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2026 Data

YouTube Shorts Statistics 2026

The most comprehensive collection of YouTube Shorts data — daily views, engagement rates, creator monetization, demographics, ad revenue, and content performance stats with verified sources.

200B+

Daily Shorts views worldwide

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

Last updated: 2026-02-01

YouTube Shorts Views & Growth

YouTube Shorts has seen explosive growth, surging from 15 billion daily views at launch to over 200 billion in 2025.

200B+

Daily Shorts views worldwide as of 2025.

+186%
vs 2024 (70B)

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

2B

Monthly active users watching Shorts — ahead of TikTok (1.59B).

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

175.1M

US users who watched Shorts in 2025.

Source: Statista 2025

72%

YouTube users who watch Shorts weekly.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

5T+

Total cumulative Shorts views since launch through mid-2024.

Source: Variety 2024

74%

Shorts views that originate from non-subscribers — powerful discovery engine.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

YouTube Shorts Daily Views Over Time (Billions)

From beta launch to 200 billion daily views in just four years.

YouTube Shorts Engagement & Retention

YouTube Shorts leads all major short-form video platforms in engagement rate.

5.91%

Average engagement rate — highest among short-form platforms.

Source: Statista 2025

73%

Average viewer retention rate across all Shorts.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

76%

Completion rate for 50–60 second Shorts — the highest of any length.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

14 min

Average Shorts session length, with 12–18 videos per session.

Source: Awisee 2025

2.52%

Average watch rate for Shorts content.

Source: Socialinsider 2025

16.9

New subscribers gained per 10,000 Shorts views on average.

Source: Adam Connell 2026

10%

Share of total YouTube watch time attributed to Shorts in the US.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

0.05%

Average comment rate as a percentage of views.

Source: Socialinsider 2025

Short-Form Video Engagement Rate by Platform

YouTube Shorts leads TikTok and Instagram Reels in average engagement rate.

$60B+

Total YouTube revenue in 2025 (ads + subscriptions) — larger than Netflix.

YouTube ad revenue hit $11.38 billion in Q4 2025 alone, with Shorts now generating more revenue per watch hour than traditional long-form content in the US.

Source: Variety / Alphabet Q4 2025 Earnings

YouTube Shorts Revenue & Monetization

$11.38B

YouTube ad revenue in Q4 2025, up from $10.47B in Q4 2024.

+8.7%
vs Q4 2024

Source: Alphabet Q4 2025 Earnings

22%

Share of YouTube's total ad revenue from Shorts monetization in 2025, up from 15% in 2024.

+46.7%
vs 2024

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

45%

Creator revenue share from Shorts ad revenue (YouTube keeps 55%).

Source: YouTube Help 2025

$0.01–$0.07

RPM per 1,000 Shorts views — varies heavily by niche.

Source: Adam Connell 2026

10×

RPM premium for finance Shorts vs comedy/lifestyle content.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

43%

US ad buyers who include Shorts in their campaigns.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

YouTube Quarterly Ad Revenue (Billions USD)

YouTube's ad revenue continues to grow as Shorts monetization matures.

YouTube Shorts Creator Economy

6.5M+

Creators uploading Shorts every month.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

52M

Total channels that have uploaded at least one Short.

Source: YouTube / Adam Connell 2026

750K+

Channels that earned from Shorts in the first year of revenue sharing.

Source: TechCrunch 2024

25%+

YouTube Partner Program creators who now monetize via Shorts.

Source: TechCrunch 2024

80%+

Creators who joined YPP via Shorts criteria now using other monetization features too.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

76%

Creator income from brand deals and affiliate links — not YouTube ads.

Source: Awisee 2025

YouTube Shorts Content & Performance

910M+

Total Shorts videos hosted on the platform.

Source: Adam Connell 2026

25M

New Shorts uploaded every month.

Source: Awisee 2025

50%

Year-over-year growth in channels uploading Shorts (Q1 2024).

Source: Alphabet Investor Relations Q1 2024

95%

Shorts created by individual creators vs brands.

Source: Tubular Labs via Adam Connell 2026

50–60s

Optimal Shorts length — achieves 76% watch-through rate and 1.7M avg views.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

41%

Faster channel growth for creators who combine Shorts with long-form.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

YouTube Shorts vs TikTok vs Reels

How YouTube Shorts stacks up against TikTok and Instagram Reels in key metrics.

MetricMetricYouTube ShortsTikTokInstagram Reels
Monthly Active UsersMonthly Active Users2B1.9B1.8B
Daily ViewsDaily Views200B+~34M uploads/day200B+ plays
Avg Engagement RateAvg Engagement Rate5.91%5.75%5.53%
Retention RateRetention Rate73%78%65%
Max Video LengthMax Video Length3 min10 min3 min
Creator Revenue ShareCreator Revenue Share45%$0.40–$1 RPMBonus-based
Viewer Gender SplitViewer Gender Split58% M / 42% F54.5% M / 45.5% F51% F / 49% M

YouTube Shorts Viewers by Age Group

The 25–34 age bracket is the largest Shorts audience, followed closely by 35–44.

YouTube Shorts Key Milestones

2020

YouTube Shorts beta launches in India in September 2020 with 15-second max videos.

2021

Shorts expands globally in March. $100M Shorts Fund announced in May. Goes live in 100+ countries in July.

15B daily views

2022

Daily views double to 30 billion. Shorts added to tablets and mobile web.

30B daily views

2023

Shorts Fund replaced with YPP revenue sharing (45% to creators). Surpasses 50B daily views.

50B daily views

2024

70B daily views reached. Max length extended to 3 minutes. 5 trillion cumulative views milestone.

70B daily views

2025

Shorts surpasses 200B daily views. Generates more revenue per watch hour than long-form in the US. YouTube total revenue exceeds $60B.

200B+ daily views

YouTube Shorts Discovery & Channel Growth

60%

Fast-growing channels that rely on Shorts for discovery.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

+44%

Channel growth increase after six months of consistent Shorts posting.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

75%

Shorts views that come from outside the creator's country.

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

96%

Shorts views consumed on mobile devices.

Source: Awisee 2025

18–22

Shorts per month published by top-performing creators (average is 7/month).

Source: Loopex Digital 2026

192M

Projected US Shorts viewers by 2027.

Source: Statista 2025

YouTube Shorts Engagement by Content Category

Humor and entertainment drive the highest engagement rates on Shorts.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Sources

  1. Loopex Digital — YouTube Shorts Statistics 2026
  2. DemandSage — YouTube Shorts Statistics 2026
  3. Statista — US YouTube Shorts Viewers 2027
  4. Statista — YouTube Shorts Engagement Rate
  5. Variety — YouTube 2025 Revenue Exceeds $60 Billion
  6. 9to5Google — Alphabet Q4 2025 Earnings
  7. Music Business Worldwide — YouTube Q3 2025 Ad Revenue
  8. Awisee — YouTube Shorts Statistics 2025
  9. Adam Connell — 35 YouTube Shorts Statistics 2026
  10. Socialinsider — TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts Study
  11. TechCrunch — 25% of YouTube Partners Monetize via Shorts
  12. YouTube Help — Shorts Monetization Policies
  13. Alphabet Investor Relations — Q1 2024 Earnings Call
  14. Tubular Labs via Adam Connell — Creator vs Brand Shorts
  15. Affiliate Booster — YouTube Shorts Statistics 2026
  16. Zebracat — 100+ YouTube Shorts Statistics 2025

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