In past few years, TikTok was banned in 23 countries around the world because of various reasons, such as national security, China’s ownership over the app, and other security concerns.
If you want to know which countries have banned TikTok and the reasons why, here is a blog that tells you exactly just that.
List Of TikTok Banned Countries In 2026
Now, to clear answer your question “where is TikTok banned?” or “where is TikTok not banned?”, you need to understand that the tiktok has been banned in 23 countries around the world, but not all of them are full bans; some of them are partial bans and platform restrictions as well.
Here is a list of countries that banned the platform, when it was implemented, and the type of ban imposed:
| Country | Year Ban/Restriction Implemented | Type of Ban / Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 2022 | Full nationwide ban |
| India | 2020 | Full nationwide ban |
| Iran | 2018 | Full nationwide ban |
| Jordan | 2022 | Full nationwide ban |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2023 | Full nationwide ban |
| Nepal | 2023 | Full nationwide ban |
| Senegal | 2023 | Full nationwide ban |
| Somalia | 2023 | Full nationwide ban |
| Uzbekistan | 2021 | Full nationwide ban |
| Hong Kong | 2020 | Full nationwide ban |
| Australia | 2023 | Partial ban on federal government devices |
| Austria | 2023 | Partial ban on government devices |
| Belgium | 2023 | Partial on government devices |
| Canada | 2023 | Partial ban on government-issued devices |
| Denmark | 2023 | Partial ban: banned on ministry/government devices. |
| Estonia | 2023 | Partial ban on state-issued smartphones |
| France | 2023 | Partial ban on government employee devices |
| Ireland | 2023 | Partial ban on government devices |
| Latvia | 2023 | Partial ban |
| Malta | 2023 | Partial ban on all government devices |
| Netherlands | 2022/2023 | Partial ban on government devices |
| Norway | 2023 | Partial ban on work phones and tablets for ministers/advisors |
| New Zealand | 2023 | Partial ban on devices connected to Parliament/government systems |
| Taiwan | 2022 | Partial ban on public sector devices |
| United Kingdom | 2023 | Partial ban on government devices |
| United States | 2023/2025 | Partial ban on federal government devices; some states also restrict them. |
| Russia | N/A / ongoing policy | Restricted use to only Russian content |
Why Is TikTok Banned In Different Countries Over The Past Few Years?
If you are wondering why countries have banned TikTok in the first place, you are not alone; it’s a question that has been bothering us all.
The core of the issue of banning or restrictions on TikTok in some countries like India was governments have reservations about the app’s parent company, ByteDance, which is headquartered in China.
Governments sensed that this might arose the concerns of national security or the data breaching.
The platform can track its users location, country of residence, IP address and your personal messages on its local servers.
If you do agree to the terms and conditions of the app, you also consent to sharing your contacts, age and phone number with the app.
As the company has confirmed that this information is stored in local or third-party servers that are located in China itself. This could potentially mean that the Chinese government can use that data, if needed.
Now, the Chinese government has repeatedly denied these claims to store and misuse any of your data, but still, it raises concerns of national security, which is the main reason why TikTok is getting banned or restricted in many countries.
Other than matters of data privacy, many countries have concerns about the influence of this popular short-video making platform on the mental health of its young users, addictive algorithms and the spread of misinformation.
This makes this popular social media, with its 1.5 billion monthly users, different from social media apps like Instagram, YouTube or Snapchat and faces such strict bans and restrictions worldwide.
Why Is TikTok Banned In 23 Countries?
But why is TikTok getting banned in these countries despite China denying allegations of a data breach?
To be honest, every country has its own reasons for the complete ban of a popular social media platform, and that’s what we will talk about here.
Afghanistan
The ban on this platform in Afghanistan came in April 2022 when the government imposed a cultural ban on music, cinema, and other sources of entertainment.
India
India imposed a ban on tiktok and 58 other apps as a response to both national security issues with China, as well as a promotion of self-grown apps and the economy.
This gave rise to one of the first nationwide bans and affected millions of platform users, and gave rise to Indian apps like Moj, Josh, and Chingari.
