Written by: Thomas Reese
October 9, 2024

YouTube is the second most popular social media platform worldwide, with 2.5 billion active users monthly. 

The platform has the highest advertising reach, and the ads on YouTube have the potential to reach all the monthly active users. 

Additionally, a hundred million people have subscribed to YouTube Music and YouTube Premium worldwide, displaying an increased popularity of premium  YouTube content among users.

Let’s take a look at the latest facts and figures related to YouTube users, user demographics, subscribers, usage, revenue, and more in this post. 

Top YouTube User Statistics 2024

  • YouTube has 2.50 billion monthly active users as of 2024.
  • The platform has 122 million daily active users.
  • YouTube has 100 million paying subscribers as of February 2024.
  • YouTube TV had 7.9 million subscribers in the United States in 2023. 
  • With 476 million YouTube users, India has the highest number of YouTube users worldwide. 
  • Social Media users spend an average of 48 minutes and 42 seconds on YouTube daily as of 2024. 
  • In 2023, children and teens in the United States spent an average of 84 minutes daily on the YouTube mobile app.

How Many People Use YouTube?

YouTube has 2.50 billion monthly active users as of October 2024.

That’s nearly half of the internet users worldwide. 

The number of YouTube users dropped from 2.52 billion recorded in 2022 to 2.49 billion in 2023, displaying a decrease of 1.19% in the number of YouTube users. 

Note that Google has not released an official update about the number of YouTube users. These numbers are estimated and may differ from the original numbers. 

Number Of YouTube Users

The following table displays the number of YouTube users recorded over the years.

YearNumber of YouTube Users
2024 (Q1 2024)2.50 billion
20232.49 billion
20222.52 billion
20212.29 billion
20192 billion
20141.3 billion
20131 billion
2012800 million
2008160 million
200620 million
Launched OnFebruary 14, 2005
Headquarters901 Cherry AvenueSan Bruno, California, United States
Parent CompanyGoogle LLC
Monthly Active Users2.50 billion(Q1 2024)
Daily Active Users122 million
Total Paid Subscribers100 million( 2024)
YouTube TV subscribers in the U.S.7.9 million (2023)
Average Daily Time Spent on YouTube48 minutes and 42 seconds
Advertising Revenue$8.09 billion (Q1 2024)

Source: Backlinko, Statista, Data Reportal

YouTube Daily Active Users

YouTube has 122 million daily active users.

That translates to 122 million people visiting the platform daily to watch, create, and upload content every day. 

Source: Global Media Insights 

YouTube Advertising Audience 

YouTube Ads have the potential to reach 2.5 billion users. 

That equals 46% of the 5.44 billion internet users worldwide and 30.9% of the total population. 

Besides, YouTube Ads have the potential to reach the highest audience compared to other social media platforms. Facebook Ads comes in second with a potential to reach 2.24 billion people. 

The following table displays the potential advertising reach of different social media platforms. 

Social Media PlatformPotential Advertising Reach 
YouTube2.5 billion
Facebook2.24 billion
Instagram1.69 billion
TikTok1.58 billion
LinkedIn1.07 billion
Facebook Messenger1.01 billion
Snapchat675 million
X (Twitter)611 million
Pinterest317 million
Reddit233 million

Source: Date Reportal

YouTube Subscribers

YouTube has 100 million paying subscribers as of February 2024.

That is an increase of 20 million paying subscribers of YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscribers between November 2022 and February 2024. 

The following table displays the number of YouTube paying subscribers recorded over the years. 

YearYouTube Paying Subscribers
February 2024100 million 
November 202280 million 
September 202150 million
October 202030 million

Source: Statista

YouTube TV Subscribers

YouTube TV had 7.9 million subscribers in the United States in 2023.

It was the most watched vMVPD (virtual multichannel video programming distributor) service in the country and had the highest number of subscribers compared to other vMVPD service providers. 

The following table compares YouTube TV subscribers with other vMVPD service subscribers in the United States as of 2023.

vMVPD ServiceNumber of Subscribers
YouTube TV7.9 million
Hulu + Live TV4.6 million
Sling TV2.06 million
Fubo1.62 million

Source: Statista

Demographics Of YouTube Users

The majority of YouTube users are GenZ and Millenials. However, it is quite popular among other groups as well, and the gender ratio of YouTube users does not show a vast difference.

