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YouTube is the almighty host of web video content.
The site is at the forefront of online video streaming because it is a hub for content creators seeking commercial success and individuals sharing their experiences.
Therefore, exploring the key YouTube statistics to gain insight into how this massive platform was established can be fascinating.
With 15 categories to choose from, YouTube provides free and unlimited access to its vast collection of videos, allowing users to create and share their content globally.
On that account, it is no surprise that YouTube ranked # 2 on the list of the most innovative companies in social media in 2023.
This guide will explore various data, including number of Youtube users, and provide an in-depth analysis of YouTube statistics for you to know about the world’s most significant online video-sharing platform.
Since Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006, the platform has been a significant investment for its parent company. It has consistently invested by introducing new features and extending its global influence.
YouTube has bought out five companies since 2011:
Next New Networks
Vidmaker
Bandpage
Subarctic Limited
Simsim
YouTube Major Investments & Acquisitions
In November 2005, Sequoia Capital invests $3.5 million in YouTube.
YouTube secured millions of dollars to enhance its servers and bandwidth, enabling the platform to launch publicly.
One of YouTube’s most significant initial investments set off the creation of over 100 new channels and shows, many of which have become quite popular.
YouTube invested heavily in its YouTube Kids platform, including creating original programming for children and partnering with educational organizations.
In June 2015, YouTube launched YouTube Gaming in response to the increasing popularity of game streaming on platforms like Twitch.
This service provides viewers with gaming-related content including live streams, gaming news, and other videos.
YouTube bought out FameBitin October 2016 to help link creators with brands for sponsorships.
This boosted YouTube’s ad revenue and offered creators more chances to monetize their content.
To attract musicians with money-making tools, YouTube acquired Bandpage for $8 million in February 2016.
In February 2017, YouTube TV launched live television programming.
Since then, the service has experienced rapid expansion and is accessible in more than 100 markets across the United States.
YouTube’s music streaming service is a free, ad-supported version and a premium subscription service called YouTube Music Premium, allowing users to listen to music offline and ad-free.
YouTube made a $20 million investment in educational content on its platform in November 2018.
In December 2021, YouTube acquiredSimsim, an Indian social commerce start-up, for $100 million.
YouTube Shorts creators received $100 million in May 2021.
The fund was distributed throughout 2021-2022 to thousands of YouTube creators with the most engagement as an initiative to promote YouTube Shorts.
The platform earns money by displaying ads on its site before, during, and after videos. Advertisers target their ads based on demographics, location, and interests.
Creators receive a 55% share of the net advertising revenues generated from ads that appear on their public videos on YouTube’s Content Watch Page or are streamed within the YouTube video player on other platforms.
Memberships can start at $0.99 and go up to $499.99 per month.
YouTube deducts a 30% share of channel memberships revenue; the remaining 70% of earnings goes to creators.
Revenue by YouTube TV
The exact amount of revenue that YouTube makes from YouTube TV is not publicly disclosed.
YouTube TV operates on a subscription model and charges a monthly fee for its services.
As of May 2023, the monthly subscription fee for YouTube TVwas $64.99.
It can be assumed that YouTube generates significant revenue from its TV subscriptions, but the exact amount is unknown.
In July 2022, Google announced that YouTube TV surpassed 5 million accounts – making it the biggest internet-based TV service in the US.
YouTube Revenue by Highest Earning Channels
A 2021 survey report on influencer marketing by Takumi International, revealed that 56% of consumers in the US and UK reported an increase in their engagement with creator content on YouTube since 2020.
The revenue generated by influencer channels on YouTube can vary greatly depending on various factors such as the niche, audience, and engagement.
According to a 2020 Statista report, the types of channels that have the fastest-growing YouTube categories worldwide include:
Gaming channels: Channels that focus on video game content, including gameplay, walkthroughs, and reviews, tend to have a dedicated and engaged audience that can bring in significant revenue through advertising and sponsorships.
Beauty and fashion channels: Channels that focus on makeup tutorials, fashion advice, and product reviews tend to have a large and passionate audience that can attract sponsorships from cosmetic and fashion brands.
Music channels: Channels that feature original music, cover songs, or music-related content can bring in revenue through advertising, sponsorships, and merchandise sales.
