30 Best Podcast Statistics for 2023

The podcast industry has grown dramatically over the last decade, with a staggering 464.7 million podcast listeners reported worldwide in 2023.

The popularity of podcasts is continuing to grow to this day, with researchers predicting over 100 million podcast listeners by 2024 in the US alone.

As the demand for podcasts rises, it is more important than ever to keep on top of the ever changing landscape of podcasting.

Here are 30 podcast statistics that you need to know.

Podcast audience demographics

1. Podcasts are most popular with the younger generation (12-34 year olds).

Who listens to podcasts? According to a survey taken in the US, podcasts are most popular with those aged between 12 – 34 years old. It was found that 50% of those surveyed aged 12 to 34 years old had listened to a podcast within the last month. This is compared to 22% of those aged 55 years old or above.

In the UK, 30% of podcast listeners are between the ages of 30 and 39, while 27% are between the ages of 18 and 29 years old.

2. 53% of podcasts listeners are male.

As of 2022, slightly more men listen to podcasts than women.

In the UK, 53% of podcast listeners are male. A similar gender split is seen in podcast listenership in the US.

3. Many podcast listeners come from high income households.

According to Statista, in the UK, 43% of podcast listeners have a high annual household income.

4. 13% of podcast listeners are part of the LGBTQ community.

In the US, research shows that 13% of podcast listeners identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community. In the UK, 9% of the overall podcast listenership consider themselves part of the LGBTQ+ community.

5. The majority of podcast listeners are North American.

According to a worldwide survey, 40.8 percent of internet consumers in North America listened to a podcast at least once a month. In Western Europe, podcast consumption was somewhat lower with 28.1 percent during the same period. The same research states that these numbers are set to increase to 46.3% and 32.8% respectively by 2026.

6. There will be an estimated 28 million podcast listeners in the UK by 2026.

As of Q2 2023, there are 23.3 million people who listen to podcasts in the UK. The popularity of podcasts is growing steadily, as this number is set to reach 28 million by 2026.

7. Podcast listeners are more likely to live in cities than in rural areas.

Roughly 30% of podcast listeners both in the UK and US are more likely to live in a big city, as opposed to smaller towns (20%) and rural areas (11%).

8. A large number of podcast listeners are interested in health and fitness.

A study in the UK found that health and fitness is a prevailing interest in the average podcast listener’s life. It was found that 39% of podcast listeners in the UK were interested in health and fitness. SImilar results were found in the US, where 41% of podcast listeners stated that they were interested in health and fitness.

Podcast listener behaviour

9. The average podcast consumer listens to 8 episodes per week.

We now know just how many podcast listeners there are, but just how many podcast episodes does the average podcast fan consume per week? Research shows that the average listener consumes 8 episodes per week.

10. The smartphone is the most popular device used to listen to podcasts.

What do people use to listen to podcasts? Studies show that 73% of listeners prefer to listen to podcasts on their smartphones over desktop devices.

11. Apple Podcasts is the most popular podcast platform.

Based on monthly downloads, research shows that Apple Podcasts is the most popular podcasting app. 38.6% of podcast downloads are on Apple Podcasts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Spotify is following closely behind at 28%.

Here are the top 10 most popular podcast listening platforms, according to Beansprout:

12. 35% of people in the US listen to Spotify.

While Apple Podcasts is the most popular platform for podcast listeners, Spotify is showing steady growth in its listenership over the last few years. In 2022, it was reported that 35% of people in the US have listened to Spotify in the last month – this is up from 20% in 2018 and 25% in 2020.

13. One-fifth of people listen to podcasts while they’re driving.

As of 2022, 20% of people listen to podcasts in the car.

Where are people listening to their podcasts? The Infinite Dial showed that many people listen to podcasts during their daily commute, with 20% of podcast listeners in the US stating they consume podcasts in the car.

14. In 2019, there was a 2,000% increase in podcast live events.

Many podcasters have taken to the stage in order to bring their podcasts to a live audience. In 2019, the number of live podcast events was recorded to be growing at a remarkable rate.

In 2019, there was a 2,000% increase in podcast live events over a six year period according to ticket sales in North America. The number rose from 21 live events in 2012 to 460 in 2019.

Most popular podcasts

15. Most popular podcasts worldwide.

As of March 2023, The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast in the world.

Most people have their favourite, go-to podcasts, but what are the most popular podcasts in the world right now? Currently, The Joe Rogan Experience takes the top spot with an estimated 11 million listeners per episode.

Here are the top ten most popular podcasts in the world right now.

16. Most popular podcasts in the UK

As of March 2023, the most popular podcast in the UK is The Joe Rogan Experience, which is currently topping the Spotify Podcast Charts.

