YouTube Usage Statistics For The Logged On Generation

“All right, so here we are in front of the, uh, elephants, and the cool thing about these guys is that, is that they have really, really, really long, um, trunks, and that's, that's cool, and that's pretty much all there is to say.”

This is the transcript of the first video uploaded on YouTube in April 2005. The 18-second clip dubbed “Me at the zoo” was posted by YouTube’s co-founder Jawed Karim. An overview of YouTube usage statistics  and the content being shared today reveals that we’ve come a long way from Karim’s enlightening commentary on elephant trunks.

YouTube’s popularity soared following its launch in 2005, and by July 2006, the platform had 65,000 videos being uploaded daily. After being bought by Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion, the platform solidified its place as the top video sharing site on the planet. Today, its app comes pre-installed on most smartphones and YouTube celebrities are enjoying more popularity than many movie stars. Check out our YouTube usage stats and see how the platform is doing now.

General YouTube Statistics

1. In May 2019, YouTube had 2 billion logged-in monthly viewers.

(Statista)

YouTube is one of the most popular websites and apps in the world. The platform is home to news, reviews, documentaries, music, celebrity videos and memes and is one of the main assets when interacting with content on the internet in general.

Statista’s YouTube usage statistics from 2019 show that the site had 2 billion logged-in monthly viewers in May of that year. That’s 200 million more than the year before. This statistic only refers to users logged onto their accounts. It is only logical to assume that there are many more users on the platform that aren’t logged in.

2. The US has the highest number of active monthly YouTube users with more than 167 million in 2016.

(Statista)

An overview of Statista’s YouTube usage statistics by country  shows that the US has the highest number of active YouTube users each month. According to the stats, the 167 million active monthly YouTube users in the US are followed by Brazil’s nearly 70 million and Russia’s 47.4 million users.

3. YouTube is the most popular music and video app in America, with 87% of mobile users relying on it.

(Statista)

Aside from having the highest number of active monthly YouTube users, the US is also the country where the platform’s app is incredibly popular. Statista’s data shows that 87% of mobile users in the US accessed YouTube in September 2019. IMDb was a distant second with 27.3%.

4. 68% of the total US population uses YouTube, and the percentage climbs to 91% among Americans aged 12-24.

(Statista)

The number of YouTube users in the US has grown steadily alongside the platform’s soaring popularity. According to data presented by Statista in 2017, 68% of all Americans used YouTube to listen to music or watch videos. When we look at younger generations, YouTube usage statistics by age and statistics on gen z YouTube usage show that 91% of those aged 12-24 use the platform.

5. YouTube is the most popular iOS app.

(Mashable)

For the longest time, Facebook has been dominating the world of the most popular social and messaging applications. However, things changed in 2018, at least on Apple devices. According to Apple’s social media usage and YouTube statistics, the video sharing platform was the most popular app on iOS followed by Instagram and Snapchat. When talking about app usage statistics, it’s important to keep in mind that the game is rigged. Many of Facebook’s apps as well as YouTube and Gmail are preinstalled on most smartphones and tablets, greatly affecting how much those apps are used.

6. The number of YouTube Premium subscribers increased by 60% between 2018 and 2019.

(Bloomberg)

YouTube Premium formally known as YouTube Red is a paid, subscription-based service that  allows users to watch videos without ads, download videos and keep YouTube running on their mobile phones. Free users don’t have this option in order to prevent them from using YouTube as a free music streaming service on their phones. The service went through several adjustments and name changes since 2014 before taking on its current form in 2018.

According to Bloomberg, YouTube declined to comment on how many people are currently subscribed to its paid service. However, they did reveal that the number of subscribed users grew by 60% between March 2018 and March 2019.

7.  Video content accounted for 75% of all online traffic in 2017 and is expected to increase to 82% by 2022.

(Cisco)

Improving internet technologies and mobile networks are making it easier to access content that relies on heavier data usage such as videos or content-rich websites. According to research conducted by Cisco, video content accounted for 75% of all online traffic in 2017. One of the main contributors to this trend is YouTube, and traffic stats expect the number to rise to 82% by 2022.

8. YouTube’s net advertising revenues in the US are expected to reach $5.47 billion by 2020, marking a significant increase from $3.88 billion in 2017.

(Statista)

Much of the monetization on YouTube comes from advertisement. If a video meets certain criteria such as not being flagged for copyright infringement or the use of sensitive language, it can be used to generate revenue by running ads.

According to country statistics usage of YouTube, the platform’s net advertising revenue in the US was $3.88 billion in 2017. This figure is expected to reach $5.47 billion in 2020.

9. YouTube’s global net advertising revenues in 2017 was $7.8 billion and is projected to reach $11.76 billion in 2020.

(Statista)

YouTube’s worldwide net advertising revenues are also expected to grow. Statista’s YouTube advertising statistics projected an increase of several billion dollars between 2017 and 2020.

