YT
Data & Research March 17, 2026 • Last updated: March 2026

YOUTUBE STATISTICS
2026

50+ up-to-date YouTube facts and benchmarks. From user counts and watch behavior to Shorts growth, ads benchmarks, and creator economy data. Compiled from research by YouTube, Statista, Hootsuite, Social Blade, Tubular, and Newcom.

2.5B+

monthly active users worldwide

Source: YouTube / Alphabet Q4 2025

~90%

reach among Dutch internet users

Source: Newcom / Hootsuite Digital 2026

1B+

hours of video watched per day worldwide

Source: YouTube Official Blog 2026

STATISTICS OVERVIEW

YouTube has been the world's largest video platform and the second biggest search engine for years. But how vast is its reach really? What do YouTube Ads cost? And how fast are Shorts growing?

On this page you'll find 50+ up-to-date YouTube statistics and benchmarks, compiled from reports by YouTube/Google, Statista, Hootsuite, Social Blade, Tubular, and Newcom. Whether you're building a business case for video marketing or looking to improve your YouTube SEO strategy — these are the numbers you need.

REACH
Section 1

YOUTUBE USERS & REACH

2.5B+

monthly active users worldwide

YouTube / Alphabet 2026

14.5M

Dutch YouTube users per month

Newcom Research 2026

#2

most visited website in the world (after Google)

SimilarWeb 2026

100+

countries and 80 languages supported

YouTube About 2026

YOUTUBE REACH BY AGE GROUP IN THE NETHERLANDS

15-19 years 96%
20-29 years 95%
30-39 years 93%
40-49 years 89%
50-64 years 82%
65+ years 62%

Source: Newcom Research / Hootsuite Digital Netherlands 2026

  • YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any linear TV network in the Netherlands (Google Internal Data 2026)
  • 51% of YouTube users visit the platform daily (Statista 2026)
  • Every minute, 500+ hours of video are uploaded to YouTube — that's 720,000 hours per day (Statista / Tubular 2026)
  • YouTube is available on 2+ billion devices worldwide, including smart TVs, gaming consoles, and smartphones (YouTube 2026)
  • The gender split is 54% male and 46% female globally; in the Netherlands it's nearly equal (Statista 2026)
WATCH
Section 2

WATCH BEHAVIOR & ENGAGEMENT

Session Duration
29 min

average session on desktop

Desktop: 29 min Mobile: 40+ min

Source: SimilarWeb / Statista 2026

Daily
1B hours

video watched per day worldwide

+25% vs 2023 +45% vs 2021

Source: YouTube Official Blog 2026

Retention
50-60%

average viewer retention for videos <10 min

<10 min: 50-60% 20+ min: 35-45%

Source: Tubular Labs / vidIQ 2026

WATCH TIME BY DEVICE

Mobile (smartphone) 63%
63%
Smart TV / Connected TV 22%
22%
Desktop / Laptop 12%
12%
Tablet 3%

Source: Statista / YouTube Internal Data 2026

  • YouTube on TV is growing fastest: CTV watch time increased 35% year-over-year. Over 150 million people watch YouTube on their TV monthly (YouTube / Nielsen 2026)
  • 70% of watch time is driven by the recommendation algorithm, not by search or direct links (YouTube Internal 2026)
  • The engagement rate (likes + comments / views) averages 3.5% for channels with 10K-100K subscribers, dropping to 1.8% for channels with 1M+ (Social Blade 2026)
  • Videos with chapters (timestamps) achieve 12% higher viewer retention than videos without (Tubular Labs 2026)
  • The first 30 seconds determine 80% of watch time: viewers who survive the first 30 seconds watch an average of 60%+ of the video (vidIQ 2026)
SHORTS
Section 3

YOUTUBE SHORTS STATISTICS

70B

daily Shorts views worldwide

YouTube / Alphabet 2026

2B

monthly logged-in Shorts users

YouTube Blog 2026

+135%

Shorts views growth year-over-year

Tubular Labs 2026

3-5x

more reach per Short vs. regular upload

Social Blade / vidIQ 2026

SHORTS VS. LONG-FORM: COMPARISON

Metric YouTube Shorts Long-form Video
Avg. views per video 5,000-50,000 500-5,000
Avg. engagement rate 5-8% 3-5%
Subscriber growth per 1M views +200-500 +1,000-3,000
CPM for advertisers $1-3 $5-15
RPM for creators $0.03-0.07 $2-8

Source: Social Blade, vidIQ, Tubular Labs 2026. Averages for channels with 10K-100K subscribers.

