YouTube Premium is a subscription service that offers ad-free viewing, background playback, and downloads of videos on YouTube.
In the following article, we will discuss the YouTube Premium statistics you need to know for 2025.
The Premium feature on YouTube also offers access to YouTube Originals, which are exclusive shows and movies.
YouTube Premium is available in over 100 countries and has over 80 million subscribers (about twice the population of California) worldwide.
In this article, we will look at some of the most interesting statistics about this platform.
We’ll look at how many people subscribe to it, how much they spend on it, and how they use it.
Furthermore, we’ll look at the future of YouTube Premium and how it is expected to grow in the coming years.
We hope you enjoy this article and that it gives you a better understanding of YouTube Premium.
Key Statistics
- YouTube Premium has over 80 million subscribers worldwide.
- YouTube Premium is available in over 100 countries.
- YouTube Premium is available on all major platforms, including iOS, Android, and web.
- There are roughly 26.7 million YouTube Premium Subscribers in the United States.
- YouTube Creators benefit from Premium subscribers.
- YouTube Premium subscriptions come in second to advertising for YouTube revenue.
- You can stream YouTube Premium videos on up to two devices simultaneously.
- If you plan to leave your region or country, be aware of YouTube availability.
- If you signed up for YouTube Premium via Android, you’ll be billed through Google Play.
- YouTube Music has an 8% market share across all music streaming services.
Top YouTube Premium Statistics in 2025
1. YouTube Premium Has Over 80 Million Subscribers Worldwide.
During the third quarter of 2022, YouTube Premium reached a milestone of over 80 million global subscribers.
For reference, that’s 30 million more than in 2021. This was a huge announcement made in November 2022.
(YouTube Blog)
2. YouTube Premium is Available in Over 100 Countries.
According to Google, the YouTube Premium subscription is available in more than 100 countries worldwide.
A few of these countries include the United States, Mexico, Canada, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Indonesia, Venezuela, Thailand, France, Germany, Spain, and other countries.
(Google Support)
3. YouTube Premium is Available on All Major Platforms, Including iOS, Android, and Web.
YouTube Premium can be used across virtually any device that has access to YouTube.
Supported devices include iOS and Mac, Android, browsers, and anywhere you can login to your YouTube Premium account.
(Google Support 2)
4. There are Roughly 26.7 million YouTube Premium Subscribers in The United States.
Statista estimates that as of 2023, there are about 26.7 million YouTube Premium subscribers in the United States.
Furthermore, growth to 27.9 million YouTube Premium subscribers is expected in 2024 in the United States.
(Statista)
5. YouTube Creators Benefit from Premium Subscribers.
If you think that paying to watch YouTube videos without ads hurts its creators, you would be mistaken.
In fact, YouTube pays its creators a share of its subscriptions as well as employing ad revenue sharing.
(Google Support 3, Oxford Economics 2022)
6. YouTube Premium Subscriptions Come in Second to Advertising for YouTube Revenue.
YouTube Ads still dominates YouTube’s revenues, but Premium subscriptions have created a secondary revenue stream for the platform.
Not only does YouTube gain revenue from subscribers, but so do creators.
(Oxford Economics 2022)
7. You Can Stream YouTube Premium Videos on Up to Two Devices Simultaneously.
YouTube Premium doesn’t have a lot of restrictions, but one is that you can only stream on two devices at the same time.
So, if you have an individual plan, you have that limitation.
The family plan comes with more allowances. This also applies to browsers. Each browser counts as a separate “device”.
(Google Support 4)
8. if You Plan to Leave Your Region or Country, Be Aware of YouTube Availability.
According to Google Support, if you leave your country or region, but your destination doesn’t have YouTube availability, you won’t be able to access your Premium account.
Travel can also impact your ability to download videos and the other benefits your premium account otherwise allows.
So, be aware of these travel restrictions if you travel even if you have access to YouTube.
(Google Support)
9. If You Signed up For YouTube Premium via Android, You’ll Be Billed Through Google Play.
In 2022, YouTube Premium and Music Premium subscribers started getting billed via Google Play if they originally signed up on Android.
Therefore, any billing issues or cancellations must be done via the Google Play Store.
(Google Support 5)
10. Currently, You Cannot Use Your YouTube Premium Services Through Your Google Workspace Account.
You will not be able to use your YouTube Premium account via your Google Workspace account.
You will need to sign up or sign into your personal Google account.
(Google Support 5)
11. If Your Device Is Compatible, You Can Use PiP to Watch Premium Videos While You Use Other Apps on Your Mobile Device.
Besides being able to multitask while your videos continue to play in the background on your mobile device, you can also use the PiP feature for the Picture-in-Picture experience.
How cool is that?
(Google Support 6)
12. Apple Phones Allow the 1080p Experience on YouTube Premium.
Depending on your Apple phone version, you can watch Premium videos in 1080p resolution.
You can either set it to this resolution setting, change it according to your needs, or let YouTube change it based on your viewing usage.
(Google Support 6)
13. You Can Pause and Resume Your YouTube Premium Membership.
When you have a YouTube Premium membership, you have the option to pause, resume, or cancel any time you want.
If you want to pause your membership, you can choose from one to six months for that option. Likewise, when you’re ready, you can resume your membership.
(Google Support 7)
YouTube’s music subscriptions saw an increase of over 50% between 2021 and 2022.
