Here are a few of the most interesting YouTube statistics and facts I was able to dig up including user counts. As always, be sure to check back in the future as I will be updating this post as new and updated stats become available.
What is YouTube?
YouTube is a true American success story. It began as the brainchild of Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim: three PayPal employees that wanted to create a platform where users could post and share video clips. As a startup, YouTube attracted users and funding fairly quickly and was snatched up by the almighty Google roughly a year and a half after it was launched for $1.65 billion.
When a video social network has over a billion users that spend amazing amounts of time on it daily, there is no shortage of aspects of and facts about YouTube that can be measured and reported. I have been collecting YouTube stats and facts for about 10 years now in this curated collection.
YouTube History
- 2005 – YouTube launched
- 2006 – Google purchases YouTube for $1.65 billion
- 2010 – YouTube began streaming cricket matches
- 2011 – YouTube gets a major site redesign
- 2015 – YouTube Kids launched
- 2015 – YouTube Premium launched (as YouTube Red)
- 2017 – YouTube gets a major site redesign
YouTube User Count
How many people use YouTube?
2 billion logged-in monthly YouTube users (2/26/21)
How many people watch YouTube in the US?
180.1 million (1/27/17)
Number of countries YouTube has users in:
90 countries (11/29/17)
Number of YouTube Music / YouTube Premium paid subscribers:
50 million subscribers (9/2/21)
Number of YouTube TV subscribers:
5 million subscribers (8/23/22)
YouTube Revenue Totals
YouTube revenue from ads (annual):
- FY 2019: $15.1 billion
- FY 2018: $11.15 billion
- FY 2017: $8.15 billion
Additional YouTube Statistics
How many YouTube videos are uploaded every minute?
500 hours worth (February 2020)
Average daily views of YouTube Shorts:
30 billion daily views (4/27/22)
Total number of views of YouTube Shorts since launch:
5 trillion views (1/25/22)
Number of YouTube Content ID Claims processed in 2021:
1.5 billion (7/24/22)
Number of people in the US that watch YouTube and YouTube TV on their TV screen monthly:
120 million people (3/10/21)
How many videos on YouTube are captioned:
1 billion (2/16/17)
Percentage of the Earth’s population that use YouTube monthly:
about 25% (5/7/18)
Percentage of YouTube traffic from mobile:
70% (2/26/21)
Estimated YouTube valuation:
$140 billion (3/5/19)
Number of times the YouTube app has been installed from the Play Store:
5 billion installs (12/3/18)
YouTube overall reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S.
Average amount of YouTube video content watched daily:
1 billion hours per day (5/12/18)
Average time spent on YouTube per mobile session:
60 minutes (5/12/18)
How many videos are uploaded on YouTube every day?
576,000 hours worth (11/5/17)
Percentage of US Internet users, aged 13-17 (teens) that use YouTube:
85% (5/31/18)
Number of subscribers of YouTube Music and Google Play Music combined:
15 million subscribers (6/27/19)
Type of YouTube content most preferred by Millennials:
What is the most-viewed YouTube video ever?
Despacito (2/25/19)
How many people in India watch YouTube?
245 monthly active users (8/28/18)
Number of revenue-earning YouTube users in the US:
1.8 million (2/1/18)
Number of markets that YouTube TV is available in:
100 markets (3/12/18)
Number of people that watch gaming videos and streams on YouTube each day:
200 million (9/18/18)
YouTube’s share of the video game live streaming market:
19.5% (7/12/19)
Number of countries YouTube Music is available in:
60 (7/18/19)
Top 5 top-earning YouTube stars (based on income):
-
- Ryan Kaji | Ryan ToysReview ($26 million)
- Dude Perfect ($20 million)
- Anastasia Radinskaya ($18 million)
- Rhett and Link ($17.5 million)
- Jeffree Star ($17 million)
(12/18/19 source)
Average amount of YouTube content that is watched on TV screens daily:
250 million hours (5/3/19)
Amount of gaming content viewed on YouTube in 2018:
Video with the most YouTube views in its first 24 hours:
Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” (43.2 million views) (8/29/17)
Number of installs of the YouTube for Android TV app:
10 million (2/4/18
60% of Americans aged 35-54 visit YouTube for music-related content at least once a week. (June 2018)
29% of Americans aged 55+ visit YouTube for music-related content at least once a week. (June 2018)
Number of YouTube music videos that have more than 1 billion views:
300 videos (7/19/22)
Oldest video to get 1 billion YouTube views:
Top 5 most subscribed-to YouTube channels:
-
- T-Series
- YouTube Movies
- Music
- PewDiePie
- Gaming
(5/27/20 source)
Most popular YouTube channel (based on views):
LEGO (7/27/20)
10 Most-viewed YouTube videos of all time (as of 6/18/19):
-
- Despacito (Luis Fonsi)
- Shape of You (Ed Sheeran)
- See You Again (Wiz Khalifa)
- Recipe for Disaster (Marsha and the Bear)
- Uptown Funk (Mark Ronson)
- Gangnam Style (Psy)
- Sorry (Justin Bieber)
- Sugar (Maroon 5)
- Baby Shark Dance (Pinkfong)
- Roar (Katy Perry)
Percentage of YouTube’s daily views that come from outside the U.S.:
80% (5/12/18)
Number of YouTube channels with more than 100,000 subscribers:
170,000 channels (February 2020)
Number of downloads for the YouTube Kids app:
50 million downloads (7/8/18)
Number of video views for YouTube Kids in its first year:
Number of YouTube channels with at least 250,000 subscribers:
43,770 (1/7/19)
Top 10 YouTube title keywords that get the most views:
-
- Fortnite
- ASMR
- Slime
- Rainbow
- Prank
- Worst
- NFL
- Makeup
- Moment
- Wrong
(source 1/7/19)
Most-watched YouTube creator of 2019:
Top 5 most disliked videos on YouTube (as of 8/11/19):
-
- YouTube Rewind 2018 (YouTube)
- Baby (Justin Bieber)
- It’s Everyday Bro (Jake Paul)
- Can this video get 1 million dislikes? (PewDiePie)
- Despacito (Luis Fonsi)
Percentage of YouTube users that watch it to help make a purchase decision:
68% (6/16/20)
Number of videos removed by YouTube in H1 2021 for violating community guidelines:
Number of sexually explicit videos removed by YouTube in H1 2021:
The top two reasons viewers watch YouTube are:
YouTube Facts
Here is pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about YouTube.
- Website: Official Website
- Year Founded: 2005
- Headquarters: San Bruno, CA
- Founder(s): Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen
- Current Chief Executive: Susan Wojcicki
- Parent Company: Google/Alphabet
- App Download (iOS)
- App Download (Android)
Please note that some of these numbers are easier to find than others. A few of these YouTube statistics come from their own reports, but some are based on news reports and not official company tallies. No information contained on DMR should be relied upon to make investment decisions. Basically, this is the best I can find and I don’t guarantee anything to be 100%.
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