The following data on the number of videos on YouTube is the result of Photutorial research. Please cite accordingly.
The rapidly increasing number of YouTube videos correlates with the increasing popularity of video marketing and answers why YouTube editors’ salaries are increasing dramatically.
How many YouTube videos are there?
As of November 2023, there are 3.86 billion videos on YouTube. This marks an increase of nearly 1 billion videos in 2023 alone, given that there were 3.08 billion videos on YouTube at the end of 2022.
Total number of YouTube videos
Source: Photutorial
Made by: Photutorial
Below is a table showing the annual number of YouTube videos and the percentage growth year-over-year:
| Year | Number of YouTube videos | YOY growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 0.52 billion | |
| 2016 | 0.624 billion | 20.0% |
| 2017 | 0.895 billion | 43.4% |
| 2018 | 0.962 billion | 7.5% |
| 2019 | 1.47 billion | 52.8% |
| 2020 | 2.02 billion | 37.4% |
| 2021 | 2.73 billion | 35.1% |
| 2022 | 3.08 billion | 12.8% |
| 2023 | 3.86 billion | 25.3% |
Although this explosive trend will likely slow down in a few years, we estimate there will be between 20 and 30 billion videos on YouTube in 2030.
How long are videos on YouTube?
On average, a YouTube video lasts 12 minutes and 26 seconds. Of these, 1.17 billion videos are shorter than 4 minutes (34%), 1.54 billion videos range from 4 to 20 minutes (45%), and 734 million videos exceed 20 minutes (21%).
In recent years, we’ve seen a trend of longer and longer videos on YouTube. In 2015, the average video was just over 9 minutes long. Then, videos up to 20 minutes long made up 91% of all videos, while only 9% of videos were longer than 20 minutes.
How many HD videos are on YouTube?
As of November 2023, there are 2.75 billion HD or higher-quality videos available on YouTube. This means 71% of videos are at least in HD quality. In 2015, a total of 284 million videos were HD or higher, making up 54.6%.
How long would it take to watch every YouTube video?
With 3.86 billion videos on YouTube, each averaging 12 minutes and 26 seconds, it would take more than 42 billion minutes in total to watch every video. That’s the equivalent of nearly 30 million days or over 81,500 years of continuous viewing.
Methodology
These figures were compiled by Matic Broz, who possesses a wealth of experience in data research, with contributions to scientific, peer-reviewed journals. We choose not to disclose our data collection methods for the number of videos on YouTube to prevent unauthorized use or replication. Should you require further information on our methodology, please get in touch.
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