Every number on this page comes from YouTube, Google, Alphabet’s filings with the SEC or a public YouTube page we checked ourselves. Each figure has its source and date next to it, so you can quote it with confidence. Last updated October 28, 2026.
YouTube statistics at a glance
YouTube revenue statistics
Alphabet reports YouTube advertising revenue every quarter. Subscription revenue from YouTube Premium and YouTube TV is part of a wider line that also includes Google One and devices, so it is not shown separately.
| Period | YouTube ads revenue | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 2024 | $10.47 billion | Alphabet Q4 2025 release |
| Q4 2025 | $11.38 billion | Alphabet Q4 2025 release |
| Q2 2025 | $9.80 billion | Alphabet 10-Q, Q2 2026 |
| Q2 2026 | $11.06 billion, up 13% year over year | Alphabet 10-Q, Q2 2026 |
For the full year 2025, Alphabet said YouTube’s revenue across ads and subscriptions passed $60 billion. Alphabet also reported more than 325 million paid subscriptions across all Google consumer services, led by Google One and YouTube Premium.
YouTube Shorts statistics
- Shorts average over 200 billion views per day (YouTube, January 2026).
- A Short can be up to three minutes long (YouTube Help).
- Creators in the Partner Program keep 45% of the Shorts ad revenue allocated to them from the Creator Pool (Shorts monetization policy).
- The Shorts route into the Partner Program needs 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days (YouTube Partner Program overview).
To estimate what your own Shorts could earn, try our YouTube money calculator. The full rules are explained in our guide to YouTube Shorts monetization.
YouTube creator and economy statistics
| Statistic | Figure | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Paid to creators, artists and media companies | over $100 billion | four years to January 2026 |
| YouTube creative ecosystem contribution to US GDP | $55 billion | 2024 |
| Full-time jobs supported in the US | more than 490,000 | 2024 |
| Creators in YouTube Shopping | over 500,000 | January 2026 |
| Channels using YouTube’s AI creation tools daily | more than 1 million | December 2025 |
| Daily viewers watching at least 10 minutes of auto-dubbed content | more than 6 million | December 2025 |
| US viewers aged 18 to 27 who say YouTube helps them learn new skills | 93% (Kantar survey) | 2025 |
Source for all rows: YouTube CEO Neal Mohan’s letter, January 21, 2026.
YouTube Partner Program in numbers
| Requirement | Number |
|---|---|
| Subscribers | 1,000 |
| Watch hours (long-form route) | 4,000 qualified hours in 12 months |
| Shorts views (Shorts route) | 10 million qualified views in 90 days |
| Inactivity before monetization can be turned off | 6 months without uploads or posts |
| Creator share of allocated Shorts revenue | 45% |
Source: YouTube Partner Program overview and Shorts monetization policies.
YouTube records
| Record | Figure | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Most viewed video | Baby Shark Dance, 17,412,973,608 views | October 4, 2026 |
| Most subscribed channel | MrBeast, 519 million subscribers | October 4, 2026 |
| First video to 1 billion views | Gangnam Style, December 21, 2012 | Wikipedia |
| First video to 10 billion views | Baby Shark Dance, January 13, 2022 | Wikipedia |
The full lists are in the 10 most viewed YouTube videos and the biggest and fastest growing YouTube channels.
How YouTube counts views and subscribers
- Since August 24, 2026, a view counts the moment a video starts to play, in every format (YouTube Help).
- Partner Program earnings are still based on engaged views and engaged watch hours.
- Public subscriber counts are rounded. A channel with between 100,000 and 999,999 subscribers only shows a change every 1,000 subscribers (YouTube Help).
If your next upload needs a first push, see our YouTube views packages.
Using these statistics
You are welcome to quote any number on this page in an article, a report or a presentation. Please link to this page or to the original source listed next to the figure. We update the page when YouTube or Alphabet publishes new figures.
Common questions
How much money did YouTube make in 2025?
Over $60 billion across ads and subscriptions, according to Alphabet’s fourth quarter 2025 results.
How many YouTube Shorts are watched per day?
Shorts average over 200 billion views per day, according to YouTube’s January 2026 letter.
How many videos are uploaded to YouTube every day?
Over 20 million, according to YouTube’s press page.
How much has YouTube paid creators?
Over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies in the four years before January 2026.