YouTube Streaming Statistics By Revenue and Facts (2025)

Joseph D'Souza
Written by
Joseph D'Souza

Updated · Feb 26, 2025

Rohan Jambhale
Edited by
Rohan Jambhale

Editor

YouTube Streaming Statistics By Revenue and Facts (2025)

Introduction

YouTube Streaming Statistics: YouTube is a global media titan today, comparatively quite a long haul from its humble beginnings as a mere video-sharing website in 2005. In 2025, therefore, it will be crowned the king of streaming, advertising, and content generating.

The current paper emphasizes YouTube streaming statistics, streamlining its user engagement, revenue sources, and viewing behaviour.

Editor’s Choices

  • According to YouTube streaming statistics, YouTube’s advertising revenues have gained momentum over the years: from US USD 800 million in 2010, it surged to US USD 31.5 billion in 2023. By the end of Q3 2024, YouTube had already accrued US USD 25.67 billion, indicating possible further advancements.
  • YouTube is still the most-viewed streaming platform, having an audience size of 8.123 billion viewers, with YouTube Gaming contributing 1.383 billion views or 17% of the overall audience.
  • YouTube Live had 8.12 billion hours of views in Q1 2023; the most popular categories include Entertainment, News and Politics, and Gaming.
  • YouTube Gaming, on the other hand, registered a whopping 13% growth in watch time, thanks to the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang eSports streams.
  • Streaming makes up 25% of all TV viewing time, and YouTube holds a 20% market share in this segment.
  • YouTube streaming statistics reveal that The centre-stage audience for YouTube Live is aged between 18 and 34, thus attracting 42% engagement, while the next age demos of 35-54 yield an engagement of 38%, while over 55 are at 20%.
  • In December 2024, 70.29% of YouTube’s global traffic came from mobile devices, while 29.71% came from desktops, illustrating the advent of mobile dominance.
  • In November 2024, the average number of monthly apps opened by Android users in South Korea for the YouTube app was around 335.7 times, with India taking second place at 251.9 times per month and Thailand sitting in third at 242.7 times.
  • YouTube streaming statistics state that YouTube Live still is the most cherished live streaming platform, and 16% of respondents used it.
  • “Baby Shark Dance” is undoubtedly the most-watched YouTube video, with more than 15 billion views.
  • As of February 2025, India has the world’s largest YouTube audience, with 491 million active users, followed by the U.S. with 253 million, Brazil with 144 million, and the U.K. with 54.8 million.
  • The penetration rate reached 94% in the UAE, meaning almost the whole digital population has used YouTube.
  • YouTube’s mobile app generated US USD 28 million in revenue in the U.S. in January 2024 and US USD 19 million in Japan.
  • YouTube streaming statistics state that YouTube Music and YouTube Premium together had about 100 million paying subscribers in 2024.

General YouTube Statistics

  • This platform has made its mark on the digital world since its inception in 2005. It was acquired by Google in 2006 for less than USD 2 billion.
  • YouTube was a financial maverick in 2023, with over USD 31 billion in advertising revenue and a cultural icon, particularly in the musical landscape.
  • Ranked second among the 100 most valuable companies, YouTube is one of the fastest-growing brands in the world, with a valuation of USD 31.7 billion.
  • The company’s revenues are primarily accrued via ads, representing about 10% of its revenues. The brand is second only to Google Cloud services in terms of prominence among Google brands.
  • YouTube Music and YouTube Premium have done really well and have now reached 100 million paid subscribers in 2024, with the U.S. as the biggest market as of December 2024.
  • It has content across all genres, from music to games, from DIY clips to educational videos; it is the launchpad for mass media. This includes official music videos.
  • One case in point is BTS’s music video for “Butter,” which took a plunge into the digital world back in 2021, going viral within hours and hitting 100 million views in less than a day.
  • In 2024, there were over 2.5 billion global viewers on the YouTube platform. The ratio of male users to female users is more, while around 12% of users are male users aged 25 to 34 in that sense, about 9% are in the same age group.
  • India had the largest YouTube audience in January 2024, with nearly 476 million users, followed by the U.S. with 240 million users.
  • Despite the competition coming from TikTok, the YouTube platform has maintained heavens, adding to ad revenue, subscriptions, and user engagement.

