If you’re looking to ramp up your video marketing strategy in 2022, you’re probably researching YouTube.

We have a list of 30 must-know YouTube statistics to help you understand how the platform is being used right now.

Let’s dig in.

YouTube demographics

When launching a video marketing strategy, you need to know if the platform’s demographics match your target audience. Let’s cover some of YouTube’s main demographics.

1. YouTube has over 2 billion monthly active users

YouTube is visited by nearly a quarter of the world’s population, boasting 2 billion monthly active users. It’s fair to assume that YouTube has a diverse user base and your business can likely connect to your target audiences.

2. The three countries accessing YouTube the most are the United States, India and Japan

A screenshot of YouTube's audience geography.

The United States accounts for the largest percentage of YouTube’s web traffic at 15.6%, followed by India with 9.9% and Japan with 5.2%.

3. The largest age group using YouTube is between ages 15-35

77% of internet users between ages 15-35 are on YouTube, along with 73% of users aged 36-45, 70% of users aged 46-55 and 67% of users aged 56+.

4. YouTube users skew male

53.9% of YouTube users are men and 46.1% are women. (There’s no data on other genders at this time.)

YouTube ad statistics

YouTube is a popular social media advertising platform. To understand if you should invest your marketing budget into YouTube ads, let’s dig into some YouTube ad stats.

5. YouTube generated $8.6 billion in ad revenue in Q4 2021

YouTube is a promising advertising platform for brands, generating over $8.6 billion in advertising revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone.

6. YouTube saw a 25% YoY increase in ad revenue from 2020 to 2021

A screenshot of YouTube advertising revenue stats.

YouTube advertising revenue has had consistent year-over-year growth. From 2020 to 2021, the platform generated a 25% year-over-year increase in ad revenue.

7. 70% of people have bought a product after seeing it in a YouTube ad

YouTube ads work, and the stats prove it. Seventy percent of YouTube viewers say they have purchased a product after seeing a YouTube ad about said product.

8. The top YouTube ad in 2021 was a collaboration with Hyundai and BTS

In a roundup of the top YouTube ads in 2021, YouTube shared that the top ad was for Hyundai. The ad featured popular band BTS and has been viewed over 105 million times.

9. Apple spent the most on YouTube ads in 2020

From March 2020 to February 2021, Apple was the biggest spender on YouTube ads, having spent $237.15 million.

YouTube search statistics

YouTube has its own algorithm and search engine optimization rules to get your content seen. Let’s get into a few stats related to YouTube search.

10. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world

Not only is YouTube the second most popular website in the world behind Google, it’s also the second-largest search engine in the world behind Google, generating more search queries than Bing, Yahoo, AOL and Ask combined.

This shows how important YouTube SEO is because the platform is also a video and information search tool.

11. Majority of top 100 global YouTube searches are music related

Data was pulled on the top 100 YouTube searches in both the United States and globally. Globally, 58% of the top 100 searches are music related compared with just 20% in the U.S.

12. The top 5 global searches on YouTube

The top 5 global searches are “bts,” “pewdiepie,” “asmr,” “billie eilish” and “baby shark.”

Three out of these five searches are related to specific YouTube accounts. ASMR (or auto sensory meridian response) is a popular genre of videos that are meant to help relax viewers/listeners. And “Baby Shark” is based on a catchy kids song.

13. 52% of the top 100 searches are branded searches

Fifty-two percent of the top 100 searches are for specific music artists or content creators, meaning users are trying to find a specific channel’s content.

YouTube usage statistics

Understanding how the platform is being used will help you when incorporating YouTube into your marketing strategy.

14. People watch over 1 billion hours of YouTube video content each day

Not only does YouTube have a large user base, but they also have a highly engaged one with over 1 billion hours of video content being viewed each day.

With the right video content strategy and optimizations like YouTube descriptions, any brand can find an audience for their videos.

15. Users spend nearly 30 minutes per visit to YouTube

In March of 2021, users spent an average of 29 minutes and 37 seconds per visit. This is roughly a 3% increase from March 2020.

