Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
YouTube is widely considered the second-largest search engine in the world after Google.
YouTube processes more than 3 billion searches a month.
The platform has over 2.7 billion active users as of 2024.
India has the largest YouTube audience with roughly 467 million users.
The United States has the second largest audience with approximately 247 million users.
53.9% of YouTube users are male.
Searches for 'how-to' videos increase by 70% year over year.
'BTS' was the most searched term on YouTube globally in 2022 with over 16 million monthly volume.
'PewDiePie' remains one of the top 5 most searched individual creator terms.
More than 70% of YouTube watch time comes from mobile devices.
The YouTube mobile app has the most active users of any mobile app worldwide.
Over 450 million hours of content is consumed on TV screens daily largely via connected TV search.
70% of viewers bought a brand as a result of seeing it on YouTube.
YouTube ads reach 2.56 billion potential users.
Viewers are 4x more likely to use YouTube to find information about a brand, product, or service vs other platforms.
Business, Marketing & Advertising Outcomes
- 170% of viewers bought a brand as a result of seeing it on YouTube.
- 2YouTube ads reach 2.56 billion potential users.
- 3Viewers are 4x more likely to use YouTube to find information about a brand, product, or service vs other platforms.
- 490% of people say they discover new brands or products on YouTube.
- 5Influencer marketing on YouTube yields a higher ROI than traditional celebrity endorsements.
- 6YouTube generates 2 to 3 times higher ROI for CPG brands compared to TV.
- 729% of marketers consider YouTube the most effective platform for video content.
- 855% of marketers use YouTube giving it the title of the most used video channel for B2B.
- 968% of users watched a YouTube video to help make a purchase decision.
- 10Viewers are 2x more likely to buy something they saw on YouTube.
- 11Paid YouTube mobile advertising creates 84% more attention than TV advertising.
- 1280% of shoppers who watched a YouTube video related to a planned purchase said they watched it at the beginning of their shopping process.
- 13YouTube's ad revenue reached $7.9 billion in Q4 of 2022.
- 1450% of marketers plan to increase their YouTube budget in 2024.
- 1578% of marketers say YouTube videos have directly helped increase sales.
- 16Conversion rates on YouTube are generally around 1.16% for e-commerce.
- 17Searches for 'unboxing' usually precede a purchase and remain high volume for tech channels.
- 1889% of video marketers plan to include YouTube in their video marketing strategy.
- 1940% of global shoppers purchased products they discovered on YouTube.
- 20YouTube makes up 11.2% of the total digital ad spend worldwide.
Interpretation
With 2.56 billion potential users, 70% of viewers saying they bought a brand after seeing it, and marketers reporting higher ROI and growing budgets compared with TV and celebrity endorsements, YouTube has quietly become the discovery to purchase megaphone for brands, so skipping it is like turning off your storefront lights while shoppers crowd the sidewalk.
Mobile, Devices & Accessibility
- 1More than 70% of YouTube watch time comes from mobile devices.
- 2The YouTube mobile app has the most active users of any mobile app worldwide.
- 3Over 450 million hours of content is consumed on TV screens daily largely via connected TV search.
- 480% of those who watch YouTube on TV screens search for content with others (co-viewing).
- 5YouTube is the #1 grossing photo and video app on the iOS App Store.
- 6Mobile users visit nearly 2x as many pages on YouTube as desktop users.
- 779% of mobile data traffic will be video by 2022 largely driven by YouTube.
- 8The average mobile viewing session on YouTube lasts more than 40 minutes.
- 93 out of 4 adults report watching YouTube on their mobile devices at home.
- 10YouTube accounted for 15% of all global mobile traffic in 2022.
- 11Android users spend an average of 23.7 hours per month on the YouTube app.
- 12YouTube Music and Premium recently surpassed 80 million subscribers often accessing via mobile.
- 13In the US 60% of people who watch YouTube on TV screens log in to access personalized search history.
- 1493% of video watchers use mobile to watch video content including YouTube.
- 15YouTube is pre-installed on over 2.5 billion active Android devices.
- 1625% of users mirror content from their phone to their TV for better search navigation.
- 17Tablet usage accounts for approximately 5% of YouTube views.
- 1850% of the time people spend on YouTube is concentrated on the mobile app's home feed based on discovery.
- 19The average mobile session on YouTube is 13 minutes longer than on desktop.
- 2075% of adults turn to their mobile devices to watch YouTube to relieve stress.
Interpretation
These numbers add up to a clear warning and opportunity: YouTube is the planet’s mobile-first living room and discovery engine—billions of preinstalled users, long mobile sessions, huge mobile data share, and rising TV co-viewing mean if your content isn’t optimized for mobile and connected-TV search, it’s essentially invisible.
Platform Scale & Market Availability
- 1YouTube is widely considered the second-largest search engine in the world after Google.
- 2YouTube processes more than 3 billion searches a month.
- 3The platform has over 2.7 billion active users as of 2024.
- 4YouTube is localized in over 100 countries and can be accessed in 80 languages.
- 51 billion hours of video are watched daily on YouTube resulting from discovery and search.
