Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform focused on creative work—games, design, film, comics, publishing, music, and more. Creators launch a campaign with a funding goal and a deadline, and backers pledge money in exchange for rewards (like a product, an edition, or a special perk). Kickstarter is best known for its all-or-nothing model: if a project doesn’t reach its goal by the deadline, it doesn’t collect funds.
Over time, Kickstarter has grown from a niche creative funding site into a global launchpad for independent creators and small businesses—especially in categories like tabletop games, design, and tech gadgets. It’s also become a major discovery engine where backers browse trending ideas, follow creators, and support projects repeatedly.
Answer box: Kickstarter reports $9.41 billion pledged to projects, 24.98 million total backers, and a 42.74% overall success rate. The platform shows 686,810 projects launched and 292,605 successfully funded projects (stats update at least daily).
Kickstarter Key Metrics (Latest Available)
| Metric | Latest figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total dollars pledged (all time) | $9,413,200,705 | Kickstarter Stats (auto-updated) |
| Successfully funded projects (all time) | 292,605 | Kickstarter Stats |
| Total backers (all time) | 24,983,349 | Kickstarter Stats |
| Repeat backers (all time) | 8,724,128 | Kickstarter Stats |
| Total pledges (all time) | 106,901,038 | Kickstarter Stats |
| Total projects launched (all time) | 686,810 | Kickstarter Stats |
| Overall success rate (all time) | 42.74% | Kickstarter Stats |
Kickstarter by the Numbers: What the Stats Mean
Kickstarter’s public stats are useful because they show more than just “money raised.” They reveal how likely projects are to succeed, how many campaigns never get traction, and which categories attract the most funding.
- Success rate: Kickstarter’s overall success rate is 42.74%, meaning a little under half of launched projects hit their goal.
- Repeat backers: Over 8.7 million backers have pledged more than once, suggesting a large “habit backer” community.
- 0% funded reality: Kickstarter reports that a meaningful slice of projects end with 0% funding—often because they never reached the right audience.
Category Leaders (Total Dollars Pledged)
By total dollars pledged, Kickstarter’s largest categories are concentrated in products and play—especially games, tech, and design.
| Category | Projects launched | Total pledged | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 103,240 | $2.85B | 52.32% |
| Technology | 59,582 | $2.00B | 24.93% |
| Design | 60,519 | $1.94B | 44.63% |
| Film & Video | 91,799 | $617.20M | 38.25% |
| Comics | 33,701 | $332.35M | 68.86% |
Kickstarter History (Quick Timeline)
- 2009: Kickstarter launches.
- 2010s: Kickstarter becomes a mainstream path for indie creators (especially games, design, and comics).
- 2020s: Tabletop and premium publishing campaigns grow in scale; big creator brands and studios use Kickstarter as a direct-to-fan channel.
Notable Historical Kickstarter Stats
- Backers (total): 20.603 million (2022) — Kickstarter Stats
- Total pledged (to date): $5.6 billion (2021) — Kickstarter Stats
- Projects launched (to date): 516,810 (2021) — Kickstarter Stats
- Success rate: 38.52% (2021) — Kickstarter Stats
- Repeat backers: 6.5 million (2021) — Kickstarter Stats
- Creators milestone: 100,000 creators (2017) — Kickstarter blog
Biggest Kickstarter Projects (Recent Reporting)
- Biggest Kickstarter campaign (reported): eufyMake E1 (reported at ~$46M+ pledged) — TechRadar
- Most-funded “game” campaign (reported): Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere TTRPG (reported at $14.56M) — Polygon
FAQ
How much money has been pledged on Kickstarter?
Kickstarter’s stats page shows $9,413,200,705 in total dollars pledged (auto-updated at least daily).
How many backers does Kickstarter have?
Kickstarter reports 24,983,349 total backers and 8,724,128 repeat backers (auto-updated at least daily).
What is Kickstarter’s success rate?
Kickstarter reports an overall 42.74% success rate across all projects launched.
How many Kickstarter projects have launched?
Kickstarter reports 686,810 total projects launched, with 292,605 successfully funded projects.
How many projects fail on Kickstarter?
Kickstarter reports 391,957 unsuccessfully funded projects. It also reports 60,587 projects that finished at 0% funded.
Which Kickstarter categories raise the most money?
By total dollars pledged, Kickstarter’s biggest categories include Games ($2.85B), Technology ($2.00B), and Design ($1.94B).