The following sections provide detailed information about the user demographics of YouTube users. 

YouTube Users By Age

37.2% of YouTube users are between 18 and 34 years old.

However, most of the YouTube users are 25 to 34 years old, with a YouTube user share of 21.5%. 

Only 9.5% of YouTube users are over 65, and another 9.4% are aged 55 to 64. 

The following table displays the distribution of YouTube users by age group.

Age GroupShare of YouTube Users
18 to 2415.7%
25 to 3421.5%
35 to 4417.9%
45 to 5412.9%
55-649.4%
65+9.5%

Source: Oberlo, Data Reportal.  

YouTube Users By Gender

54.3% of the global YouTube users are men as of 2024. 

Comparatively, 45.7% of the global YouTube users are female. 

On the other hand, 51.2% of YouTube users in the United States are female, and 48.8% are male as of 2024. 

Source: Statista 1, Statista 2

YouTube Users By Country

With 476 million YouTube users, India has the highest number of YouTube users worldwide. 

Besides, the United States has 238 million YouTube users, making up the platform’s second-highest user base. Other countries with a high YouTube user base are Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico. 

The United Kingdom has only 55.7 million YouTube users. 

Countries With The Highest YouTube Users

The following table displays the countries with the most YouTube users worldwide. 

CountryNumber of YouTube Users
India476 million
United States238 million
Brazil147 million
Indonesia139 million
Mexico84.2 million
Japan79.4 million
Pakistan66.1 million
Germany65.7 million
Vietnam63 million
Philippines58.1 million
Turkey58.1 million
United Kingdom55.7 million
France50.2 million

Source: Statista

YouTube Usage Statistics

With 2.5 billion monthly active users, YouTube is the second most popular social media platform worldwide. 

Facebook is in first place with 3.06 billion users as of April 2024. Instagram and WhatsApp are both recorded to have 2 billion users worldwide. 

The following table displays the most popular social media platform worldwide according to the monthly active users recorded as of 2024. 

Social Media PlatformMonthly Active Users
Facebook3.06 billion
YouTube2.50 billion
Instagram2 billion
Whatsapp2 billion
TikTok1.58 billion
WeChat1.34 billion
Facebook Messenger1.01 billion
Telegram900 million
Snapchat800 million
Douyin755 million
Kuaishou700 million
Twitter/ X611 million

Source: Data Reportal

Social Media users spend an average of 48 minutes and 42 seconds on YouTube daily as of 2024. 

Comparatively, YouTube users spent an average of 47 minutes and 30 seconds on the platform in 2023, an increase of 1 minute and 12 seconds in the average time YouTube users spend daily on the platform.

The following table shows the average time users spend daily on YouTube recorded over the years. 

YearAverage Time Spent Daily on YouTube
202448 minutes and 42 seconds
202347 minutes and 30 seconds
202246 minutes and 12 seconds
202145 minutes
202043 minutes and 42 seconds
201939 minutes and 42 seconds

Source: Oberlo, Statista

YouTube has an average session duration of 7 minutes and 37 seconds. 

YouTube has the highest session duration compared to other social media platforms. Hence, most creators post their content on YouTube to hook their audience for longer. 

Comparatively, TikTok has the second-highest session duration of 5 minutes and 52 seconds. 

Source: Data Reportal.

YouTube users spend an average time of 27 hours and 43 minutes per month on YouTube’s app.

According to data recorded between October 1st, 2023, and December 31st, 2023, social media users spend the second-highest monthly time on YouTube’s app. 

Social media users spent the most time on TikTok, accounting for 31 hours and 47 minutes spent on the App’s Android version. 

The following table displays the average monthly time spent by active social media users on different social media platforms’ Android apps. 

Social Media Android AppHours Spent on Android Apps
TikTok31 hours 47 minutes
YouTube27 hours 43 minutes
Facebook19 hours 27 minutes
WhatsApp16 hours and 58 minutes
Instagram16 hours and 28 minutes
Line8 hours and 04 minutes
X (Twitter)5 hours and 19 minutes

Source: Data Reportal.

62% of internet users in the United States access YouTube every day.

Meanwhile, 92% of the country’s internet users access YouTube every week, and 98% access YouTube monthly. 

Source: Statista

In 2023, children and teens in the United States spent an average of 84 minutes daily on the YouTube mobile app.

