How Many People Use YouTube in 2025?

YouTube isn’t just a video-sharing site anymore.

It’s a global media empire with billions of users, millions of creators, and a fast-growing base of paid subscribers.

But the question every marketer, creator, and business owner is asking is simple:

How many people use YouTube in 2025?

The answer: a staggering 2.53 billion monthly active users. That makes YouTube the second most-used social platform in the world, just behind Facebook.

But that’s only the beginning. In this guide, we’ll explore YouTube usage from every angle:

Let’s dive into the numbers.

YouTube Statistics (Top Picks)

• YouTube has 2.53 billion monthly active users in 2025.
• More than 122 million people use YouTube daily.
• India has the largest audience (491M users), followed by the U.S. (253M).
• YouTube ranks as the #2 social platform worldwide, behind only Facebook.
• Globally, 54.3% of YouTube users are male and 45.7% are female.
• The largest age group is 25–34 year olds (21.7%), followed by 35–44 year olds (18.5%).
• YouTube Premium has grown to 125 million subscribers in 2025.
• 7.9 million people subscribe to YouTube TV in the U.S.
• YouTube generated $29.2 billion in ad revenue in 2022, with ~$8B in Q4 2023 alone.
• The most subscribed channel is T-Series (257M), followed by MrBeast (228M).

How Many People Use YouTube?

YouTube is a platform with global scale. By 2025, it has 2.53 billion monthly active users, which equals 46% of all internet users worldwide.

On a daily basis, more than 122 million people log in that’s the same as the entire population of Japan using YouTube every single day.

Here’s the full timeline of YouTube’s growth from 2006 to 2025:

Takeaway: YouTube has multiplied its user base more than 100 times in under two decades, and nearly half of all internet users now access it monthly.

YouTube Users by Country

YouTube is localized in more than 100 countries and supports 80+ languages, making it a truly global platform. But usage is concentrated in a few major markets.

In 2025, India leads with 491 million users, while the United States follows with 253 million. Together, those two countries alone account for nearly 30% of YouTube’s global audience.

Here’s the full country breakdown:

Takeaway: India dominates in raw numbers, but the U.S. has deeper penetration, with more than three-quarters of adults using YouTube.

How Many Americans Use YouTube?

The U.S. is YouTube’s second largest market, with 253 million users in 2025. That translates to about 77% of American adults, one of the highest adoption rates globally. Usage is high across all geographies, from cities to rural areas.

Here’s the breakdown by location:

Takeaway: Even in rural areas, nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are active YouTube users — proving its reach across demographics and lifestyles.

YouTube Users by Gender

YouTube’s gender split is relatively balanced, but it varies by geography. In 2025, globally men make up 54.3% of users, while women account for 45.7%. In the U.S., however, women are the majority at 51.2%.

Here’s the gender breakdown:

Takeaway: Globally, YouTube skews male, but in the U.S. women lead, making regional targeting essential.

YouTube Users by Age

YouTube appeals to all generations, but younger adults dominate. The largest group is 25–34 year olds at 21.7%, followed by 35–44 at 18.5%. Still, more than a third of users are 45+, showing wide adoption.

Here’s the full age breakdown for 2025:

Takeaway: While younger audiences dominate, YouTube is firmly mainstream with older generations as well.

YouTube Income Demographics

Income influences YouTube usage in the U.S. Higher earners are more likely to use the platform, but adoption is widespread across all income brackets.

Here’s the detailed breakdown:

Takeaway: Nine out of ten high earners use YouTube, but adoption remains strong even among lower-income groups.

YouTube Education Demographics

Education also impacts adoption. In the U.S., usage rates climb with education level, peaking at 89% among those with a college degree or more.

Here’s the breakdown:

Takeaway: While education correlates with adoption, YouTube remains widely used across all education levels.

YouTube Device Usage

YouTube began as a desktop-first platform, but in 2025, 63% of views now come from mobile devices. Smart TVs are also growing fast, showing YouTube’s shift into living-room viewing.

Here’s the breakdown by device:

Takeaway: YouTube is mobile-first but increasingly a TV competitor — important for both ad formats and content strategy.

YouTube Premium Subscribers

YouTube Premium has surged in popularity. In 2018, fewer than 20 million people subscribed. By 2025, that number has grown to 125 million.

Here’s the growth timeline:

Takeaway: Premium’s rise proves that many users are willing to pay for an ad-free and bundled music experience.

YouTube TV Subscribers

YouTube TV is now one of the leading live TV streaming services in the U.S., with 7.9 million subscribers in 2025. That puts it ahead of Sling and Fubo, and in direct competition with Hulu + Live TV.

Here’s the comparison:

Takeaway: YouTube TV is expanding beyond digital to compete directly with traditional television.

YouTube Revenue

YouTube is one of Google’s top revenue drivers. In 2022, it generated $29.2 billion in ad revenue, and in Q4 2023 alone it made nearly $8 billion. By 2025, subscriptions from Premium and TV add billions more.

Here’s the snapshot:

Takeaway: YouTube makes more in one quarter than Google paid to buy it in 2006 ($1.65B).

YouTube in Global Social Media Rankings

YouTube continues to hold second place globally, just behind Facebook.

Here’s the ranking of top social platforms by users in 2025:

Takeaway: YouTube remains one of only two platforms with over 2.5 billion users.

Most Subscribed YouTube Channels

YouTube’s most subscribed channels reveal the scale of both corporate media and individual creators. In 2025, T-Series leads with 257 million subscribers, followed closely by MrBeast with 228 million.

Here’s the top 10:

Takeaway: MrBeast’s rise proves that individual creators can rival entire media companies.

Most Viewed YouTube Videos

Music and children’s programming dominate YouTube’s most-viewed list. “Baby Shark Dance” leads with 13.3 billion views, more than the world’s population.

Here’s the full top 10:

Takeaway: YouTube remains the world’s largest music and children’s content discovery platform.

Conclusion

YouTube in 2025 has 2.53 billion monthly active users, making it the second largest social platform in the world. Its growth has been steady, its demographics broad, and its revenue streams increasingly diverse.

For creators, marketers, and businesses, YouTube isn’t optional it’s where the audience is. From mobile-first Shorts to living-room TV streams, YouTube is central to digital culture and consumer behavior.