YouTube Demographics & Data to Know in 2023 [+ Generational Patterns]

Chances are, you’ve probably spent an afternoon falling down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos.

While it’s a great source of entertainment, the platform is also valuable for marketers using YouTube to find their target audience. With a global user base of more than 2.5 billion people, it’s also safe to assume that your audience is on the platform.

In this post, we’ll go over key YouTube statistics you need to know this year to help you succeed in your marketing efforts.

2023 YouTube Demographics

Below, we’ll go over the most critical YouTube statistics that show marketers how global audiences are using the platform.

General YouTube User Demographics

• YouTube has 2.5 billion users, making up almost one-third of the entire internet. (Statista)
• 70% of viewers bought from a brand after seeing content on YouTube. (Google Ads)
• India has the most YouTube users in 2023 at about 467 million (Statista)
• YouTube’s global advertising revenues amounted to about 29.24 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. (Statista)
• YouTube is the top video streaming app, and the average user spends 23.2 hours per month watching content. (App Annie)
• The most popular YouTube video is Baby Shark Dance with 12.3 billion views. (Statista)
• Videos are most likely to go viral on YouTube (27%), TikTok (24%), Instagram (18%), and Facebook (14%). (HubSpot Video Marketing Report)

YouTube Age Demographics

• Millennials trust YouTube more than any other generation. (HubSpot Blog Research)
• 56% of Gen Z, 54% of Millennials, 48% of Gen X, and 26% of Boomers say they discover new products most often on YouTube. (HubSpot Blog Research)
• About 377 million adults between ages 18-24 use YouTube — about 15% of YouTube’s audience. (DataReportal) 
• As of 2022, 20.2% of YouTube’s advertising audience is between 25 and 34 – the largest group – and 15.5% is between 35 and 44. (Hootsuite)
• 85% of children ages 2-12 say they watch YouTube. (TVTech)
• 84% of parents who use YouTube or YouTube Kids agree that YouTube makes learning more fun for their children. (Oxford Economics)

YouTube Gender Demographics

Please note that audience data for individuals who do not identify within the binary are not reported.

• As of January 2023, 48.6% of YouTube users in the United States are male. (Statista)
• 51.4% of YouTube users in the United States are female. (Statista)
• 11.9% of YouTube’s global audience consists of males between the ages 25-34. (Statista)
• 8.8% of YouTube’s global audience consists of women between the ages of 25-34. (Statista)

YouTube Geography Demographics

• The United States has the second-highest number of YouTube users, at 246 million. (Global Media Insight).
• Brazil has the third-highest number of users, at 142 million. (Global Media Insights)
• YouTube has launched local versions of the platform in more than 100 countries. (YouTube Blog)
• 74% of U.S. adults living in rural areas, 81% of those living in suburban areas, and 84% living in urban areas report using YouTube. (Pew Research)

What Different Generations Watch on YouTube

What Gen Z Watches on YouTube

• As of May 2022, 96% of Gen Z users (born between 1997 and 2012) have a YouTube account. (Statista)
• 56.66% of YouTube’s audience are millennials or Gen Z. (SimilarWeb)
• To break it down further, 30.19% are the ages of 25-34, and 26.47% are the ages 18-24. (SimilarWeb)
• 82% of Gen Z say they’ve used YouTube to watch content that will make them feel nostalgic. (YouTube)
• 83% of Gen Z have used YouTube to watch soothing content that helps them relax. (YouTube)

Takeaways for Video Marketers

Based on the research, Gen Z turns to YouTube when they want to relax or revisit positive memories from their past. If you’re targeting Gen Z, entertaining content will reign supreme.

What Millennials Watch on YouTube

• YouTube reaches more millennials than all the TV networks combined. (The Shelf)
• A 2022 report found that YouTube will have nearly double the penetration of TikTok among millennials this year. (eMarketer)
• Millennials prefer watching:
  • News and human interest stories to keep up to date
  • Unboxing and product review videos to influence spending
  • Quick and fun entertainment content (The Shelf)

Takeaways for Video Marketers

Millennials go to YouTube when they want to learn something or be entertained. Additionally, they go to the platform to be inspired, watch TV, and catch up on the news. If you’re targeting millennials, news stories, product reviews, entertaining content, and inspiring content will win out.

How to Target the Right Demographic on YouTube

While each generation might watch fairly similar content, it’s important to remember that the goal is different. For Gen X it might be to reminisce, while for Boomers it’s to save time, and for Millennials and Gen Z, it could be to learn something new.

To properly target the right demographic on YouTube, pay attention to the most popular categories and types of videos they watch on the platform.

Just as it is for all social networks, building a presence on YouTube requires understanding which segments of your audience are already there and what they’re watching.

Use these statistics to create a YouTube marketing strategy that speaks to your audience’s interests, drives revenue, and increases conversions.

Having that information makes it easier to create content that speaks to their interests, maximize ROI, and achieve general marketing success.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in April 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.