9/1/2025

Europe Influencer Engagement Rate Benchmarks 2023-2025

Influencer engagement rates vary widely by niche and platform. Below we compile recent statistics (2023-2025) for average engagement rates of influencers in Europe across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, focusing on top niches: fashion, beauty, fitness, travel, tech, food, and lifestyle.

All data are drawn from reputable influencer engagement rates analytics reports and benchmarks, ensuring a reliable basis for digital marketing strategy. Engagement rate here is typically defined as (likes, comments, shares, followers) on a post, expressed as a percentage.

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Note: European influencer metrics generally mirror global trends, with some local variations. For instance, European audiences are highly engaged in niches like fashion, travel, and food, and countries like Switzerland boast above-average Instagram engagement (~3% for micro-influencers vs 1.83% global average). Below we detail each platform and niche performance. All sources are linked at the end of the blog post.

Instagram – Influencer Engagement Rates by Niche in Europe

Instagram remains a cornerstone of influencer marketing in Europe when it comes to influencer engagement rates, with overall engagement rates averaging around 1.5% in recent data. Certain niches, however, significantly outperform this benchmark:

Sports & Fitness

This niche leads Instagram engagement in influencer engagement rate Influencers posting sports or fitness content saw about 2.3% average engagement – the highest among major categories. (In 2023, sports/fitness influencer posts had an engagement rate of 2.31% on average, topping Instagram’s niche rankings.)

Beauty

Beauty influencers also enjoy above-average engagement on Instagram. A 2024 benchmark report shows beauty influencer posts averaging roughly 1.9% engagement rate.

This reflects the high interest in tutorials, product hauls, and looks on IG. (Beauty is a top category across Europe; in 2023 there were ~25.8 million beauty influencer posts with ~1.95% avg engagement rate across platforms, with Instagram a key channel.)

Fashion

Fashion is the most popular influencer niche on Instagram by volume, though engagement is moderate. Influencers that talk about fashion see about 1.5–1.6% average engagement on Instagram. For example, in 2023 fashion content averaged a 1.56% engagement rate overall, with Instagram as the leading platform (TikTok trailed in reach but had slightly higher interaction per post).

Fashion’s large audience means slightly lower percentage engagement, but enormous impression counts (fashion content garnered 1.21 trillion impressions in 2023).

Travel

Travel influencers captivate audiences with visual content. Posts about travel average about 2.4% engagement rate in recent studies. This is notably high – travel ranks among the top categories by engagement.

(One 2023 analysis counted 6.5 million travel influencer posts with a ~2.4% average engagement.) Instagram’s visually rich format suits travel storytelling, driving strong interactions (likes/comments on picturesque destinations).

Food

The food & drink niche also performs well on Instagram. Influencer posts featuring recipes, cafés, or food photography see roughly 1.2% average engagement.

Food is a universally appealing vertical – a Sprout Social study found 1.19% average engagement for food influencers (with most of those posts on Instagram). Engaging food content (from homemade meals to restaurant reviews) resonates strongly with European audiences.

Lifestyle

“Lifestyle” is broad, but often overlaps with home décor, family, and daily life content. These lifestyle-oriented influencers tend to see average engagement on Instagram (around 1% – 1.5% by various estimates, depending on sub-niche).

While exact figures are harder to isolate, lifestyle content generally performs on par with the overall Instagram average (~1%+). (For example, home & living influencers – a proxy for lifestyle – perform decently on IG and even better on TikTok, as noted below.)

Tech

Tech is a more niche category on Instagram. Engagement rates for tech influencers (e.g. gadget reviewers) are typically lower than lifestyle or beauty content on IG. Precise averages aren’t widely published; however, industry data suggests tech content’s engagement hovers around or below 1% on Instagram in many cases (for brand accounts it’s ~0.9–3%, and influencers likely fall near the low end of that range).

In short, tech isn’t a top engagement driver on IG compared to visually-rich niches – though passionate micro-communities exist (e.g. some European tech micro-influencers exceed 3% ER by catering to dedicated fans).

