YouTube Statistics Marketers Should Note

Are you a marketer needing a deep dive into YouTube statistics? Or are you a viewer curious about the biggest channels? Read more to find out!

YouTube Statistics and Data for Marketers [2024]

YouTube is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world. It has several billion monthly active users, with the average person spending 49 minutes a day watching YouTube videos.

From nursery rhymes to self-help videos, YouTube is a diverse platform with plenty of topics to choose from. It also features music and premium services to provide more content to its users.

YouTube’s wide reach is a testament to the Google-owned platform’s effectiveness, which can attract not only YouTube viewers, but content creators and digital marketers too.

This guide will break down YouTube’s reach, user base demographics, the top YouTube channels, how the platform is used for advertising and marketing, as well as future trends.

YouTube’s Global Reach And Impact

YouTube is a frequently visited platform, and ranks as the second most visited website at 73.4 billion views, only being beaten by Google. This is a testament to its global reach and impact.

Massive User Base And Engagement

Similar to its massive website visit numbers, this popular platform boasts similarly impressive numbers across other metrics.

This is especially apparent if you look into YouTube’s user base and the amount of time people spend watching YouTube videos.

Monthly Active Users Surpassing 2 Billion

YouTube statistics show that it has 2.49 billion monthly active users as of 2023.

While studying YouTube statistics is useful for understanding the platform, it’s also crucial to review the social media stats of other sites for a more comprehensive picture of the social media landscape.

Daily Active Users And Average Time Spent On The Platform

There are around 122 million daily active YouTube users. Of this number, the average daily watch duration of YouTube users is around 48.7 minutes long.

Diverse And Expansive Content Library

Another one of the platform’s strengths is the sheer amount of content available. There are hundreds of hours of video content uploaded every minute, all in a wide range of categories.

Hundreds Of Hours Of Video Uploaded Every Minute

Recent YouTube statistics show that around 500 hours of content are uploaded every minute, which is equivalent to around 30,000 hours of YouTube content uploaded per hour.

Wide Range Of Content Categories And Niches

As if the sheer amount of content was not enough, the platform also has variety on its side. A YouTube videos can be about an infinitely wide range of topics and content categories, meaning there is content for almost any demographic or niche.

There are popular niche content topics that YouTube statistics show typically gain over a billion views. Here are a few of them.

  • Gaming
  • Music
  • Travel Vlogging
  • Fitness
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Comedy
  • Animals

YouTube content diversity is clear, from K-pop music videos from South Korea to how-to videos for any DIY project.

This diversity is a hallmark of the platform that other social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, have dabbled in replicating.

Influence On Popular Culture And Trends

The billions of YouTube video content available in a wide range of niche topics also make it a platform that can influence pop culture and trends.

This includes viral videos and even career-launching videos.

Viral Videos And Their Impact On Society

Viral videos can impact people and society a lot more than the phrase “15 seconds of fame” may let on.

The multi-billion views these videos attain can impact pop culture and raise awareness on issues.

YouTube As A Launchpad For Careers And Businesses

Other than the social impact and influence that a viral Youtube video can have, it can help businesses grow and earn. Both content creators and separate businesses marketing on the platform can benefit from using Youtube.

There were around 266 YouTube creators in the United States with more than 10 million subscribers in 2022.

For marketers, Youtube brings opportunities to earn through ad revenue, sponsorships, or even direct selling.

YouTube User Demographics And Behavior

Additional useful data about YouTube usage statistics includes who the users are, along with their different preferences and viewing habits.

Age, Gender, And Geographic Distribution

The main demographics to look at are age, gender, and location of YouTube users. This can give insights for advertising and marketing tools for YouTube creators.

Dominant Age Groups And Gender Split

The largest age group that watches YouTube videos is the 25 to 34 age group, followed by the 35 to 44 and 18 to 24 age groups in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. This largest age group combination makes up 55% of the YouTube user base.

When it comes to gender split, the Youtube audience is relatively even but slightly skewed toward males. 54.3% of YouTube users are male, while the other 45.7% on YouTube are female.

Top Countries By YouTube User Population

YouTube stats has set India as the country with the largest group of users in the world with 476 million users. T-Series is its largest YouTube channel with around 268 million subscribers.

The second largest group of users in the world is the United States with 238 million users, followed by Brazil with 147 million and Indonesia with 139 million users.

Viewing Habits And Preferences

Not everyone watches a YouTube video the same way. There are differing habits and preferences like daily watch time, session duration, and the topics that users watch.

