Podcasting is one of the hottest communication trends currently. Podcasts change the way influencers communicate with their audiences, businesses with their consumers, and so on.
Although podcasts have been around for over a couple of decades, the true wave of them came in the last six years, where the format has genuinely matured. The growth is aided by a variety of shows, celebrity engagement, financing from huge corporations like Spotify, Apple, and the advent of technology that increases awareness, such as Alexa and google homes.
As the market is booming and the ad revenue with it, it is a great time to enter into the field. Before that, you might want to know all the statistics associated with podcasting. It will give you an edge over the competition and help you grow.
If you are reading this article, you are already ahead of most people. We have gathered all the latest and updated facts and figures about podcasting in one place. Keep on reading to know more.
Podcast Statistics at a Glance
1.) People spent 15 billion hours listening to podcasts globally in 2022. This surpassed the record of 12 billion hours of streaming set in 2019.
2.) Between 2018 and 2022, the number of podcast listeners climbed by 29.5 percent.
3.) Podcasts are preferred by 28% of listeners over other audio formats
4.) 20% of individuals streamed to podcasts at least once a week in 2022.
5.) Around 18% of individuals claim to be listening to more podcasts now than they were seven years ago.
6.) The number of podcast listeners in the United States is expected to reach 100 million by the year 2024.
7.) The second most common reason individuals do not listen to podcasts is a lack of time.
8.) 32% of people learn about new podcasts through word of mouth and internet research.
9.) 75% of podcast listeners stream in order to learn something new.
Podcast Statistics In Depth
10.) There are over 2 million podcasts globally (Podcast Insights)
There are 2.4+ million podcasts with 66+ million episodes between them as of 2023. This is a rather remarkable increase, given that there were around 500k active podcasts in 2018.
11.) 78% of American citizens are familiar with podcasts. (Podcast Insights)
Comparatively, in 2006, only over 20% of the population in the United States was aware of podcasting. In 15 years, 78% of the population has caught up.
12.) Six out of 10 USA citizens above the age of 12 stream podcasts. (Statista)
According to the most recent poll from Statista, done in 2022, approximately 6/10 (57%) individuals over the age of 12 in the United States had listened to at least one podcast.
13.) 41% of citizens of the US stream podcast at least once every monthly (Statista)
41% of the adult US population streams podcasts at least once a month as of 2023, this is a slight increase from 2022, where the rate was up 37%.
14.) Sweden is the leader in podcast consumption (Statista)
Sweden ranks #1 out of 54 nations in terms of podcast consumption, with 47% claiming to have listened to at least one episode in the previous 12 months, This poll undertook 1000 to 6000 people from each country for the study.
However, nations with such high populations are rare and farther between, Only Ireland and Brazil, in addition to Sweden, have more than 40% of people listening to podcasts.
15.) Nations Where podcasts are growing at the fastest rate
| Nation | % of growth |
| Chile | +84 |
| Argentina | +55.3 |
| Peru | +49.1 |
| Mexico | +47.8 |
| China | +43.6 |
16.) Podcasting is known by 91% of Australians. (Infinite Dial)
The majority of Australians are aware of podcasts. 91% of Australians over the age of 12 have heard of podcasting as per a study in 2022.
What’s more amazing is that 20% of those who responded to the study said they Stream podcasts daily. Nearly a quarter of respondents said they stream podcasts at least once a week.
17.) The Most Popular Podcast Listening Device is the smartphone (Edison Research)
In the United States, around 79% of podcast listeners use smartphones. PCs and laptops are preferred by one-fourth of all podcast listeners, which is most likely the group that listens to podcasts through their web browsers. Tablets come in third with 6%.
18.) Most podcast listeners stream to learn new things (Statista)
Education is at the top of the listening category. Nearly 75% of podcast listeners in the United States claim they listen to podcasts to learn new topics.
19.) 65% of podcast listeners stream the entire episode. (Infinite Dial)
What’s more amazing is that 68% percent of those listeners who save the episodes offline listen to practically all of them. Australian listeners have a lower percentage between them with only 57% of those polled saying they had listened to the whole episode.
Most people, on the other hand, didn’t take long to start listening to the episode they’d downloaded. Half of those polled said they listened to the program within 24 hrs of it being downloaded.
20.) Most podcasts are streamed during the first half of the day (MIDAS)
Podcast listening peaks between 08:15 to 08:30 a.m. Other popular hrs include 11:00 or 11:15 a.m., as well as 17:30.
21.) Podcasting Demographics in the UK and US (MIDAS & Statista)
Podcasting is slightly more popular among men in the United Kingdom. With 54% of men and 46% of women listening to podcasts in 2023.
