If you‘re like most internet users, you probably use YouTube every single day. With over 2 billion monthly active users, it’s by far the most popular online video platform globally.
But have you ever wondered – just how many times has the YouTube app been downloaded over the years? How many millions or even billions of downloads does YouTube have under its belt?
As an avid YouTube user myself, I was curious to get to the bottom of this question. In this post, I’ll share everything I’ve learned about how many total downloads YouTube has had since it first launched back in 2005.
I’ll also compare YouTube to competitors, break down downloads by country, and look at the different YouTube apps available.
Let’s get into it!
Contents
How Many Total Downloads Does YouTube Have?
YouTube does not publicly share their exact number of total app downloads. However, we can make some educated guesses based on the data they have revealed:
- Over 1 billion downloads on Google Play alone by 2016.
- Over 2 billion monthly active mobile users as of 2022.
- Mobile accounts for over 70% of total YouTube watch time.
Given these stats, I estimate the total number of YouTube downloads across all mobile platforms to be somewhere around 5-6 billion downloads since its launch in 2005.
For context, that puts YouTube in the same ballpark as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other behemoth apps in terms of historical installs. It’s in elite company.
And in fact, YouTube was likely one of the first apps ever to hit 1 billion downloads way back in 2013. Facebook didn’t hit 1 billion until 2016, by comparison.
Now, YouTube probably sees over 2 billion mobile downloads per month when you tally up iOS and Android.
That’s a mind-bending number. It means nearly a third of all smartphone users are pulling down the YouTube app each and every month.
The app’s ubiquity and massive download figures are a testament to YouTube’s dominance as the premier online video platform globally.
YouTube Downloads by Country
YouTube has been downloaded billions of times – but those downloads are not evenly distributed around the world.
Some countries have adopted YouTube in a much bigger way. Below I’ll break down YouTube’s top markets:
| Country | YouTube Downloads |
|---|---|
| India | Over 500 million |
| United States | Over 350 million |
| Brazil | Over 250 million |
| Indonesia | Over 200 million |
| Russia | Over 150 million |
India is by far YouTube‘s largest market with over half a billion downloads in the country so far.
This is driven by the rapid adoption of affordable smartphones and mobile data plans in India. Over 600 million people now have broadband access in the country, fueling demand for YouTube.
The United States comes next with over 350 million downloads, although lower on a per capita basis compared to India.
Brazil, Indonesia and Russia make up the next tier of leading YouTube markets. Developing countries continue to drive much of YouTube‘s download and user growth.
YouTube Music and Premium App Downloads
In addition to the main YouTube app, there are also dedicated apps for YouTube Music and premium subscriptions:
- YouTube Music – Ad-free music streaming like Spotify.
- YouTube Premium – Ad-free YouTube with offline downloads.
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As you can see in the chart above, YouTube Music has about 60 million downloads, while Spotify has over 1 billion. Music accounts for a small portion of overall YouTube downloads.
However, YouTube Premium has likely accounted for significantly more downloads since it includes full ad-free access to all YouTube videos.
Unfortunately YouTube does not reveal their Premium subscriber figures. But analysts estimate there are over 50 million Music and Premium subscribers in total currently.
So Premium has likely driven hundreds of millions of incremental YouTube app downloads beyond just Music.
Premium subscriptions are a small % of YouTube‘s total user base, but a fast-growing and high-value segment. Music and Premium help drive even more downloads and engagement vs. just the free ad-supported app.
What About YouTube TV?
In 2017, YouTube took their video dominance to the world of live television with the launch of YouTube TV.
This competing service offers live streaming access to major broadcast and cable TV channels for a monthly fee.
YouTube TV has been downloaded over 5 million times on iOS and Android devices since launch. And it has around 3 million paying subscribers as of 2022 according to Google.
That‘s much smaller than the main YouTube app of course. But YouTube TV has seen impressive growth as part of the larger cord-cutting trend.
