81+ Youtube Statistics – Growth Trends and Popular Videos in 2024

What did you want to become when you were a kid?

A police officer?

A doctor?

An astronaut?

Anything else along these lines?

But you know what?

Kids today aren’t the same kids from back then.

Do you know what they want to be when they grow up?

YouTubers.

And YouTube statistics prove it.

In fact, about one-third of US and UK children want to become the next PewDiePie.

In contrast, only about one-tenth dream of emulating Neil Armstrong.

The funny thing is, even if these kids ever manage to go into space – guess where the majority of people will watch the launch of the rocket.

YouTube.

So, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 14 years, you know YouTube is a game-changer.

What you probably don’t know is – what’s under the hood of the most dominant entertainment platform on the planet. Thankfully, the following YouTube statistics will reveal some eyebrow-raising information.

So, without further ado, let’s get this show on the road.

Mind-Blowing YouTube Statistics

• There are over 1.9 billion active YouTube users each month.
• People watch an average of five billion YouTube videos every day.
• 70% of YouTube viewers watch “how-to” videos. The number of searches for this type of videos grows 70% YoY.
• According to YouTube statistics for 2019, only 9% of US small businesses are active on YouTube.
• YouTube users who view at least 30 seconds of an advertisement are 23 times more likely to subscribe to a brand’s channel.
• YouTube view statistics show users watch over a billion hours of content daily.
• People upload more than 500 hours of video on YouTube every minute.

These are some insane figures, right? Just wait and see what else is in store for you.

1. General YouTube Statistics – YouTube is the second most visited website globally after Google.

(Source: Alexa)

• Google purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006. That happened only a year after YouTube’s launch.
• According to YouTube statistics and data, people spend an average of 8.41 minutes on the website.
• 70% of YouTube visitors watch videos to learn how to do something.
• There are five billion YouTube videos watched every day.
• Here’s a shocking YouTube stat – only 9% of small businesses in the US are active on the platform.

There’s no denying the power of YouTube. Google made a sweet deal acquiring the company when it did. Although small businesses don’t engage too much with YouTube, nor with content marketing for that matter, billions of people do every month. And that’s why the platform is a force to be reckoned with.

2. YouTube Growth Statistics – YouTube has 1.9 billion users who log in each month.

(Source: YouTube)

• YouTube is available in more than 91 countries.
• YouTube supports 80 different languages, covering 95% of the entire internet population.
• According to YouTube user statistics, there are over 30 million active daily YouTube users.
• For comparison – in 2011, YouTube was localized in 25 countries and supported 43 languages for its 790 million monthly visitors.
• How many hours of YouTube are watched every day? – People watch over a billion hours of video daily.

YouTube’s worldwide expansion didn’t happen overnight. It took the platform 14 years to be what it is today. Furthermore, there aren’t any signs the company is ready to sit back and relax. On the contrary, it develops new services and has an astonishing number of users to back up its future growth.

3. YouTube Usage Statistics – the top two reasons people watch videos on YouTube are “to relax” and “to feel entertained.”

(Source: Google)

• According to YouTube metrics, the four most popular video categories are comedy, music, entertainment, and “how-to.”
• 68% of YouTube’s visitors watch videos to help them form a purchase decision and they are 1.81 more likely to buy something.
• People have watched more than 50,000 years of product review videos on YouTube on mobile devices for the last two years alone.
• Youtube users are three times more likely to watch a video of a product rather than reading its manual.
• 81% of parents with children under the age of 11 let their children watch YouTube videos.
• One of the forming YouTube trends for the last two years is the increase of watch time for the following types of videos:
  • “Everything you need to know” on mobile – 2 times.
  • “Shop with me” on mobile – 10 times.
  • “Does it work” – 12 times.

People turn to YouTube for everything – shopping, taking a breath from parenting, or just relaxing. We could all agree we live in stressful times. Thankfully, we have YouTube to release some of the pressure.

4. YouTube Demographic Statistics – 96% of 18-24-year-old US internet users watch YouTube videos.

(Source: Statista)

• YouTube user demographics show about 15% of the website’s traffic comes from the US.
• More than half of US internet users aged 75+ watch videos on YouTube.
• According to YouTube statistics, 80% of 18-49-year-olds watch videos each month.
• 35% of Millennials opt for digital videos rather than traditional television. 
• Perfect gender equality among US YouTube visitors – 83% of both men and women aged 18+ watch videos on the platform.

YouTube is for adult and young users alike, regardless of gender. In a nutshell – there’s something for everyone. Considering how many people use YouTube, this is a notable achievement.