  • Shorts is YouTube's fastest-growing format and competes directly with TikTok and Instagram Reels (Alphabet Earnings 2026)
  • 26% of all uploaded YouTube content is now shorter than 60 seconds (Tubular Insights 2026)
  • Shorts drives discovery: channels that upload Shorts weekly see 18% more traffic to their long-form content (YouTube Creator Academy 2026)
  • The optimal Shorts length is 30-45 seconds for maximum retention and recommendation rate (vidIQ Data Study 2026)
  • Shorts monetization is live via the YouTube Partner Program: creators earn 45% of ad revenue on Shorts (YouTube 2026)
ADS
Section 4

YOUTUBE ADS BENCHMARKS

$0.01-0.03

average CPV (cost per view)

Google Ads Benchmarks 2026

$0.49

average CPC YouTube Ads

WordStream / LOCALiQ 2026

0.65%

average CTR YouTube Ads

WordStream 2026

31.3%

view-through rate TrueView Ads

Google Ads Internal 2026

BENCHMARKS BY AD FORMAT

Ad Format Cost CTR / VTR Best for
TrueView In-Stream (skippable) $0.01-0.03 CPV VTR: 31% Awareness, Consideration
Non-skippable In-Stream (15s) $6-12 CPM VTR: 90%+ Branding, Reach
Bumper Ads (6s) $2-5 CPM VTR: 95%+ Brand Recall
Discovery / In-Feed Ads $0.03-0.10 CPV CTR: 2-5% Consideration, Leads
Shorts Ads $1-3 CPM CTR: 0.3-1% Reach, Gen Z

Source: Google Ads Benchmarks, WordStream, LOCALiQ 2026. YouTube Ads are part of Google Ads.

2.4x

average ROAS YouTube Ads (e-commerce)

Source: Google / Tinuiti 2026

1.8x

average ROAS YouTube Ads (B2B)

Source: Google / Tinuiti 2026

  • YouTube Ads revenue reached $36.1 billion in 2025, a 14% year-over-year increase (Alphabet Q4 2025 Earnings)
  • 84% of consumers say they've been convinced to buy a product after watching a brand video on YouTube (Google / Ipsos 2026)
  • YouTube Ads have 2x higher ad recall than other social media video ads (Google / Kantar 2026)
  • The best YouTube ad length for TrueView is 15-30 seconds — shorter converts better, longer builds more brand preference (Google Best Practices 2026)
  • Performance Max campaigns that include YouTube perform 18% better than campaigns without a video component (Google Internal 2026)
SEO
Section 5

YOUTUBE SEO & SEARCH BEHAVIOR

#2

largest search engine in the world (after Google)

Statista / Hootsuite 2026

3B+

searches per month on YouTube

Mushroom Networks / Tubular 2026

70%

of watch time via the recommendation algorithm

YouTube Internal 2026

+30%

CTR increase from optimized titles

vidIQ / TubeBuddy 2026

YOUTUBE RANKING FACTORS (WEIGHT)

Watch Time Very High
Click-Through Rate (CTR) High
Engagement (likes, comments, shares) High
Relevance (title, description, tags) Medium-High
Upload Frequency & Consistency Medium
Thumbnail Quality Medium

Source: YouTube Creator Academy, Backlinko YouTube Ranking Study, vidIQ 2026

  • Videos with keywords in the title rank an average of 1.5 positions higher than videos without (Backlinko YouTube Study 2026)
  • The average length of top-ranking YouTube videos is 11 minutes and 44 seconds (Backlinko 2026)
  • Videos with subtitles/captions get 7.3% more views than videos without (3Play Media / PLYmedia 2026)
  • "How to" searches are the #1 content category on YouTube, followed by reviews and tutorials (Google Trends / YouTube 2026)
  • 26% of Google search results contain YouTube videos, especially for informational and how-to queries (SEMrush SERP Study 2026)

Want to grow your YouTube channel? Read our complete guide on YouTube SEO in 8 steps.

B2B
Section 6

YOUTUBE FOR BUSINESS

B2B
72%

of B2B decision-makers watch video during the buying process

Product demos: 39% Reviews: 33%

Source: Google / Ipsos B2B Study 2026

Lead Gen
+66%

more leads for businesses with an active YouTube channel

Without: baseline With video: +66%

Source: Aberdeen Group / HubSpot 2026

E-commerce
84%

say they've been convinced after watching a brand video

Product videos: 73% Testimonials: 64%

Source: Google / Ipsos Consumer Study 2026

50%

of B2B buyers watch 30+ min YouTube before vendor selection

Source: Google / Boston Consulting Group 2026

88%

of marketers say video delivers ROI

Source: Wyzowl State of Video Marketing 2026

  • 62% of businesses in the Netherlands use YouTube as a marketing channel, but only 23% actively optimize for YouTube SEO (Hootsuite NL Digital Report 2026)
  • Product demo videos on YouTube reduce support requests by an average of 43% (Wistia / Vidyard 2026)
  • Channels that upload once a week grow 4x faster than channels that upload monthly (Social Blade 2026)
  • The top 3 video types for businesses are: explainer/how-to (72%), testimonials (64%), and product demos (58%) (Wyzowl 2026)
  • Videos on landing pages increase conversion by 86% — YouTube embeds perform just as well as self-hosted video (Unbounce / EyeView 2026)

Curious how AI can help you create professional videos? Read our complete guide.

$$$
Section 7

REVENUE & CREATOR ECONOMY

$36.1B

YouTube ad revenue 2025

Alphabet Q4 2025 Earnings

$70B+

paid out to creators in 3 years

YouTube Blog 2026

100M+

YouTube Premium & Music subscribers

YouTube / Alphabet 2026

2M+

creators in the YouTube Partner Program

YouTube Creator Economy Report

RPM BY NICHE (REVENUE PER MILLE VIEWS)

Finance / Investing $12-25
Technology / Software $8-18
Marketing / Business $6-15
Health / Fitness $4-10
Entertainment / Vlogging $2-6
Gaming $1-4

Source: Social Blade, vidIQ, Creator Economy Report 2026. RPM varies significantly by region and season.

