The hashtags Nordic creators actually use, and whether they help
We counted every hashtag in 43,907 recent Instagram and TikTok posts by 3,583 creators in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, all with 10,000+ followers. A tag is listed only when at least 8 different creators in that country used it, so these are shared hashtags, not one creator's habit.
The short version: most Nordic creators barely use hashtags on Instagram, and the posts that carry a few tend to do worse than the same creator's usual post, not better.
What we found
- Most posts carry no hashtag at all: 27% of Instagram posts have one or more, against 46% of TikTok posts.
- On Instagram, a post with one to three hashtags got 8.6% fewer likes and comments than the same creator's usual post. Posts with no hashtag did 3.5% better. The pattern holds in all four countries.
- On TikTok the picture is mixed: Swedish posts with four to ten tags did 13% better than the creator's usual post, but posts with none did 7.6% better too.
- The most shared tags are everyday words in the local language: #sommar, #recept, #semester in Sweden, #norway, #norge, #oslo in Norway, #aftensmad, #morlivet, #nemmad in Denmark and #perhe, #äitiys, #arki in Finland.
- Ad labels rank among the most common hashtags of all: #reklame is number 1 on Instagram in Denmark.
Most used hashtags per country
Ranked by how many different creators used each tag in the last 12 months. Labelled tags are ad disclosures, giveaways or tags that ask for reach rather than describe the post.
Sweden · Instagram
| Hashtag | Creators using it | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| #sommar | 38 | 61 |
| #recept | 35 | 90 |
| #semester | 23 | 34 |
| #inredning | 22 | 41 |
| #humor | 21 | 53 |
| #trädgård | 20 | 45 |
| #fika | 19 | 39 |
| #hälsa | 18 | 42 |
| #adad label | 18 | 22 |
| #fypreach tag | 17 | 53 |
| #sverige | 17 | 23 |
| #midsommar | 17 | 22 |
| #middag | 16 | 28 |
| #renovering | 16 | 25 |
| #ootd | 16 | 22 |
Top 15 of 30 tags used by 8+ creators. 25% of posts by these 1,673 creators carry a hashtag.
Norway · Instagram
| Hashtag | Creators using it | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| #norway | 43 | 97 |
| #norge | 31 | 64 |
| #oslo | 19 | 31 |
| #summer | 17 | 28 |
| #travel | 16 | 34 |
| #interiør | 14 | 32 |
| #sommer | 14 | 21 |
| #cphfw | 13 | 24 |
| #worldcup | 13 | 20 |
| #humor | 12 | 16 |
| #vm | 12 | 13 |
| #visitnorway | 11 | 26 |
| #reklamead label | 11 | 20 |
| #worldcup2026 | 11 | 18 |
| #adad label | 11 | 14 |
Top 15 of 29 tags used by 8+ creators. 27% of posts by these 787 creators carry a hashtag.
Denmark · Instagram
| Hashtag | Creators using it | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| #reklamead label | 22 | 31 |
| #aftensmad | 17 | 49 |
| #morlivet | 17 | 41 |
| #nemmad | 15 | 33 |
| #familie | 15 | 19 |
| #fypreach tag | 14 | 48 |
| #opskrift | 14 | 25 |
| #diy | 13 | 25 |
| #efterår | 13 | 19 |
| #madinspiration | 11 | 34 |
| #hverdagsmad | 11 | 21 |
| #ferie | 11 | 18 |
| #vægttab | 10 | 38 |
| #renovering | 10 | 30 |
| #copenhagen | 10 | 24 |
Top 15 of 26 tags used by 8+ creators. 27% of posts by these 670 creators carry a hashtag.
Finland · Instagram
| Hashtag | Creators using it | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| #perhe | 15 | 25 |
| #äitiys | 12 | 34 |
| #arki | 12 | 21 |
| #vanhemmuus | 11 | 17 |
| #hyvinvointi | 9 | 14 |
| #koti | 9 | 13 |
| #kesä | 8 | 10 |
Top 7 of 7 tags used by 8+ creators. 46% of posts by these 160 creators carry a hashtag.