Usage-of-YouTube Statistics

10. More than 93% of those that watch videos in India are using YouTube.

(eMarketer)

India is a sizable market with plenty of untapped potential and room for growth. The country with the world’s second largest population previously lagged behind other states when it came to the tech sector. But with tech and gadgets becoming increasingly accessible, India is topping the growth charts in most tech and IT sectors.

eMarketer’s YouTube usage statistics by country estimate that the platform has 271.9 million viewers in India, which accounts for 93.5% of all of India’s digital video viewers. This figure will increase by 13.5% in 2020, reaching 308.7 million. Growth is expected to slow to 10.9% by 2022.

11. Over 500 hours of video content was uploaded to YouTube every minute in 2019.

(Statista)

It would take several lifetimes for any individual to view all of the available content on YouTube.

Daily YouTube usage statistics provided by Statista show that over 500 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute as of May 2019. This amounts to around 30,000 hours of content uploaded per hour. According to the data, the amount of content being uploaded has been growing steadily over the years. It grew by 40% between 2014 and 2019.

12. On average, each user spends over 11 minutes per day on YouTube.

(Alexa)

YouTube daily usage statistics  show that users spend an average of around 11 minutes and 50 seconds on the platform every day.

Furthermore, each visitor has 6.650 page views on average. YouTube’s bounce rate, the percentage of visitors that only visit a single page on the site, is at 49.5%.

13. Users watch about one billion hours of video on the platform daily.

(YouTube)

The company itself also provides some statistics of YouTube usage, traffic, and content on the website. In 2019, they stated that around 1 billion hours of video are watched on the platform every day. This is a significant amount of content being consumed and highlights YouTube’s central role in our everyday activities.

14.  4 out of 10 millennial subscribers think their favorite YouTuber understands them better than their friends.

(Think With Google)

Content published on YouTube does not exist in a vacuum. YouTube videos and their creators are a major part of modern culture. They influence both individuals and public opinion. Google decided to research the degree of influence wielded by YouTube celebs when compared to their more traditional counterparts.

According to Google’s viewing usage statistics on YouTube, 4 out of 10 millennials subscribed to the platform think that their favorite content creator understood them better than their friends. Among teenage subscribers, 70% relate more to YouTube creators than traditional celebrities.

15. 7 in 10 YouTube subscribers say that YouTube creators shape and influence modern culture.

(Think With Google)

YouTube’s superstars have been extraordinarily effective in building a connection with their audience. Inside jokes and life advice are all part of the experience and help these famous YouTubers become an integral part of many people’s daily lives.

Google’s YouTube statistics on usage and YouTuber influence reveal that 7 out of 10 channel subscribers believe content makers change and shape culture. Meanwhile, 6 out of 10 would follow advice on what to buy from their YouTube creator over their favorite movie star.

16. 75% of surveyed children want to become a YouTuber when they grow up.

(Daily Mail)

Little girls and boys no longer want to be princesses and doctors when they grow up.

Research by travel firm First Choice shows that many children would like to be a YouTube celebrity. The research involving 1,000 children aged between 6-17 revealed that 75% of those surveyed would consider a career in online videos. Furthermore, 34% of the children wanted to be a YouTube personality, while every fifth child wanted to start their own channel. When it comes to YouTube demographics, statistics show that children are among the platform’s top users.

YouTube Channel and Video Statistics

17. The number of YouTube channels earning at least six figures annually grew more than 40% year-over-year.

(YouTube)

YouTube celebrities are a relatively new phenomenon who recently began wielding significant influence and banking high earnings. One of the most popular YouTube channels  is PewDiePie, headed by a top-grossing YouTuber who once competed with India’s T-series for the title of the most-subscribed channel on the platform.

The growing popularity of YouTube celebrities also comes with an increasingly attractive paycheck. According to YouTube statistics  from the platform itself, the number of channels earning six figures each year grew by 40%.

18. The number of channels on YouTube with over 1 million subscribers increased by 75%.

(YouTube)

Amid the rising viewer count and an increasing amount of content being uploaded, subscriptions to various YouTube channels are surging. YouTube did not release the exact numbers but published statistics for the increase in YouTube usage , which shows that the number of channels with over 1 million subscriptions increased by 75% year-over-year.

19. There are more than 9,000 partners using YouTube’s ContentID system.

(YouTube)

ContentID is an automated YouTube system designed to protect content creators from copyright infringement. Content uploaded to the platform is compared against other audio and video files, looking for any matches.

According to YouTube statistics and data provided by the company, more than 9,000 partners are currently using the ContentID system. This figure may seem low when the sheer number of artists and content creators is taken into account. However, these 9,000 partners include various major networks, studios and labels, which have thousands of artists working for them.