YouTube Revenue

youtube-revenue-by-the-year (Source: demandsage.com)

  • YouTube’s advertising revenue is really something; as years pass by, it is drawing itself into the never-ending battle between social media rivals and a one-in-a-million with the rest in the digital market.
  • YouTube streaming statistics state that having earned USD 800 million from ads in 2010, the company more than doubled those earnings to reach USD 1.7 billion in 2012.
  • It next reached USD 4.2 billion in 2014 before earning USD 5.5 billion the following fiscal year.
  • Revenues continued climbing as the number of subscribers and intrigued advertisers increased, reaching USD 6.7 billion in 2016 and USD 8.1 billion in 2017 before breaking the USD 11 billion mark in 2018.
  • In 2019, it increased further to USD 15.1 billion. The big jump in this platform was USD 19.7 billion from USD 11 billion in 2020 due to people consuming content via online video during the pandemic.
  • The next year reflected a healthy rise in YouTube revenues, with earning figures of USD 28.8 billion from ads in 2021 and USD 29.24 billion in 2022.
  • Now, it has achieved a record high of USD 31.5 billion in ad revenue for the year 2023.
  • In 2024, by the end of the third quarter, YouTube already had a net revenue of USD 25.67 billion, meaning that by the closing of the year, it will cross the past years’ collections.
  • Online advertising would increasingly gain from this steady rise in revenue. YouTube will definitely continue attracting users and advertisers across the globe.

Most Watched Streaming Platforms

most-watched-streaming-platforms (Reference: streamscharts.com)

  • The platform continues to top the charts in streamed viewership. Currently, about 8.123 billion viewers hit the streaming website, showing a slight increase of 0.34%.
  • YouTube streaming statistics reveal that the biggest portion of the viewership comes from YouTube Gaming, which accounts for 1.383 billion, representing 17% of the total streaming audience on YouTube.
  • Next on the chart is Twitch with 5.281 billion viewers and a slight 0.15% growth. Its main content is gaming, which accounts for about 4.257 billion views, making up 81% of its overall streaming audience and 87.5% of Twitch’s viewership.
  • NimoTV suffered a huge decline of 21.33%, and its total viewership went down to 347.47 million. Afreeca TV also dropped by a lower rate, 13.93%, bringing its viewers to 294.47 million.
  • Facebook Gaming has recorded the most significant drop in its viewers, decreasing by about 30.92%, and now sits at a total of 255.43 million.
  • Bigo was similarly affected by the declines, reporting an 18.49% drop to 124.93 million viewers. Mildom had slightly worse luck, losing 21.06% to only reach 5.36 million viewers.
  • Kick, however, shines as a fledgling platform beginning to find ground with 58.01 million viewers. Trovo, for instance, slipped slightly by 4.72% to reach a total of 42.91 million viewers.
  • Nono Live is among the few to have gained with this 1.35% growth to an aggregate audience of about 26.62 million viewers.
  • In a nutshell, while one has many smaller platforms that are suffering heavy losses in viewership, YouTube and Twitch remain unchallenged giants in the streaming industry, especially in gaming.

YouTube Live Viewership Statistics

monthly-hours-watched-dynamics (Reference: streamscharts.com)

  • Many view Twitch as primarily a gaming platform; however, YouTube is entirely different in that non-gaming streams attract an audience that is exponentially bigger than gaming streams.
  • YouTube streaming statistics show that in the first quarter of 2023, 8.12 billion hours were watched on YouTube Live, a slight dip from the previous quarter but one that hardly constituted a drop of 1%.
  • The most popular categories of content included Entertainment, News & Politics, and Gaming.
  • People & Blogs and Music were also popular, though there was a switch in ranking from the previous quarter.
  • Most of the top YouTube Live channels focused on news content and children’s content. In contrast, Gaming found a strong upward trend on YouTube, up nearly 13% from the previous quarter.
  • A major reason for this was the popularity of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports streams, as it is known that YouTube is the main portal for this game. The M4 World Championship, the largest ML: BB tournament, was held in the same period. Furthermore, the newly launched MPL seasons in February and March contributed to the accumulated watch time.