The situation is similar in the United States. As of 2023, 51% of men and 46% of women listened to a podcast.
22.) Older listeners are becoming more interested in podcast listening.
While those over the age of 55 make up the smallest percentage of monthly podcast listeners, their numbers are rising. Only 14% of the US adult population over 55 years of age listened to a podcast each month in 2011. In 2016, the number reached 17%, and in 2022, to 21%.
During this time, the percentage of listeners aged 12-34 remained very constant. It barely rose by 4% between 2011 and 2022.
23.) Podcasts are accessible in over a hundred different languages.
That’s more languages than most social media platforms provide. It’s hardly unexpected, given that all that is needed to start a podcast is a tool to capture and edit audio, as well as a way to broadcast it.
This implies that anyone with something to say may simply create content everywhere there is a high-speed internet connection and reliable energy. Given the global development of internet connectivity and ease of broadcasting through Spotify and other platforms, one can only expect that podcasts are available in more languages.
24.) Preferable environment for podcast consumption. (Edison Research & MIDAS)
In the United States, 9 out of 10 podcast listeners claim they listen from the comfort of their homes. Meanwhile, 49% of people chose to listen to podcasts while walking.
FM radio still surpassed podcasts when it came to driving. Only 28% of people claimed they streamed podcasts while driving, while 81% chose radio services.
25.) Most popular podcast platforms in USA (Reuters Institute)
Spotify is the most extensively used podcast app, however, there is no clear number one. In recent years, a growing number of well-known podcasts have struck exclusive deals with specific platforms, causing many listeners to move between applications to listen to different podcasts.
| Platform | % of US podcast listeners using the platform to listen |
| Spotify | 25 |
| Apple podcasts | 20 |
| Google podcasts | 16 |
| Pandora | 15 |
| Audible | 10 |
| NPR One | 9 |
| Tune in | 8 |
26.) Most popular podcast platforms across the globe.
| Platform | December 2022 (%) |
| Spotify | 31.2 |
| Apple Podcasts | 31.1 |
| Google Podcasts | 2.4 |
| Castbox | 1.9 |
| Podcast Addict | 1.5 |
| Overcast | 1.1 |
| Apple iTunes | 1.1 |
| Pocket Casts | 0.8 |
| Amazon Music | 0.7 |
27.) Ad Revenues from Podcasts Are Predicted to Surpass $2 Billion in 2023 (eMarketer)
Advertisement-generated revenues are also rising along with the number of podcast listeners. In 2021, US marketers are expected to spend more than $1.3 billion on podcast advertisements. Furthermore, it is predicted to surpass the $2 billion mark in a couple of years and reach around $3 billion in 2025.
28.) On average, eight podcasts listened to each week. (Infinite Dial)
weekly podcast consumers in the United States listened to an average of 8 podcasts.
Weekly podcast consumers in Australia on the other hand averaged 6 episodes.
29.) Podcast advertisements introduced Nearly 70% of listeners to new products or services.
As all marketers know, Increased brand or product recognition is the first step in growing sales. This is especially true when it comes to consumer items because it’s easy for people to stick to always utilizing the same things. With 69% of listeners claiming they had exposure to new brands and products through ads from podcasts, it is a great idea for marketers to invest in podcast advertising.
30.) What Are the Best Places to Look for Podcasts? (Adobe study & The podcast host)
As per a study Titled ‘Digital insights’ by Adobe, People find new podcasts to listen to mostly through charts and suggestions on their podcast listening application, word of mouth from friends, and promotions on other podcasts as well as social networking platforms or websites.
| How people find podcasts | % of people using the method |
| Search podcast application directory and explore the feature | 40 |
| Asking friends/word of mouth | 18.3 |
| Social Media or Online Forums | 15.2 |
| Google search | 13.6 |
31.) What Percentage of People Use Spotify? (Infinite Dial)
When considering the reach of podcasting, it’s important to consider Spotify’s rise as a well-known audio platform, as well as how this relates to the podcasting boom. Spotify has boosted monthly listening by USA citizens in general (24% of all individuals listened in the last month) and particularly by those aged 12-35.
In the previous month, 29% of adults in the United States (12+) listened to Spotify. These figures are up from 25% in 2021
32.) What Podcasting Software Do Producers Use?
Although podcasters use a wide selection of tools, one choice dominates the majority of podcast editing and recording: Audacity.
Audacity is used by 48% of podcasters, with Adobe Audition coming in second with 31%
33.) Apple Podcasts’ active podcasters have decreased. (My podcast reviews)
The figures of active podcasters came down to 548,447 (Dec. 2021) from 990k (Dec. 2020).
