38 YouTube stats marketers need to know in 2025

YouTube has continued to dominate the world of video sharing. These days, it’s a one-stop shop for everything from entertainment to how-to videos.

Understanding key YouTube stats and figures is the best way to develop a YouTube marketing strategy that works and lasts.

Read on for the YouTube user, usage, and business stats you need to know to hit the ground running (and get that camera rolling).

General YouTube stats

Harness the power of YouTube’s global network with these stats.

1. YouTube is the 2nd most visited website in the world

With over 79 billion annual visits, YouTube is the second most visited website globally. What takes first place? Its parent company, Google, of course.

2. YouTube is the most popular social media platform in the U.S.

Among U.S. users, YouTube is the most popular social media platform, beating out Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and even TikTok.

Source: Pew Research Center

3. YouTube has 100 million paid subscribers

Premium services are one of the easiest ways for social media platforms to make money, and YouTube is no exception. The platform currently boasts 100 million subscribers across YouTube Premium.

4. YouTube is the second most popular mobile video app worldwide

YouTube clocks in at the number two spot in the list of most popular mobile video apps worldwide, according to Statista. This is a jump from last year when it sat in third place, behind both TikTok and Netflix.

Unsurprisingly, TikTok takes the number one spot with 875 million downloads worldwide. YouTube is now narrowly beating out Netflix with less than half a million downloads between the two. The former sits at 165.23 million, the latter at 164.79 million.

This leaves a gap of over 700 million downloaded between TikTok and YouTube. YouTube might be more popular on desktop, but its mobile device downloads leave something to be desired when you compare the two.

5. YouTube is the most-used mobile app

YouTube sits at the top of the list of mobile apps for both monthly active users and total time spent on the app. It’s also second in consumer spending on mobile apps, right behind TikTok.

6. YouTube was the second most visited Wikipedia page in 2024

Wikipedia is a great place to get a quick synopsis of nearly anything you could be searching for online. YouTube’s spot as number two shows that people are interested in learning more about the platform — which is a great sign that the platform remains relevant.

YouTube user statistics

Wondering what YouTube’s user base looks like? These YouTube user and demographic statistics will help you understand the people behind the platform.

7. Over 216 million U.S. adults use YouTube

As of 2023, there were 262 million adults in the United States, meaning around 82.4% of all U.S. adults use YouTube. This just goes to show how popular the platform is, when more than 4 in 5 U.S. adults access the platform.

8. 54.3% of YouTube users are male

YouTube’s male users continue to make up a small majority of the platform, with 54.3% of users identifying as male, and 45.7% identifying as female. It’s not clear what percentage of the YouTube audience identifies outside of the gender binary.

9. 25-34 is the largest age group on YouTube

Unlike competing platforms like TikTok, whose user base skews heavily Gen Z, YouTube remains a popular platform for users across generations. The largest distribution of YouTube’s user base falls between the ages of 25 and 34, followed by those aged 35-44, then those aged 18-24.

Source: Statista

10. YouTube U.S. users tend to be well-educated

While some platforms, like BeReal and TikTok, have fairly low levels of education among their user base, YouTube users tend to be relatively well-educated.

87% of YouTube’s user base identifies as having attended some college with 90% being a college graduate or higher.

11. YouTube boasts a diverse user base in the U.S.

In the United States, YouTube’s user base tends to be pretty diverse. According to Pew Research Center, YouTube usage is split more or less evenly among White (82%), Black (88%), Hispanic (89%), and Asian (93%) populations.

12. The UAE has the highest YouTube penetration rate

When it comes to global penetration of the YouTube app, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is leading the pack with 94.1% penetration. Israel comes in second with a 93.2% reach, followed by the United Kingdom at 90.4%.

Canada’s YouTube penetration rate sits at 87.5%, and the United States falls further down the list at 77.4%.

YouTube usage statistics

Wondering how people use and enjoy YouTube? Use these YouTube usage stats as your guide.