Amazon Music subscribers saw only a 25% increase during the same period.
It’s likely with the uptake of over 30 million new YouTube Premium subscribers in late 2022, that this number also impacted YouTube Music as well.
(SXM Business)
Even though Spotify dominates in the music streaming market, YouTube saw the highest increase in music streaming of all services in the market.
In fact, YouTube was the only DSP (Western digital service provider) to increase its market share in the music streaming arena.
(Musical Pursuits)
16. In 2021, 46% of Survey Respondents Felt that YouTube Premium Was Expensive.
In a ResearchGate comparative study, 46% of respondents thought that YouTube Premium was expensive.
Another 46% felt the price was moderate, while only 8% felt it was low.
This data is from 2021 before the recent price increase.
(ResearchGate)
17. Only 15% of Research Participants Felt Irritated Enough About Video Ads on YouTube to Want to Switch to Premium.
In the same ResearchGate study, 15% of YouTube viewers felt the need to buy a Premium subscription to avoid ads.
Although, 41% said they get irritated with YouTube video ads.
Another 35% said they didn’t care about the ads and 9% said they watch the full ads.
(ResearchGate)
18. Roughly 47% of Those Who Signed up For the YouTube Premium Trial Continued the Service.
Findings from a Flixed study showed that around 47% of people who signed up for the 30-day YouTube Premium Trial stayed after the trial ended.
Therefore, close to half of those who started with the free trial continued and paid for the service.
(Flixed)
19. 61% of People Who Subscribed to YouTube Premium Did so To Avoid Ads.
The most common reason people cited for paying for a YouTube Premium subscription is to skip ads.
Another 46% said they did it so they could play music in the background even with the app closed.
(Flixed)
20. Cobra Kai Is the Most Watched YouTube Original on Premium.
Cobra Kai was the most watched YouTube Original at almost 22% of the 20 most watched YouTube Originals. This show is by far the most popular on YouTube Premium so far.
Have you watched it yet? In case you didn’t know, Cobra Kai is based on The Karate Kid by Robert Mark Kamen.
(Flixed)
21. YouTube Premium Subscribers Think that The Music Feature Is Better than Other Music Streaming Platforms.
Among YouTube Premium subscribers, most of them agree that the music feature is better than other large music streaming platforms like Spotify, Amazon, etc.
However, this same group felt like the Originals on the platform are worse than other large video streaming platforms.
(Flixed)
22. 65.4% of YouTube Premium Subscribers Unsubscribed Because They Thought It Was Too Expensive.
The Flixed study also discovered that among Premium subscribers of the YouTube streaming service, 65.4% unsubscribed due to it being too expensive.
Other reasons were that they didn’t like the Originals, lack of features, and already used a music streaming service.
Another 12.4% said they already use an ad-blocker and 9.9% answered “other”.
(Flixed)
FAQs
What is YouTube Premium?
YouTube Premium is a paid subscription service offered on the platform that enhances your YouTube watching experience.
It’s separate from YouTube TV which comes at a significantly higher monthly cost.
Before it was YouTube Premium, it was YouTube Red, which some of our readers may recall.
Even before YouTube Red, YouTube’s paid subscription had its debut as Music Key.
What Are the Benefits of Subscribing to YouTube Premium?
Besides getting your first full month for free, here are some benefits of the premium subscription.
Ad-Free Viewing: If you subscribe to YouTube Premium you eliminate the ads. Therefore, you get to watch videos without the ads.
Offline Viewing: With a premium subscription to YouTube, you get to save videos you like to view offline.
YouTube and Google Play Music: You get to listen to YouTube Music Premium and Google Play Music with your premium subscription.
Switch Between Apps: When you’re using a mobile device, YouTube videos normally stop playing when you want to multitask.
With the premium service, you can multitask on your device while the videos play.
YouTube Originals: You get access to YouTube Originals.
You can also share your premium subscription with up to five family members or friends. There’s more, but these are the basic benefits.
How Much Does YouTube Premium Cost?
Since YouTube Premium is a separate subscription from YouTube TV which comes at a hefty price tag of $70.99 (USD) per month.
YouTube Premium is a more affordable monthly subscription that costs $11.99 (USD) per month. This is after the one-month free trial.
If you want the family plan, that will cost $22.99 (USD) per month.
This is where you get to share your subscription with up to five more people (total of 6).
However, if you can verify that you’re a student, you can subscribe to Premium for $7 per month.
(YouTube Premium)
What are YouTube Originals?
YouTube Originals include special events, television series, and movies hosted exclusively on YouTube for premium subscribers.
What Are Some of The Most Popular YouTube Originals?
Here’s a brief list of YouTube Originals for reference.
• Wayne
• Impulse
• Origin
• Weird City
• Best Shot
Cobra Kai is another favorite among most subscribers.
Conclusion
YouTube Premium is a popular subscription service that offers a variety of benefits to its users.
It is available in over 100 countries and has over 80 million subscribers (about twice the population of California) worldwide.
The YouTube Premium service is expected to continue to grow in the coming years, as more people become interested in its features.
If you are a YouTube user who is looking for a way to watch videos ad-free, download videos for offline viewing, and get access to YouTube Originals, then YouTube Premium is a great option for you.
You can sign up for a free trial of YouTube Premium to see if it is right for you.
We hope you have enjoyed reading these YouTube Premium statistics for 2025 and that you have learned some new things about it.