5. Statistics and Facts About YouTube’s Content Creators – there are more than 50 million active YouTubers.

(Source: Omnicore)

• According to YouTube stats, 5 out of 10 of Youtube’s most popular content creators run video gaming channels.
• The video gaming industry had a revenue of almost $152 billion in 2019.
• How much does a YouTuber make? The top 10 YouTubers combined made $180.5 million in 2018.
• Ryan Kaji, more popular on YouTube as Ryan ToysReview, is the highest earner on the platform with $22 million in profit for 2018. For those of you who haven’t heard of him – he’s only seven years old.
• Considering the numbers above, some of you may wonder: “How much money do you make per 1000 views on YouTube?” – The answer is between $0.35 and $5.
• According to Youtube money stats, the number of channels that earn a six-figure income grew more than 40% YoY.
• YouTubers are four times more effective than celebrities in increasing brand familiarity.
• Branded links can increase the click-through-rate by more than 39%.

Although music videos are the most-watched videos, it’s mostly gamers who run the top YouTube channels.

The rat race of millions of creators is what drives YouTube’s growth. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, and YouTube stats prove it. YouTubers are so driven to create great content, they’ve become more influential than celebrities. On top of that, 70% of teens value the opinion of influencers more than the recommendations of traditional celebrities.  This is how they make money.

6. Youtube Channel Statistics – in 2019, more than 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.

(Source: Statista)

• Who has the most subscribers on YouTube? – The T-Series channel with more than 174 million subscribers. PewDiePie got knocked down from the first position and now holds the second place in YouTube’s most subscribers race. According to YouTube subscriber stats, his channel has over 107 million subscribers.
• YouTube channel stats show Lego is the most popular brand on the platform – its videos have over 9.5 billion views. For comparison, Netflix’s videos have a total of two billion views.
• How many views does the average YouTube video get? – The number varies depending on the video’s type, but the median across all categories is 5594 views.
• According to YouTube statistics, the website’s administrators removed over 2.8 million channels between January and March 2019. This equals to about 74 million videos, 85% of which were spam, misleading, or scams which can be a serious offense, so it won’t hurt to take some precaution measures. 9.6% contained nudity or sexual content.
• The number of the best YouTube channels (with at least a million subscribers) grew by more than 75% in 2018.

YouTubers “fight” for every view. The mind-blowing upload rates prove it. In such a competitive industry, you don’t need any YouTube statistics to figure out that it’s game over for fake or useless content. That’s why the fastest-growing YouTube channels offer content with outstanding quality.

7. Youtube Video Statistics – people have watched over 50 billion hours of gaming videos on YouTube in 2018.

(Source: The Verge)

• Which video is the most viewed on YouTube? – as of 2021, “Baby Shark Dance” by the Korean education brand Pinkfong has dethroned “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee. Baby Shark Dance is the most-watched YouTube video with 8 billion views but Despacito remains the most liked video on YouTube with more than 42 million likes.
• What YouTube videos are popular? – According to YouTube video stats, 14 out of the top 15 most viewed videos are music videos.
• How many videos are on Youtube? – YouTube statistics show there are over five billion videos on the platform.
• How long can a YouTube video be in 2019? – The maximum length of a video is 12 hours or 128 GB, whichever is less. FYI, you can fit 571 hours of footage into 549 MB.
• What is the average length of a YouTube video? – According to YouTube stats, the average length of YouTube videos is 11.7 minutes.
• Users spend 70% of their time on YouTube watching videos recommended by the platform’s AI.

Now that you know how many YouTube videos there are, it’s no wonder the platform dominates the online entertainment market. There’s a video for everyone. You can watch everything – from a shoe-loving turtle to full-length movies.

8. Mobile YouTube Statistics – YouTube users spend an average of 40 minutes watching videos on mobile devices.

(Source: Forbes)

• Mobile YouTube users account for more than 70% of the platform’s watch time.
• According to YouTube stats, 75% of adults watch videos at home on their mobile devices.
• People are 84% more likely to pay attention to YouTube mobile ads compared to TV advertisements.
• Users watching YouTube videos on mobile devices are two times more likely to pay close attention than TV users watching television.

Today smartphones are the supreme rulers in the realm of devices with 2.71 billion people having one. So it comes as no surprise that most people watch YouTube on mobile. In fact, it was the most downloaded iPhone app in 2018.

What’s curious about these YouTube stats is that people are more focused on the small display instead of on the much bigger TV screen.

9. YouTube’s Dominance Statistics – the platform accounts for 47% of the time spent listening to on-demand music.

(Source: Ifpi)

• According to YouTube stats, people watch over a billion hours of videos on the website. That’s more than Netflix and Facebook videos combined.
• There are four times more people who prefer watching videos on YouTube than on any social media.
• YouTube accounts for more than 66% of the premium online videos watched by millennials across all devices.
• 35% of people wouldn’t subscribe to a paid audio service because they can listen to anything on YouTube.