Market Share of Leading Streaming Platforms

global-share-of-downstream-traffic-by-application-category (Reference: truelist.co)

  • As per YouTube streaming statistics, streaming accounts for one-quarter of all TV-watching time. Major streaming platforms are led by Netflix, which has captured 34% of the market.
  • This is closely followed by YouTube, which holds approximately 20% of the total share. Hulu and Amazon have a strong presence with 11% and 8%, respectively.
  • The biggest surprise this year was Disney+, which rapidly gained a 4% market share in streaming.

Popular Live Streaming Platforms By Age Group

Platforms 18-34 35-54 Over 55
Facebook Live 35% 45.00%

21%

Youtube Live

42% 38% 20%
Instagram 39% 29%

8%

TikTok

23% 18% 7%
Twitch 31% 14%

2%

  • Though YouTube Live is the predominantly used platform among the young population, 42% of the people aged 18-34 make use of it.
  • The 35-54 age group still remain in favour at 38%, while individuals older than 55 engage at only 20%.
  • Facebook Live is the most popular live-streaming platform for 35-54-year-olds, at 45% of this age group. It is also quite popular with 18-34-year-olds, with 35% engagement, while it drops to 21% among those older than 55.
  • Instagram Live is more appealing to younger users, scoring a 39% engagement rate among those aged 18-34.
  • The popularity of Instagram Live decreases among the 35-54 age group to 29% and further drops significantly among those aged above 55 to just 8%.
  • TikTok Live predominantly engages a younger audience, with 23% of its users comprising 18-34-year-olds.
  • However, the engagement among older age groups deteriorates, with 18% of 35-54s and just 7% of those over 55 engaging.
  • For Twitch, it is predominantly used by the younger generation, with 31% of users aged 18-34 streaming live.
  • This falls off sharply among those aged 35 to 54, which drops to 14% engagement, and virtually none among those over 55, at a minuscule 2%.

Share of total global visitor traffic to YouTube by device

distribution-of-worldwide-visits-to-youtube-july-to-december-2024-by-device (Reference: statista.com)

  • Mobile devices were the most-used channel for accessing YouTube during the entire December 2024 month, with only 29.71% of YouTube’s worldwide traffic from desktop computers.
  • From this, it’s clear that people use mobile devices primarily to access YouTube; hence, they form a majority of views on that platform.

YouTube App Sessions in Selected Countries and territories

number-of-monthly-mobile-sessions-on-the-youtube-app-in-selected-countries-and-territories-as-of-november-2024 (Reference: statista.com)

  • November 2024 saw South Korea rank as the country with the highest number of YouTube app accesses per mobile user monthly.
  • On average, Android users in that country opened the app around 335.7 times a month. It is followed by India, which registered the second rank, with users opening the app about 251.9 times a month.
  • Thailand trailed closely, where Android users opened the app about 242.7 times per month during the same period.
  • It proves that people in these countries are pretty engrossed in using YouTube since they keep visiting the app throughout the month.

Live Video Streaming On Platforms

the-state-of-live-video-streaming (Reference: statista.com)

  • YouTube streaming statistics show that it sought to find out people’s favourite modes of live video streaming; Facebook Live showed its supremacy in winning people’s votes, with 17% of respondents coming to this site to stream their live feeds.
  • Moreover, closely followed is YouTube, which has 16% of people’s choices to stream live video.
  • The third-most preferred option used by 12% of respondents is Live Stories, available on various applications such as Instagram and Snapchat. Periscope and Twitter recorded equal percentages of 9% to show that they were used by almost the same number of people to stream live events.
  • The other platform that centres on real-time interaction is YouNow, which registers a share of 8% for users. The remaining 5% of users are active on other platforms, streaming live, thus confirming that while mainstream platforms might dominate, there are yet niche alternatives available.