Technology channels: Channels focusing on gadgets, reviews, and tech news attract a tech-savvy audience that can generate revenue through advertising and sponsorships.
Cooking and food channels: Channels featuring cooking tutorials, recipes, and food-related content attract a large, engaged audience that can generate revenue through advertising and sponsorships.
In 2021, MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) was the highest-earning YouTuber globally, with an estimated income of around $54 million.
MrBeast’s content falls under the category of entertainment. His videos have gained a massive following, often involving stunts, challenges, and philanthropic endeavors.
Channels
Revenue ($ millions)
MrBeast
54
Jake Paul
45
Markiplier
38
Rhett and Link
30
Unspeakable
28.5
Nastya
28
Ryan Kaji
27
Dude Perfect
20
Logan Paul
18
Preston Arsement
16
YouTube History & Timeline
YouTube is a well-known American online video streaming service that caters to billions of users around the globe. The limited choices for sharing videos online led to the company’s founding. Co-founder Jawed Karim noted that incidents like the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction also played a role in this inspiration.
YouTube has achieved remarkable growth and success as a leading online video streaming platform. The following timeline highlights its journey to attain global market dominance:
2005 – February – YouTube data trademarked and registered On February 14th, 2005, three former PayPal employees, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim,founded YouTube. It initially had humble beginnings as a dating website called “Tune In Hook Up”, but it quickly proved unsuccessful.
April – First-ever YouTube video upload YouTube’s first-ever video is uploaded by founder Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005. The 19-second clip, “Me at the Zoo”, features Karim discussing interesting facts about elephants at the San Diego Zoo.
May – YouTube Beta Launch YouTube launches on a limited basis in May and attracts 30,000+ viewers per day.
September – YouTube reaches its first 1 million views with a Nike ad A Nike ad featuring Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho receiving his first pair of Golden Boots gains 1 million views on YouTube. It’s the first significant instance of a company utilizing YouTube as a promotional tool.
December – Official website launch In December, YouTube officially launches for users to upload, share, and view videos.
December – SNL skit “Lazy Sunday” goes viral on YouTube and NBC demands its removal NBC asks YouTube to remove a clip of “Saturday Night Live”due to copyright infringement. YouTube complies and launches the Content Verification Program to assist content owners in preventing future violations.
2006 – Google purchases YouTube Only 18 months after its launch, Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion, increasing its reach and resources.
2007 – YouTube Partner Program In May 2007, users can monetize their viral content, allowing ordinary people to earn money from their interests and hobbies.
2009 – U.S Congress Official YouTube channel launch Official Congressional YouTube channels launch in January, providing American citizens with access to their government and contributing to YouTube’s mainstream appeal.
2011 – YouTube live streaming begins in April Content broadcast includes concerts, the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, news, events, and the Olympics.
2012 – First 1 billion views on a video goes to Gangnam Style. In December 2012, Korean pop star artist PSY’s “Gangnam Style” became YouTube’s most-watched video, surpassing 1.3 billion views and breaking the platform’s view counter.
2013 – YouTube reaches 1 billion unique monthly visitors Approximately 50% of internet users visit the video-sharing platform monthly in March 2013.
2014 – Music Key subscription service is added to YouTube In November, users are permitted to stream music videos without advertisements via YouTube’s Music Key subscription.
2015 – YouTube Redreplaces Music Key in November 2015.
2016 – Google launches YouTube Go in September. A new app tailored for low-end devices and countries with limited connectivity enables offline viewing by allowing users to save videos.
2018 – June – YouTube Red rebrands as YouTube Premium and launches channel memberships. YouTube rebrands its YouTube Red service as YouTube Premium, a new version of its YouTube Music subscription service. The same month, channel memberships allow fans to pay a monthly fee and become members of creator channels, gaining access to exclusive perks.
November – Ad Pods Testing begins. Google announces thetesting of ad pods – two stacked back-to-back ads, which viewers can skip if uninterested. The goal is to reduce interruptions later and increase ad views.
September – AI Video Reach Platform launches. YouTube releases an AI-driven ad service, Video Reach to enhance ad performance, audience engagement, and reach. Advertisers can optimize ad combinations without managing individual categories, resulting in cost savings.