YouTube is undoubtedly the leading platform for both music and video. Still, that’s not enough for the company. That’s why they’ve created their very own YouTube Originals and YouTube Music Premium services – to attract even more viewers and listeners to the already impressive YouTube user count.

10. YouTube vs. TV – 60% of people prefer online video platforms to live TV.

(Source: Google)

• More people aged 18-49 watch YouTube on mobile alone during prime time than any cable network.
• 50% of people under the age of 32 won’t use a paid TV subscription by 2025.
• People watched YouTube videos on their TV more than twice as much in 2018 as in 2017.
• As of March 2019, users have watched more than 250 million hours of YouTube videos on their TV screens.

YouTube is dethroning the TV networks as the platform of choice for video content. Although TV broadcasters are stepping down from the throne, the TV as a device is far from its way to oblivion. It’s only changing its purpose. Today people don’t watch that much network content on their TV screen. Instead, they play YouTube videos on it.

11. Youtube Advertising Statistics – 51% of US marketers advertise on YouTube.

(Source: eMarketer)

• According to YouTube statistics, 95% of the ads on the platform are audible.
• YouTube ads account for 27.1% of the US digital ad spending. That makes YouTube the second-largest platform for digital marketers after Facebook (39%).
• 62% of people pay attention to YouTube mobile ads. For comparison – TV advertisements get the attention of only 45% of viewers.
• YouTube stats show 78.8% of marketers believe the website is the most effective video marketing platform.
• 62% of marketers plan to increase their YouTube ad spending next year.

YouTube is a magnet for marketers. It’s a platform where their ads could reach billions of people. Moreover, YouTube ads grab viewers’ attention better than TV ones.

Moreover, marketers should be aware that a YouTube video is 52 times more likely to show up on Google’s first page compared to a text file.

12. YouTube Financial Statistics – the annual cost of running YouTube is $6.35 billion.

(Source: BiographON)

• How much is YouTube worth? – Morgan Stanley pegged the company’s value at $160 billion in 2018.
• According to YouTube statistics, YouTube TV has about 800,000 subscribers.
• YouTube’s net ad revenue in the US is set to reach $5.47 billion in 2020. For comparison – the platform generated $3.88 billion in 2017. The global net ad revenue for that year was $7.8 billion.
• 73% of YouTube users would agree to pay less than $5 a month to gain access to the website.
• According to YouTube monetization stats, the company takes a 45% cut out of any ad revenue.

Google is tight-lipped about its subsidiary’s finances. Thankfully, the above YouTube statistics shed some light on the question. If Morgan Stanley’s assessment is correct, today the platform is worth 100 times the price Google paid in 2006.

13. YouTube’s benefits for users, companies, and content creators – 90% of people learned about a new product or a brand on the website.

(Source: Google)

• 80% of online shoppers who watched a YouTube video related to their planned purchase did so at the beginning of the shopping process.
• Users who watch an entire brand’s ad or at least 30 seconds of it are 23 times more likely to subscribe to the brand’s channel. Besides, they are more likely to watch and/or share other company videos.
• Even if viewers didn’t watch an entire ad, they are 10 times more likely to take any of the above actions.
• 74% of users share a brand’s video content on social media.
• According to YouTube statistics, the platform has paid over $2 billion to content creators using Content ID for the last five years.

The YouTube business model looks like a win-win situation for everyone. We don’t know how much YouTube’s “win” is, but analysts believe the platform accounts for about 20% of Google’s revenue. Even if they are wrong, advertisers and content creators increase their investment of money and time into the platform. That could only mean one thing – both YouTubers and marketers are happy with the results.

14. Curious and Funny YouTube Statistics and Data – the longest video on the platform is 571 hours.

(Source: Adweek)

• The website made annual April Fools jokes from 2008 to 2016. The 2008 joke was to redirect every video to Rick Astley’s Never gonna give you up video.

• According to YouTube stats, 86% of millennial fathers watch YouTube videos when they seek guidance for raising their children.
• The most disliked video on YouTube is published by… YouTube! It’s YouTube Rewind 2018 and has over 16 million dislikes.
• The most liked YouTube comment is for the same video. It’s by Eric Champlin and has over 600,000 likes.
• More than 30% of UK and US children aged 6-17 wish to become YouTubers. That’s three times the number of children who want to become doctors or nurses.

The sole fact that so many children want to be YouTubers is all the proof you need to realize the power of YouTube. It can be funny, helpful, and profitable. After all, what more could you ask from a job?

Conclusion

All of the above YouTube statistics point to one thing – YouTube is the dominant entertainment platform out there.

YouTube helps, engages, and entertains people all over the globe on all devices.

Moreover, it isn’t going anywhere but up.

After all, at the end of a long day at the office, watching some funny animals could always lift your spirits.

Have fun and I’ll see you next time.