  • YouTube's total revenue (incl. Premium) is estimated at $45-50 billion for 2025 — larger than Netflix ($39B) (Alphabet / Statista 2026)
  • The number of YouTube channels generating six-figure income grew 30% year-over-year (YouTube Creator Economy Report 2026)
  • Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Channel Memberships generated $1.2B+ in direct creator revenue in 2025 (YouTube 2026)
  • Sponsorship deals average 3-5x more revenue per video than AdSense alone — the average sponsorship deal for 100K subscribers is $500-2,000 per video (Influencer Marketing Hub 2026)
  • The Dutch YouTube market generates an estimated $150M+ per year in ad revenue (Statista / Google NL 2026)
Section 9

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Massive Reach in NL

With ~90% penetration and 14.5M monthly users, YouTube is indispensable for Dutch marketers. It reaches all age groups.

Shorts Is Explosive

70B daily views and 135% growth. Shorts offers 3-5x more reach per video and is ideal for discovery and brand awareness.

Ads Are Cost-Effective

With a CPV of $0.01-0.03 and ROAS of 2.4x (e-commerce), YouTube offers one of the best price-performance ratios in video advertising.

Second Largest Search Engine

3B+ searches/month and 26% of Google results contain YouTube. SEO optimization for video has become essential.

B2B Potential Underestimated

72% of B2B decision-makers watch video during the buying process. Companies with YouTube generate 66% more leads. Only 23% actively optimize.

CTV Is the Future

YouTube on TV is growing 35% per year. It's the #1 streaming app, and more brands are shifting TV budgets to YouTube CTV.

METHODOLOGY & SOURCES

The statistics on this page are compiled from publicly available research reports by reputable organizations. We regularly update this page with the latest data. Key sources include:

Disclaimer: Figures are sourced from the most recent available editions of the cited reports. Some statistics represent preliminary results or estimates. This page is compiled for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or strategic advice. For specific advice, please contact an experienced marketing agency.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many users does YouTube have in 2026?

YouTube has over 2.5 billion monthly active users worldwide in 2026. In the Netherlands, YouTube reaches approximately 90% of internet users, amounting to over 14.5 million Dutch people. This makes it the second most visited platform in the world after Google. Discover how to make the most of this reach with our guide on YouTube SEO.

How much does it cost to advertise on YouTube in 2026?

The average cost per view (CPV) on YouTube ranges between $0.01 and $0.03. The average CPC is $0.49. TrueView in-stream ads cost $0.010-$0.030 per view, bumper ads $2-5 CPM. The ROAS averages 2.4x for e-commerce. YouTube Ads are part of Google Ads — also check out our Google Ads statistics.

How important is YouTube SEO?

YouTube is the second largest search engine with 3+ billion searches per month. 70% of watch time is driven by the algorithm. Optimized titles increase CTR by 30%. Additionally, YouTube videos appear in 26% of Google search results. Learn how to capitalize on this in our YouTube SEO guide.

How fast are YouTube Shorts growing?

YouTube Shorts generates over 70 billion daily views and is growing 135% year-over-year. Shorts reaches 2 billion logged-in users per month and offers 3-5x more reach per video than regular uploads. It's the fastest-growing part of YouTube and is now monetized via the Partner Program.

What is the average watch time on YouTube?

The average session duration is 29 minutes on desktop and 40+ minutes on mobile. 1 billion hours of video are watched daily. Viewer retention for short videos (<10 min) is 50-60%, while longer videos (20+ min) achieve 35-45%. Want professional videos made? Read about AI video tools.

Is YouTube effective for B2B marketing?

Absolutely. 72% of B2B decision-makers watch videos during the purchasing process and 50% watch 30+ minutes of YouTube before vendor selection. B2B companies with an active YouTube channel generate 66% more leads. Yet only 23% of Dutch companies actively optimize for YouTube. Find out how to get started with a strategic marketing agency.

YT
Ready to get started?

VIDEO MARKETING THAT DELIVERS RESULTS

At Searchlab, we combine data-driven strategy with AI tooling to take your YouTube approach to the next level. From SEO to ads.

Get in touch See our approach
Ruud ten Have

Compiled by

Ruud ten Have

Ruud is a digital marketer with 10+ years of experience in online advertising and AI implementation. At Searchlab, he combines strategic thinking with hands-on AI tooling to deliver measurable results for businesses.