YouTube has drastically evolved from its early days as a simple video platform. What started as a way for people to upload clips of themselves is now a powerhouse in social media marketing. YouTube offers a way for brands to get in front of large audiences at scale, either through their own channels or by partnering with influencers and creators. Not only is the platform now one of the largest search engines in the world, but the company also generates billions in annual revenue.
What does all of this mean for your YouTube marketing and social listening strategy? Let’s look at some key YouTube statistics and how you can use them to grow your YouTube channel, revenue, and brand image.
Table of Contents:
General YouTube Statistics
YouTube Demographics
Subscription YouTube Stats
YouTube Money Stats
Video Statistics YouTube
YouTube Usage Statistics
General YouTube Statistics
Let’s start with an overview of YouTube. This video-first platform emerged in 2005 as a tiny startup with the goal of making anyone and everyone the star of their own show, figuratively speaking. Founded by two engineers and a designer who met while working at PayPal, the platform has completely transformed content marketing as we know it.
Here’s a closer look at some of the most impressive YouTube stats.
How many YouTube channels are there?
YouTubers have created over 113 million YouTube channels to date (Global Media Insight) and over 20 billion videos have been uploaded since the sites founding in 2005 (YouTube).
That said, there’s still plenty of room for brands to make a splash.
Learn more in our blog post on how to create and manage a YouTube channel!
How many people use YouTube?
YouTube is the sixth most popular social platform by monthly sessions at 212.1 billion. (Global Digital Report)
- YouTube has a daily open rate of 63.5% (Global Digital Report)
- It has the 2nd highest average time per user, per month at 27 hours (the first place prize goes to TikTok) (Global Digital Report)
How much content is uploaded to YouTube every day?
Video marketing has certainly taken over the digital space.
How much YouTube do people watch each day?
YouTube's logged-in users rack up more than one billion hours of video watch time each day. (Oberlo)
YouTube Shorts average roughly 70 billion daily views (YouTube)
YouTube Demographics
Who is using YouTube, and how are they using it? How much time do they spend there? What do they like and engage with the most? Read on for more YouTube stats marketers can use.
YouTube demographics statistics
- Men occupy the largest ad-read potential of YouTube users at 54% (men between the ages 25-34 is the larges group). 46% of YouTube users are women. (Global Digital Report)
- 39% of internet users worldwide use YouTube. With a lot of competition out there, just under half of all internet users log into YouTube regularly. (Global Digital Report)
- YouTube is popular with younger audiences, but it boasts a healthy user base spanning all ages. For instance, 95% of individuals between the ages 18-29 and 95% of individuals ages 30-49 use YouTube, as well as 49% of users who are 65+. By comparison, other social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat haven’t caught on as much with older audiences. (Pew Research Center)
- YouTube is available in over 100 countries and offers content in 80 different languages. It’s one of the largest global social media platforms, which helps to make it more attractive to more people. (YouTube)
YouTube user statistics
- YouTube is the second most used social media platform in the world by MAU, trailing Facebook. The third most used social media platform is Instagram. (Statista)
- 54% of YouTube users are visiting the platform daily and more than a third visit several times a day. The video platform has one of the most engaged audiences of all social media! (Pew Research Center)
YouTube usage statistics
- 63% of watch time on YouTube happens on a mobile device. (Social Shepherd)
- 12.3% of internet users rely on vlogs (video blogs) to conduct brand research. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- The country with the most YouTube users is India. (Global Digital Report)
YouTube target audience statistics
- Gaming-related content is immensely popular, as is sports content. Live sports digital viewership is expected to reach 90 million viewers by 2025. Meanwhile, 74% of sports fans visit YouTube several times each week. (Think With Google)
- YouTube content for kids is also booming. 80% of parents with kids ages 11 or younger say they let their children watch YouTube. There is also tons of kid-friendly content, including Cocomelon, which is one of the top five most popular channels. (Pew Research Center/Social Blade)
- The word “song” is the top search query on YouTube, followed by “movie” which is the second most searched term. (Global Digital Report)
- Baby Shark Dance is the most viewed video on YouTube. (Global Digital Report)
Subscription YouTube Stats
YouTube encourages users subscribe to channels so they never miss new content from their favorite creators. Subscriptions also help the YouTube algorithm serve users relevant recommendations.
Who has the most subscribers on YouTube?
Looking at individual YouTubers, Mr. Beast takes the lead with 341 million subscribers. Mr. Beast, also known as 25-year-old James Stephen Donaldson, is famous for high production value videos that frequently feature giveaways. (Wikipedia)
Which YouTube brand account has the most subscribers?
If you’re looking at the brand channel with the most subscribers, that designation goes to T-Series, an Indian music label and film production company. As of January 2025, T-Series has 283 million subscribers. (Global Digital Report)
Learn how to grow your channel with our tips on growing subscribers on YouTube.
YouTube Monetization Stats
YouTube launched its monetization strategy in 2006, just shortly over a year after the platform emerged. By 2009, it offered seven ad formats to help users monetize their channels. Here’s a closer look at what YouTubers are earning these days and other YouTube money stats.
What were YouTube's profits last year?
In Q4 of 2024, YouTube made $10.4 billion in ad revenue. (Variety)
How much is YouTube worth?
YouTube brand value rose to $31.7 billion in 2024. (Statista)
What is the top YouTuber's income?
Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, is the highest-paid earner on YouTube, having generated an estimated $82 million in revenue. (CBS)
How much money does the average YouTuber make?
How much does YouTube pay content creators?
YouTube pays out about 68% of the revenue generated through AdSense. So, if a video earns $100 in ad revenue, the publisher will receive $68. (Google)
Video Statistics YouTube
From gaming walk-throughs to music videos, product reviews to beauty tutorials, YouTube is a bevy of content for everyone. But what are people actually watching, liking, subscribing to, and (perhaps most importantly) buying? These YouTube usage stats can help add some clarity.
What is the most-viewed song on YouTube?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most-viewed song on YouTube is the "Baby Shark Dance." It has earned more than 10 billion views. (Statista)
What are the most popular videos on YouTube?
Though not all YouTube content is based on music, its most popular videos seem to be. The "Baby Shark Dance" is the most-watched video, followed by "Despacito" with 8.3 billion views. (Wikipedia)
YouTube’s size and scope hold a lot of potential for brands to provide value to their video-hungry audience. Meltwater supports your YouTube marketing strategy with data-driven insights into the content your customers love. From topics of interest to who is leading the conversation, Meltwater empowers your content ideation to help you form better connections with your viewers.
Learn more when you schedule a demo!