- 6Approximately 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute creating a vast search index.
- 7YouTube captures nearly 24% of the internet's search engine market share.
- 8YouTube has approximately 14.3 billion total monthly visits.
- 9YouTube is the second most visited website globally.
- 10Users consume 2.1 times more content on YouTube than linear television.
- 11YouTube accounts for approximately 25% of global mobile traffic.
- 12One-third of total internet users worldwide use YouTube.
- 13Youtube reaches more 18 to 49 year-olds in an average week than all cable TV networks combined.
- 14Search volume for videos has helped YouTube generate over $29 billion in ad revenue in 2022.
- 15The search phrase 'YouTube' is the third most popular search query on Google.
- 16Daily active users on YouTube are estimated at approximately 122 million.
- 17Over 90% of internet users in the US aged 18-44 watch videos on YouTube.
- 18YouTube Shorts receives 50 billion daily views driven by algorithmic discovery.
- 19Roughly 62% of businesses use YouTube as a channel to post video content.
- 20YouTube is the most used social platform in the United States.
Interpretation
With more than 3 billion searches a month, 2.7 billion users, one billion hours watched daily, 500 hours uploaded every minute, and roughly a quarter of global mobile traffic, YouTube has quietly become the world's second-largest search engine—the place where, if Google is where you ask a question, you go to watch the answer, generating $29 billion in ad revenue while outpacing cable among younger viewers and turning discovery into an indispensable tool for creators and businesses.
Search Trends & Content/Keywords
- 1Searches for 'how-to' videos increase by 70% year over year.
- 2BTS' was the most searched term on YouTube globally in 2022 with over 16 million monthly volume.
- 3PewDiePie' remains one of the top 5 most searched individual creator terms.
- 4Music relates to 11 of the top 20 search terms on YouTube.
- 5Searches related to 'beginner' grew by 50% in 2020.
- 6Minecraft' is historically one of the most searched video game terms.
- 7ASMR' is among the top 5 most searched non-music keywords.
- 8Search interest for 'home workout' spiked 515% during the pandemic.
- 9Searches for 'sourdough bread' grew 4X in search interest in 2020.
- 1070% of viewers use YouTube to solve a problem with their work, studies, or hobby.
- 11Videos with 'review' in the title had more than 50,000 years worth of watch time from mobile alone.
- 1286% of US viewers say they often use YouTube to learn new things giving rise to educational searches.
- 13Search volume for 'Fortnite' dropped significantly in 2022 compared to 2019.
- 14Roblox' appears in the top 20 most searched terms globally.
- 15Searches including the words 'relaxing' have increased by 70%.
- 16Daily search interest for 'yoga' rose by 100% in March 2020.
- 17Global search interest for 'sustainable' reached all-time highs on YouTube in 2021.
- 18Tik Tok' is a top 10 search query on YouTube ironic as it is a competitor.
- 19Baby Shark' is a top searched keyword correlating with it being the most viewed video.
- 20Searches for 'study with me' videos grew 50% year over year.
Interpretation
YouTube has quietly morphed into the world's multitool for learning, entertainment and relaxation, where people go to solve problems and follow culture, driving explosive pandemic-era spikes in home workout, sourdough and yoga searches, huge year-over-year growth in "how to" and beginner queries, and continued dominance from music, top creators and games.
User Demographics & Geography
- 1India has the largest YouTube audience with roughly 467 million users.
- 2The United States has the second largest audience with approximately 247 million users.
- 353.9% of YouTube users are male.
- 446.1% of YouTube users are female.
- 581% of US adults say they use YouTube.
- 695% of US teens aged 13-17 say they use YouTube.
- 7YouTube is the top video search platform for Gen Z.
- 880% of US parents with a child age 11 or younger say their child watches YouTube.
- 959% of Gen Z users agree that they use YouTube apps to discover things they did not know they needed.
- 10Users in the UAE have the highest YouTube penetration rate globally at 98%.
- 11The Netherlands has a YouTube penetration rate of approximately 92.9%.
- 1277% of internet users aged 15-35 use YouTube.
- 13Almost 15% of YouTube site traffic comes from the United States.
- 1496% of online Gen Z users have a YouTube account.
- 1546% of B2B technology buyers purchase products they discovered on YouTube.
- 16Rural users in the US use YouTube at a rate of 74%.
- 171 in 3 baby boomers use YouTube to learn about a product or service.
- 18Brazil represents the third largest market for YouTube users.
- 19UK adults spend an average of 43 minutes per day on YouTube.
- 2078% of male internet users utilize YouTube compared to 68% of female internet users.
Interpretation
YouTube has quietly become the world’s universal discovery engine: from India’s 467 million viewers and the United States’ 247 million with Brazil third and near-saturation in the UAE and the Netherlands, it reaches almost every age and place—95% of US teens, 96% of online Gen Z, 77% of 15 to 35 year olds, 74% of rural Americans and one in three baby boomers use it, it drives product discovery for nearly half of B2B tech buyers, it captures parents’ young children and UK adults who spend 43 minutes a day on the platform, and despite a slight male skew it proves people go to YouTube to learn, shop and be entertained.
