There are over 4.25 million podcasts worldwide.
That is very huge.
Over the years, podcasting has grown, with Spotify being the top platform for podcast hosts.
Podcasting has become a great way for people to share their opinions and build an audience, where they share ideas and talk about various issues.
But there’s more to these podcasts.
I gathered a full list of amazing podcast statistics revealed in this article. These statistics will show you the latest insights and trends about podcasts.
Complete Podcast Statistics to Know in 2023
General & Global Podcasting Industry Statistics 2023
So, we begin with a general overview of the podcasting industry.
- Currently, over 4.25 million podcasts are registered. Apple Podcasts accounts for over 2.6 million podcasts and over 87.6 million podcast episodes.
- According to the latest available data, there are 504.9 million podcast listeners worldwide.
| Year | Number of Listeners | Increase on Previous Year |
| 2019 | 274.8 million | |
| 2020 | 332.2 million | 20.90% |
| 2021 | 383.7 million | 18.70% |
| 2022 | 424.2 million | 10.60% |
| 2023 | 464.7 million | 9.60% |
| 2024* | 504.9 million | 8.7% |
- It is predicted that there will be over 100 million active podcast listeners in the U.S. in 2024.
- Data from Podcast Industry Insights shows that Apple Podcasts has 2,688,650 valid podcast editions, with 94 million individual episodes.
- South Korea is the country where podcasting is most popular.
- September 30th is International Podcast Day.
- According to Grand View Research, the global podcast industry is expected to be worth $130.63 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 27.6%
It is worth noting that the number of active podcasts differs from this figure.
In the podcasting industry, “active podcasts” denotes podcasts that Java released one episode in 90 days.
A podcast is deemed inactive when its shows have ended, been retired, or put on hold.
Podcasts with non-frequent posting schedules are also seen as inactive.
As expected, dead and pod-faded names belong in this category as well.
- Based on this metric, the data shows that active podcasts comprise 17.62% of valid podcasts. Inactive podcasts hold 82.38% of the valid proposals.
Podcasting Consumption & Listener Statistics
Now that we know how many podcasts are available, we must investigate listeners’ facts.
This section breaks down podcast listeners across several top countries, providing more insights into how the industry is growing in these markets.
And the names that seem to be moving the most figures.
- South Korea had the highest percentage of people who had listened to podcasts in 2019, with 58 percent of the population.
While Spain, Sweden, Australia, and the United States followed, with 40%, 36%, 33%, and 33%, respectively.
- In 2018, the number of podcast listeners in the United States reached 75 million, and it is predicted that the number of monthly listeners will hit 164 million in the year 2024, with the compound annual growth rate between 2019 and 2023 pegged at 17 percent.
Source: Statista
Podcast Download Statistics & Numbers
When you launch your podcast, hardly any statistics matter to you, like download numbers.
You want to know how many people you’re reaching and how your audience grows over time.
Since download numbers are always accessible, many podcast hosts have become borderline obsessed with their podcast growth and download numbers.
- Buzzsprout’s Platform Stats page shows 109.67 million episode downloads, with Apple accounting for the most on its platform.
- The United States is Buzzsprout’s biggest market, with 44.5 percent of its downloads – more than the remaining countries comprising the top five combined.
- The Apple iPhone has the most podcast episode downloads, accounting for 62.7%.
- Buzzsprout’s data also shows that the top 1 percent of podcasts receive 4,842 downloads in the first seven days after an episode is released.
- The top 5 percent receive 1,104 downloads in their first 7 days, while the top 10 percent receive 475 downloads.
On the other hand, Podcast.co states that the metric that matters most to podcast advertisers is the number of downloads new episodes get within the first 30 days.
Hence, below are the industry average download stats after 30 days for a podcast episode:
- If your podcast episodes get more than 124 downloads in 30 days, you’re in the top 50% of podcasts
- If your episodes get more than 1,000 downloads, you’re in the top 20%
- If your episodes get more than 2,900 downloads, you’re in the top 10%
- If your episodes get more than 6,700 downloads, you’re in the top 3%
Podcasting Statistics by Country
Podcasting Statistics in the U.S.
- According to Edison’s Infinite Dial data, 83% of Americans know about podcasts and podcasting. It is estimated to increase to 84% in 2024
- 64% of Americans have also listened to a podcast at some point. This will rise to 67%
- 48% of men and 45% of women will be monthly podcast listeners., a rise from 46% and 39% respectively.