13. Users watch 1 billion hours of content every day

According to Google, users spend more than 1 billion hours of time watching YouTube videos every day. Now that’s a lot of eyeballs!

14. Users spend 29 hours per month on YouTube mobile

When was the last time you checked your screen time and thought, “eugh.” Hey, we’ve all been there.

Chances are, YouTube is one of the apps taking up your viewing time. In 2024, users around the world spent an average of 29 hours on the YouTube mobile app each month.

Keep in mind, this usage isn’t even around the world. Users in Thailand spent around 49 hours each month using the app, while users in Switzerland spent less than 10. In the U.S, users spent around 26.21 hours on YouTube each month.

15. YouTube Kids saw 144 million downloads in 2024

YouTube Kids had its best year to date in 2024, seeing 144 million downloads — up from 102 million in 2022.

Overall — other than a minor drop in 2021 — downloads for YouTube Kids have continued to increase since its launch in 2016.

16. Only 1.1% of YouTube users exclusively use YouTube and no other social media platforms

The vast majority of YouTube users are also on other social media platforms. The biggest overlap in user base lies with Instagram (77%), Facebook (75.3%), and WhatsApp (71.4%).

17. 32% of U.S. adults get news on YouTube

Many internet users rely on social media platforms to get their news, but their choice of platform depends on each person.

Though Facebook has had a minor drop over the years, it remains the most popular news site for U.S. adults, with 33% of the market, while YouTube follows close behind at 32%.

Source: Pew Research Center

YouTube channel stats

Discover important stats surrounding the most popular YouTube channels that can help you grow your own.

18. MrBeast has the most subscribed-to YouTube channel

MrBeast sits at the top of the list of popular YouTube channels with 360 million subscribers. He’s seen great success with his philanthropic-esque video content.

Sitting in second place is T-Series with 286 million subscribers and in third is Cocomelon with 189 million subscribers.

19. There are over 113 million YouTube channels

One researcher discovered that there were around 113.9 million YouTube channels created on the platform. That means around 4.4% of YouTube’s 2.6 billion monthly active users have created a channel; the rest of the users are simply content consumers.

20. Only 14 channels have over 100 million subscribers

Only a few handfuls of channels have hit the lucrative 100+ million subscriber mark. 80 channels have over 50 million subscribers.

YouTube music stats

Music remains a big driver of YouTube’s user traffic. Learn how the YouTube music statistics break down here.

21. The most viewed channels on YouTube are music and children’s content

As of January 2025, the top five most popular channels on YouTube are:

• Wiz Khalifa Music (5.99 billion monthly channel views)
• Wow Kidz (5.02 billion monthly channel views)
• T-Series (2.72 billion monthly channel views)
• Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes (2.42 billion monthly channel views)
• SET India (2.33 billion monthly channel views)

22. YouTube Music has over 100 million users

YouTube created its own Music hub, which now has over 100 million subscribers.

YouTube Shorts stats

Shorts are one of the fastest-growing features on YouTube’s platform. Learn how to use them to your advantage with these stats.

23. There are 1 billion YouTube Shorts on the platform

Only launching in 2021, YouTube Shorts has quickly grown in usage. Not only has it already hit 1 billion Shorts uploaded to the platform, this figure grows by around 25 million every month.

24. YouTube Shorts has 164.5 million users in the United States

Compare this to standard YouTube’s 216 million U.S. users. A large portion of users are also watching YouTube Shorts, meaning you should incorporate these vertical videos into your strategy.

25. YouTube Shorts see 70 billion daily views

YouTube Shorts are quickly becoming one of the platform’s best-known features, especially among younger, Gen Z audiences.

Currently, YouTube Shorts sees around 70 billion daily views.

26. The average duration of a YouTube Short video is 33 seconds

The average Short is around 33 seconds. The most common length is 30-40 seconds (28.8%), then 20-30 seconds (23.6%), 10-20 seconds (17.1%), 50-60 seconds (16.2%), 40-50 seconds (11.3%), and fewer than 10 seconds (2.8%).