Average Daily Watch Time And Session Duration

The average daily session of watching a YouTube video is around 48.7 minutes. This average session length on YouTube has increased by 9 minutes, or around 23%, since 2019.

Most Popular Content Categories And Formats

The most popular topics for a YouTube video include niches like gaming and music.

With regards to format, YouTube Shorts has become the most popular and engaging video format on the platform.
This shift can largely be attributed to the rise in adoption of smartphones, where the YouTube mobile app for iPhone and Android users makes it ideal to make vertical short-form videos.

User Engagement And Interaction

Seeing the general YouTube stats on interaction and engagement of users can give important insights for advertising more efficiently and effectively.

Likes, Comments, And Shares Per Video

The standard long-form YouTube video gets an average of 18 likes and 0.2 dislikes. YouTube also added Youtube Shorts, a short-form video format that typically garners a higher engagement rate.

YouTube Shorts has a higher engagement rate of 37.4 average likes and 0.22 dislikes per video. This shows that the content consumption preferences of the greater YouTube audience favors short-format videos.

Subscriber Growth And Retention Rates

The average subscriber count growth rate is around 0.02%. This number may seem small, but the growth rate does change from month to month, either increasing or decreasing.

The retention rate of users watching a video is just as important as subscriber growth. The average rate is around 50 to 60%, meaning that YouTube viewers stick around only for over half the length of a video’s runtime.

Top YouTube Channels And Influencers

This section will look at the most prominent YouTube channels in terms of subscriber count and other metrics.

Most Subscribed Channels Across Categories

YouTube is built by its content creator community and studying the YouTube channels with the most subscribers is crucial in understanding that.

Music, Entertainment, Gaming, And Education Channels

According to YouTube stats, four of the biggest categories on the platform are music, entertainment, gaming, and education. Here are the biggest YouTube channels per category:

  • Music: T-Series (268 million subscribers)
  • Entertainment: Mr Beast (297 million subscribers)
  • Gaming: Pewdiepie (111 million subscribers)
  • Education: Bright Side (44.6 million subscribers)

The competition in some of the categories is fierce, with popular YouTube channel examples like Baby Shark dance/nursery rhyme creator Cocomelon having 178 million subscribers.

Breakout Stars And Emerging Talents

With the viral nature of YouTube, channels with growing popularity can become breakout stars quite quickly. A good example of this is the YouTube channel Pink Shirt Couple, which had 23.2 million subscribers in 2023.

The entertainment channel was awarded “YouTube’s #1 breakout star” due to the quick rise in subscribers. However, the couple has since broken up, and the channel has since been renamed Pink Shirt Girl.

Highest-Earning YouTubers And Their Revenue Streams

YouTube channels with over a million subscribers can convert their subscriber base into a steady revenue stream.

This involves money from YouTube ads, sponsors, and merch sales.

Ad Revenue, Sponsorships, And Merchandise Sales

As YouTube is a free-to-use platform, it embeds ads into videos to earn money. The platform starts paying the YouTube channel when it gets at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours.

Brands who want to advertise to a YouTube channel’s audience will typically sponsor videos, which gives the channel extra income.

Merchandise sales are an even more direct way for the YouTube channel to earn money.

Case Studies Of Successful YouTuber Careers

The biggest success story of YouTube success would be Mr. Beast, who also happens to be the most subscribed YouTube channel, with over 302 million subscribers and counting as of July 2024.

His success can be attributed to his YouTube content going viral in 2018. This attracted a combination of wealthy sponsors that gave him more money to make videos, which in turn generated more income.

In 2023, Mr. Beast had the highest earnings for any YouTube channel, earning around $82 million. His most viewed YouTube video is his Squid Game recreation video, which has over 600 million views.

Collaborations And Cross-Promotions Among Creators

Another trend that has gained popularity on the platform is collaboration videos between two or more creators.

This has great benefits, including growing both channels in terms of subscribers and potentially connecting the subscriber bases of the participating channels.

Impact Of Collaborations On Channel Growth

The main benefit of collaborations is that both creators can tap into the key YouTube viewers of the other channel. This then encourages more people to subscribe to both channels.

Having this cross-promotion may also offer a break from the usual content of both channels, which can help the audience feel like the content has more variation.nce and popularity of athletes and politicians, respectively.

Notable Examples Of Successful Collaborations

One notable example is the Slow Mo Guys and General Electric. This success came from their ability to get high quality footage of magnetic liquids that only GE could provide. The video gained 14 million views and 147 thousand likes.