2020 – YouTube enters the short video industry with YouTube Shorts. As a reaction to the success of TikTok and Instagram Reels, YouTube enables users to create vertical videos at a maximum length of 60 seconds.
2022 – YouTube is the second most popular social network, with 2.6 billion monthly users. YouTube ranks the second most popular social network globally, after Facebook.
Approximately 25.5 million of YouTube’s premium subscribers are from the United States.
By the end of 2024, this number is predicted to increase by almost eight million users, bringing the total number of paying subscribers to 27.9 million in the U.S.
Premium Subscription Features
Details
Ad-free YouTube videos
Watch millions of videos without interruptions by ads.
Download YouTube videos to watch offline
Save videos and playlists on mobile devices to watch offline later.
Play YouTube videos in the background
Videos continue playing when using other apps or when the screen is off.
YouTube Music
Ad-free music, download music for offline listening, and play music in the background while using other apps or when the screen is off.
YouTube Kids
A kid-friendly version of YouTube that offers ad-free and offline play within the app.
YouTube Studio (Formally Creator Studio)
YouTube Studio was launched in March 2018 as a more modern and streamlined user interface than the old Creator Studio, with more features and tools to help creators manage their content and grow their channels.
Content creators use YouTube Studio’s channel management tools, including video analytics, channel statistics, and audience insights.
Creators focus on the following four YouTube Analytics to increase the likelihood of content appearing at the top of YouTube search results.
CTR (click-through rate): measures the number of viewers who saw the title and thumbnail of your video and chose to click on it to watch.
APV (average percentage viewed): measures the average amount of a video that viewers watch.
AVPV(average views per view): measures the average number of times a viewer watched this particular video in this time period.
Watch time (in hours): measures how long viewers have watched your video.
What can I do on YouTube Studio?
Upload and manage video content.
Edit video details and settings ( video effects, trims, ad breaks, info cards)
Monitor and analyze metrics:
Views, watch time, audience demographics, and video and channel engagement
Manage playlists and live streams.
Communicate with an audience through comments and messages.
Feature products from your own YouTube store.
Feature products from other brands.
YouTube Shopping – Merch Shelf
With YouTube Shopping, eligible creators can advertise products from their stores or other brands on YouTube. The merch shelf platform allows creators to:
Set up and connect a YouTube account.
Showcase personal merchandise in videos, Shorts, and live streams.
Tag products from other brands in videos, Shorts, and live streams.
View performance metrics to understand better which products resonate with your audience.
Pinned products in live chats
Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, also known as PewDiePie on YouTube, earned $6.83 million in 2019 through branded merchandise sales, according to a report published by Purple Moon Promotional Products.
The Swedish YouTuber, content creator, and social media personality is one of the most subscribed-to and popular YouTube creators, best known for his commentary and reaction videos on various video games.
YouTube Statistics for Shorts
In September 2020, YouTube Shorts launched in India as a response to the growing popularity of short-form video apps such as TikTok. Shorts was initially available only inIndia as a beta version, but by 2021 it rolled out to the US and other countries.
Shorts can be up to 60 seconds long and must be uploaded as verticle videos using various creative tools and effects. On top of that, users can also add licensed music from a vast library of songs.
In June 2022, Shorts became a significant player in the short-form video market, with 1.5 billion monthly logged-in users and over 30 billion daily views worldwide. However, in less than a year, that number has increased significantly.
In February 2023, Sundar Pichai – CEO of Google – announced that YouTube Shorts has passed 50 billion daily views.
Since its launch, Shorts has grown in popularity, particularly among younger audiences, and has become an essential part of YouTube’s overall strategy. As a result, the platform has continued adding new features and capabilities to Shorts, such as the ability to sample audio from other Shorts and add captions.
As of December 2022, creator Shangerdanger’s short video “Diver Cracks Egg at 45 ft Deep” was ranked as the top-performing YouTube Short.
Creators from diverse backgrounds use YouTube to showcase their skills and connect with new audiences.
India has the highest number of YouTube users, with approximately 467 million users. This number accounts for about 18.68% of the platform’s user base.