TikTok – Influencer Engagement Rates by Niche in Europe

TikTok is the engagement powerhouse – overall influencer engagement on TikTok (≈4%+) far exceeds Instagram’s. In Europe, TikTok’s young user base and algorithmic reach make it ideal for certain niches:

Food

The FMCG food industry sees exceptional engagement on TikTok. Food influencers (from home chefs to snack reviewers) average about 6.9% engagement on TikTok.

In fact, food content is among TikTok’s highest-engagement niches globally. (One 2023 analysis ranked food influencers at 6.92% ER on TikTok, highlighting how cooking hacks, recipe videos and mukbangs hook viewers.)

Beverage

(Related to food) – Content about beverages actually topped TikTok’s industry engagement charts with around 7.7% average ER. (Think viral coffee-making or mixology clips.) While not a core “niche” requested, this underscores how food & beverage collectively dominate TikTok engagement.

Travel

Travel influencers shine on TikTok as well. This niche averages about 5.2% engagement on TikTok – vibrant travel clips (scenic spots, travel hacks) attract strong interaction. TikTok’s algorithm can propel wanderlust-inducing videos to very high view counts and engagement. Travel content often performs better on TikTok than on IG in terms of pure engagement rate.

Lifestyle (Home & Living)

Lifestyle content does remarkably well on TikTok. For example, home & living influencers see around 4.76% average engagement on TikTok. Day-in-the-life vlogs, home makeovers, and relatable skits drive above-average engagement, indicating lifestyle and family content resonates strongly with TikTok’s community.

Arts & Crafts

(Another lifestyle sub-niche) also reported ~4.5% engagement. This suggests creative DIY and hobby content can capture TikTok audiences effectively.

Beauty

A hugely popular category on TikTok, though its engagement rate is a bit lower relative to the platform’s average. Beauty influencers on TikTok have roughly 3.5% average engagement.

That is still higher than on Instagram, but on TikTok it’s outpaced by niches like food or travel. (Notably, TikTok became a beauty playground – even with a slight engagement dip recently, beauty remains one of the most engaged categories on the app.)

Fitness

Fitness content (workouts, sports highlights) performs decently on TikTok. In 2024 data, sports/fitness influencer posts had about 2.5% engagement on TikTok. That was higher than the sports category’s overall average of ~1.6% across platforms, meaning TikTok is a strong channel for fitness engagement (e.g. quick workout challenges often go viral). Still, fitness is a notch below entertainment-focused niches on this platform.

Fashion

Interestingly, fashion content sees comparatively lower engagement on TikTok. Fashion influencers average roughly 2.5% ER on TikTok, which is below the industry’s global TikTok norm.

TikTok users do consume fashion (and the platform yields high views for fashion videos), but quick-hit trends and OOTD videos get slightly less engagement percentage-wise than other verticals. (Sprout data showed TikTok’s engagement rate for fashion (~2.26%) was above Instagram’s, but still modest next to food or dance content.)

Tech

Tech content is not a big engagement driver on TikTok. In fact, some studies cite tech as one of the tougher sectors on TikTok – often under 1% engagement. For example, marketing/technology sectors have struggled on TikTok, with average ER below 1% in 2024.

The European tech influencer scene on TikTok remains relatively small; gadget reviews or B2B tech topics just don’t generate the same frenzy as consumer-friendly niches. Thus, tech is likely the lowest performing of the listed niches on this platform (often requiring niche targeting and paid boosts to gain traction).

Bar chart displaying TikTok engagement rates by niche in Europe, highlighting Beverage at 7.7%, Food at 6.9%, Travel at 5.2%, Lifestyle at 4.7%, Arts at 3.5%, Beauty at 3.5%, Fitness at 2.5%, and Fashion at 0.8%.

Bottom line for Influencer Engagement Rates TikTok

It boasts the highest engagement rates overall – often 4–5x higher than Instagram. Niches like food, travel, and home/lifestyle perform best (mid-single-digit % engagement), whereas fashion and tech content see more modest rates on TikTok.