Iran
If you are wondering which country banned TikTok first, then Iran was the first one to do so in 2018, with a history of banning major social media platforms as well.
Somalia
The country imposed a full nationwide ban on the platform and its content in August 2023, along with some other online betting apps, citing reasons of violent and aggressive content influencing its large user base.
Albania
This is one of the first European countries to ban the TikTok in 2025, after an alleged teenager unfortunately passed away after an argument escalated from the app, citing youth protection as the reason for the nationwide ban.
Kazakhstan
In 2023, the government enforced a nationwide law, citing inadequate content regulation and concerns over its negative impact on youth mental health as the primary reasons.
Nepal and Uzbekistan
Both countries imposed nationwide bans on the platform in 2023 and 2021, respectively, enforcing apps to store the country’s data in local liaison offices or servers and not abroad.
United States of America
I know you are still wondering if tiktok is banned in USA?
While the country has not imposed a nationwide full ban, partial bans have been imposed on the platform’s use in 34 out of the 50 states, where it is not allowed to be downloaded and used on any government-issued device.
This does not, however, include a ban on the personal devices of any government personnel.
United Kingdom
I’m sure that you must be wondering if TikTok is getting banned in the UK?
No, not exactly, it is not, but there is a partial ban on its use and restrictions on the devices of anyone working for the government, not like ministers and other government employees.
In fact, it is even banned on the devices of people working for the BBC in the UK.
France
France has one of the widest partial bans, with the platform being banned from the devices of any civil servant in the country, which accounts for about 2.5 million people since 2023.
Australia
Australia does not have a nationwide ban, but three states, New South Wales, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory, have banned it completely, along with 68 federal agencies that ban the use of this app on their workers’ phones.
New Zealand
This country also banned the app in 2023, citing reasons of national cybersecurity.
Pakistan
The platform was banned in Pakistan four times from 2020-2021, each time the ban being lifted after a short period, the reasons being cited as inappropriate content being circulated on the platform.
Taiwan
Although not a nationwide ban, a partial ban on government-issued devices was imposed in Taiwan in 2022.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of those countries where TikTok is banned completely, along with PUBG and Free Fire, after a high court’s order in 2021, after the platform’s constant backlash for promoting harmful and pornographic content to the youth.
In Which Country TikTok Is Not Banned?
Well, you know how many countries banned TikTok, so now it is important to know which countries doesnot banned.
The answer to that is actually pretty simple: this massive social media platform is not banned in most of the countries around the world.
It is fully banned in 23 countries, including India, Albania, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, while it is partially restricted in devices of government employees around many countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and more.
These partial or complete bans have been made due to claims of national security concerns, as well as a preventive measure to protect the general public from unregulated and harmful content.
However, the platform still has 1.5 billion monthly active users and is not banned in countries like:
- United States (public use allowed)
- United Kingdom (public use allowed)
- Canada (public use allowed)
- Australia (public use allowed)
- Japan
- South Korea
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Germany
- France (public use allowed)
- Italy
- Spain
- Most of Europe
- Middle East (except restricted regions)
- Southeast Asia
- Africa (the majority of countries)
So, yes, despite legal bans in 30+ countries, it is still functional and famous around the world and is free to use, at least for now.
Is TikTok Banned In The USA?
If you are from the United States, you might be wondering, “Is TikTok banned in the USA?”
The answer to that isn’t a simple one; you will have to understand what the issue with the platform is all about in the States.
As of 2026, the platform isn’t banned to the general public in the US, but it is banned on federal government devices and anyone working in positions of government and security, wherein data privacy is of concern.
President Joe Biden has signed a federal bill issuing a ban on the app if the Chinese company ByteDance refuses to sell the platform and its rights to the US government within a year.
This led to a massive change in the 170 million user base of the platform in the US alone, but this ban was later revived by President Trump’s executive orders.
However, there is a partial ban on the use of this platform on any federally issued device in 34 out of 50 states in the country.