- The number of weekly podcast listeners in the U.S is estimated to rise to 98 million by 2024, that is 34%
- Monthly podcast listening in the United States is now at 42%, rising to 47% in 2024
- According to the Share of Ear Report, the most time spent listening to podcasts happens from 10 am to 2 pm (26%) and just narrowly above the time spent in mornings (25%)
- Out of the 33% of non-podcast listeners, 16% say they are unaware of podcasts, and the remaining 17% are aware of podcasts but don’t listen to them.
- Also, 20% of podcast listeners say they haven’t listened in the past month. And 13% say they have listened in the last month but not in the last week.
Podcasting Statistics in the U.K
The United Kingdom is another primary market for podcasts. 32% of UK adults listen to podcasts monthly
One of the top insight providers for the region is the MIDAS survey, provided by the Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR).
It examines how different forms of audio content are consumed across the region and the appropriate demographics.
- Smartphones are the most preferred device for listening to podcasts in the United Kingdom. 78% of consumers use smartphones to stream their podcast episodes
- 9% of listeners in the country use desktops and personal computers
- 2% of listeners use digital music players in the UK
- 5% use a tablet to listen to podcasts in the UK
- 3% percent use speakers
- 93% of podcast listeners do so alone
- 63% actually listen to more than half of their downloaded podcasts
- 10% of UK podcast listeners prefer to listen while doing household chores
- A majority (62%) of podcast listeners in the U.K. do so from home
- 8% of listeners in the UK prefer to listen to podcasts while at work
- 12% of listeners in the UK like to listen while in public transit
- In the UK, 12% of listeners prefer to listen in private vehicles
- Comedy is the most favored genre for podcast listeners
- 80% of podcast listeners listen to 1-3 episodes weekly
- Most UK podcast listeners discovered new podcasts through word of mouth
Podcasting Statistics in Australia
- Edison Research data noted up to 9 million monthly podcast listeners in Australia. This is 43% of the total Australian population over 12 years old.
- Out of the 9 million, 7 million were weekly listeners
- The weekly podcast listeners listen to an average of 5 episodes weekly
- 87% of listeners do so at home, while 64% of people listen in their vehicles as well
- In Australia, 66% listen to podcasts through Spotify. 61% use YouTube to listen to podcasts
- 86% of podcast listeners in Australia listen to audio-only podcasts
Podcasting Statistics in India
- According to Statista, India is estimated to have had 1 billion smartphone users in 2023.
- Monthly podcast listeners in India rose to 71 million in 2020 – up from 35.4 million in 2017
- A survey shows that over a quarter of Indians listen to podcasts daily. Another 25% do so quickly.
- 80% of podcast listeners in India use their mobile phones, with the remaining percentage listening via their computers and tablets
Podcasting Advertising Statistics
Thanks to the rise in their popularity, podcasts have become an effective tool for advertising.
Brands use several podcasts to raise awareness about their products and services, mainly focusing on podcasts they know will engage their target audience.
This marketing strategy has proven to be relatively effective thus far.
Here are some statistics that you might find interesting:
- Data from Statista shows that ad spending on podcasts most likely hit $2.28 billion in 2023
- WebFx reports that the average podcast ad slot costs between $12 and $15,000
- A report estimates that podcast revenues from ads should crack $1.8 billion this year
- The Midroll Recall Survey shows that 80% of podcast listeners can recall the brands they interact with via podcast ads.
- Another Midroll report states podcasts generate about 400 percent more brand recall than pop-up, scroll, and status ads.
Podcast Popularity Statistics
Podcasts come in different shapes, names, and forms.
You get several options that can easily improve your listening experience and make the entire journey fun.
So, what are some of the top and most famous names available?
While it is challenging to find information, Edison Research provided a survey of about 10,000 active podcast listeners.
The survey sought to identify the 50 largest and most popular podcasts by audience size.
This podcast measurement service tracks podcast networks’ comparable demographics and audience sizes.
According to Edison Research, the top 10 podcasts in the U.S available right now are the following:
| Podcast Name | Host |
| The Joe Rogan Experience | Joe Rogan |
| Crime Junkie | Audiochuck |
| The Daily | The New York Times |
| Stuff You Should Know | iHeartPodcasts |
| DatelineNBC | NBC News |
| New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce | WSE Originals |
| This American Life | This American Life |
| This Past Weekend with Theo Von | Theo Von |
| The Ben Shapiro Show | The Daily Wire |
| Smartless | Wondery |
The most popular podcast publisher worldwide is IHeartPodcasts, which has about 377 million unique streams and downloads.
Podcast Genres Statistics
Like every form of content, podcasts are divided into genres based on their topics.
While some podcast genres are broader, others have a narrower focus.
- Recent research from Nielsen shows that Music is the most popular podcast genre for light listeners (those who don’t listen daily)
This market can’t be ignored because light listeners make up 53 percent of Music podcast listeners.