27. 40% of YouTube Shorts users are not on TikTok or Instagram Reels

Feel free to cross-promote your content across vertical video channels so you can maximize your reach. Especially because 40% of Shorts users don’t use the other vertical video platforms.

28. The most-liked YouTube video is a YouTube Short

With 54 million likes, the most-liked video on the platform is a YouTube Short posted by MrBeast. It’s called “Would You Fly to Paris for a Baguette?”

YouTube video stats

Learn more about top YouTube videos and how that information can impact your YouTube strategy.

29. Baby Shark is the most viewed YouTube video of all time

There’s a reason certain songs catch on, and obviously Baby Shark has figured out that perfect formula as itsat in first place as the most viewed YouTube video for years now.

Baby Shark Dance by Pinkfong Kids’ Songs & Stories has now been viewed nearly 16 billion times, but hit the milestone of being the first (and remaining the only) video that hit 10 billion YouTube views back in 2021.

In the second place spot sits Despacito by Daddy Yankee (8.65 billion views), and in third place Wheels on the Bus by Cocomelon (7.12 billion views).

30. There are 14 billion videos on YouTube

With such a massive number of videos on the platform, it’s important to pay attention to YouTube SEO tactics to ensure your content is found among the competition.

YouTube stats for business

Ready to build your brand on YouTube? Here’s how to increase your YouTube subscribers and promote your YouTube channel. Plus, use these YouTube for business stats to guide your strategy.

31. Viral YouTube content can reach 100 million views in less than a day

Virality still reigns supreme on social media, as any burnt-out social media manager can tell you.

For those looking to go viral, the best you can expect to do is 100 million video views in less than one day. The YouTube video for Butter, by Korean pop sensations BTS, holds the record as the fastest video to reach 100 million views, followed up by their video Dynamite.

32. Gaming communities thrive on YouTube in the U.S.

According to Google, YouTube is the place to be for gaming content creators. Many communities, from Roblox to Minecraft, have seen success reaching their target audience.

YouTube advertising stats

Make the most out of your YouTube advertising strategy with these YouTube ad statistics.

33. YouTube ads have a potential reach of 2.53 billion people

If you run ads on YouTube, you have the potential to reach 2.53 billion different people — that’s nearly one-third of the entire global population. Odds are, no matter how niche your audience is, some of them are on YouTube, making this the perfect platform for advertising.

34. YouTube made over $36 billion in ad revenue in 2024

Beyond paid subscribers, YouTube’s main revenue driver is advertising. Cue a one-minute ad that you can’t close interrupting your video viewing…

Now that that’s over, YouTube made $36 billion in advertising revenue in 2024. This broke down to approximately $8 billion in Q1, $8.6 in Q2, $8.9 billion in Q3, and $10.4 billion in Q4.

35. YouTube is the sixth biggest digital ad platform in the U.S.

Bringing in $8.29 billion in U.S. ad revenue, YouTube sits at the sixth biggest digital ad platform in the country. However, if you bring in Google’s $77.49 billion, it quickly shoots up to the top spot.

Source: EMARETER

36. 44% of the top YouTube ads this year were not traditional ad lengths

In fact, many longer ads are seeing success, with two top ads being a four-minute Volvo ad or an 11-minute Louis Vuitton ad. Test various ad lengths, formats, and types to see what works best for your brand.

YouTube influencer statistics

Considering working with influencers on YouTube? Discover top statistics surrounding YouTube influencer marketing.

37. 98% of users are more likely to trust creators on YouTube than on other platforms

YouTube creators are a trusted source for brand and product recommendations. If you’re looking to boost sales, working with influencers on the video platform is a great strategy.

38. There are 65.3 million YouTube creators worldwide

There are likely plenty of creators and influencers in your niche, given that there are over 65 million available to choose from.

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