20 Podcast Stats to Catch Your Attention in 2024

We’re already close to the end of 2022, and it’s critical to monitor the progress of the podcast industry for the next few years via these podcast stats. We’ve selected them specifically to help you make informed decisions as a marketer or podcaster in the coming year and beyond. 

We know podcasting started in the early 2000s, and there’s been no stopping ever since.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in.

Top 10 Podcast Facts and Stats

• The most used platforms for listening to podcasts are Apple Podcast and Spotify.
• There are over 2.5 billion podcasts on Apple.
• Portable devices are the most popular means of listening to podcasts.
• Comedy was the leading podcast genre in the US in 2020.
• 31% of podcast episodes last 20-40 minutes.
• The US leads the podcast world in every category.
• 91% of Australians have heard of podcasts.
• US listeners could increase to 100 million by 2024.
• In 2021, the podcast advertising market surpassed $1 billion.
• 55.6% of US listeners have bought a product after hearing it advertised on a podcast.

General Podcast Statistics and Facts 

Podcasts are a prevalent form of audio entertainment. The host creates the podcast, a series, and then it’s published episode by episode online. Subscribers can download and listen to each episode.

Are you interested in learning more crucial statistics and facts about this thriving industry? 

Then keep on reading!

1. 74% of podcast listeners tune in to learn something new.

(Source: Edison Research)

71% of podcast listeners tune in for entertainment, 60% to keep up with current events, and 51% to relax. 

However, some people prefer to listen to something other than podcasts. For example, 75% of non-listeners believe podcasts aren’t for them, 51% don’t have enough time, and 49% believe podcasts don’t offer anything they can’t get elsewhere.

2. In 2020, the most used platforms for listening to podcasts were Apple Podcast and Spotify. 

(Source: Statista)

Spotify podcast statistics show that in the US, 25% of podcast listeners aged 18 and up said they listened to podcasts on Spotify, which has more than 3.6 million podcasts. Apple Podcasts has 20% podcast listeners, down from 21% in 2019. 

Google Podcasts comes in third with 16% of listeners, up from 9% in 2019. 

3. Comedy was the leading podcast genre in the US in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

This genre had 22% of listeners interested in podcasts designed to make them laugh. 

The News was the second most popular genre, followed by True Crime (21%) and Sport (18%).

4. Joe Rogan podcast stats show that the Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast.

(Source: All Top Everything) 

Joe Regan is the host of the most popular podcast, and he’s been running it since 2009. It’s estimated to have 11 million average listeners per episode, and it was the most listened podcast on Spotify in 2021.

The second most popular podcast is Crime Junkie, hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. There are around 5.9 average listeners per episode, and it was the most listened podcast on Apple Podcast in 2021 and the third most popular on Spotify. 

It’s worth mentioning that Apple was the most valuable brand worldwide in 2021.

5. There are 2,503,247 podcasts on Apple as of November 2022.

(Source: The Podcast Host)

It’s a notable increase of 6.8% from September 2021’s 2,332,900 podcasts. Apple made this announcement to show its growth in this sector over the past year.

6. Podcast listening stats show that portable devices are the most popular means of listening to podcasts.

(Source: Edison Research)

About 65% of all listeners listen to their podcasts on tablets and smartphones, while only one-quarter of all podcast users use laptops and desktop computers. 

Smart speakers account for 10%, which is pretty surprising, considering that 71% of smart speaker owners use them daily. But clearly, it’s for other purposes besides podcasts.

7. 40% of podcast listeners find new podcasts through their listening apps.

(Source: The Podcast Host)

18.3% seek recommendations from others. In addition, some people use social media (15.2%), others search for podcasts on Google (13.6%), and 13% search through a “featured” section or podcast chart.

Notably, there are 3.5 billion Google searches per day, many of which are about podcasts.

8. There were more than 109 million monthly podcast downloads in March 2022.

(Source: Buzzsprout)

Podcast download numbers show that out of these numbers, over 181,000 were new episodes, and around 114,000 were active podcasts. Additionally, 37.4% of these downloads were on Apple. No wonder there are over 500 million weekly visits to the Apple App store. 

Most downloads were in the US (52.5%), followed by the UK (6.8%).

9. 31% of podcast episodes last 20-40 minutes.

(Source: Buzzsprout)

22% of podcast episodes last between 40 and 60 minutes, while 17% last over an hour. The remaining 30% last less than that (15% last 10-20 minutes, and 14% last less than 10 minutes). 