Most Popular YouTube Videos

most-popular-youtube-videos-based-on-total-global-views-as-of-february-2025 (Reference: statista.com)

  • As of 2025, the “Baby Shark Dance” has raked over 15 billion lifetime views. On June 17, 2016, the Korean educational brand Pinkfong published the video “Baby Shark Dance,” now one of the most global videos on YouTube.
  • It became the first-ever video to surpass the 10 billion threshold in January 2021, thereby grabbing the status of the most viewed YouTube video from “Despacito.”
  • Even though “Baby Shark Dance” is the one holding the most views record, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” reigned as the longest-number-one video, reigning supreme for 1,689 days (about 4.6 years) before being dethroned.
  • YouTube streaming statistics indicate that people enjoy more music-dominated content on YouTube. As of 2010, more than 99% of the most viewed materials on this platform fit into the category of music video, as the focus on YouTube changed from funny little freestanding viral clips to professionally produced content.
  • As of 2022, around 40% of the U.S. digital music listening audience consumed music via YouTube Music. Music videos usually take many views, often gaining millions of views within the first 24 hours of being released.
  • Other highly viewed world videos include movie trailers, especially the superhero types from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The first trailer for “Avengers: Endgame” garnered 289 million views in a single day, while “Spider-Man: No Way Home” enjoyed over 355 million views within its first 24 hours, making it the most viral film trailer ever.

YouTube Audience Size By Country

leading-countries-based-on-youtube-audience-size-as-of-february-2025 (Source: statista.com)

  • In February 2025, India is reported to have had the largest segment of YouTube audience, with about 491 million users actively watching videos on this platform.
  • The second-largest market was the United States with about 253 million viewers, and Brazil came next with 144 million users.
  • About 54.8 million internet users from the United Kingdom accessed YouTube in this period. User penetration in the United Arab Emirates, where YouTube is reportedly the most used by any user segment in the world, is striking.
  • By July 2024, about 94% of the digital population of the country has been using it. YouTube Music and YouTube Premium both had about 100 million paying subscribers in the year 2024.
  • YouTube 2024 remained one of the most favoured social media available in the world. The mobile app for YouTube earned quite an impressive revenue:
  • In total, about 28 million dollars from ads in the USA in January 2024, whereas from Japan, it was worth about 19 million dollars.

Conclusion

As per YouTube streaming statistics, YouTube is in an unmistakable leadership position in the realm of digital streaming. The platform has built a vast and engaged user base, diversified revenues, and gradually changing viewership patterns favoring television screens to sustain itself in this constantly changing media environment.

Innovating and adapting to the times, YouTube is placed to retain its strength and growth within the global digital ecosystem.

FAQ.

How many people watch YouTube across the globe in 2025?

Currently, YouTube is the most-watched streaming platform, with approximately 8.123 billion global viewers.

What revenue did YouTube earn in 2024?

In 2023, YouTube earned US$31.5 billion from advertisement revenue. By the third quarter of 2024, it was able to earn US$25.67 billion and continued to grow.

Which country has the largest active audience on YouTube?

India has the largest number of active YouTube users, with 491 million viewers in February 2025, followed by the USA (253 million) and Brazil (144 million).

What is the percentage of mobile traffic to YouTube?

In December 2024, mobile devices accounted for 70.29% of the global traffic to YouTube, and desktops took up 29.71%, thus proving the dominance of mobile.

What is the most popular YouTube video ever?

As of 2025, “Baby Shark Dance” is the title of the most-watched YouTube video, with over 15 billion lifetime views.

Joseph D'Souza
Joseph D'Souza

Joseph D'Souza founded ElectroIQ in 2010 as a personal project to share his insights and experiences with tech gadgets. Over time, it has grown into a well-regarded tech blog, known for its in-depth smartphone reviews and app-related statistics. Joseph is dedicated to providing detailed, well-researched content, including statistics, facts, charts, and graphs, all verified by experts. His goal is to make technological innovations and scientific discoveries easy to understand for everyone. ElectroIQ is now a top source for tech news, appreciated by both tech enthusiasts and beginners.

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