The Ultimate List of YouTube Statistics for 2024

Updated Dec 5, 2022.
youtube statistics

Founded in 2005 and bought by Google in 2006, YouTube is the second-most popular platform on the internet. But what do users like about YouTube, what's famous on the platform, and why do marketers use it?

Read on to our answers to all these questions and more in this guide on YouTube statistics and data that you can use for marketing.

Remarkable YouTube Statistics You Probably Didn't Know.

  • YouTube is the second most popular website on the internet, with 13.34 billion total monthly visits. The YouTube app is available in more than 80 languages and is used by 2.2 billion people monthly. 
  • The ability to “dig deeper into interest” is 2x more important to users than “high-production quality.” 4x more than a video featuring a famous actor. 
  • YouTube users are 2.4x more likely to watch videos uploaded by individual creators than brands. YouTube users spend almost 70% of their time on a recommended video.
  • Comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture, and how-to videos were the top four content categories watched by YouTube viewers in 2021. 
  • 90% of customers say they have discovered a product on YouTube. Almost 88% say they've been convinced to buy a product after watching a video.

YouTube Statistics: YouTube In Numbers

1. YouTube.com holds the second position as the most popular website worldwide, with 13.34 billion total monthly visits. It continues to remain the most popular video platform globally.

(Statista)

The first position is held by Google.com, with over 45.41 billion total monthly visits.

As of 2021, there are about 2.2 billion (almost one-third of the internet users) monthly active YouTube users, projected to reach 2.8 billion users by 2025.

The 2.2 billion users are based in more than 100 countries, and most access YouTube in their localized language. (The platform is available in more than 80 languages).

Equally important to note, 81% of internet users have used YouTube.

Moreover, India has the largest YouTube audience, with over 467 million users using the site monthly.

The US has 240 million active users, and Indonesia ranks third with 127 million users. Brazil (107 million), Russia (99 million), Japan (93.8 million), and Mexico (74.1 million) come next on the list.

This clearly shows that YouTube has a diverse audience worldwide, and all businesses have to do is connect with the right audience.

Most popular website worldwide Statistics

2. YouTube (2.2 billion MAUs) is the second most popular social media platform after Facebook (2.9 billion MAUs).

(Alexa)

According to Alexa’s YouTube stats — users, on average, spend 13 minutes daily watching video content on YouTube. At the same time, Hootsuite reports the average time spent by a user watching videos to be around 23 hours per month.

Additionally, YouTube scored the second-highest ASCI score (76), next to Pinterest (77) in US customer satisfaction with social media platforms.

Equally important to note, Statista's YouTube demographics highlight that male users aged 25-34 make up about 12% of total YouTube users, while females of the same age make up about 9%.

Distribution of YouTube users worldwide

3. YouTube generated $28.8 billion revenue in 2021, a 30.4% YoY growth. In Q4, the video platform generated about 8.8 billion (2.2 billion more than the past fiscal year).

(Statista)

Still, Google's key search segment (US$ 148 billion revenue generated in 2021) is the biggest revenue source of YouTube's parent company.

According to YouTube ad statistics from Google, YouTube ads have the potential to reach some 2.5 billion people worldwide. As of January 2022:

  • YouTube ads have reached 37.7% of the entire world population.
  • 51.1% of internet users worldwide have watched YouTube ads.
  • 2.09 billion users aged 18+ have viewed at least one YouTube ad.
  • 53.9% of males and 46.1% of females aged 18+ have viewed at least one YouTube ad.

70% of users have bought a product or service after watching a YouTube ad. And marketers understand this well. YouTube is the second most preferred channel for sharing video ads among businesses and marketers.

Moreover, Apple was the largest advertiser last fiscal year, spending over 237 million advertising dollars between March 2020 and February 2021.

Gross revenue in the United States Statistics

4. YouTube determines the algorithms based on watch history, appeal, engagement, and satisfaction.

(Hootsuite)

Hootsuite finds that YouTube viewers spend almost 70% of their time on a recommended video, making it essential for marketers to know how YouTube recommends videos.

Since YouTube was created (2005) to 2011, YouTube algorithms recommended videos based on the number of clicks and views a particular video has received.

Between 2011 and 2014, YouTube recommended videos with the most watch time (assessing whether the audience watched the video partially or entirely).

Today, however, many factors like personalization, performance, and relevance decide whether algorithms will recommend your YouTube video to the users or not.

Moreover, more or less, YouTube acts as a search engine (a myth marketed by Google itself). Still, YouTube is considered the second largest search engine after Google. The queries made on YouTube far exceed other search engines such as Microsoft Bing, Yahoo, AOL and Ask combined.

YouTube Usage Statistics

5. 99% of YouTube users are also present on some other social media platforms.

(Datareportal)

That is to say, ensure to create fresh content for every platform and avoid posting the same video content on other social media sites.

Moreover, users spend more time on YouTube than on any other popular social media platform. So, as a marketer, you might want to reserve the best video content for your YouTube channel.

