There’s hardly anyone of us who hasn’t spent hours on end watching videos on YouTube. And while even such a simple statement underscores the platform’s enormous potential for marketers, it also poses a lot of questions about the YouTube demographics. That’s why we prepared some essential stats and facts to clue you in about who accesses the platform the most and where they are from, so that you could tailor your advertising strategy better.
Fascinating YouTube Demographics Facts (Editor’s Choice)
- YouTube boasts over two billion monthly active users globally.
- 77% of the US internet users between 15 and 25 use YouTube.
- Over 70% of adults in the US are estimated to use YouTube.
- In 2020, 45% of the total number of YouTube users were female.
- In just 10 years, YouTube has reached 80% of the population in India.
- Roughly 35% of the population in Japan watch YouTube videos every month on their smartphones.
YouTube User Demographics
1. YouTube has over two billion monthly active users.
This amounts to about a third of the internet. These users watch over a billion hours of videos each day, generating billions of views. Note that these are logged-in users, meaning, the platform’s actual users are likely more since YouTube doesn’t necessarily require people to have an account to enjoy video content.
(Statista, YouTube)
2. About 62% of American users access YouTube daily.
That means 122 million people stateside watch content on the platform every day, according to YouTube audience demographics data. Overall, it’s estimated that the US has 197 million YouTube users.
(Backlinko)
3. In 2020, 45% of the total number of YouTube users were female.
Over half (55%) of the video platform’s users were males, with the available statistics only covering binary genders. When it comes to the US, 78% of the US males and 68% of the females in the country watch the platform, according to YouTube gender demographics stats.
(Invideo, DataReportal)
4. YouTube is available in over 100 countries.
On top of that, the platform supports 80 different languages. This underscores YouTube’s massive worldwide presence, so it’s no wonder that it has reached 95% of the world’s internet population.
(YouTube, Medium)
5. Europe accounts for a stunning 27% of all YouTube views.
This is particularly impressive given that only 10% of the global population lives on the continent. Looking at YouTube viewer demographics, we can also see that while North America has around 8% of the total population share, it also accounts for 27% of YouTube’s total views as well. Next, Oceania and South America, home to 0.5% and 6% of the global population, have relatively high levels of viewership (2% and 10%, respectively). Conversely, Asia with 60% of the population, reached only 30% of views. Then, the Middle East and Northern Africa’s 4.7% of the share is fairly proportional to its 6% share of the global population. Finally, the rest of Africa, home to 16% of the world’s inhabitants, has not generated enough views for a substantial contribution.
(Medium)
6. Three in four adults said they watch YouTube at home on their mobile phones.
Black millennials are one of the demographics of YouTube most likely to watch YouTube videos on their smartphones, with their mobile watch time having more than doubled in just a couple of years.
(Think with Google)
7. In 2019, fewer than one in five videos on popular channels were in English.
These videos, however, generated more views than those in other languages, according to research for 2019, which also showed that four out of five videos that users upload on YouTube are in a language other than English. Videos in English were found to generate a much higher median number of views (13,316) in their first week compared to a median of 3,028 views for videos in other languages.
(Pew Research)
8. With 64%, Asian Americans have the largest percentage of YouTube users.
Stats on YouTube demographics in the US further suggest that the nation’s Hispanic population also found this platform extremely interesting, with 60% spending time on the platform. In the case of African Americans, it’s 57%. White people are the ethnic group with the least percentage of daily YouTube users or 42%. In total, just under half (49%) of all Americans watched YouTube daily.
(Statista)
9. Population with higher income in the US visits YouTube more often.
For instance, among high earners ($75,000 or more), 83% visit YouTube at least sometimes. In addition to that, three-quarters of the American population in the middle section, earning between $30,000 and $74,999 annually, use YouTube. Platform usage dwindles to 68% among the lowest income demographics of YouTube users, or those earning under $30,000 per year.
(Backlinko)
10. With 77%, the US urban population is more likely to watch YouTube.
This number falls down to 74% among the total of those living in the suburbs. After that, 64% of those in rural places are YouTube users. The only other network that has numbers like this is Facebook. To clarify, in urban areas 73% of people use it, in suburban 69%, and finally in rural 66%, according to data on YouTube subscriber demographics.
(Pew Research)
11. Nearly 94.5% of OTT viewers in the US also watch YouTube.
OTT represents streaming services users watch on a TV traditionally (it stands for ‘over-the-top’). OTT advertising delivers ads directly to viewers over the internet through streaming media services, bypassing traditional TV platforms like cable, broadcast, and satellite. In fact, YouTube is the most-used digital platform for video streaming in the US, with Netflix following closely with 74.9%. Data further shows that YouTube saw a surge of 80% in TV watch time amid the pandemic.
(Hootsuite)
YouTube Age Demographics
12. 77% of the US internet users aged 15-25 watched YouTube.
By looking at the number of users divided into age segments, we can conclude that the average age of YouTube users is in the mid-20s. For reference, out of all Internet users in the next age group (26-35), 77% access YouTube. Other age categories are not that bad either — out of all those ages 36-45 and present online, 73% use YouTube. Another 70% of Internet users in the US between 46 and 55 years old are active on the platform. For those over 56 years, 67% watch YouTube videos.
