According to DemandSage data, no less than 52% of active users worldwide watch video content at least once a month. Consumer demand for video is growing: customers want to see their products in motion before they buy.
Video has a privileged place on the internet and social media networks, far more important than text, photography, and other types of content.
The YouTube video streaming platform has exploded in popularity, towards its status as the must-have tool it now possesses. Today, it's the most popular video streaming platform in the world, and its statistics continue to climb.
Founded in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, three former PayPal employees, and acquired by Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion, YouTube generates billions of views a day and as many sales.
What are the key YouTube statistics for 2024? What do YouTube users like to watch on the app? What will tomorrow's top YouTube trends be worldwide?
Welcome to our deep dive into the fascinating world of YouTube, a global social media platform that transcends basic video viewing. Our exploration will uncover key usage statistics that highlight how viewers interact with content across various channels, statistics that can help improve your advertising and marketing efforts, allowing you to better reach the people in your target market.
From casual browsing to dedicated watching, YouTube's extensive network offers a unique glimpse into the habits and preferences of its vast audience. Join us as we decode the numbers that define this digital giant's reach and impact!
Table of contents
- How many people use YouTube?
- How old are YouTube users?
- What are the statistics for YouTube videos?
- YouTube channel earnings for creators and brands
- What are the most popular YouTube channels in the world?
- What is the most viewed video on YouTube in 2024?
- How many videos are there on YouTube in total?
- What is the most viewed video in 24 hours on YouTube?
- YouTube Music and Premium statistics
- YouTube advertising statistics
- Why should a business be on YouTube?
- Why should you know YouTube's global stats for your ecommerce business?
Key worldwide stats for YouTube in 2024
How many people use YouTube? Number of monthly active users
In 2005, the social media platform was created and generated its first views and visitors. By 2009, traffic had reached 350 million people. On October 28, 2010, the total number of subscribers across all YouTube channels was 1 billion.
In 2024, YouTube counts approximately 2.5 billion monthly active users, based on data from Statista. In terms of number of users, YouTube is the second most used social media platform after Facebook (approximately 3 billion users) and the second most visited site after Google. According to HubSpot statistics, 80,000 videos are viewed worldwide every second.
It's the social media platform on which internet users spend the most time after TikTok, which dethroned the app: 48.7 minutes per day is the average amount of time a user spends per day on YouTube, according to Statista. Men are the majority audience, with 54.4% of monthly users being male, compared to 45.6% female.
According to We Are Social data on the social media app, the most sought-after topics on YouTube in 2023 were music, videos, movies, DJs, and cartoons.
YouTube is also a source of traffic: the platform swaps first and second place with Google in the ranking of the world's most visited sites, with monthly traffic of around 1.4 billion.
How old are YouTube users? YouTube user age demographics
Based on the results of the MarketingProf statistical study, the largest share of users is in the 25–44 age group: 23% for 25–34 year olds, and 26% in the 35–44 age group.
In total, for users aged 18–49, 80% of them watch YouTube during the month.
Furthermore, Think with Google states that YouTube has become so popular and inescapable over time that the social media platform reaches more people aged between 18 and 49 than television.
What are the statistics for YouTube videos?
To give you a better idea of the world of YouTube and the platform's videos that are blowing up, here are some statistics to consider:
- According to DemandSage, 33% of the world's population connects to YouTube every month.
- Based on Semrush statistics, YouTube garnered nearly 117.3 billion visits in November 2023.
- YouTube Shorts registers 30 billion views per day worldwide.
- More than 1 billion hours of videos are viewed by internet users worldwide every day.
- Every day, 720,000 hours of video are published on YouTube.
- Every minute, 500 hours of video are published.
- Every hour, 30,000 hours of video are published.
- Mobile is the priority: 70% of videos are viewed on a mobile device.
YouTube channel earnings for creators and brands
According to Reech's study involving statistics on influencer marketing in 2023, content creators rank YouTube as the 2nd online platform to invest in for 2024, behind TikTok and well ahead of Facebook at the bottom of the ranking.
It's the 4th platform used by content creators, after Instagram, TikTok, and blogging.
Based on Brainwatch data, by 2020, the number of accounts generating millions in sales doubled.
In 2024, it's difficult to know exactly how much YouTube influencers earn, as many factors come into play.
However, to get an idea of the YouTube revenue possibilities compared to previous years, Kolsquare summarizes all the influencer budgets in force in 2020. Compared to other social media platforms, YouTube has a different price scale.
- For a nano influencer (0 to 10,000 subscribers): between €0 and €2,000 per video
- For a micro-influencer (10,000 to 100,000 subscribers): between €2,000 and €8,000 per video
- For a macro influencer (more than 100,000 subscribers): between €8,000 and €15,000
- For a top influencer (more than 500,000 subscribers): between €15,000 and €45,000
- Over 3 million subscribers: from €45,000 to several hundred thousand euros
What are the most popular YouTube channels in the world?
We now focus on the pinnacle of success on YouTube, highlighting the channels with the greatest number of subscribers. These top performers on the global stage of social media have mastered the art of captivating a vast number of viewers.
From entertaining content to educational videos, these channels have not only attracted millions of users and viewers but have also maintained their engagement and growth, setting benchmarks for what success looks like on YouTube.
As of April 2024, here are the Top 10 most followed YouTube channels worldwide, along with the number of subscribers following them:
- T-Series (263 million subscribers)
- MrBeast (250 million subscribers)
- Cocomelon (174 million subscribers)
- SET India (171 million subscribers)
- Kids Diana Show (121 million subscribers)
- Vlad and Niki (116 million subscribers)
- Like Nastya (114 million subscribers)
- PewDiePie (111 million subscribers)
- Zee Music Company (106 million subscribers)
- WWE (101 million subscribers)
What is the most viewed video on YouTube in 2024?
