30+ YouTube Stats & Facts That Show Why It Is a Top Platform

YouTube first launched as a video-sharing platform back in 2005 with the help of three former PayPal employees named Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. Fast forward to 16 years later, and it’s become one of the top websites worldwide—a long way since its initial launch. Everyone knows YouTube, but not everyone knows the fascinating YouTube stats that we’re about to share.

YouTube is steadily growing as a website, getting millions of visitors daily. However, the video-sharing platform is much more than that. That’s why we’ve put together this list of stats and fun facts. Let’s check out some of the figures behind YouTube’s rise to fame.

General YouTube Statistics and Data

  • The video-sharing platform gets over 2 billion logins monthly.
  • 6 out of 10 people prefer YouTube to TV. 
  • YouTube is available in 80 different languages and 100 countries.
  • Users collectively upload over 82,000 years’ worth of content on YouTube daily.
  • T-Series has the most subscribers at 173 million, beating the long-reigning king of YouTube, PewDiePie, which currently has 109 million subscribers.
  • The most-watched video on YouTube is “Baby Shark Dance” by PinkFong, with 7.91 million views. 
  • The most disliked video on YouTube is “YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind,” with over 18 million dislikes and counting.
  • 2020’s overall highest-paid YouTuber is the 9-year-old Ryan Kaji.
  • 80% of shoppers use YouTube videos in the early stage of their buyer’s journey.

YouTube Facts and History

1. YouTube’s domain name went live on Valentine’s Day back in 2005.

(Source: Engadget)

We got our very first glimpse of the video-sharing platform on February 14, 2005. On that special day, the domain name “YouTube.com” was officially activated.

2. YouTube only uploaded its first video over a month after the site went active.

(Source: YouTube)

Although the domain name had been active since February 2005, it wasn’t until April 23, 2005, that it uploaded its first video. It’s titled “Me at the Zoo” and shows Jawed Karim taking a stroll at the San Diego Zoo. It may be one of the cuter YouTube stats for nerds.

3. YouTube first included advertisements in 2007.

(Source: Official YouTube Blog)

YouTube’s rise to fame wouldn’t be possible without the revenue it earns. Aside from its many visitors and clicks, YouTube really didn’t begin to see a healthy revenue stream until after the platform rolled out its first advertisements back in August 2007, over two years after going active. From this point on, the YouTube money stats began to grow immensely.

4. Google bought YouTube on October 9, 2006.

(Source: Engadget)

Although YouTube was successful as a video-sharing platform on its own, there’s no doubt that Google made it even more popular. In October 2006, as the latest Google stats show, Google announced that it was buying YouTube in a $1.65 billion deal that the company would benefit from immensely.

YouTube Trends: Then and Now

There may be a ton of money to be had on YouTube—but at the same time, the competition on the platform is fierce. For those dreaming of becoming the next big thing, you need to understand what’s next in the trends. 

5. YouTube uploads showcasing primitive technology had a 248% increase in views from July 2017 to July 2018.

(Source: Think With Google / YouTube Primitive Technology)

Interestingly, people currently enjoy watching videos that showcase primitive life, including how primitive people hunt and how their tools work. According to YouTube statistics, from July 2017 to July 2018, these videos saw a 248% increase in viewership. In 2021, the YouTube channel dedicated to these types of videos bearing the same name—Primitive Technology—now has 10.4 million subscribers. 

6. Videos with “#with me” in the title had a 600% increase in views during the height of Covid-19.

(Source: The Verge)

“With me” videos on YouTube are about real-life scenarios showing their daily routine. They have been around since 2007, but they became a genre in 2010. However, their views spiked to a 600% increase during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, when people stayed home due to social distancing, Youtube View Statistics show.

7. YouTube Gaming saw an uptick of over 100 billion hours of watch time in 2020.

(Source: YouTube Blog)

2020 was YouTube Gaming’s best year ever, with over 100 billion hours of watch time. Like what YouTube said, it’s like going to Neptune and back, 475,000 times. The top three most-watched games were Minecraft with 201 billion views, Roblox with 75 billion views, and Garena Free Fire with 75 billion views. These YouTube growth statistics tell us that YouTube Gaming could dominate the gaming market soon.

8. Celebrities are flocking to YouTube.

(Source: Mediakix)

There’s an increasing number of YouTube channels run by celebrities. These celebs are using YouTube not only to make a little extra income and get exposure, but they’re also using the platform to connect with fans. Some of these celebs include Arianna Grande, Rihanna, and Gordon Ramsay.

9. 80% of shoppers watch YouTube videos to help them with their purchasing decisions.