Children and teens in the country spend the most time on YouTube daily compared to other video streaming apps. 

The following table displays the average time children and teens spend in the United States on leading video apps in 2023. 

Video Streaming AppAverage Minutes Per Day
YouTube84 minutes
Netflix49 minutes
Hulu30 minutes
Disney Plus30 minutes
Amazon Prime26 minutes
Twitch23 minutes

Source: Statista

92% of YouTube users in the United States reported utilizing YouTube to gather information and knowledge. 

Another 92% of the users stated that YouTube has helped them fix practical problems. 

At the same time, 77% of the country’s female users stated that YouTube is beneficial for lifelong learning. 

Source: YouTube

YouTube Advertising Revenue

In Q1 2024, YouTube generated advertising revenue of $8.09 billion. 

That was nearly a 21% YoY increase compared to YouTube’s ad revenue of $6.69 billion in Q1 2023. YouTube generated the highest Q1 ad revenue to date in Q1 2024. 

Comparatively, in Q4 2023, YouTube generated an ad revenue of 9.2 billion. Hence, YouTube’s ad revenue in Q1 2024 witnessed a QoQ decline of 12.06%. 

In 2023, YouTube recorded an overall ad revenue of $31.51 billion. That was a 7.76% increase in the ad revenue compared to the $29.24 billion recorded in 2022. 

YouTube’s Ad Revenue

The following table displays the ad revenue generated by YouTube over the past quarters. 

YearYouTube’s Ad Revenue
Q1 2024$8.09 billion
Q4 2023$9.2 billion
Q3 2023$7.95 billion
Q2 2023$7.66 billion
Q1 2023$6.69 billion
Q4 2022$7.96 billion
Q3 2022$7.07 billion
Q2 2022$7.34 billion
Q1 2022$6.87 billion
Q4 2022$8.63 billion
Q3 2021$7.20 billion
Q2 2021$7.20 billion
Q1 2021$6.0 billion

Source: Statista

YouTube’s Share In Google Revenue

YouTube’s advertising revenue accounted for 10.66% of Google’s global revenue in Q1 2024. 

Meanwhile, in 2023, YouTube advertising revenue accounted for 10.25% of Google’s total revenue. 

The highest share of Google’s revenue came from YouTube advertising in 2021 when YouTube Ad revenue accounted for 11.2% of the company’s total revenue. 

The following table displays the share of YouTube’s advertising revenue in the total revenue of Google. 

YearShare of Google’s Revenue
202310.25%
202210.33%
202111.2%
202010.9%
20199.4%
20188.1%
20177.3%

Source: Statista

Most Subscribed YouTube Channel

MrBeast is the most subscribed YouTube channel, with 294 million subscribers as of June 2024.

T-series follows MrBeast’s channel, which has 268 million subscribers, and Cocomelon—Nursery Rhymes has the third-highest number of YouTube subscribers, at 177 million. 

Mr Beast has regained his position as the most subscribed YouTube channel and has surpassed the T-series subscribers. 

Besides, only the top 10 channels have over 100 million subscribers, while only MrBeast and T-Series channels have over 200 million subscribers. 

The following table displays the most subscribed YouTube Channel worldwide as of April 2024. 

RankChannel Number of Subscribers
1MrBeast294  million
2T-Series268 million
3Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes177 million
4SET India174 million
5Kids Diana Show123 million
6Vlad and Niki120 million
7Like Nastya117 million
8PewDiePie111 million
9Zee Music Company108 million
10WWE102 million

Source: Wikipedia

Related Read:

Conclusion: YouTube Has 2.5 Billion Monthly Active Users 

YouTube, being one of the most preferred social media platforms worldwide, has managed to gather a large user base accounting for nearly half of the internet users. 

The users spend an average of 48 minutes and 42 seconds daily on YouTube, and the average time recorded for each session is 7 minutes and 37 seconds. 

Considering the platform’s increased usage and worldwide popularity, YouTube will surely thrive in the upcoming decade as well.

That was all about YouTube users.

Article By

Thomas Reese is the senior editor & writer at Evoca.tv, where he brings his expertise to the worlds of digital television, emerging media technologies, and entertainment. With over a decade of experience, Thomas has contributed to a variety of publications, including The Verge, Engadget, and the Digital Trends Media Group, covering everything from the latest in streaming services to developments in VR and AR technologies.