If you are part of the general public, the ban does not apply to you. It does not even apply to any government employee having a personal phone or device.
Why Does The TikTok Ban Matter?
The ban on such a famous social media in countries, regardless of any reason, comes with its own challenges and questions.
- A ban on any such media raises questions about the freedom of choice of people around the world.
- A ban on any such platform and its content can be translated as broad censorship, which is questionable, given that governments want to control the type of media the public consumes.
- It also raises questions over the creative freedom to earn from a global platform, as TikTok was not only a popular lip-syncing platform but was a primary or additional earning source to thousands of creators who have made a living as well as risen to fame due to this platform.
- A ban like this disrupts the economic activities made possible by this platform, including businesses and entrepreneurs who use diverse platforms to promote their content.
But on the other hand, the collection and availability of sensitive data in a server that is not under the control of your own government but of some other country raises questions of national security and opens numerous doors for cyber threats.
Also, since these platforms are user-centric, the content is not closely regulated and could include things that may be sensitive or harmful to people of sensitive classes, like children.
The massive platform can falsely spread misinformation and explicit content around if not regulated byae competent authority.
This is the reason why questions of banning the platform have been legally raised in many countries around the world and implemented in some as well.
You can easily refer to theTikTok banned countries list to see if the ban actually matters to you in your country or if you are free to use the platform as a creator or viewer.
Why TikTok Matters?
Why does a platform like TikTok matter?
First and foremost, it is a social media platform that allows you to consume and post short videos, which is by far the most popular form of content being consumed daily by viewers of all age groups.
This made it a popular platform among a lot of people, and it is being used by 1.5 billion active users monthly worldwide despite all the controversies and bans.
The platform is algorithm-based and delivers content to its viewers that are based on their personal choices and likes, which makes the Tiktok great for business, focusing on target groups for promoting their products as well as content.
With such a global and popular platform, a large number of creators depend on it for their primary earnings, in fact you can even refer to this article on how much does Tiktok pay to its creators to have an idea of just how much revenue the platform can generate.
What Are The Top Alternatives To TikTok?
With this popular social media and content delivery platform facing criticism and ban, what are your alternatives as a creator or simply a viewer?
Currently, Instagram Reels are the top choices of content creators around the world.
It offers a similar vertical content delivery platform for short videos called “reels,” which is very popular among the youth and has an active user base of 2 billion users monthly.
With its filters, music, and editing options, it comes close to the creative freedom of Tiktok making it the most popular alternative out there.
- Youtube
With 2.7 monthly users, YouTube is the third most popular platform in the world after Facebook and Google. This shows another popular choice among content creators and viewers worldwide.
- SnapChat
As of 2025, Snapchat has approximately 900 million active monthly users which makes it one of the most successful social media apps.
It also allows you to send videos as creators, although the platform is more picture or “Snap” centric.
Conclusion
TikTok has been completely banned in 23 countries around the world and faces partial bans in some other countries as well, on federal/government-issued devices.
This popular social media and video content platform has been in the news, facing criticism over its parent company’s ownership as well as data privacy issues, yet has an active monthly user base of 1.5 billion.
With the platform being a major source of earning for creators and a great platform for promotions for business it will be interesting to see whether it is banned in more countries or if the bans are lifted in any country or not.
Want to know more about how much does TikTok pay then read our blog now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TikTok allowed in India?
No, the platform will be completely banned in India in 2020 due to national security reasons based on the ownership of personal data by the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
Is TikTok actually getting banned?
Yes, the platform is actually banned in 23 countries around the world, like India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Albania, Iran, Somalia, and more. You can refer to the complete TikTok Banned Countries List in this article to know more.
What countries have banned TikTok?
The platform has been fully banned in countries like India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Albania, Iran, Somalia, and more, while it faces partial bans in countries like Canada, the United States andUnited Kingdom.
Which country banned TikTok first?
The first country to ban TikTok completely was Iran due to security and data privacy issues.
How many countries banned TikTok?
As of 2026, TikTok is banned in 23 countries around the world, including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Albania, Iran, Somalia, and more.
