The Ultimate List of YouTube Statistics

*This blog post has been updated in 2023

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When YouTube was launched way back in 2005, it was hard to imagine that the video sharing platform would soon get purchased by search engine giant, Google, and go on to be one of the most visited and valuable websites in the world.

Today, it’s hard to imagine life before YouTube: how on earth did we all learn DIY hacks, dance crazes or watch other people play video games we had no intention of buying?

If you’re as old as many of us, you’ll probably remember the excitement of visiting YouTube back in those early days and have been able to track it’s progression through to the present day.

With huge viewership comes advertisements, sponsorships and monetisation and it didn’t take long for YouTube to become a way for many content creators and advertisers alike to make a living from the engagement.

So if you’re a brand or marketer today, it’s hugely important that YouTube is part of of your advertising mix.

However, before you invest, it’s crucial to understand the full picture and hat’s why we’ve put together this ultimate list of eye-opening YouTube stats.

You may want to bookmark this list as it’s regularly updated and feel free to quote the stats on this page on your own site.

YouTube Viewership Stats

YouTube’s viewership has sky rocketed over recent years, but how many viewers does it have and many many minutes, hours and days of content are consumed?

• In 2023, YouTube has 2.68 billion unique monthly visitors
• 52% of worldwide internet users access YouTube once a month 
• YouTube is the world’s second-most visited website
• 694,000 hours of video are streamed on YouTube each minute
• YouTube Shorts receive 30 billion daily views
• In 2023, India has the most YouTube users
• “Baby Shark Dance” by Pinkfong Kids’ Songs & Stories is the most-watched video on YouTube. It has received over 7.91 billion views since 2016.

“In 2023, YouTube has 2.68 billion unique monthly visitors”

YouTube Mobile Stats

The internet has gone ‘mobile first’ since the birth of YouTube and the following stats support that fact:

• Over 70% of YouTube watch time is generated from mobile devices
• YouTube reaches more adults aged 18-49 during prime time on mobile alone than any cable network does per week
• 75% of adults watch YouTube on their mobiles
• Since 2017, over 50,000 years of product review videos have been viewed on mobile devices

“Over 70% of YouTube watch time is generated from mobile devices”

YouTube vs TV Stats

‘Is YouTube more popular than TV?’ has become a popular question in recent years… let’s take a look at the numbers:

• Children and younger adults watch 1/3 less TV than they did back in 2010
• YouTube reaches 120 million people watching on TV screens every month
• As of 2019, YouTube’s advertising revenue was 9x what Google paid for it in 2006 and was also more than any major TV network generated in 2018
• 6/10 users state they enjoy watching online video platforms rather than TV
• YouTube’s 18-49 year old audience reach is 36% higher than that of TV

“YouTube reaches 120 million people watching on TV screens per month”

YouTube Advertising Stats

YouTube’s ad platform has the ability to target demographics that other mediums simply can’t… that’s why it’s so lucrative.

• Youtube made $28 billion dollars in 2021 through ad revenue
• YouTube ads have a potential reach over 2.5 billion users
• Males aged 25-34 are YouTube’s biggest advertising audience
• 70% of viewers say they’ve made a purchase after seeing a brand on YouTube
• In 2022, the ad with the most views was for Amazon’s Alexa home speaker

“Youtube made $28 billion dollars in 2021 through ad revenue”

 

YouTube Growth Stats

YouTube is certainly not a new kid on the block anymore, but is it losing users to competition or does it continue to go from strength to strength?

• There has been a 65%+ upturn in the number of channels with more than 1 million subscribers since 2020
• There has been a 40% increase since 2020 in YouTubers who earn 6 figures or more
• Content creators who earn 5 figures has increased 50+% since 2020
• The top 10 YouTubers earned 30% more revenue in 2020 vs 2019
• Only 700 YouTube channels have over 10 million subscribers

“There has been a 65%+ upturn in the number of channels with more than 1 million subscribers since 2020”

 

YouTube UK Stats

Having originated in the US, we know of YouTube’s popularity in the States… but how popular is it in the UK?

• YouTube had over 50 million users from the UK alone in 2021.
• 97% of UK based YouTube users logged in every month
• 46% of all women in the UK used YouTube in 2021.
• A 1/4 of all YouTube users from the UK were aged between 16 to 24 in 2021

“YouTube counted more than 50 million users from the UK alone in 2021.”

YouTube vs TikTok Stats

Video sharing site and YouTube competitor, TikTok, is the one of fastest growing sites in the world, but has it caught up to YouTube yet?

• YouTube is still ahead of TikTok regarding the number of viewers and overall watch time
• Everyday people watch a billion hours of video on YouTube
• TikTok has over a billion monthly users whilst YouTube has more than 2 billion
• As of 2021, TikTok users watched over 24 hours of content per month compared with 22 hours and 40 minutes on YouTube
• TikTok overtook YouTube in May last year in the UK for content viewed per month
• YouTube was the 4th most popular IOS app in 2020 after ZOOM, TikTok, and Disney+

“TikTok has over a billion monthly users whilst YouTube has more than 2 billion”

 

Sources

• https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-stats-marketers/
• https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/video/online-video-live-tv-statistics/
• https://join.marketing/blog/youtube/
• https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/10/youtubes-mohan-to-pitch-advertisers-on-connected-tv-boom.html
• https://www.statista.com/chart/20714/youtube-ad-revenue/
• https://promo.com/blog/tiktok-vs-youtube-which-should-you-choose-in-2022
• https://cybercrew.uk/blog/youtube-usage-statistics-uk/
• https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/youtube-stats
• https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/7/22660516/tiktok-average-watch-time-youtube-us-android-app-annie
• https://www.demandsage.com/youtube-stats/#:~:text=As%20of%202023%2C%20YouTube%20has,at%20least%20once%20a%20month.
• https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/youtube-users-statistics/
• https://sproutsocial.com/insights/youtube-stats/