Using the Spotify Podcast chart, here are the top ten most popular podcasts in the UK as of March 2023:

The Joe Rogan Experience

Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett

The Rest is Politics

Fozcast – The Ben Foster Podcast

ShxtsNGigs

Huberman Lab

The Therapy Crouch

Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe’s Parenting Hell

I’ve Had It

Nearlyweds

17. Most popular podcasts in the US

As of March 2023, the most popular podcast in the US is The Joe Rogan Experience, which is currently topping the Spotify Podcast Charts.

Using the Spotify Podcast chart, here are the top ten most popular podcasts in the US as of March 2023:

The Joe Rogan Experience

Huberman Lab

The Deck Investigates

This Past Weekend

I’ve Had It

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

The Girl in the Blue Mustang

Call Her Daddy

Distractible

Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain

18. Most popular podcast genres

As of Q3 2022, the most popular podcast genre in the US was comedy.

According to a 2022 Edison Research study, comedy was the number 1 genre listened to by US podcast fans.

Here are the top ten most popular podcast genres in the US:

Comedy

Society and Culture

News

True Crime

Sports

Business

Arts

History

Religion and Spirituality

Education

19. Most popular podcast genres among women

As of 2022, comedy was the most popular podcast genre among women, with 21% of listeners in the UK saying they listened to comedy podcasts.

20. Most popular podcast genres among men

As of 2022, comedy was the most popular podcast genre among men, with 18% of listeners in the UK saying they listened to comedy podcasts.

Podcast episode statistics

21. Video podcasts are increasing in popularity.

Many regular podcasts listeners may have noticed that many podcasters are making the shift from audio-only podcast episodes to ‘vodcasts’ – podcasts with a video component. In 2019, 17% of podcast hosts recorded a video version of their podcasts as well as audio.

Spotify has now allowed for video podcasts to be viewed on their platform, so it’ll be interesting to see how this number grows.

22. The length of an average podcast episode is 20 – 40 minutes.

As of March 2023, the length of an average podcast is between 20 – 40 minutes.

The average length of a podcast episode is difficult to pin down as the data changes with each new podcast. However, according to Buzzsprout, the standard podcast length is currently between 20 – 40 minutes.

The average podcast episode duration is broken down as follows:

Less than 10 minutes: 15%

10 – 20 minutes: 15%

20 – 40 minutes: 32%

40 – 60 minutes: 21%

Over 60 minutes: 16%

23. Wednesday is the most popular day to publish a podcast.

According to a 2018 report by Megaphone, the majority of podcasts are published on a Wednesday. This was closely followed by Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.

Sunday was reported to be the least popular day to publish a podcast.

24. Most podcasts are published between 2am – 5am.

Now that we know what day is the best day, we may be led to ask the question: What is the best time to publish a podcast? The same 2018 report by Megaphone also states that most podcasts are published between 2am and 5am.

Resonate indicates that posting your podcast during these hours garners more downloads, as it puts the podcast at the top of subscribers’ podcast feeds.

25. 40% of podcasts are published every 8 – 14 days.

How often are podcasts published? According to Buzzsprout, the majority of podcasts (40%) are published every 8 – 14 days. This is closely followed by 3 – 7 days at 33%.

0 – 2 days 7%

3 – 7 days 33%

8 – 14 days 40%

15 – 29 days 19%

Over 30 days 2%

Podcast and Marketing

26. Podcast ad spending in the US is set to surpass 2.5 billion dollars by 2024.

With 464.7 million podcast listeners globally, podcasts offer undeniable opportunities for advertisements and marketing. As of Q1 2023, podcast advertising spending in the United States is predicted to surpass 2.5 billion dollars by 2024.

27. 70% of podcast listeners in the US visited an advertisers’ website after hearing a podcast ad.

The data shows that podcast advertising is growing in popularity, but just how effective is a podcast ad?

As of Q4 2022, 70% of podcast listeners from the United States said that after hearing a product advertised in a podcast, they visited the advertiser’s website.

The same survey indicated that 67% of respondents said they talked to friends or family about the advertiser, while 66% looked at the advertisers’ social media.

[Source: Statista – the data was collected from 600 respondents aged 18-64 years]

28. The podcast industry is set to be worth $4 billion by 2024

Just how much is the podcast industry worth? According to a report by IAB, the podcasting industry is set to be worth $4 billion by 2024.

29. 51% of listeners report purchasing things that are mentioned in podcasts.

According to a 2022 study by the Guardian 51% of media users said podcast adverts made them want to buy something from the brand being advertised versus 38% for radio.

30. 66% of listeners say that podcast adverts introduced them to new products or services.

The same study by the Guardian highlighted that 65% of listeners said they pay attention to podcast advertisements – this is compared to 39% who said the same about TV ads and 38% for radio.

The evidence is clear, podcasts are growing – both in popularity and in revenue potential. With podcast listeners set to hit 504.9 million worldwide by 2024, there’s arguably never been a better time to get start your podcasting journey.