YouTube hosts an estimated 5+ billion videos in total. Around 1 billion of those are YouTube Shorts videos. Although, this number is difficult to pinpoint with hours of new content being uploaded every minute.
You can find out exactly how much time you’ve spent watching YouTube videos. To do this:
Sign in to YouTube.
Tap your profile picture in the top right.
Tap ‘Time watched.’
Which YouTube video has the most views?
The most viewed video on YouTube is ‘Baby Shark Dance’ with over 16 billion views. Since it was uploaded in June 2016, it’s clocked up an average of just a shade under 5 million views per DAY.
How do people use YouTube?
According to SEMRush…
– 82% of people use YouTube as a source of entertainment – 18% use it to specifically to follow brands and companies – 7% use YouTube as a way to strengthen their professional work. – 37% of viewers ages 30 to 49 use YouTube as a news source.
Which YouTube channel has most subscribers?
As of early 2026, the YouTube channel with the most subscribers is MrBeast, with over 462 million combined subscribers across his channels. The next top channels are: T-Series with 309 million subscribers, Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes with 200 million, SET India with 188 million, and Vlad and Niki with 149 million.
YouTube monetisation stats
How many YouTube views do you need to make money?
Based on industry averages, you probably need about 500,000 views to earn $1,000 from ads. The cost per thousand (CPM) works out to be $2 per 1,000 impressions.
How many YouTube subscribers do you need to start monetising?
You need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over the past year before you can monetise your YouTube content. Once you reach those thresholds, you can apply for YouTube Partner Program which allows you to start monetising your channels through ads.
How much does YouTube pay?
Statistic
A good average amount to expect is around $0.18 a view. That would mean, on average, you could expect to receive $18 per 1,000 ad views.
Yes, YouTube pays monthly. Your earnings for the previous month get added to your YouTube payment account balance in AdSense any time between the 7th and 12th of the following month.
How many YouTube views do I need to make $5,000 per month?
You’d need to gather around 2 million views each month, in order to earn $5,000 per month in YouTube ad revenue, based on widely reported averages,
YouTuber stats
How much do YouTubers earn?
Statistic
A study of six YouTubers revealed income of between $2 and $12 per 1,000 views.
The highest-paid YouTuber in recent years is MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson). In 2025, MrBeast earned an estimated $85 million (pre-tax) from his YouTube videos and associated businesses. This massive payout comes not only from ad revenue, but also from ventures like MrBeast Burger and Feastables, sponsorships, and merchandise.
The first YouTuber was Jawed Karim who was also a founder of YouTube. He uploaded the first ever video on April 23rd, 2005 – it was titled Me at the Zoo and has attracted 333m views.
How many YouTubers are there in the world?
It depends what you mean by ‘YouTuber!’ If monetisation is part of your definition, then around 3 million creators are signed up to YouTube’s Partner Program through which videos collect ad revenue.