Social media platform Audience Overlaps

6. YouTube is responsible for 37% of all mobile internet traffic. At least 51% of YouTube users visit the platform daily.

(Statista)

500 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube every minute by creators. And the average video is 12 minutes long.

Plus, users watch more than one billion hours of video content on YouTube daily. This is more than Netflix and Facebook combined.

Of which 70% of watch time comes from mobile devices. That is why it is critical for marketers to make YouTube ads that are viewable on a 5-inch screen.

Moreover, the average user spends 40 minutes watching videos on mobile devices. (27.2% of internet users spend more than 10 hours per week watching digital video content).

YouTube is Responsible for All Mobile Internet Traffic

7. Comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture, and how-to videos were the top four content categories watched by YouTube users in 2021.

(PewResearchCenter)

Only 38% of YouTube viewers are loyal to YouTube channels, influencers, and shows. 61% say they are not loyal to YouTube channels, shows, or people.

Looking at US YouTube demographics:

  • 51% of users say they turn to YouTube “to learn something they haven't done before”.
  • 28% visit the platform “to pass time.”
  • 19% turn to YouTube “to decide whether to buy the product or not.”
  • 19% navigate YouTube “to know and understand things happening in the world.”

7 in 10 users (worldwide) say they use YouTube to help them with their hobbies, work, and interests. 86% of US viewers say they “often” use YouTube to learn something new.

Some 51% of US adults use YouTube for opinions and social commentary, whereas 48% come for facts and evidence-based information.

It is also important to note that 81% of US parents say they let their kids (aged 11 and under) watch YouTube. Of which, 34% say their kids watch YouTube regularly.

Nevertheless, 61% of parents said they encountered content unsuitable for children. (“Child safety reasons” accounted for the removal of 36.72% of all removed YouTube videos).

What is the Popular on the Platform Statistics

YouTube Marketing Statistics

8. 90% of customers say they have discovered a product on YouTube. Almost 88% say they've been convinced to buy a product after watching a video.

(Amazon)

68% of users go to YouTube to make their purchasing decision. 87% of customers say they want to see more videos from brands to learn about products.

And the good news is that 86% (holding steady from 2020) of marketers already use a video marketing strategy, of which 92% consider video advertising to be the “most important part” of their digital marketing strategy.

Amazon's YouTube marketing statistics highlight that video marketers continue to be the most used platform (8th consecutive year).

At least 86% (1% down from 2020) widely use YouTube for video marketing. Of which, 83% (4% down from 2020) say the YouTube marketing strategy was effective.

Still, at least 88% plan to use YouTube this year.

In comparison, Instagram adoption (72% from 60% in 2020) and TikTok adoption (30% from 20% in 2020) had increased drastically.

Which channels do video marketers plan to use in 2022

9. YouTube (51%) is the fifth most used platform for overall social media marketing among marketers after Facebook (93%), Instagram (78%), LinkedIn, and Twitter.

(Statista, ThinkWithGoogle, VWO)

YouTube (53%) is the fourth most opted social media platform among B2B marketers in terms of organic marketing, after LinkedIn (95%), Twitter (86%), and Facebook (83%).

Moreover, YouTube is also the fifth choice among marketers for influencer marketing. Only 48% plan to use YouTube for influencer marketing, whereas 93% plan to use Instagram, 83% plan to use Instagram stories, and 68% plan to use Facebook and TikTok.

Only 9% of US small businesses own their YouTube channel. Plus, nearly 40% of SMEs (worldwide) do not have a social media presence.

It is essential to note that the technology now allows businesses to utilize reliable social media management tools, manage multiple social accounts, and review how effective individual platforms have been (by calculating the ROI). (An ROI of 7% or higher is considered good by marketers).

Moreover, the major goals of video marketers are promotions (93%) and brand awareness (54%). And for good reasons, video marketers say they get 66% more qualified leads per year via video marketing. It is easy for businesses to integrate dependable customer relationship management tools with YouTube to get valuable insights about leads.

Coming to paid YouTube video ads:

  • 29% of marketers consider pre-roll skippable ads as the most effective ad format on the platform.
  • 10% consider display ads as the most effective.
  • At the same time, 9% consider non-skippable (pre-roll and in-stream) ads as the most effective ad format.
Paid Mobile Advertising

10. Users who watch at least 30 seconds of TrueView ads are 23x more likely to visit or subscribe to the brand channel, view videos from the band, and share the brand with others.

(ThinkWithGoogle)

Moreover, when brands use TrueView ads, the engagement with their existing content increases by 500%.

Some other essential YouTube ad statistics are:

  • Brands using Google search ads and YouTube ads see 3% more search conversions and 4% less search cost per acquisition than brands using only Google ads.
  • YouTube ads that resonate with viewers receive 3x more attention than the average ad.
  • Intent-based YouTube ads have a 20x higher ad recall lift (memorable to viewers) than ads based on demographics targeting.
  • YouTube ads with motion, sound, and full sight receive 2x more attention than videos with no surprises and intrigues.
  • Brands that engage with YouTube creators see a 70% YoY increase in the number of YouTube followers.