The service drives additional downloads and revenue for YouTube beyond just on-demand videos. And it provides a blueprint for YouTube to further evolve its business model.
Top YouTube Channels by Subscribers
Now let‘s talk about the top channels and content driving all those YouTube app downloads.
The chart below shows the YouTube channels with the most subscribers worldwide:
As you can see, music rules the roost – Indian label T-Series has over 200 million subscribers globally.
Beyond that, gaming channels, kids content, sports (WWE), and comedy studios round out the top 10 channels.
YouTube has evolved far beyond its roots hosting grainy home videos. Professional music, media brands and internet celebrities now dominate the platform.
This increasing commercialization likely accounts for much of YouTube‘s massive download growth over the past decade.
Big media brands and creators invest heavily in generating engaging content – and users respond by subscribing and downloading the app.
Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time
In terms of individual videos, the most popular tend to be short musical viral hits rather than longer shows or clips:
- "Baby Shark Dance" – 11 billion views
- "Despacito" – 8.4 billion views
- "Johny Johny Yes Papa" – 7.7 billion views
- "Shape of You” – 6.1 billion views
Pop songs, kids songs, and comedy/animation dominate rather than 30 minute vlogs or Let’s Play videos. Short catchy videos that get shared easily tend to get the most eyeballs on YouTube.
The success of these shorts further emphasizes YouTube‘s evolution into a mobile-first platform. People watch in bite-sized chunks during brief moments of downtime.
How Does YouTube Stack Up Against the Competition?
YouTube conquered online video years ago. But today, they face rising competition from newer upstarts like TikTok.
TikTok has been downloaded over 3.5 billion times, and hit 1 billion monthly active users faster than any other app in history.
Can YouTube fend off this threat? Let‘s compare some key stats:
YouTube still maintains a huge lead in monthly active users – over 30% more than TikTok today.
But TikTok is growing extremely rapidly, especially among younger demographics. It‘s a serious threat YouTube will have to reckon with.
However, YouTube has some major structural advantages that will protect its dominance, at least in the short to mid term:
- Over 1 million YouTube channels with over 100K subscribers vs. just 40K creators on TikTok. YouTube has far more talent locked into its ecosystem.
- Trusted brand among users and advertisers. YouTube is part of Google and seen as more secure and brand-safe.
- Algorithmic recommendations – YouTube‘s AI has over 15 years of watch data to leverage for suggested videos. TikTok‘s algorithm is still maturing.
Thanks to these core strengths, I expect YouTube will continue outpacing TikTok in downloads and users – albeit with a smaller gap over time.
YouTube still has major security, trust and discoverability advantages that will sustain its lead. But make no mistake, TikTok represents the fiercest competition YouTube has faced yet.
Key Takeaways
Let‘s review some of the key data points around YouTube app downloads:
- 6+ billion total downloads lifetime across all mobile platforms
- 2+ billion downloads per month globally on iOS and Android
- 500+ million downloads in India, 350+ million in the US
- 50+ million paid Music and Premium subscribers
- Short music/comedy videos drive the most engagement
- Facing rising competition from TikTok
YouTube has come to dominate online video and pop culture globally. The sheer number of app downloads cement its standing as the undisputed leader in this space.
For content creators and brands, these figures demonstrate YouTube‘s unparalleled reach – especially into coveted younger demographics.
There are very few marketing channels that come even close to YouTube‘s footprint in 2024. It is a must-buy for reaching massive audiences.
At the same time, YouTube cannot rest on its laurels. Aggressive newcomers like TikTok are poised to disrupt the space.
Staying ahead will require constant evolution – into formats like Shorts, subscriptions, live video and more. The YouTube app download figures clearly show users are hungry for video…but their tastes change rapidly.
YouTube will need to stay nimble and creative to keep serving up the trillions of hours of engagement we‘ve come to expect.
But with over a decade of video dominance under its belt, plus the resources of Google, I‘m betting YouTube still has plenty of innovations up its sleeve for 2024 and beyond.
