50 YouTube Statistics, Insights, and Facts You Need to Know

Launched officially in May 2005 as a video sharing site and potentially with a dating site component. However, this platform took a slightly different turn and exploded into the video sharing platform we know today.

Creators and brands have taken to the platform and have seen lots of success. YouTube is arguably the biggest video sharing platform right now. With lots of people looking to get in on the act.

We know how important this platform is which is why we have put together 50 of the most exciting YouTube statistics, insights and facts you need to know. Whether you’re a social media manager, a content  realtor, influencer or a brand looking to grow on YouTube, you’ll find this piece helpful.

User Base and Reach

YouTube’s user base has continued to rise since it launched in 2005 showing why creators and brands are taking this video sharing platform seriously. Its reach has gotten to approximately 47% of the world’s internet users. The potential to reach the world using YouTube has never been greater.

1. 2.5 Billion YouTube Active Monthly Users: As at February 2025, YouTube has over 2.53 billion active monthly users, making it the second most visited platform behind Facebook.
2. YouTube is Available in Over 100 Countries and in Over 80 Languages: YouTube is available in 109 countries and regions with 112 distinct localized versions and over 80 different languages.
3. India Has The Highest YouTube Users By Country: When you break down the whopping number of users by country, one stands out.India has 462 million YouTube users, with the USA coming in second with 239 million users. Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico make up the top 5 in that order.
4. 98% of Internet Users in the US Access YouTube Monthly: A whopping 98% of all internet users in the USA use YouTube at least once in a month with 62% doing that daily. This is according to a 2020 survey carried out.
5. YouTube is The Second Most Popular Social Media Platform: YouTube has over 2.5 billion active monthly users and is sitting just behind Facebook with 3.1 billion active monthly users. With just over 4.7 billion active social media users, YouTube is one of only two platforms that can boast of having 50% of the pie.
6. YouTube is the Most Popular Social Media Platform Among US Adults: When it comes to the USA, YouTube’s popularity thrumps even Facebook as it emerges as the most popular social media platform among US adults. So if your demographic is the US, there is no reason not to jump on YouTube.
7. Saudi Arabia Has The Highest YouTube Penetration Rate: The global penetration of the YouTube app is at its highest in Saudi Arabia with a 95.8% penetration rate. Israel is second on the list.
8. YouTube Has a Diverse Userbase in The US: Diversity is the trend with the US YouTube userbase and it shows in the percentage of different users. Almost evenly split with 88% Black, 82% White, 93% Asian, and 89% Hispanic population.
9. YouTube Ads Has the Potential to Reach 1 out of every 3 on Earth: With the potential reach of YouTube ads surpassing 2.5 billion users, there’s even more incentives to advertise on the platform.

Demographics

Want to know the type of people who use YouTube? This section highlights everything from the most active age groups to the diversity of users. With this you can make better decisions on the type of channel and ads to run, and demographics to target. Here are some of the most interesting demographics stats on YouTube:

10. 25-34 Year Olds are The Most Active YouTube Users in The US: When considering the most active users by age group, 25-34 year olds stand out at 21.5% followed closely by 35-44 year olds at 17.9%. People under 18 years old only make up 10% of the active viewers on the platform. This information can inform your decision on type of content and how to market on YouTube.
11. 54% of YouTube Users Are Male: As of February 2025, statistics show that 54% of users on YouTube are male while 46% are female showing a close proportion of users which can influence your choice of content.
12. 41% of Monthly YouTube Users Are Ethnically Diverse: To reach a wider audience in the US, you need to consider this vital stat that shows 41% of monthly US YouTube users to be ethnically diverse. This means inclusivity and diversity is vital when making content for this market.
13. Children in The UK Spend on Average of 67 Minutes on YouTube Daily: If you’re creating children’s content, this might interest you as children in the United Kingdom spend an average of 66 minutes on YouTube mobile app. It gets even higher on the YouTube kids app as they spend around 92 minutes on average daily.
14. Children in the USA Spend on Average of 86 Minutes on YouTube Daily: In the US, the time children spend on the YouTube mobile app is way higher than average. It is 86 minutes. Second on the list is Netflix as children spend about half the time there.
15. YouTube Kids Saw 145 Million Downloads in 2024: There has been a steady increase in the number of downloads for YouTube Kids app peaking at 145 million in 2024. The search for kids’ content is on the rise.

Content and Channels

Ever wondered which channel has the most subscribers or even how many channels there are on the platform? You’re at the right place as this section discusses some interesting facts about YouTube content and channels. This insight can also help you when creating your channel.