Here is an overview of the same
| Timeline | No of active podcasters on Apple Podcasts (in %) |
| Dec 2020 | 59 |
| Mar 2021 | 37 |
| Jun 2021 | 34 |
| Dec 2021 | 23 |
34.) Number of Podcasts on top two listening platforms (Spotify & Apple podcasts)
Spotify started podcasting three years ago with over 180,000 episodes in its library.
“Today, Spotify has 3.2 million podcasts, marking a 1,500 percent increase.
As of December 2021, there were 548,447 active episodes on Apple’s Podcast platform.
35.) Top 5 Popular podcasts on Spotify according to regions (December 2022)
- USA
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
- The Daily by THE NEW YORK TIMES
- Distractible
- Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
- United Kingdom
- The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
- The Rest Is Politics
- Ukrainecast
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- Devils in the Dark
- Australia
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- The Inspired Unemployed
- Crime Interrupted
- Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
- Global News Podcast by BBC
- Canada
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
- The Daily by New York Times
- Global News Podcast by BBC
- MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
- India
- Dear Teenage Me
- The Mythpat Podcast
- The Stories of Mahabharata
- Triggered Insaan Storytime
- Naallanaa Murukku – The RJ Balaji Podcast
36.) Top 5 popular podcast genres (Spotify)
Below are the top 5 most popular podcast genres among Spotify’s worldwide listeners:
- Society & Culture
- Comedy
- Lifestyle & Health.
- Arts & Entertainment.
- Education.
37.) Average duration and posting frequency of a podcast episode (Buzzsprout)
Average Duration
| Podcast Duration | % of Episodes |
| < 10 minutes | 15 |
| 10-20 minutes | 15 |
| 20-40 minutes | 30 |
| 40-60 minutes | 21 |
| More than 60 minutes | 18 |
Average posting frequency
| Days | Frequency of publishing (in %) |
| 0-2 | 6 |
| 3-7 | 36 |
| 8-14 | 40 |
| 15-29 | 17 |
| More than 30 | 1 |
More Miscellaneous Podcasting statistics at a glance
38.) The number of podcast consumers in the United States of America is expected to reach 100 million by 2024.
39.) 18% of individuals claim to be listening to more podcasts now than they were seven years ago.
40.) The majority of podcast listeners are between the ages of 12 and 24.
41.) People like to listen to podcasts between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Podcast listening peaks between 08:15 to 08:30 a.m.
42.) Monthly podcast listeners with a household income of $100K-$150K make about 17% of the total.
43.) A college degree is held by 28% of monthly podcast listeners.
44.) A full-time employment is held by 51% of monthly podcast listeners.
45.) When businesses are advertised on their favorite podcast, 17% of listeners are more likely to consider them.
46.) 70% listen to podcasts while doing nothing else, while 59% listen to while performing housekeeping or other tasks.
47.) The majority of consumers (58%) say they listen to between 75% to 100% of the podcasts they download.
48.) Around 22% of podcast listeners are subscribed to 70+ podcasts.
49.) 10% of listeners prefer smart speakers for podcasts.
50.) 6% of males listen to sports podcasts on a daily basis.
51.) 7% of individuals use podcasts as a source of news on a daily basis.
52.) In the United Kingdom, comedy is the top genre for 40% of female listeners, while music is the top genre for 34%.
53.) The most popular podcast genre in the United Kingdom is news and weather, with 48% voting for it.
54.) On a weekly basis, 24% of the Danish population listens to podcasts.
55.) If given the option, 58% of listeners will skip podcast advertisements.
56.) When given the option, 25% of listeners would pay for an advertisement-free podcast membership.
57.) Podcast commercials, according to 40% of consumers, are less invasive than other sorts of ads.
Related Read:
Conclusion: 57+ Podcast Statistics: [2023]
That brings us to the end of our collection of podcast statistics and facts. Podcasts are already hugely popular, but they’re just going to get bigger. Especially given how much money advertisers are pouring into the medium.
Not only is the podcast audience vast and increasing, but they’re also appealing. The majority of podcast listeners are young and educated, and they are typically receptive to advertising. This is especially important for podcast advertisements.
If you are a podcaster, marketer, or just a nerd who is here to know the latest facts and figures, we hope we were of help. Keep checking our space for more.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does the Podcast industry is growing?
Podcast listeners are growing very fastly, it has grown 30% in the last three years. There are currently 120 million people listening in the US and more than 400 million listeners are from worldwide.
What percentage of the population listens to Podcasts?
According to the current survey, there are 65% of US people listen to podcasts and 80% are familiar with this medium.
How can we measure Podcast performance?
Podcast performance is measured by the number of downloads for each episode, engagement rate, total download, and website traffic.