10. The highest-paid podcaster Joe Rogan makes about  $800,000 per episode.

(Source: Castos)

Podcasters begin making money when they make sponsorship deals or sell advertising.

According to podcast advertising rates, the show Joe Rogan Experience, at three episodes per week, makes $9.6 million monthly. In addition, he makes another $16,500 to $264,000 monthly on YouTube.

Joe Rogan’s show gets more than 190 million monthly downloads and earns $30 million annually.

11. There were 8,000 branded podcast feeds in 2021.

(Source: Chartable)

Six hundred branded podcasts released their first episode in 2020, so 2021 easily beat that. 

Many branded podcast feeds are available, and many more are hidden on company websites.

Podcast Listener Statistics

Do you want to know which country listens to podcasts the most? 

If the answer is yes, keep reading to find some exciting stats and facts about podcasts’ audience.

12. The US leads the podcast world in every category. 

(Source: Insider Intelligence)

In 2021, 117.8 million people in the US listened to podcasts monthly, accounting for 40% of all internet users. Sweden comes next on penetration rate, with 34.6% of internet users listening to podcasts.

Most of these come from mobile devices, considering 92% of internet users worldwide are mobile users, too.

13. Podcast demographics show that 53% of listeners in the US were male in April 2022.

(Source: Statista)

Females made up 46% of those who had listened to a podcast. 

In addition, podcasts were more prevalent among listeners between 12 and 34 years than older generations and were primarily listened to by White people.

14. 91% of Australians are highly aware of podcasts.

(Source: Edison Research)

Podcasting awareness is high in Australia, significantly higher than 78% of Americans. In addition, monthly podcast listening in Australia is nearly equal to that of Americans: 37% of Australians aged 12 and up listen to podcasts monthly, while it’s 41% in the US. 

The same is true for weekly listening: 26% of 12-years-old Australians and up listen to podcasts weekly, and 28% of Americans listen weekly. 

15. There were more than 19.1 million podcast listeners in the UK in 2021.

(Source: Statista) 

Podcast growth statistics show that podcast listeners are steadily growing as podcasts gain popularity, with an estimated 28 million listeners by 2026.

Nearly 40% of UK listeners are aged between 26 and 35 and listen to podcasts weekly.

16. Nearly 12 million Canadian adults listened to podcasts in 2021.

(Source: The Podcast Exchange)

It means that 38% of people aged 18 or up have listened to podcasts in the past year.

Consequently, almost 9 million Canadian adults, which is 29% of people aged 18 or up, listened to podcasts at least once a month.

17. Estimates project that US listeners could increase to 100 million by 2024.

(Source: Statista)

It would be a massive increase in the number of podcast listeners in the US from 75.9 million in 2020.

Podcasts are becoming more popular, with listeners using them for entertainment and education, branding, and raising awareness of important issues.

Podcast Advertising Statistics

In this section, you’ll learn more about where podcasting is headed and the role it plays in advertising.

Keep going.

18. In 2021, the podcast advertising market surpassed $1 billion.

(Source: IAB)

Revenues increased 72% year-on-year to $1.4 billion and are expected to surpass $2 billion in 2022 and nearly $4 billion by 2024.

Pre-roll advertising raised its revenue share from 22% in 2020 to 32% as advertiser demand increased.

For comparison, the influencer advertising industry was worth around $13.8 billion in 2021.

19. 55.6% of US listeners have bought a product after hearing it advertised on a podcast.

(Source: Discover Pods)

Podcast advertising stats show that 89.8% of US listeners believe podcast ads are helpful. Meanwhile, 86.5% admit to listening to podcast advertisements.

20. Health and wellness businesses spend the most on podcast advertising in the US.

(Source: IAB)

Businesses are spending significant money promoting their organization via the most famous podcasts. 

Health and wellness brands spent 22% of total ad revenue in 2019, followed by home and appliance brands at 19% and food and beverage brands at 13%.

Wrapping Up

Not everyone has time to read a 6,000-word blog post, so podcasts have grown in popularity over the years. And there’s a podcast for everyone’s tastes!

Podcasts, as opposed to visual or written content, are ideal for listening to while cleaning your house, on your morning walk, or pretty much anywhere. According to podcast statistics, they are a portable and efficient way to make and deliver.