Country
Users (millions)
India
468
USA
246
Brazil
142
Indonesia
139
Mexico
81.8
Japan
78.4
Pakistan
71.7
Germany
70.9
Vietnam
63
Turkey
57.9
YouTube is currently banned or partially blocked in several countries due to political, social, or cultural reasons:
70% agree that YouTube has increased the supply of creative talent.
77% agree that YouTube is critical to breaking new artists/ or music.
YouTube Website Statistics
YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the worldafter its parent company Google. When it comes to user engagement, it’s relatively high compared to other social media platforms – you’re watching videos, after all. On average, visitors spend 20 minutes on the website and view 11+ pages.
T-Series is the YouTube channel with the most subscribers globally as of February 2023, with 237 million users subscribed to their channel.
On top of their millions of subscribers, T-Series has the highest number of video views among YouTube channel owners, with 217.25 billion lifetime views.
Top Channels
Subscribers (millions)
T-Series
237
YouTube Movies
163
Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes
155
SET India
152
MrBeast
136
Music
118
PewDiePie
111
Kids Diana Show
109
Like Nastya
104
Gaming
94.3
Most Watched YouTube Videos
Baby Shark Dance, posted by a South Korean educational company, holds the record for the most views on YouTube – totaling 12.3 billion views.
The song gained popularity in many countries and went viral on multiple social media platforms.
Video Title
Views (billions)
Baby Shark Dance – Pinkfong
12.3
Despacito – Luis Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee
8.1
Johny Johny Yes Papa – LooLoo Kids
6.59
Bath Song – Cocomelon
5.96
Shape of You – Ed Sheeran
5.89
See You Again – Wiz Khalifa
5.76
Phonics Song With Two Words – ChuChu TV
5.12
Wheels On The Bus – Cocomelon
4.84
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars
4.82
Learning Colors – Colorful Eggs On A Farm – Miroshka TV
4.8
Societal Impact of YouTube
Oxford Economics reported that users turn to YouTube for information and educational content to enhance their lives.
93% of users report they learn how to fix practical problems and gather information on YouTube.
84% of parents agree that YouTube makes learning more fun for their children.
72% of users agree that YouTube provides access to authoritative health information.
Economic Impact of YouTube
The same study also reported various YouTube statistics regarding its economic impact.
YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over $25 billion to the US gross domestic product (GDP).
85% of SMBs on YouTube credit the platform for expanding their customer base and reaching new audiences.
71% of SMBs with a YouTube channel attribute their revenue growth to the platform.
80% of creatives see YouTube as an opportunity to generate income and produce content that wouldn’t be available through conventional media channels.
YouTube Business Data
YouTube Headquarters
YouTube’s headquarters is in San Bruno, California. It’s situated in Silicon Valley, 20 km south of San Francisco and about 40 km north of Google’s headquarters in Mountain View.
With over 1,100 employees, the San Bruno location spans about 200,000 square feet. It features a pool, basketball court, and a slide connecting the second and third floors.
Google operates several large data centers and server farms to handle the massive amount of user-generated content uploaded and viewed on YouTube.
Berkeley County, South Carolina Council Bluffs, Iowa The Dalles, Oregon Douglas County, Georgia Henderson, Nevada Jackson County, Alabama Lenoir, North Carolina Loudoun County, Virginia Mayes County, Oklahoma Midlothian, Texas Montgomery County, Tennessee New Albany, Ohio Papillion, Nebraska Storey County, Nevada
Europe
Dublin, Ireland Eemshaven, Netherlands
Fredericia, Denmark
Hamina, Finland
Asia
Changhua County, Taiwan Inzai, Japan Singapore
South America
Quilicura, Chile
YouTube’s largest data center is located in Berkeley County, South Carolina, spanning over 500,000 square feet and hosting thousands of servers.
Other major data centers include locations in:
Oregon, Iowa, and Georgia in the United States
Singapore and the Netherlands internationally.
In addition to its own data centers, YouTube also uses cloud computing services from companies such as Google Cloud Platform to help manage its infrastructure and handle peak traffic loads.
YouTube Sales Channels Statistics
YouTube’s successful sales channels are responsible for billions of clicks, views, subscriptions, and dollars.