16. Over 100 Million Active YouTube Channels: There are 114 million active YouTube channels and only 4.4% of the over 2.5 billion active users have created a channel. This vast number of channels means you have to stand out to gain attention and grow your brand. This is why top channels leave their editing to professionals like Your Video Editor.
17. MrBeast is the Most Subscribed YouTube Channel: MrBeast’s channel has 391 million subscribers making it the most subscribed channel on YouTube. It gains an average of 36000 subscribers daily. T Series, Cocomelon, and Set India make up the top 4. You too can get a share of these massive active users on the platform.
18. Up To 100 Channels is Allowed Per Google Account: You can create up to 100 YouTube channels using a single google account and manage all of them using Brand Accounts. This makes it possible to easily handle different YouTube channels.
19. Only 14 Channels Have Over 100 Million Subscribers: Among the millions of YouTube channels, only 14 have crossed 100 million subscribers with MrBeast and T Series leading the pack.
20. Of the Top 250 Channels, 66% is English Content: The top 250 channels on YouTube are mostly in English with 66% while 15% is in Spanish and 7% in Portuguese.

YouTube Video Statistics

You can check the statistics of your videos right from your channel through YouTube analytics. But when it comes to other channels, a little more research is required. We’ve done that research for you and came up with some really fascinating discoveries. From watch time to the total number of videos on YouTube.

21. “Baby Shark Dance” is the Most Viewed Video on YouTube: With 15.9 billion views “Baby Shark Dance” is the most viewed video on YouTube and has been up for 8 years. This video created by Pinkfong is most popular among children all over the world..
22. 500 Hours of Video Are Uploaded Every Minute: YouTube has become so important and popular that users upload over 500 hours of videos every minute. In contrast, only 6 hours of video was uploaded every minute in 2007. For context, it’ll take over 20 days to watch 500 hours of videos concurrently.
23. There are Over 4.3 Billion YouTube Videos: Even though the exact figure will continue to change with hundreds of hours of video content being uploaded every minute, as of 2025, there are over 4.3 billion YouTube videos with over 1.1 billion of those being Shorts.
24. There are Over 14 Billion Public YouTube Videos: While this will continue to change, as at the time the survey was completed in December 2023, there were over 14 billion publicly available videos on YouTube.
25. The First YouTube Video Ever Was Uploaded in 2005: Jawad Karim, one of the founders of YouTube uploaded the first ever YouTube video on April 23rd, 2005. The title of the video is “Me at the Zoo” and it has gained over 360 million views in 20 years. This video was shot at the SanDiego zoo and has also amassed over 10 million comments, most of which is highlighting the landmark video.
26. The Average Length of a YouTube Video is 11.7 Minutes: Most videos on YouTube fall within the 7 to 15 minutes length window with the average being 11.7 minutes long. This is a sweet spot to target for most niches. Although informational videos, documentaries, and stories may exceed this range. The right video editing service will ensure there are no fluffs and down moments that will lose viewers.
27. Music Videos Are The Most Popular Type of Videos on YouTube: While entertainment is the most popular niche, music videos in particular are the most popular type of videos on youtube, getting a lot of views and engagement. Vlogs, educational videos, and gaming content are also quite popular.
28. The Most Liked YouTube Video Has 56 Million Likes: The most liked YouTube video is not only a Short but also has a whopping 56 million likes. It is a short on MrBeast’s channel with the title “Would You Fly to Paris For a Baguette?”.
29. 58.9% of US Adults Watch Health-Related YouTube Videos: According to research by the National Cancer Institute in 2022, 58.9% of US adults watch health related videos on YouTube, up from 39.7% in 2020. This shows health related content is getting more eyes.
30. 32% of US Adults Regularly Watch News on YouTube: YouTube is the second most popular social media platform for news in the US with 32% of users getting news from the video sharing platform. It sits behind facebook which is only 1% higher.

YouTube Shorts

Introduced in 2019 after the success of many short video sharing platforms. YouTube wanted a piece of the pie and got it with a huge proportion of YouTube users watching Shorts. With India and the United States among the countries with the most Shorts users. Want to see what we picked up about YouTube Shorts? Here you go:

31. 2 Billion Active YouTube Shorts Users: Since its introduction in 2019, YouTube Shorts has become so popular that it now has 2 billion active monthly users. Shorts are quite popular for entertainment content.
32. YouTube Shorts Get Over 70 Billion Daily Views: Shorts on YouTube has grown steadily since its introduction till date that it now has over 70 billion daily views. YouTube recognizes the success here and has set out to reward creators on this side of the divide by introducing the Creators Fund to reward views on Shorts.
33. YouTube Shorts Has 164.5 Million Users in The US: A large proposition of US YouTube Users also watch Shorts with 164.5 million Users. It is one of the highest in the world.

Viewing Habits

With the billions of YouTube users, their viewing habits are bound to differ. However, through research, we were able to find sound matching habits among viewers. With this, you can make better audience segmentation, position your brand better, and edit your videos to fit these insights. 

