Launched initially in India in August 2020, right after the TikTok ban, YouTube Shorts quickly expanded globally by June 2021.
Since then, it has grown into a major platform for short videos that are upto 180 seconds long.
By May 2025, Shorts had gained over 5 trillion total views since its global launch, with more than 2 billion monthly logged-in users engaging with the platform. This makes it the highest engaging media for short videos with an engagement rate of 5.91%.
This study report provides deep insights into the YouTube Shorts statistics for 2025, covering the daily views, user growth and engagement trends.
Let’s take a look.
YouTube Shorts Statistics 2025: Quick Glance
- Daily views on YouTube Shorts exceed 70 billion.
- YouTube Shorts has 2 billion monthly active users.
- There are more than 1.1 billion videos on YouTube Shorts.
- The average engagement rate for YouTube Shorts is 5.91%.
- The average length of a YouTube Short is 33 seconds.
- 37.2% of the YouTube Users are aged between 18 to 34.
- Creators on YouTube Shorts earn between $0.01 and $0.07 per 1,000 views.
YouTube Shorts Usage
Since its inception in 2020, YouTube Shorts has gained explosive growth, becoming a key feature for creators and marketers alike.
Here are some insights on YouTube Shorts and their usage.
YouTube Shorts Daily Views
YouTube Shorts receives on average 70 billion daily views globally as of 2025. This is a significant jump from 50 billion daily views in the previous year.
Since its introduction, YouTube Shorts have been watched more than 5 trillion times.
Within just one year of its launch, Shorts reached 30 billion daily views. The following year, views surged by an additional 40 billion.
Moreover, between Q2 2021 and Q2 2022, YouTube Shorts views grew by over 135%.
Take a look at the daily views recorded on YouTube Shorts.
| Year | YouTube Shorts’ Daily Views |
|---|---|
| June 2021 | 30 billion |
| Feb 2022 | 50 billion |
| October 2023 | 70 billion |
YouTube Shorts User Insights
YouTube Shorts has more than 2 billion monthly active users as of 2025.
In just one year, YouTube Shorts grew its monthly active users from 1.5 billion in 2022 to 2 billion in 2023.
Source: Wikipedia
YouTube Shorts Users in the United States
In the United States, YouTube Shorts users count over 153 million as of 2023.
According to Statista, this number will reach over 185 million in the United States by 2026.
Here is the study that suggests the estimated YouTube users in the United States:
| Year | YouTube Shorts Years in the United States (in millions) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 152.9 |
| 2024 | 164.5 |
| 2025* | 175.1 |
| 2026* | 184.6 |
| 2027* | 192 |
Source: Statista
YouTube Shorts Engagement Rate
As of early 2025, YouTube Shorts has an average engagement rate of 5.91%. This makes it the top short video platform for user engagement, leaving behind TikTok with 5.75%, Instagram Reels with 5.53%, and Facebook Reels with 2.07%.
A 5.91% engagement rate is significant. It means that for every 100 views, nearly six result in a like, comment, or share.
| Media Platform | Engagement Rate |
|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 5.91% |
| TikTok | 5.75% |
| Instagram Reels | 5.53% |
| Facebook Reels | 2% |
Source: Statista
YouTube Shorts has an average watch rate of 2.52% and an average comment rate of 0.05.
Source: Social Insider study
YouTube Shorts Users Demographics
YouTube Shorts attracts mostly a young, slightly male-skewed, and globally diverse audience. Let’s take a look at the demographics of these users.
Age
Most of the YouTube Shorts users are between 25 and 44 years old. More broadly, YouTube’s overall user base also skews young, with the 25 to 34 age group representing about 21.5% of all YouTube users globally, and the 18 to 24 group making up around 15.7%.
| Age Group | % of Viewers |
|---|---|
| 18 to 24 years | 15.7% |
| 25 to 34 years | 21.5% |
| 35 to 44 years | 17.9% |
| 45 to 54 years | 12.9% |
| 55 to 64 years | 9.4% |
| Over 65 years | 9.5% |
Source: Oberlo
Gender
YouTube Shorts viewers are predominantly male, with about 58% male and 42% female users.
This male majority is slightly higher than YouTube’s overall gender split, where males constitute roughly 54% and females 46% of the total user base.
Source: Statista
Length of YouTube Shorts
The average length to upload a YouTube Shorts video is 180 seconds. Before this, Shorts were capped at 60 seconds, and if you used music from YouTube’s catalogue, the limit was even stricter at 15 seconds.
Despite the new 3-minute maximum, the ideal length for YouTube Shorts tends to be much shorter. Most successful Shorts fall within the 15 to 60-second range.
To be precise, more than 70% of the YouTube Shorts are over 15 seconds long.
Here are the insights on the average length of YouTube shorts.
| Shorts Length | Percentage Of Shorts |
|---|---|
| 0 to 10 seconds | 2.48% |
| 10 to 20 seconds | 15.14% |
| 20 to 30 seconds | 22.72% |
| 30 to 40 seconds | 25.48% |
| 40 to 50 seconds | 10.01% |
| 50 to 60 seconds | 14.33% |
Source: Inflow
YouTube Shorts Creator Statistics
Over 6.5 million creators post at least one Short every month.
Those who focus primarily on Shorts tend to be very active, uploading an average of 18 to 22 Shorts per month. Meanwhile, the average creator posts about 7 Shorts monthly.
Moreover, creators earn on average 16.9 new subscribers per 10,000 Shorts views. This means a Short with 100,000 views could bring in roughly 169 new subscribers.
The revenue split for YouTube Shorts gives creators 45%, with YouTube retaining 55%, while on regular YouTube videos, creators earn 55%.
YouTube Shorts Creator Earnings
Creators typically earn between $0.01 and $0.07 per 1,000 views on Shorts, whereas longer videos can earn between $1.25 and $2.50 per 1,000 views.
For example, a Short with 1 million views might generate between $30 and $70.
Most Popular YouTube Shorts
The most popular YouTube Shorts is “If Cleaning Was a Timed Sport. Part 2”, which is uploaded by the creator @DanielLaBelle. This video gained over 1.6 billion views.
The most liked YouTube Shorts is ‘Would You Fly To Paris For A Baguette?’ by @MrBeast, which gained more than 56 million likes.
YouTube Shorts for Marketers
As of the end of 2022, 43% of U.S. ad buyers reported advertising on YouTube Shorts, highlighting its growing importance as a paid marketing channel.
While this figure trails behind TikTok (75%) and Instagram Reels (67%), it still reflects significant adoption and trust in Shorts as an effective platform for brand promotion.
Moreover, 43% of surveyed U.S. ad buyers said their largest clients were advertising on YouTube Shorts, underscoring its role in major marketing campaigns.
In the EMEA region, YouTube Shorts stands out as the #1 short-form video app for product discovery.
(Source: Think with Google)
What is the Best Time To Post On YouTube Shorts?
According to a study by Buffer, the best time to post on YouTube Shorts is Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 4 pm.
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday | 4 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 3 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 4 p.m. |
| Thursday | 4 p.m. |
| Friday | 3 p.m. |
| Saturday | 5 p.m. |
| Sunday | 3 p.m. |
Source: Buffer