YouTube Advertising Revenue
This is the primary source of revenue for YouTube, where advertisers pay to display their ads on YouTube videos.
As of the end of Q1 2023, Alphabet reported $6.693 billion in ad revenue from YouTube alone.
Other YouTube sales channels include:
YouTube Premium: A subscription service that allows users to watch ad-free videos and access exclusive content and features.
YouTube TV: A live TV streaming service that allows users to watch live TV channels and access on-demand content.
Merchandise sales: YouTube creators can sell merchandise related to their channel, such as clothing or accessories, through the platform.
Super Chat: Viewers pay to have their messages highlighted during a live stream.
Channel Memberships: Viewers pay a monthly fee to support their favorite creators and access exclusive content.
YouTube vs Other Social Apps Statistics
As of January 2023, YouTube is the second-largest social media platform by monthly users after Facebook.
Most Popular Social Networks Worldwide:
It is a unique platform in the market as it caters to a wide range of content categories, including music, gaming, vlogs, educational, and more.
Regarding content consumption and engagement, YouTube is still the dominant platform with the most significant daily video views and watch time.
YouTube Shorts vs Reels vs TikToks
YouTube is making considerable progress against TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to dominate the short video market.
Despite the impressive growth performance, the view count on YouTube Shorts still falls behind that of Instagram and Facebook.In October 2022, Meta announced that Reels had amassed 140 billion daily viewsacross both social media platforms.
According to a 2023 video marketing statistics report published by Motion Cue:
YouTube Shorts was selected by 39% of respondents as the top platform for achieving organic growth.
27% of viral videos start on YouTube, followed closely by TikTok at 24%.
With YouTube’s new Shorts Partner Programincentive to share ad revenue with creators, we can expect an increase in creators producing original content for the platform.
YouTube Partner Program Eligibility
Twitch vs YouTube Gaming
YouTube and Twitch are widely recognized as the most popular video game live-streaming platforms.
Google attempted to acquire Twitch for $1 billion in May 2014, but a deal couldn’t be reached. As a result, Amazon later bought Twitch for $970 million.
Twitch has an average of 2.45 million concurrent viewers.
Averaging over 7 days, there are 1,150,336 active daily streamers.
There are 7.3 million Twitch monthly broadcasters.
A Stream Scheme report suggests that YouTube provides better opportunities for new creators to expand their audience.
YouTube has a broader variety of content and a larger audience, while Twitch mainly focuses on live-streaming video games and esports.
YouTube has 20 times the audience size of Twitch while having fewer streamers. Therefore, there is less competition.
The algorithm on YouTube suggests content to new viewers, regardless of whether it is a video or live stream.
YouTube videos generate views and revenue at all times, while Twitch streams are only available during the live broadcast, which limits their earning potential.
Creators on YouTube earn revenue from both uploaded videos and live streams.
Netflix is a more established streaming service with an extensive library of original content.
At the same time, YouTube Premium offers a unique mix of original and user-generated content, along with a range of subscription options and exclusive features.
Wrapping Up: The Future of YouTube
YouTube remains the most popular digital platform for sharing, voicing, listening, and building communities through stories.
With the growing popularity of short-form video content, YouTube’s recent push into this area with Shorts is likely to attract and retain younger viewers who prefer short-form content.
Given the data and YouTube statistics provided in this article, we can predict other potential trends in the near future:
Continued growth in mobile viewing
Increased focus on creator monetization
Greater investment in AI and machine learning
Stronger emphasis on user privacy and data protection
YouTube’s improving advertising capabilities will make it a more attractive platform for advertisers, leading to increased revenue. Its large user base, strong brand, and innovative features are expected to keep it a major player in the online video market for years to come.
FAQs
How do I start a YouTube Channel?
First, you need to sign into YouTube using a Google account. Once you have signed in, create an account and then create a YouTube Channel. The final step is to upload your videos.
Can I make money on YouTube?
Creators can make money through the YouTube Partner Programme, including through ad revenue share, merchandise sales, and channel subscriptions.
What is a YouTube Short?
YouTube Shorts is YouTube’s short-form video section. They consist of either a single 60-second video or a compilation of multiple 15-second videos.