Hey there! Have you ever wondered what country has the most Twitch users? As an avid Twitch viewer myself, I was curious to dig into the data and find out.
In this post, I‘ll give you a detailed breakdown of Twitch usage globally so you can see exactly where this live streaming platform is most popular. Let‘s get right into it!
Contents
United States: Twitch‘s Single Biggest Market
First, the answer to our question: What country uses Twitch the most?
It‘s the United States by a massive margin!
The US currently has over 36 million monthly active Twitch users. To put that into perspective, that‘s more than the entire population of countries like Canada or Poland using Twitch every month!
America‘s share of the total Twitch pie is around 20% of all users worldwide. The next biggest country, Germany, has just 7.11% of users in comparison.
Clearly the US is Twitch‘s most vital market right now. But why exactly is Twitch so big in America versus other countries?
A few key reasons:
- Early Access: Twitch is an American company and was able to gain users here first before expanding globally.
- Population Size: With 330 million people, the US has the 3rd largest population worldwide. More people = more potential Twitch users!
- High Incomes: Americans have more disposable income to spend on gaming and Twitch subscriptions compared to most of the world.
- Gaming Culture: Games and esports are ingrained in US pop culture, especially among teens and millennials (Twitch‘s core demo).
Based on current growth trends, Twitch could have over 37 million American users by 2025. I don‘t see any other country catching up to the sheer market size of the US anytime soon.
Now let‘s look at some of the other top countries using Twitch globally and what makes them important markets.
Germany: Twitch‘s #2 Market in Europe
While still far behind the United States, Germany represents Twitch‘s 2nd largest country market with around 7.5 million MAU.
For a deeper perspective, here‘s a breakdown of key Twitch usage stats for Germany:
- 34 million total gamers and rising, providing a huge addressable audience
- 350,000 attendees annually at Gamescom, the world‘s largest gaming convention held in Germany
- 775,000 followers on the official German Twitch channel
- Top German streamers like MontanaBlack88 (3.2 million followers)
- 91% of households connected to broadband internet
Germany has a strong foundation supporting Twitch growth: a large gaming population, increasing esports engagement, high internet access, and influencers creating German language content.
However, Twitch faces tough competition from YouTube Gaming in Germany. Securing exclusive streaming deals with popular esports teams and personalities in Germany will be important for Twitch to gain market share versus YouTube.
South Korea: Twitch‘s Portal to Asian Markets
South Korea punches well above its weight class on Twitch with around 4.53% of total users. That amounts to over 4 million Korean MAU – very significant for a country of just 51 million people!
Here are some of the key factors making South Korea such an important Twitch market in Asia:
- Highest average internet speed globally at 110 Mbps – ideal for live streaming
- Massive esports culture and major esports leagues like LCK
- 1.4 million followers for top Korean streamer DjSwan3
- PC bang gaming culture exposes youth to Twitch and streaming
However, Twitch faces intense competition in Korea from local platforms like AfreecaTV. Winning exclusive streaming rights for top Korean esports personalities will be crucial for Twitch to lock in users versus rival services.
But thanks to its early foothold in Korea and highly engaged youth audience, this market will continue to be vital for Twitch in Asia.
Canada: A Key Driver of English Content
While smaller than the US, Canada is still a valuable Twitch market thanks to its shared language and proximity to America.
Some compelling data points on Twitch in Canada:
- Top Canadian streamers have huge international audiences like xQc (3 million followers)
- Esports organizations like Luminosity Gaming are based in Canada and help develop new streaming talent
- 92% internet penetration and 85% broadband access enables Twitch usage nationwide
- 36% of internet users in Canada use Twitch – the highest usage penetration rate globally based on population!
So while the total number of users is smaller than other countries, Canada has cultivated one of Twitch‘s most engaged mainstream audiences relative to its population size. Plus Canadian streamers get the benefits of reaching both domestic users and expanding their audience to the massive US market.
United Kingdom: Twitch‘s Largest Market in Europe
The United Kingdom is home to an estimated 3 million MAU on Twitch – the largest user base in Europe.
Several factors help explain Twitch‘s popularity in the UK:
- English content reaches global rather than just domestic audiences
- Strong gaming and esports culture among younger generations
- High disposable incomes to pay for subscriptions and donations
- 92% broadband penetration rate enabling access to streaming
Additionally, Twitch tailored its platform to Britain through Twitch.tv/uk – featuring locally relevant streamers and content.
Top British streamers like Syndicate (10 million followers) have given Twitch a thriving community creating content for worldwide viewers. While other large European markets like France and Spain use Twitch, the UK is definitely #1 in the region for user base size.
Taiwan: A Small but Mighty Twitch Market
With only 24 million people, Taiwan is one of the smaller Twitch markets on our list. But Taiwan punches far above its weight class with an estimated 3 million MAU.
That works out to 11% of the total Taiwanese population using Twitch – insanely high market penetration!
What helps explain Taiwan‘s Twitch obsession?
- 85 Mbps average internet – among the fastest speeds globally
- $11 million esports market and massive popularity of competitive gaming
- Top Taiwanese streamers like ckkos44444 (530K followers) catering to local fans
- Official Twitch Taiwan site with localized content
Esports‘ integration into Taiwanese pop culture and blazing fast internet has created the perfect storm for Twitch to thrive in this market. Taiwan has cultivated one of Twitch‘s most engaged user bases relative to population size.
Key Takeaways on Twitch‘s Country Markets:
- The United States far and away has the most users, but smaller countries like Taiwan have higher market penetration indicating more engaged audiences.
- Fast, ubiquitous internet and gaming/esports cultural integration drives Twitch adoption more so than total population.
- Localized content and influencers help boost Twitch in non-English speaking markets.
- YouTube Gaming is Twitch‘s biggest competitor in multiple large markets like Germany.
- Political factors like internet restrictions in Russia limit Twitch‘s opportunities in certain otherwise-promising markets.
As Twitch expands globally, effectively tapping into different local gaming cultures and internet economies will be key to continued growth. But no one is catching up to America‘s user base anytime soon!
I hope you found this deep dive into Twitch by country super interesting. Let me know if you have any other questions on Twitch usage globally!
