younger, mobile-savvy generation.
The UCC attributes the spike in data consumption to this surge in video usage, particularly among youth turning to TikTok for entertainment, self-expression, and connection.
Telecom operators are taking note. With TikTok’s dominance, digital analysts believe the future of Uganda’s internet economy is being reshaped around video-first experiences. Expect changes in data bundle offerings, network investment, and content delivery models to follow.
From quick comedy skits to dance trends, news bites, and micro-vlogs, TikTok’s grip on Uganda’s digital heartbeat has never been tighter. In a country once focused on text-based apps, the screen has gone vertical—and the scroll is endless.