Another successful example was trick shot channel Dude Perfect and Pringles. The videos involved performing trick shots into Pringles cans, and generated around 20 million views.

YouTube As An Advertising And Marketing Platform

Creating a subscriber base on YouTube is a great way for creators to earn money through the platform.

However, another key YouTube feature is the revenue it earns for itself and its partners through advertising.

Many businesses who wish to tap into the platform’s earning potential will hire a social media agency to handle their YouTube account and improve their reach and engagement.

Ad Formats And Their Effectiveness

YouTube has implemented several different ad variations to create a better ad experience and increase the adverts’ efficacy.

Skippable Vs. Non-Skippable Ads

Skippable ads can be effective even if many users choose to skip them. The key to making it effective is putting the crucial information in the first few seconds of the ad to hook the audience.

Non-skippable ads function slightly differently. The first part of the ad needs to have an interesting hook to keep the viewers’ attention, and then the important ad information can be relayed.

Bumper Ads, Overlay Ads, And Sponsored Cards

Bumper ads are similar to non-skippable ads in that they cannot be skipped, but they only last for 6 seconds. Viewers can perceive this format as less annoying, but it can still display relevant advertising.

Overlay ads used to run as text in a window over a video. On the other hand, sponsored cards were similar overlay ads, but placed in the upper right-hand corner.

Both of the above formats were removed in 2023 due to their inefficiency.

Ad Revenue And Advertiser Spending Trends

Ad spend on YouTube has been growing steadily over time, because companies have progressively spent more money to get more views for their ads on YouTube.

Year-Over-Year Growth In YouTube Ad Revenue

In Q4 2018, the advertising revenue globally was $3.6 billion. This grew to a staggering $8.1 billion as of the first quarter of 2024. That’s 125% growth in only 6 years!

Top Advertisers And Industries On YouTube

Data from YouTube stats shows that an AI advertising firm Tenlira spent over $29.4 million on advertising, making it the biggest U.S.-based spender by far from September to October 2023.

The next biggest ad spender was Walmart with nearly $12.8 million. Historically, the other largest spenders have included companies like PayPal, Apple, and Disney.

Influencer Marketing And Sponsored Content

Similarly to other social media sites, influencer marketing and sponsored content make up a large portion of the money generated within the system. This includes brand collaborations with YouTubers.

Brand Collaborations With YouTubers

Many brands collaborate and sponsor YouTube creators to more organically reach out to their users.

YouTube creators typically have a sense of expertise with their viewers, which makes their audience more likely to listen to what they have to say.

The YouTube creator in the United States with the most sponsorships and collaborations was Unbox Therapy. They collaborated with a whopping 45 brands from January to December 2022.

Measuring The ROI Of Influencer Marketing Campaigns

The best way to calculate return on investment for a YouTube ads campaign is by plugging in total campaign cost, audience reached, engagement rate, conversion rate, and average order value into a formula.

Here is a step-by-step process for calculating return on investment

  1. Calculate Leads: Audience Reached x Engagement rate
  2. Calculate Conversions: Leads x Conversion rate
  3. Calculate Revenue Generated: Conversions x Average order value
  4. Calculate ROI(%): (Revenue Generated – Total campaign cost) / Total campaign cost

Any value above 1 indicates greater revenue per dollar spent on the campaign.

Any value under 1 indicates that more money was lost than gained on the marketing campaign.

Emerging Trends And Future Outlook

Part of being part of the YouTube community is looking at emerging trends and where the platform will go in the future. Keeping up to date is crucial for everyone – from viewers to creators.

The Rise Of YouTube Shorts And Vertical Video Content

YouTube Shorts and vertical video content have become more prevalent as short-form video has risen in popularity.

Adoption Rates And View Counts Of YouTube Shorts

In the previous year 2023, there were 152.9 million YouTube Shorts users. This number is projected to grow to around 192 million users in 2027 as the dominance of short-form videos increases.

Data on YouTube Shorts in 2022 showed that over 50 billion views were being generated by the platform. This is over double the amount of views that “standard” YouTube videos got.

Furthermore, YouTube’s user base spends more time watching Shorts over longer form videos. YouTube stats show that people spent 52 minutes on YouTube Shorts per day.

The bulk of this Google-owned platform’s user base has shifted from the desktop version to the YouTube app for iOS and Android users. This shift to mobile has also led to an increase in YouTube Shorts usage.