(Source: Business of Apps)

If a product showcase becomes a top-watched YouTube video, then big sales will quickly follow, especially when such a high proportion of YouTube’s audience uses the platform this way. Consumers are in love with YouTube. On the platform, they can see reviews, product hauls, and so much more, which helps them in the early stages of their purchasing decisions.

10. YouTube’s monetization system changed once again in 2018.

(Source: Mediakix)

Youtube Monetization Stats revealed that in 2018, YouTube changed its monetization policies again in a way that heavily impacted small-time YouTubers. This policy is sometimes called the “Adpocalypse” since it decreased many content creators who could otherwise earn money on the platform. Those who don’t get enough views or have enough subscribers won’t receive additional ad revenue. However, after the backlash of the previous year’s changes, YouTube may choose to implement fairer rules.

YouTube Video Statistics for 2022

YouTube wouldn’t be what it is today without its videos. From viral sensations like Psy’s “Gangnam Style” to odd video channels like “Annoying Orange,” we can trace most pop culture as we know it back to a YouTube video. Here are some statistics on the platform’s videos.

11. Over 82,000 years’ worth of new videos is uploaded to YouTube daily.

(Source: Tubefilter)

There’s no definite number regarding how many videos are on YouTube. What we do know is that users upload more than 500 hours of new videos per minute. If we do the math, this equals 82.2 years’ worth of fresh content every single day.

12. 93% of the most popular videos are music videos.

(Source: Brandwatch)

There are countless types of content on YouTube, but music is the one that attracts the most users. When it comes to the most popularly watched videos, music makes up 93% of them, the Youtube stats show.

13. “Baby Shark Dance” is the most viewed video, with over 7.91 billion views as of February 2021.

(Statista)

One of the goals of every uploader on YouTube is to get the most views. “Baby Shark Dance” was uploaded by the Korean channel PinkFong back in 2016. Today, it’s now the number 1 Youtube video, reaching an all-time high of 7.91 billion views, surpassing the former record holder, Despacito, that now has over 7.2 billion views.

14. “Despacito” remains the most liked YouTube video, with over 42 million likes as of February 2021.

(Source: YouTube)

Getting likes isn’t as crucial as getting views, but it shows whether people were satisfied with what they saw. According to YouTube video stats, “Despasito” remains the most-liked video of all time, with over 42 million likes as of writing time.

15. The most disliked YouTube video is “YouTube Rewind,” with over 18 million dislikes as of February 2021.

(Source: YouTube)

While there are videos that people can’t seem to get enough off, there are also some videos people hate to the core. Oddly enough, the most disliked video was uploaded by YouTube itself in 2018. Today, “YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind” remains the most disliked video on YouTube at 18 million dislikes.

YouTube Usage Statistics

The lifeline of YouTube, as well as other websites, is its users and visitors. In YouTube’s case, however, the users themselves are the source of the content that the world sees. As such, it’s essential to see the facts and figures that YouTube’s users generate worldwide.

16. Over 2 billion users log in monthly.

(Source: YouTube)

Alright, so how many people use YouTube? Considering that there are only about 7 billion people worldwide, YouTube getting over 2 billion users logging in monthly is quite the feat. These are individual log-ins, too, meaning that’s the number of people who specifically have YouTube accounts.

17. YouTube is available in 80 different languages.

(Source: YouTube)

The platform reaches approximately 95% of the internet population this way, according to YouTube demographic statistics.

18. YouTube is available in over 100 countries.

(Source: YouTube)

YouTube isn’t available in every country yet. However, the video-sharing platform has already launched in over 100 countries. Most of those countries are major economies like the US, Canada, Australia, and Brazil, not to mention several others.

19. YouTube is the second most visited website.

(Source: Visual Capitalist)

To define a website’s success, we need to look at the amount of traffic it gets daily. YouTube stats show that it has 34.6 billion visits today. It comes behind Google, which has 92.5 billion visits, while Facebook ranks third on the list, with 25.5 billion visits.

20. 6 out of 10 people now prefer online streaming over live TV.

(Source: Think With Google)

The latest trend in viewership shows people preferring online video platforms like YouTube and others over live TV. In total, 6 out of 10 people prefer it. According to YouTube streaming stats, video streaming will continue to rise even more as people stray from live viewing toward popular media streaming platforms. In fact, according to the latest e-commerce statistics, experts predict that the US alone will produce $23 billion on live streaming events by 2023.

21. India has the highest number of deleted videos on YouTube — over 1.46 million.

(Source: Statista)

Not all uploaded videos on YouTube stay there. Many of them get deleted for various reasons but mostly due to inappropriate flagging. The YouTube statistics by country reveal that India tops these deletions, with over 1.46 million deleted videos as of the third quarter of 2020. The US follows with over 1.14 million; Brazil comes next with over 623,000.