Sweden · TikTok
| Hashtag | Creators using it | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| #fypreach tag | 52 | 436 |
| #fördigreach tag | 45 | 447 |
| #skincare | 33 | 45 |
| #recept | 30 | 149 |
| #vlogg | 23 | 83 |
| #foryoureach tag | 21 | 187 |
| #makeup | 21 | 33 |
| #midsommar | 21 | 31 |
| #grwm | 20 | 35 |
| #garniernordics | 20 | 34 |
| #mat | 19 | 66 |
| #haul | 19 | 38 |
| #outfit | 18 | 31 |
| #sverige | 17 | 58 |
| #viralreach tag | 17 | 53 |
Top 15 of 30 tags used by 8+ creators. 44% of posts by these 392 creators carry a hashtag.
Norway · TikTok
| Hashtag | Creators using it | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| #fypreach tag | 11 | 116 |
| #norge | 11 | 35 |
| #vm | 10 | 19 |
| #vlog | 9 | 36 |
| #makeup | 9 | 13 |
| #grwm | 9 | 11 |
| #foryoureach tag | 8 | 58 |
| #norway | 8 | 31 |
| #travel | 8 | 20 |
| #17mai | 8 | 18 |
| #hairtok | 8 | 14 |
| #oslo | 8 | 13 |
Top 12 of 12 tags used by 8+ creators. 56% of posts by these 74 creators carry a hashtag.
Do hashtags lift engagement?
Each post compared with the same creator's median post (likes plus comments), grouped by how many hashtags it carried. 0% means a typical post for that creator.
| Country and platform | No hashtags | 1–3 hashtags | 4–10 hashtags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden · Instagram | +2.8% | −8.8% | +2.2% |
| Norway · Instagram | +4.2% | −9.2% | −1.6% |
| Denmark · Instagram | +3.8% | −8.2% | −1.9% |
| Finland · Instagram | +6.8% | −7.3% | −2.4% |
| Sweden · TikTok | +7.6% | −1.0% | +13% |
| Norway · TikTok | +9.8% | +3.0% | +7.7% |
Groups with under 80 posts are left out, and so is any country and platform with under 50 creators. This compares posts within each creator's own account; it shows what tends to go with hashtags, not that hashtags cause it.
What to do with this
Don't brief for hashtags
On Instagram, hashtags didn't lift likes and comments for Nordic creators. Brief creators on the content and the hook, not on a list of tags.
Use words people actually search
If a campaign needs a hashtag, pick everyday local words like the ones in the tables, not invented brand slogans nobody types.
Label ads in words, not only tags
Ad tags are among the most used hashtags, but a hashtag alone is not the recommended way to disclose an ad in the Nordics. Our ad labelling report has the rules per country. How Nordic influencers label ads →
Find the right creators, not just the right time
Search Nordic creators by niche, size, engagement and audience, then brief, approve and track them in one place. Free for 14 days, no card needed.
More reports
How we counted
- Creators: 3,583 accounts with 10,000+ followers that we classify as based in Sweden, Norway, Denmark or Finland. No accounts estimated to be under 18, no politics, no YouTube.
- Posts: 43,907 Instagram and TikTok posts from the last 12 months, pinned posts excluded. Data as of 2026-11-04.
- A hashtag counts once per post, whether it is in the caption or the platform's tag list, lowercased.
- Privacy: a tag is shown only when at least 8 different creators in that country and platform used it, and tags that match a creator's handle or name are dropped.
- Engagement: likes plus comments per post, compared with the same account's median post, averaged as a geometric mean. Accounts need six or more posts to count.
Questions
What are the most popular hashtags in Sweden?
On Instagram, the hashtags used by the most Swedish creators are #sommar, #recept, #semester, #inredning, #humor, #trädgård. On TikTok, reach tags lead, followed by topic words.
Do hashtags still work on Instagram?
Not for engagement, in our data. Posts with one to three hashtags got 8.6% fewer likes and comments than the same creator's usual post, and posts with none did 3.5% better.
How many hashtags should I use?
No count stood out as better than none. On Instagram, posts with four to ten tags did about as well as a creator's usual post, and posts with one to three did worse.
Why are there no lists per niche?
A tag is shown only when at least 8 different creators used it. Within a single niche, very few tags reach that, because most posts carry no hashtag at all.