10 Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time

Baby Shark Dance has the most views among the ten videos listed below. The counts were checked on their YouTube pages on October 4, 2026. They change over time and apply to the specific uploads linked in the list.

Verified video snapshot

1. Baby Shark Dance: 17,412,973,608 views.
2. Wheels on the Bus: 9,525,076,582 views.
3. Despacito: 9,137,655,134 views.
4. Bath Song: 7,657,165,078 views.
5. Johny Johny Yes Papa: 7,254,909,737 views.
6. Phonics Song with Two Words: 7,116,052,259 views.
7. See You Again: 7,103,349,558 views.
8. Shape of You: 6,817,942,050 views.
9. Axel F: 6,214,865,196 views.
10. Gangnam Style: 6,082,091,044 views.

How the most viewed record changed hands

The title of most viewed video on YouTube has moved between a viral clip, pop music and children’s songs. These are the holders since 2006 and the date each one took the record:

Gangnam Style held the top spot for 1,689 days. Baby Shark Dance has led for even longer, since November 2, 2020. See You Again led for only 25 days before Despacito overtook it.

Milestones

• First video with 1 billion views: Gangnam Style, on December 21, 2012.
• First video with 2 billion views: Gangnam Style, on May 30, 2014.
• First video with 10 billion views: Baby Shark Dance, on January 13, 2022.

Why children’s songs lead the list

Five of the ten videos above are made for young children: Baby Shark Dance, Wheels on the Bus, Bath Song, Johny Johny Yes Papa and Phonics Song with Two Words. The other five are music videos. A few patterns explain why children’s songs keep climbing:

• Repeat viewing: young children watch the same song many times, and every playback can count.
• Few words: simple melodies and short lyrics work for families in many countries and languages.
• Long shelf life: a nursery song is as relevant ten years later, while most pop hits peak within a year or two.
• Short length: two or three minute videos are easy to play again and again on a TV or tablet.

Music videos reach the top through global hits. Despacito became a worldwide hit sung in Spanish, and See You Again gained a large audience as the tribute song from Furious 7.

Scope and measurement

Candidates were cross-checked against published most-viewed lists and each original upload was fetched from YouTube. This is a dated editorial snapshot, not a complete live database of every upload. Reuploads and multiple language versions are not combined. Counts change continuously and repeated playback does not represent an equal number of unique people. The links identify the exact versions measured. If you also want to promote a video, see our YouTube views packages.

How YouTube counts a view

Since August 24, 2026, YouTube counts a view the moment a video starts to play in every format. YouTube also checks that views come from real people. Low-quality playback, such as one person playing a video on several devices or in several tabs at once, can be discarded. View counts can slow down or pause for a while during these checks, so a counter that stops for a few hours is normal for a fast-growing upload.

What creators can learn from these videos

• Make content people replay: songs, tutorials and routines get watched more than once.
• Think beyond one language: visuals and music that need little translation travel further.
• Build a series: Pinkfong and Cocomelon publish many songs in the same style, so one hit leads viewers to the next.
• Give it time: several of these videos are more than eight years old and still gain views every day.

For practical steps you can use on a smaller channel, see five YouTube video ideas to get more views. More platform records and numbers are in our YouTube statistics for 2026.

Views cannot reveal a creator’s earnings

The earlier fixed per-thousand-view estimates and speculative Baby Shark earnings were removed. Public views do not reveal advertising revenue, rights-holder agreements or the share of monetized playback. Treat these videos as examples of widely viewed content, not as a forecast for a marketing budget or a promise of the same results.

Common questions

What is the most viewed video on YouTube?

Baby Shark Dance by Pinkfong, with 17,412,973,608 views when we checked on October 4, 2026.

What was the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views?

Gangnam Style by PSY, on December 21, 2012.

Which music video has the most views?

Among the pop music videos in this list, Despacito leads with 9,137,655,134 views on October 4, 2026.

Do replays count as views?

Yes, a view counts when playback starts, but YouTube can discard low-quality playback such as the same video running on several devices or tabs at once.

Sources

Sources checked on October 4, 2026.

• Guinness: dated Baby Shark record
• RouteNote: candidate list
• Wikipedia: record holders and milestones
• YouTube: how views are counted

Related guide: How Much Do YouTubers Make?

About the Author Chris

I'm Chris Taylor, a creative Content Manager and Copywriter specializing in social media, digital marketing, and emerging technologies. I create engaging, relatable, and strategic content that captures attention, builds trust, and encourages meaningful audience interaction.As an expert in social media, I'm always up-to-date with the newest trends, using them to develop content that's not just educational but also enjoyable and widely shareable. Recognizing the power of storytelling in brand development, I'm committed to crafting stories that forge a personal connection with audiences. My combination of attention to detail and creative flair ensures that every content I produce resonates deeply with its intended audience.