22. In 2020, YouTube’s audience was 72.8% mobile.

(Source: Statista)

As mobile usage keeps growing, so does YouTube’s usage on mobile devices. After all, using a portable device for watching videos is convenient for many people. Based on the Youtube trends and recent app usage statistics, YouTube acquired a massive mobile audience in 2020.

23. Users between the age of 15–35 use YouTube the most, at 77%.

(Source: Statista)

Two age groups in the US use YouTube 77% of the time — those between 15–25 and those between 16–35. The numbers on YouTube user demographics show that those from the age group 36–45 also use the service a lot, at 73%.

24. People are three times more likely to watch a YouTube tutorial video than read a product’s instructions.

(Source: Think With Google)

Not only is YouTube a source of entertainment, but it’s also a source of knowledge. When it comes to instructions and how-tos, recent data suggests that people are three times more likely to watch a YouTube tutorial video than read a product’s instructions.

YouTube Subscriber Stats

YouTube maintains a loyal fan base through its subscription system. Once users subscribe to YouTube, they can do almost anything, from commenting on videos to posting videos themselves. One could even say that subscribers are the backbone of the video-sharing platform.

25. The number of channels with over a million subscribers has increased by 75%.

(Source: YouTube)

It seems YouTube’s users have taken a greater interest in subscribing to channels on the platform. According to the recent YouTube stats, the number of channels with over a million subscribers has increased by over 75% since 2017.

26. T-Series is the most subscribed-to channel, with 173 million subs.

(Source: TechSpot / YouTube PewDiePie / YouTube T-Series)

Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, used to be the most popular YouTuber around. As of February 2021, he had 109 million subscribers. When he first began, PewDiePie posted videos of himself reacting to a horror game called Amnesia. Now he uploads more than just video game reactions, sharing other humorous content as well.

However, Youtube channel statistics indicate that the channel currently with the most subscribers is T-Series, a Hindi music channel. After months of campaigning to overthrow PewDiePie’s subscriber count, as of February 2021, the channel has over 173 million subscribers.

27. Lego is the top branded channel, with 11.7 million subs currently.

(Source: YouTube)

While T-Series is the current record holder for the overall most popular on Youtube, the most popular on branded channels is Lego. Recent data suggests that the channel has 11.7 million subscribers currently, and it also has over 14 billion views.

YouTuber Statistics

While subscribers serve as the backbone of this videosharing platform, it’s the YouTubers who create the endless stream of content that we watch every day. Becoming a YouTuber is considered an occupation more than anything else, which no one can argue with given the potential profits.

28. Daniel Middleton is the richest gaming YouTuber in 2021, with $16.5 million in earnings so far.

(Source: Wondershare Filmora)

Perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring YouTube facts is that the richest gaming YouTuber has made $16.5 million on uploading Minecraft videos. His name is Daniel Middleton of the DanTDM channel. Indeed, gone are the days when playing games was only for fun. Gamers have turned YouTube into a money machine, and some became very rich. 

29. As of 2020, there were over 37 million channels on YouTube.

(Source: Tubics)

The number of YouTube channels continues to grow, which means that more people are engaging with content on the platform. According to the YouTube statistics for 2020, there were more than 37 million YouTube channels in that year. That number will rise even higher as people see more opportunities in the platform.

30. 2020’s highest-paid YouTuber is the 9-year-old Ryan Kaji.

(Source: Forbes / YouTube Ryan’s World)

What’s great about YouTube is that it gives opportunities to anyone of any race and any gender. In fact, the highest-paid YouTuber, Ryan Kaji of Ryan’s World, is also the youngest. The 9-year-old is particularly popular on Youtube, earning $29.5 million in 2020 alone. Ryan has eight channels, and he also earns a lot from licensing deals. From clothing to furniture, he advertises just about everything.

31. The oldest YouTuber in history is the 110-year-old Karre Mastanamma. 

(Source: The Culture Trip / YouTube Country Food / CNN Business / YouTube Gamer Grandma)

If we have the youngest YouTuber, of course, we also have the oldest, who happens to be a grandma from India who features her cooking skills in her videos. According to the YouTube user statistics, granny Mastanamma, who is 110 years old, runs the Country Food channel with 1.55 million subscribers. 

Moreover, the oldest gaming YouTuber is Hamako Mori, who, at 90, still plays video games like she did when she started at 35. Her channel, Gamer Grandma, currently has 489,000 subscribers.

Conclusion

These YouTube stats show just how big the platform has become since launching almost two decades ago. There’s obviously still a lot ahead for YouTube, and we’re all excited for what’s to come in the future.

Leave a Reply