20. YouTube paid over $2 billion to partners monetizing their ContentID claims.

(YouTube)

ContentID claims allow original creators and those that own the content to earn money through videos that are flagged by the ContentID system. For example, if someone else uploads your song you can allow the video to stay online while getting the money from the ads that run on the video. According to YouTube usage statistics, parties that monetized their ContentID claims pocketed over $2 billion.

21. Around 18% of English-language videos posted by popular YouTube channels were related to gaming.

(PewResearch)

Videos related to gaming are especially popular and lengthy. The aforementioned YouTube superstar PewDiePie primarily produces gaming-related content.

YouTube video statistics presented by PewResearch show that 18% of English-language videos focused on gaming in the first week of 2019. Gaming videos last an average of 13 minutes compared to the usual 5.2.

22. T-series is the most subscribed YouTube channel.

(SocialBlade)

T-series is a music record label and film production company in India that came under the global spotlight when it edged out PewDiePie to become the first YouTube channel to reach 100 million subscribers. Today it proudly holds the title of the most subscribed channel on YouTube. According to YouTube user stats provided by SocialBlade, T-series currently has 123 million subscribers. The company has 14,250 uploads and over 94 billion views in total.

23. The average video from popular YouTube channels was 12 minutes long and received nearly 60,000 views in the first seven days after being posted.

(PewResarch)

PewResearch conducted an analysis of the amount and structure of content being published by popular YouTube channels. Their YouTube video stats from January 2019 show that there were nearly 44,000 channels that had more than 250,000 subscribers. These channels jointly uploaded 48,486 hours of content and garnered more than 14.2 billion views in the first week of 2019.

On average, the videos posted by these channels were 12 minutes long and had about 60,000 views in the first seven days of being posted.

24. Around 33% of popular YouTube videos are in English.

(PewResarch)

In our increasingly connected world, English has emerged as the dominant language of global communication. But much of the content uploaded on YouTube is not in English. Stats about YouTube compiled by PewResearch show that 56% of popular YouTube channels uploaded at least one video in the first week of 2019, only 33% of those were in English.

25. Views from mobile devices account for over 70% of YouTube watch time.

(YouTube)

Several years ago, watching videos on our mobile devices was considered a luxury. Mobile internet was slow and expensive. Luckily, advances in internet technology have granted us access to any type of content through handheld devices. YouTube viewing stats provided by YouTube show that much of the watch time on the platform is done through mobile phones.

26. YouTube’s ContentID database has more than 75 million references.

(YouTube)

YouTube relies on the ContentID system to tag unique content and provide copyright protection. YouTube search statistics from 2019 reveal that there are over 75 million active references in the ContentID database. The system began to be implemented around 2007, and content creators have since claimed more than 800 million videos.

27. A mere 10% of the most popular YouTube channels are responsible for most uploads and views garnered.

(Pew Research)

Among channels with at least 250,000 subscribers, the most active 10% were responsible for 70% of the uploaded content by these popular channels during the first week of 2019. YouTube usage statistics show that the most popular 10% of the videos got 79% of all of the views during the week.

28. Videos created by the top YouTube celebrities have three times more views than those published by traditional stars.

(Think With Google)

This statistic is not simply the result of YouTube celebrities having the home-field advantage. The very content YouTube creators make is meant to be more engaging to their audience. They talk directly to their fans, have giveaways and respond to their fans in the comment section. As a result, videos published by YouTube creators have a greater reach.

According to Google’s YouTube viewer statistics, videos made by YouTube celebrities get triple the views, double the interaction and 12 times more comments than videos by traditional celebrities.

29.  The most watched YouTube video is Despacito.

(Digital Trends)

Despacito is a song by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and is by far the most-viewed video on YouTube. The hit song from the summer of 2017 currently has over 6.5 billion views, which is just 1 billion less than the total world population.

30. The longest YouTube video is 596.5 hours long.

(Adweek)

“THE LONGEST VIDEO ON YouTube - 596.5 HOURS” was created by Jonathan Harchick from Moldy Toaster Media. The video is basically a slideshow of photographs from Harchick’s visit to Chile. In case you decide to embark on the adventure of watching this stupendously long video, make sure to free up a total of 23 days and 19 hours.

However, the content of this video is not as important to its creator as figuring out how much video content can be compressed in order to fit YouTube’s file upload limits.

Conclusion

Although YouTube is facing growing competition from other emerging platforms, it remains firmly planted at the top of the pyramid. One of the better known video playing platforms is Vimeo. But YouTube usage statistics vs Vimeo show that the latter is still far from being able to challenge YouTube’s market dominance.

Being owned by tech giant Google doesn't hurt either. The owners of the platform serve as a virtual guarantee that YouTube will stay competitive in the coming years.