- The other top genres for light listeners include Arts (52%), Health and Fitness, and Education (51%)
- On the flip side, heavy podcast listeners are more interested in History (37%), Current Affairs and News (36%), and True Crime (36%)
Genres By Age
- Nielsen reported that the median age for podcast listeners is 38
- The company added that the median age for News and Comedy podcasts are 40 and 35, respectively
However, they are considered the most popular podcast genre for adults in general.
In fact, News and Music podcasts account for about 8 percent of all podcast viewers by age.
- Going even further, Nielsen reported that Comedy is the most popular podcast genre for adults between 18 and 34
- The other genres in the top 4 are News, Society & Culture, and True Crime, respectively.
- For older listeners (those above 55), News is the most popular. Comedy, Arts, Education, and Society & Culture follow it.
- The share of 12-34-year-olds who listen to podcasts monthly in the U.S. is 50%
- As of 2023, 42% of Americans ages 12 and older have listened to a podcast in the past month, according to “The Infinite Dial” report by Edison
Genres By Gender
- As for gender, Nielsen reports that men hold more of the podcast market share, accounting for 55 percent of all listeners.
- The report adds that several genres have considerable levels of equality regarding listeners.
These include Fiction (perfectly split, 50-50) and TGV & Film (52% men, 48% women).
- Men unsurprisingly account for a staggering 81 percent of all Sports podcast listeners.
- Women account for 77% of Kids & Family podcasts. Health & Fitness also has 63% of all listeners being women.
Genres By Time and Location
- The 2020 study found that 47% of podcast listeners at home are likelier to listen to Comedy podcasts.
This data correlates with Comedy being the most popular genre for day listeners.
It is also the top genre for listeners engaged between 10 AM and 12 PM on weekdays, with 44% of day listeners reporting that comedy is their top genre.
- 46% of listeners between 12 PM and 3 PM also said they listen to Comedy podcasts.
- Unsurprisingly, News podcasts are the top option for listeners between 6 AM and 10 AM on weekdays.
Podcast App & Listening Platforms Statistics
The podcast market has become increasingly decentralized…
Different platforms provide an opportunity for you to open your podcast after following a few steps.
Let’s take a look at some of these platforms to see how they’re performing:
Spotify Stats
- Spotify has become a podcast host’s most popular landing spot, especially this year. A report from eMarketer shows that the service is expected to hit 28.2 million monthly listeners and become the most popular platform for podcasts in the United States.
- In 2023, Spotify was the most commonly used app for listening to podcasts in the United States, with a 21% increase in audience share since 2021, despite Apple Podcasts having the most downloads.
Spotify has enjoyed a significant increase in listeners since signing an exclusive deal with Joe Rogan to host the latter’s popular podcast.
“The Joe Rogan Experience.” Rogan’s podcast is the most popular worldwide, raking in millions of listeners, so it was a perfect match.
iTunes & Apple Podcast Stats
- The same eMarketer research estimates that Apple Podcasts will see 28 million monthly podcast listeners in 2021
As the research company explains, Apple Podcasts has seen a primarily declining market share.
Because the service has failed to keep up with Spotify’s innovation and investment in its podcast offerings.
Google Podcast Statistics
Google Podcasts is essentially the third option for anyone looking to break Apple Podcasts and Spotify’s duopoly.
- There isn’t much data on the platform, although a report shows that 3.6% of podcast listeners use it.
| Platform | Percentage |
| Spotify | 33.7% |
| Apple | 27.6% |
| iHeartRadio | 6.2% |
| Google Podcasts | 3.6% |
| Chrome | 2.8% |
| Amazon Music | 2.7% |
| Alexa | 2% |
| Castbox | 1.5% |
| Stitcher | 0.8% |
| Overcast | 0.6% |
| Pocket Casts | 0.6% |
| Podcast Addicts | 0.5% |
| Other | 17.4% |
Stitcher Podcast Stats
- The Statista report also showed that Stitcher holds 6% of the podcast market.
Stitcher isn’t overly popular, with the service struggling in a market dominated by big names like Apple and Spotify.
However, it remains a top choice for many podcast hosts and does its best to keep up with the industry giants.
Final Thoughts
Podcasts are trending and lots of businesses and influencers are taking advantage of this trend to reach hundreds of people.
The podcast statistics show that podcasting connects people by sharing ideas, stories, and conversations.l
Whether you’re tuning in during your daily commute or binge-listening on a lazy weekend, podcasts continue to enrich our lives and expand our horizons.
If you are planning to start your podcast, use these statistics to make informed decisions.
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