16. 62% of users access YouTube daily

YouTube users are active and engaged with the platform. Among users, 62% access the site daily, 92% access the site weekly and 98% access the site monthly.

17. The most popular YouTube channel has over 200 million subscribers

The most popular YouTube channel is T-Series, with over 200 million subscribers. The next most popular YouTube channels are YouTube Movies, Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes, SET India and Music.

18. YouTube gets 10.9 daily pageviews per visitor

Each daily visitor to YouTube accesses an average of 10.9 pages.

YouTube growth statistics

YouTube has grown quickly since its inception in 2005. Let’s look at a few stats to see just how much growth it’s achieved over the past 17 years.

19. The first YouTube video was uploaded on April 23, 2005

YouTube founder Jawed Karim uploaded the very first video to the platform. It was called “Me at the zoo,” and was a 19-second video that has now generated over 221 million views.

20. In 2006, Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion

Just a year and a half after the youtube.com domain was bought, Google acquired the video-sharing platform for $1.65 billion. At the time, Google believed they overpaid to acquire the platform. But considering YouTube ad revenue was $8.6 billion in just the last quarter, we know now that Google got a steal.

21. YouTube rolled out video ads in August 2007

YouTube ads have been around almost the entire lifespan of the company. Ads rolled out in August 2007, just 10 months after Google’s acquisition.

22. YouTube is the second most popular website in the world

YouTube generates the second most traffic of all websites in the world, behind only Google. This means that audiences are frequently referencing YouTube for everything from entertainment to how-to videos.

23. YouTube is available in over 100 countries and 80 languages

Another great statistic showcasing the wide range of users is that YouTube’s video platform is available in over 100 countries and is localized into 80 different languages.

You can reach a wide variety of demographics and even publish video content in various languages to bolster an international marketing strategy.

24. Over 500 hours of video content are uploaded to YouTube every minute

Don’t get lost in the noise. Over 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, so you need a strategy to ensure your video gets seen.

Plan a focus keyword, strategically craft your video title and description and don’t forget about search optimization.

You can even incorporate hashtags into your YouTube video content to signal what topics your video is related to.

25. There are more than 51 million YouTube channels

Over 51 million YouTube channels have been created, growing 36% in the last year.

Out of those 51 million+ channels, 306,000 YouTube channels have more than 100,000 subscribers, 29,000 YouTube channels have more than 1 million subscribers and 700 YouTube channels have more than 10 million subscribers.

YouTube marketing statistics

Let’s take a look at how marketers view YouTube. Knowing how other companies are positioning their strategies can help decide your team’s next steps.

26. 71% of marketers plan to increase their use of YouTube for video marketing

Seventy-one percent of marketers plan to increase their use of YouTube, while 72% are hoping to improve their knowledge of the platform.

27. 50% of marketers currently use YouTube in their marketing strategy

According to Social Media Examiner’s 2021 industry report, YouTube is used by 50% of marketers, making it the most used video channel for video marketing. Establishing or maintaining a presence on YouTube will help marketers stay competitive with other brands.

28. 22% of marketers are using YouTube Stories

YouTube Stories, the platform’s answer to TikTok and Instagram Reels, came out in November 2017. As of now, 22% of marketers have incorporated YouTube Stories into their strategy.

29. 14% of marketers are using YouTube Live

YouTube Live is used by just 14% of marketers compared with 30% of marketers who use Facebook Live.

30. YouTube is the second most popular platform for influencer marketing

YouTube is the second most popular platform for influencer marketing, with 70% of marketers saying it’s an important platform in their influencer marketing strategy. The most popular is Instagram, with 89% of marketers saying it’s an important platform.

Ramp up your YouTube marketing strategy

It’s important to have a good grasp of your marketing platforms, including the demographics and usage patterns of the audiences on them. So use these YouTube stats to help you ramp up your YouTube marketing strategy in 2022.