34. Most Viewers Watch on Mobile: The percentage of viewers watching YouTube videos on their mobile devices is 63% making it the most common way to use the platform. This means optimizing your video for mobile is essential if you want to improve viewer experience and retention.
35. Users Consume 1 Billion Hours of Video on YouTube Daily: Over People watch over 1 billion hours of videos on YouTube daily, showing the massive amount of content consumed on the platform and the opportunity it presents to intending creators.
36. Users Watch Over 1 Billion Hours of YouTube Content on Their TVs Daily: While mobile is the most common device for watching YouTube, users still watch over 1 billion hours daily on their TVs. This is why you must also optimize your content for TV. A good video editing service knows how to optimize your content for all devices.
37. YouTube Has The Largest Share of Time Spent on Social Media: As of 2024, users spend on average 48.7 minutes on the platform making it the top platform where users spend the most time ahead of TikTok. This shows you shouldn’t be scared of long form content or creating playlists as long as you’re delivering value.
38. The USA Drives The Most YouTube Traffic: The United States of America drives 15.9% of all YouTube traffic making it the top country ahead of South Korea and India. In this case, the highest number of users does not translate to the largest traffic.

Revenue and Monetization

Creators want to get rewarded for their efforts and YouTube sets out to do this through their YouTube Partner Program. The key to monetization is the revenue sharing formula YouTube has where they share ad revenue with creators. This section contains everything from the revenue YouTube generates to how much creators can make per view and the requirements.

39. YouTube Quarterly Ad Revenue Reaches $8.9 Billion: YouTube’s ad revenue from the first quarter of 2025 is $8.93 billion and up 10.3% year over year. This shows the increasing number of advertisers on the platform. Seeing that YouTube shares some of this revenue to creators, you too can get a piece of the pie by building your channel.
40. YouTube Has Over 100 Million Paying Subscribers: YouTube counted over 100 million paying subscribers across its YouTube Music and Premium packages in 2024. This is up 50% from 2020. The subscription is from people seeking ad free viewing, unlimited download for offline streaming, and original content.
41. YouTube’s Top Earner is MrBeast: MrBeast is not only the most subscribed channel on YouTube but also the top earner, pulling in around $84 million across different businesses in 2024 according to Forbes. With YouTube contributing a significant amount to this figure.
42. YouTube Pays $1.61 to $29.30 per 1000 Views: The average pay per 1000 views on YouTube is $1.61 to $29.30 with the exact figure depending on niche, region, and more. This shows how lucrative it can be for you as a creator if you step up your efforts to grow your channel.
43. You Need 1000 Subscribers And 4000 YouTube Views For Monetization: To get your channel monetized on YouTube you have to get 1000 subscribers and either 4000 valid YouTube video views in the past 12 months or 10 million valid YouTube Shorts views within the past 90 days.
44. YouTube Pays Between 7th to 12th of the Next Month: Your Finalized Earnings would be added to your Adsense account by YouTube between 7th to 12th of the next month. While issuance starts from 21st to 26th of the same month it is earned.

Advertising and Marketing

Advertisers, marketers and brands will find this section quite interesting, as it showcases facts about advertising on the platform. With this, you can position your ads better and enjoy better value for your money. Want to see what we found including something for B2B marketers? Here:

45. Intent-Targeted Ads Perform Better Than Demographic-Focused Ads: It has been shown that ads that are targeted with intent have a 100% higher chance of getting a purchase  than those targeted by demographics on YouTube. Video Ads on the Platform.
46. Consumers Say YouTube Ads Are More Relevant Than Linear TV Ads: A study carried out in 2022 found that 59% of consumers find ads on YouTube more relevant to their needs than those found on linear TV or on other social media networks. If you’re looking for more reasons to take YouTube advertising more seriously, this may just be it.
47. Pre-Roll Skippable Ads Are Said To Be The Most Effective: A survey conducted in 2019 had 29% of correspondents agreeing that pre-roll skippable ads are the most effective way to run ads on YouTube with only 7% choosing non-skippable ads as the most effective.
48. YouTube TrueView Ads Are Effective in Driving Relevant Search Behavior: Research shows that YouTube TrueView ads are 76% more likely to drive relevant search behavior and 10x more likely to drive engagement on the advertisers YouTube channel.
49. More B2B Marketers Are Using YouTube: YouTube is behind only LinkedIn on the fastest growing platforms B2B marketers love using with 31% more marketers within the past 12 months. The potential of the platform is evident for some of the top B2B marketers to see.
50. Vertical Videos Yield Up To 20% More Conversion Per Dollar: YouTube research has revealed that vertical videos deliver 10-20% more conversion per dollar than their horizontal sponsored video counterparts. This can serve as a guide on how to properly structure your sponsored videos on the platform to get the most value for your money.

Summary

YouTube’s unrivaled reach, with over 2.5 billion monthly users and 1 billion hours watched daily, cements its role as a powerhouse for entertainment, education, and commerce.

From the surge of YouTube Shorts to the influence of creators like MrBeast, the platform offers endless opportunities for brands and creators to connect with diverse audiences. Its evolving features, like live streaming and algorithm-driven recommendations, make it a dynamic space for growth.

Ready to elevate your YouTube presence? Your Video Editor offers professional editing services to craft polished, engaging content that captivates viewers and grows your brand.

Start leveraging these insights today, dive into YouTube Studio, experiment with Shorts, or launch your channel. With Your Video Editor by your side, 2025 is your year to shine on YouTube!