STATISTICS

YouTube statistics for 2026

YouTube ads can reach 2.65 billion people a month, the largest ad audience of any social platform (DataReportal, April 2026). Shorts averages 200 billion daily views (YouTube, January 2026), 84% of US adults use YouTube (Pew, 2025), and in July 2026 YouTube took a record 14.2% of all TV viewing in the US (Nielsen).

Compiled by the Zolyp team · Every figure checked against its source on

How many people use YouTube

  • 2.65 billion

    Number of users YouTube ads can reach each month, according to Google's ad tools (April 2026 analysis).

    Ad reach is the audience a platform's own ad tools say advertisers can reach. It is not the same as monthly active users: it can include duplicate and business accounts, and it can rise or fall when the platform changes how it counts. This was the largest reported ad audience of any social platform, almost 10% above Facebook's 2.39 billion.

    Source: DataReportal (Manochi), Global social media statistics (April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 55.3%

    Share of internet users aged 16 and above in GWI's survey who said they used YouTube in the past month, as reported in April 2026.

    Second only to Facebook (56.3%). Excluding China and Russia, the figure was 70.6%.

    Source: DataReportal (Manochi & We Are Social), Digital 2026 Mid-Year Global Update Report (22 April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 1st

    YouTube's rank among social media apps by monthly active app users worldwide in Similarweb's data (April 2026 analysis).

    Similarweb reports an index, so the size is relative: WhatsApp's active app users were 87.4% of YouTube's, and TikTok's 67.4%.

    Source: DataReportal (Manochi), Global social media statistics (April 2026), checked 14 October 2026

  • 84%

    Share of US adults who said they ever use YouTube, in a survey conducted 5 February to 18 June 2025.

    The most widely used platform in Pew's survey. YouTube and Facebook were the only platforms used by a majority in every age group.

    Source: Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use 2025 (20 November 2025), checked 14 October 2026

  • 48%

    Share of US adults who said they use YouTube at least once a day, in a survey conducted 24 February to 2 March 2025.

    33% said several times a day.

    Source: Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use 2025 (20 November 2025), checked 14 October 2026

Watching and uploading

YouTube's business

YouTube by country

Country figures are YouTube's potential ad reach as published in Google's ad tools in late 2025.

What this means for a small business

  • YouTube is used by most adults in every age group, so it suits almost any small business, not only those aiming at young people.
  • Shorts gets a huge number of daily views, which makes it a low-effort way to test ideas before you make longer videos.
  • More viewing now happens on TV screens. Clear titles, readable on-screen text and good sound help a video work on a big screen as well as a phone.
  • People come to YouTube to learn. Videos that answer the questions your customers already ask are a good place to start.

Knowing where your customers are is half of it; the other half is posting there every week. Make a post with the free generator or let Zolyp plan and write the week for you.

Common questions

How many people use YouTube in 2026?

Google's ad tools showed YouTube ads could reach 2.65 billion users a month in April 2026, according to DataReportal. Alphabet's quarterly results do not give a monthly active user figure for YouTube, and ad reach is not the same as active users.

How many views do YouTube Shorts get?

YouTube's CEO said in January 2026 that Shorts averages 200 billion daily views.

How much of US TV time goes to YouTube?

Nielsen measured YouTube at a record 14.2% of all US TV viewing in July 2026, the largest share of any media distributor.

How much money does YouTube make?

Alphabet reported $11,055 million in YouTube ads revenue for the quarter ended 30 June 2026, up 13% on a year earlier. Subscription revenue is reported separately within a wider Google category.

Cite this page

You're welcome to use these figures. Please cite the original source shown under each one, and link to this page if it helped: Zolyp, “YouTube statistics for 2026”, updated 14 October 2026, https://www.zolyp.com/statistics/youtube-statistics

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