The most popular videos on YouTube have billions of views. In the history of the platform, one video has broken the absolute record: it’s the children's music video “Baby Shark” by PINKFONG, which has accumulated more than 14 billion views.
How many videos are there on YouTube in total?
Depending on the source, the exact number of videos that are currently on YouTube can vary, as new videos are added and removed all the time. It's estimated that there are between 800 million and 1 billion videos published on YouTube.
What is the most viewed video in 24 hours on YouTube?
The record for the most viewed video in 24 hours on YouTube is held by the Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1 on December 5, 2023, boasting 90,421,491 views. Despite an early release prompted by a leak just hours before, the eagerly awaited trailer still managed to attain record-breaking views and "likes" from users.
YouTube Music and Premium statistics
The micro-ads introducing the YouTube Music and YouTube Premium services have paid off on a global level: Statista states that as of February 2024, over 100 million people are subscribed to the YouTube Music and YouTube Premium services.
In 2021, the platform already counted an increase of 20 million subscribers. Today, with more than 100 million users being Premium subscribers, combining the Music and Premium services, this statistic represents an increase of approximately 333% in the number of people paying for YouTube Music and YouTube Premium since October 2020.
Source: Statista
YouTube advertising statistics
YouTube's advertising revenue reached $31.5 billion in 2023, making up about 10.25% of Google's total revenue for the year.
If you're looking to maximize views for your business's ads, YouTube is apparently a great place to start. The social media app cites a study that found that YouTube ads experienced a 57% longer viewing time compared to ads on other digital platforms under equivalent testing conditions.
Advertisers have various options when it comes to ad formats on the platform: long-form videos, YouTube Shorts, live streams, and podcasts. Which is the best for your advertising strategy ? It turns out that using a combination of these options is ideal! YouTube reports that campaigns incorporating two or more video formats typically achieve greater ad recall and enhanced brand awareness compared to those utilizing just one format.
Another interesting advertising statistic for the app involves vertical video, which is video that's filmed and viewed in portrait mode instead of landscape. This kind of video has surged in popularity on the platform following the introduction of YouTube Shorts. Audiences have been consuming YouTube content on diverse screen sizes for years, and today's marketers are equipped to optimize content for mobile viewing to improve the user experience.
Adapting YouTube ads to match content consumption habits can significantly enhance return on investment (ROI). Google states that simply incorporating a vertical video asset into a Video action campaign can, in some instances, result in a 10-20% increase in conversions compared to campaigns that only use horizontal videos for YouTube Shorts.
Advertisers are increasingly gravitating towards video platforms for short-form video advertising, with YouTube Shorts rapidly emerging as a key player. According to a survey of advertising buyers based in the United States, 43% report that their biggest clients are now placing ads on YouTube Shorts to reach people in their customer base.
Source: eMarketer
Why should a business be on YouTube?
According to Wyzowl stats in 2020, 86% of consumers demand more video content from the brands and companies they follow online.
Content marketing on the world’s favorite social video network has become a must in all areas.
Because beyond generating views, publishing videos on YouTube is also a way to gain visibility and brand awareness. Just like blog posts, for example, YouTube videos can boost your company’s SEO. In terms of SEO, videos on the platform go up if the query matches a specific content.
Stats from the Content Marketing Institute reveal that video is the sixth most effective communication channel in a B2B marketing strategy. Even better: studies show that video already accounts for the majority of online traffic worldwide.
With smartphone usage at an all-time high, key social networks are being consumed by people everywhere, all the time, and by a growing number of users worldwide. The impact of video and social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok in a commercial marketing strategy is therefore an aspect to be taken into account, and even prioritized, in a marketing campaign.
Practical advice, product presentation, partnerships with content creators, or even the creation of a challenge: the possibilities are endless when it comes to ideas that can be used for marketing on YouTube.
To stand out on this social network, it’s best to focus on effective levers: keywords for SEO, long formats, and YouTube Shorts will allow you to become an indispensable brand.
Videos on the first page last 14 minutes and 50 seconds on average, according to Semrush, and published content is becoming longer and longer.
On the other hand, for successful ads on YouTube, it’s better to create very short formats, such as 6-second bumper ads, videos that users can’t ignore before they watch the content.
Why should you know YouTube's global stats for your ecommerce business?
If you're able to create compelling content for your business on YouTube, you have the opportunity to reach an incredibly large and diverse audience worldwide.
YouTube's global statistics can give you a better understanding of your target audience's usage and behavior on the social media app. You can see what types of videos are most popular, what topics are most searched for, and at what time of day or week your audience is most active. This information is crucial to help you create YouTube content tailored to your target's preferences, whether it involves ads or other kinds of marketing content, to increase their engagement and loyalty.
Knowing YouTube's global statistics can help you improve your search engine rankings over time. This is because YouTube is owned by Google, and YouTube videos often appear at the top of search results for certain keywords. By using the right keyword and SEO strategies for your videos, you can improve your online visibility, attract more people to your ecommerce website, and boost your revenue.
As you can see from the stats and data in this article, YouTube is the social media app you need to master as part of your marketing strategy if you want to quickly increase your brand awareness online. It's up to you to take the time to turn out your best content on the social media platform in order to reach the people in your target audience and get more viewers. E-retailers and videographers, make it your next mission!
Interested in deepening your knowledge of social media statistics? Be sure to explore our other articles for additional valuable insights.