Comparison With Other Short-Form Video Platforms

YouTube Shorts’ biggest competitors are Instagram Reels and TikTok videos. TikTok is currently the leader among the three apps, with the highest engagement rate, comments, and videos posted.

Engagement numbers between the three are close, with TikTok leading at 5.53%, Instagram Reels at 4.36%, and YouTube Reels at 3.80%.

This is already causing a shift in YouTube channels, with many converting their landscape assets to vertical videos and shortening them to fit into Shorts.

YouTube’s Expansion Into E-Commerce And Shoppable Videos

YouTube is constantly adapting to new trends.

This is evident through the integration of E-commerce into YouTube videos and YouTube Shorts, which was implemented to help creators connect their viewers to any products that they endorse or mention.

Integration Of Shopping Features Within Videos

On April 9, 2024, YouTube released new shopping features that creators can add to their channel or video.

These features include adding items to a shopping collection, an Affiliate Hub to get items at better prices while supporting creators, and tagging a product across multiple videos.

Potential Impact On Online Retail And Consumer Behavior

Introducing YouTube as another platform for e-commerce selling can have a large impact on revenue for brands, small businesses, and YouTube content creators.

Adding YouTube as a way to buy products can help brands generate more leads and income, as well as give creators more affiliate earnings and sponsorships.

Advancements In Live Streaming And Interactive Content

Despite the enduring popularity of on-demand YouTube videos and Shorts, more interactive content has also been gaining popularity. YouTube Live helps the audience interact with creators better.

Growth Of YouTube Live And Its Use Cases

The global pandemic and its lockdowns gave users increased screen time, which also increased the number of people watching YouTube Live videos. For example, 2021 saw a 45% increase in live viewership.

YouTube Live streams can be used by content creators as tools to reach out to their channel subscribers and interact with them in real time. This increases engagement, which is good for the channel.

Since then, live streaming has stabilized in growth, with 28.5% of all internet users in Q4 2023 watching live streaming content.

Innovations In Audience Participation And Engagement

Live streaming has revolutionized the way that channels and viewers interact. Instead of the video being posted and then people commenting on it afterwards, people can interact instantly.

For example, on a YouTube Live stream, a gaming channel can ask for requests for what game to play, with people commenting their suggestions in real time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about YouTube with these quick questions.

What Factors Contribute to a Video Going Viral on YouTube?

Some of the factors that can help a video become viral include the following:

  • The video needs a short title
  • It should be 3 minutes in length or shorter
  • It needs to have some element of irony
  • It should feature music

However, one of the strongest factors in making a video go viral is its ability to elicit an emotional response from viewers. This makes it more likely to be shared and spread faster.

How Much Do YouTubers Earn per 1,000 Views on Average?

The average YouTube channel makes around $18 for every 1,000 views. The average monthly compensation for an American YouTuber is $4,616 per month at 20,000 views per day.

What Is the Optimal Video Length for Maximum Viewer Retention?

The optimal average video length is around 10 to 15 minutes maximum for long-form videos. Go any longer, and the risk of the viewer clicking off the video for another one rises exponentially.
YouTube Shorts has a different ideal average video length as it is short-form. Shorts should be between 15 to 60 seconds to prevent viewers from skipping a video to watch another one.

How Has YouTube’s Algorithm Evolved to Recommend Content to Users?

In the early days of YouTube, what mattered was subscriber count and how many millions or billions of views you could get. Nowadays, the YouTube algorithm has evolved to focus more on watch time and personalization.

What Are Some Best Practices for Growing a YouTube Channel Organically?

Content creators who want to grow their YouTube channel should have a consistent upload schedule, improve their captions and thumbnails, and focus on creating high quality & genuine content.

No amount of gimmicks or tricks can make a YouTube channel grow organically. High quality videos will not only gain you more subscribers, but also help you retain a loyal following.

Conclusion

YouTube is one of the biggest social media platforms, being the second most visited website in the world and having over 2 billion active monthly users.

Despite the rise of other social media platforms and video hosting websites, YouTube continues to be the premier platform for watching videos.

From T-Series in India creating videos to Cocomelon making nursery rhymes for kids, there is a wide range of content to view.

Youtube helps multiple stakeholders, from the viewers racking up a billion views a week to the creators, marketers, and small brands trying to make a living.

While recent data shows the Google-based platform isn’t currently leading in short-form content, thanks to its fast adaptation, it’s likely to catch up to its competitors like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

Ready to Leverage Social Media to Connect with Your Audience?

Get Your Free Social Media Plan