(Statista)
13. Nine out of 10 American parents said their child aged 5-11 watches YouTube.
The demographics of YouTube users show that even young children enjoy the platform. Therefore, for 89% of parents, respondents to one of the surveys, it’s clear that their children watch content on this platform. Then, as many as 81% of parents with 3-4-year-olds and 57% of those with children aged two or younger, agree with this statement.
(Pew Research)
14. 37% of millennials binge-watch on a daily basis.
Out of all YouTube users by age, millennials are the biggest on digital content and viewing habits. For comparison, only 14% of those aged 35 and above indulge in binge-watching. Millennials further show preference toward YouTube as their video content source of choice compared to older users, including for movies and even TV series, facts about YouTube user demographics show.
(Comscore)
15. In 2019, 73% of adults in the US used YouTube.
For comparison purposes, only Facebook has that kind of reach with approximately seven in 10 adults using it (69%). When it comes to the younger population, Instagram and Snapchat are stepping in to take over a large share of the younger population. For instance, 62% of those aged 18-29 use Snapchat and 67% use Instagram.
(Pew Research)
YouTube Viewership by Country
16. YouTube has reached 80% of the population in India over a single decade.
India is the fastest-growing market worldwide for this platform. For reference, YouTube country demographics show that 225 million users in India are active on a monthly basis on mobile phones. The main driver behind this growth among other things includes the affordable internet plans in the country.
(YourStory)
17. India is also the most engaged market with 65% of users subscribing to channels.
Looking at statistics about YouTube users by country, we can conclude that India represents one of the most engaged markets of the Alphabet-owned platform. Seven out of 10 users in the country watch ads with the sound on. Approximately 90% of all consumption of the content in India happens in local languages.
(YourStory)
18. Brazil has about 146 million YouTube users.
Based on the latest statistics, the YouTube user demographics of Brazil make it one of the largest countries in the fold. Data further shows that the number of users in the country enjoying the video content platform will continue to rise to over 166 million by 2025.
(Statista)
19. Roughly 35% of the population in Japan watch YouTube videos every month on their smartphones.
That makes 45 million people using their smartphones to access YouTube in this country. Another interesting stat about Japan’s audience is that 40% of male and 20% of female users between 20 and 34 years old watch YouTube for more than an hour every day. According to one survey conducted in Japan, 98% of respondents actually use the platform. Japan’s own Niconico meanwhile came in second.
(Principle)
20. Nearly 50% of young people between 18 and 24 years in Russia, watched YouTube videos almost every day in 2019.
YouTube country demographics of Russia are similar to those of other countries with the highest number of viewers. Russians aged 35-44 do not differ that much from those older than 45 (45-59 years old). There was only an 11% difference between the older group and the other one in terms of those who did not use YouTube at all. On the same note, the number of daily users was 12% lower in the 45-59-year-olds segment, than compared to those aged 33-44.
(Statista)
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, this article has shed some light on YouTube’s audience. Whether users are watching cat videos or listening to a podcast on climate change, the platform offers a vast palette of content to its users, making for complex YouTube demographics. While it’s unclear what the future will bring, chances are that the platform will remain an essential tool for marketers given its massive worldwide reach and versatile audience.
FAQs
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Which country watches the most YouTube?
The US holds the number one place, boasting some 916 billion YouTube views, according to 2019 data. India is the runner-up with 503 billion, followed by the UK (319 billion) and Brazil (274 billion). Thailand rounds up the top five with 207 billion.
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How old do you have to be to have YouTube?
Despite the typical YouTube age demographics and many young people having their own accounts and channels, there is a limit. According to the platform’s policies, children under 13 years old can’t create their own accounts or start a channel. Further, those between 13 and 17 can only do so with parent permission.
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What is the average age of a YouTube user?
The mid-20s is the average age of a typical YouTube user. It’s also popular among younger age groups and the higher we go age-wise, the more the percentage of YouTube users drops. For instance, for 95% of those in the 25-34 segment, YouTube is popular. By contrast, in the 75+ group, the percentage dwindles to 51%. Yet, the popularity doesn’t fall under 50% even in this age category. In the US, most users (96%) are aged 18-24.
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What percentage of YouTube users are male?
YouTube gender demographics indicate that 78% out of all American males watched the platform. On the other note, 68% of women in total watched videos on this platform. Globally, about 45% of the YouTube user base is female, with males making up the rest, according to stats looking at binary genders.
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What age group watches YouTube the most in the US?
A YouTube demographics analysis revealed that in 2020, the majority of users who watched videos on the platform the most were from the 15-25 age group. For reference, roughly 77% of Americans of this age watched videos on this platform. Following that, from all those between 26 and 35, again 77% watched videos on YouTube. Next, 73% of those ages 36 to 45 used this network. Another 70% of users ranging between 46 and 55 years old utilized YouTube. Lastly, 67% of those over 55 years old were users.