Brands in Europe leveraging TikTok should especially consider food and travel influencers for superior engagement. (Indeed, TikTok is now considered the most engaging social platform, with an average post ER ~4.25% vs ~0.6% on Instagram)

YouTube – Influencer Engagement Rates by Niche in Europe

On YouTube (which typically measures engagement as likes/dislikes/comments per subscriber, or sometimes per view), influencer engagement rates are lower than on TikTok but can be higher than Instagram for certain content. Key niche trends:

Travel

Travel content performs exceptionally on YouTube. In fact, travel videos have among the highest engagement rates on the platform. Recent benchmarks showed that while travel accounts produced fewer videos, they achieved about a 1.8% average engagement rate – the highest of any category on YouTube. (Travel may not have the volume of gaming or fashion content on YT, but viewers who do watch travel vlogs are highly engaged, yielding ~1.83% ER.)

Gaming

Gaming is huge on YouTube (and globally was the #1 category by volume), but since it’s outside our focus niches, we note it only in passing. Engagement % for gaming content is typically around the platform average (~1% or slightly lower), as the massive follower counts dilute percentage engagement. By contrast, travel’s smaller, passionate audiences boost its engagement percentage.

Fashion & Beauty

Fashion and beauty are popular on YouTube but have moderate engagement rates. In 2023, fashion was among the top 3 content categories by output (after gaming and sports). However, its engagement rate was around the overall average (~1%+).

For example, the overall influencer industry average on YouTube was roughly 1.5% in recent data, and fashion was in that ballpark (YouTube fashion content did not outperform this average by much). Beauty videos similarly see engagement around 1%–2%. (One cross-platform report noted beauty brands’ YouTube engagement ~3.9%, but that’s likely measured per view; by subscriber count the percent is lower.)

Fitness & Sports

Sports/fitness influencers on YouTube tend to have engagement rates near 1%–1.5% as well. This was the second-largest YouTube category by content in one 2024 benchmark. Its engagement is healthy but not outstanding – much of sports content viewership is driven by big channels (athletes, highlights) with engagement rates hovering around the average. Niche fitness creators (workout channels) can have higher engagement from loyal subscribers, but as a category, ~1% is a fair estimate.

Food & Lifestyle

Food content on YouTube (cooking channels, food reviews) often sees engagement in the ~1% range, depending on the creator’s following. It’s a popular niche (though not as dominant as on Instagram/TikTok).

Meanwhile, lifestyle vlogs (covering daily life, home, family) can foster strong community engagement on YouTube, but again percentages typically stay around 1% or under given subscriber bases. In general, long-form YouTube content builds deep viewer loyalty but also attracts non-subscribed viewers, which can lower engagement rate % compared to short-form platforms.

Tech

Tech influencers arguably find one of their strongest homes on YouTube. Technology review channels (for gadgets, consumer electronics) garner high view counts, though engagement rate % can vary. Many tech channels have ER around 1% or slightly above – their subscribers are tech enthusiasts likely to comment/like. Notably, YouTube’s algorithm favors tech content for search, yielding high absolute engagements even if % of subscribers engaging is modest.

(E.g., a tech YouTuber might have a 1% ER but millions of views, which in absolute terms dwarfs other platforms.) For a specific stat: some top tech YouTubers see engagement around 1–2% of subscribers on average videos, while micro-tech channels can see higher relative engagement (niche fanbase). In Europe, tech YouTubers are influential (especially in languages like English, German, etc.), but precise averages remain around that general ~1% mark.

To sum up Youtube Influencer Engagement Rates

In summary, YouTube’s engagement rates are lower than TikTok’s but can equal or slightly exceed Instagram’s in certain niches. A benchmark ~0.5–1.5% is common for most categories on YouTube. Travel stands out at ~1.8%, making it the best-performing of the listed niches on this platform. Other niches like fashion, beauty, food, fitness, tech typically cluster around the 1% level (give or take) for average influencer engagement on YouTube.

Top Niches per Platform & Comparison Table – Influencer Engagement Rates

To highlight which niches perform best on each platform in Europe:

Instagram Influencer Engagement Rates

Best engagement in sports/fitness (~2.3% ER) and also strong in beauty (~1.9%). Fashion, travel, food, lifestyle hover around 1–1.6% on IG. Tech trails with roughly ~1% or below (not a leading niche on IG).