Equally important, YouTube (US$ 9.68) has the second-highest cost-per-mile after Pinterest (US$ 30.00) of all major social media channels. Moreover, YouTube's cost-per-click stands at US$ 3.21 (as of 2021).

Users who watch at least 30 seconds of TrueView ads

YouTube Statistics: User Behavior, Demographics, and Characteristics

11. YouTube users are 2.4x more likely to watch videos published by individual creators than brands.

(ThinkWithGoogle)

Regardless of their age and country, users prefer short videos such as tutorials, webisodes, and short-form videos uploaded by creators. However, Gen-Zers and Millennials are more likely to watch long videos than Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers.

YouTube users are more likely to watch videos published by individual creators

Some 85% of marketers also consider short-form videos the most effective ad format — 64% plan to invest more into short-form videos in 2022.

Nevertheless, at least 51% of users say that less than half of brands upload YouTube content that resonates as authentic. On the contrary, 92% of marketers believe they share videos that resonate as genuine.

Additionally, 53% of Gen Z male users use YouTube to follow their influencers. 42% of Gen Z female users use YouTube to follow their influencers, while Instagram remains the popular choice.

Users prefer short videos such as tutorials, webisodes, and short form videos

12. Ability to “dig deeper into interest” is 2x more important to users than “high-production quality.” 4x more than featuring a famous actor in the video.

(ThinkWithGoogle)

More than half of YouTube users use YouTube to dig deeper into their interests.

Nevertheless, “helps me relax and unwind” was the No. 1 reason to watch YouTube videos among all age groups (11%+) chose it. “Teaches me something new” was the first choice of 8.4% of YouTube users.

High quality videos were the first choice of only 4.1% of users. That is to say, individuals looking to make money via YouTube do not have to worry about high-initial costs but rather focus on resonating with a niche audience.

Key YouTube Statistics 2021

YouTube Statistics: On-Demand

13. 90% of US digital video viewers use YouTube; the watch time of TV channels on YouTube has grown by 50% YoY.

(Pew Research Center)

Moreover, the watch time of YouTube on TV screens is 250 million hours per day globally. Globally, 69% of YouTube users pay to watch whatever they want. 58% pay to binge-watch TV shows on YouTube.

The most popular categories on YouTube TV are comedy (77%) and crime, thriller, and mystery (60%).

About 26% of US adults depend on YouTube to get news. The most popular news channel in the US, CNN, is watched by only 17% of US digital video viewers. Still, less than 40% of viewers believe the YouTube news to be accurate.

YouTube Statistics: Why Do Videos On YouTube Get Removed?

14. “Child safety reasons” accounted for the removal of 36.72% of all removed YouTube videos in 2021. More than 25 million videos were removed (including the automatically flagged videos for violating the platform's community guidelines).

(Statista)

In comparison, over 1.5 million YouTube videos were removed because of non-automated flagging systems (reported as inappropriate by users).

46.8% of removed YouTube videos had less than zero video views, and 36.8% had less than 10 video views. That is to say, 23.5 million videos were flagged (in 2021) by the automated content flagging system, so online marketers must post videos as per YouTube's community guidelines.

Other top reasons for videos being removed from YouTube are:

Distribution of videos removed from YouTube worldwide

How Can These YouTube Statistics Help Your Business?

Video marketing has always been the most important digital marketing strategy among marketers. And as underlined earlier, YouTube is the biggest part of video marketing.

But YouTube has never been more important to businesses than now, given that 82% of the global internet traffic is expected to come from streaming and video downloads.

Still, most businesses do not value it (23% think they don't have time for it) or do not know how to get started with YouTube marketing (16%). However, it is important to note that, of the 16% of first-time video marketers, 46% said it is easy to create videos in-house, 36% said it doesn't need much time, and 26% said it's affordable.

Moreover, “high-production quality” was the first choice of only 4.1% of most YouTube users. That is to say, individuals or businesses looking to make money via YouTube do not have to worry about high-initial costs but rather focus on resonating with their niche audience.

In turn, YouTube will bless you with a wider audience, more brand awareness, and increased conversions.

Source

  1. Statista
  2. Alexa
  3. Statista
  4. Statista
  5. Hootsuite
  6. Datareportal
  7. Statista
  8. PewResearchCenter
  9. Amazon
  10. ThinkWithGoogle
  11. VWO
  12. ThinkWithGoogle
  13. ThinkWithGoogle
  14. ThinkWithGoogle
  15. PewResearchCenter
  16. Statista

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Anastasia Belyh

Editor at FounderJar

Anastasia has been a professional blogger and researcher since 2014. She loves to perform in-depth software reviews to help software buyers make informed decisions when choosing project management software, CRM tools, website builders, and everything around growing a startup business.

Anastasia worked in management consulting and tech startups, so she has lots of experience in helping professionals choosing the right business software.