TikTok Influencer Engagement Rates

Highest engagement in food (near 7%) and travel (~5%). Lifestyle/home content is also high (~4–5%). Beauty ~3.5%. Fashion is lower (~2.5%). Tech is lowest (<1%) on TikTok. TikTok clearly offers the highest engagement percentages overall, especially for visually appealing and entertaining niches.

YouTube Influencer Engagement Rates

Top engagement observed in travel (~1.8%). Most other niches (fashion, beauty, fitness, food, lifestyle, tech) see around ~1% on average, with some variations (e.g. a bit above 1% for passionate communities, or below 1% for broad genres). Still, YouTube’s longer-form content means engagement often comes in the form of lengthy views rather than quick likes.

Below is a comparison table of average influencer engagement rates by niche and platform, using the latest data (mostly 2023-2024). This serves as a benchmark for Europe’s influencer marketing landscape:

Niche	Instagram ER (avg)	TikTok ER (avg)	YouTube ER (avg)
Fashion	~1.5–1.6%	~2.5%	~1.0% (approx.)
Beauty	~1.9%	~3.5%	~1.0–1.2% (avg est.)
Fitness	~2.3%	~2.5%	~1.0% (approx.)
Travel	~2.0% (est., high)	~5.2%	~1.8%
Tech	~1.0% (est., low)	<0.8% (very low)	~1.0% (approx.)
Food	~1.2%	~6.9%	~1.0% (approx.)
Lifestyle	~1.5% (est.)	~4.8%	~0.8–1.0% (approx.)

Table: Average influencer engagement rate (ER) by niche and platform. “Lifestyle” includes home, family, daily life content. Figures are for Europe/global averages 2023-24. Actual rates vary by follower tier, nano-influencers often exceed these benchmarks, while mega-influencers often underperform the average.

Key Takeaways for Influencer Engagement Rates throughout platforms:

Instagram: Still king for visual influencer content in Europe, but engagement rates are modest (around 1% on average). Certain niches like fitness and beauty outperform the norm on IG. Fashion remains the most popular niche on Instagram by sheer volume, though its % engagement is middling. Focus on carousel posts, Reels, and authentic content to boost Instagram engagement in any niche (IG’s overall median post ER is ~1%).

TikTok: Delivers superior engagement across almost all niches. Particularly food, travel, and lifestyle niches thrive on TikTok (engagement often 4–7%). Even traditionally strong niches like fashion or beauty have higher ER on TikTok than on IG.

For European brands aiming at Gen Z/young audiences, TikTok influencers in food or travel can yield the best engagement. (Example: TikTok’s average engagement (4.25%) now far exceeds Instagram’s (around 0.6–1%), underlining its potency.)

YouTube: While engagement % on YouTube is lower, long-form trust is high. Travel content is a standout on YouTube by engagement rate (1.8% – top on the platform), suggesting travel vloggers have very invested viewers. Other niches hover ~1%, which, given YouTube subscriber bases, is still significant engagement in absolute terms.

For Europe, YouTube is invaluable for tech and tutorial content despite average ERs being lower – the platform’s strength lies in depth of content and time spent. Creators in niches like tech or gaming might see only ~1% engagement, but those interactions are from highly targeted enthusiasts.

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Conclusion – Influencer Engagement Rates

In conclusion, niche performance varies per platform: e.g. fitness and beauty excel on Instagram, food/travel dominate TikTok, and travel (and gaming) do well on YouTube. When crafting an influencer marketing strategy in Europe, use these benchmarks to set realistic engagement expectations.

Aim to match or beat the average rates in your niche – if an influencer’s ER is well above the benchmark (say a fashion influencer with 3%+ on IG, or a food TikToker with 10% ER), that indicates exceptional engagement. Such data-driven insights help identify the right creators: those in the niches that naturally perform best on a given platform, and with engagement metrics that exceed their peers.

By focusing on high-engagement niches per platform (and creating regionally relevant content), European marketers can maximize campaign impact and ROI in 2024 and beyond.