29 Engaging UK Youtube Statistics for 2022

Have you ever wondered how many people use YouTube in the UK? As per the latest statistics, 97% of British adult internet users access YouTube, making it one of the highest-reaching social media sites in the country. 

Interested to find more about this online video-sharing platform? 

Then take a look at some of the fascinating YouTube statistics we have collected for you.

10 Fascinating UK YouTube Statistics to Be Aware of in 2022

YouTube Usage Statistics in the UK

1.In the UK, 97% of adult internet users watch YouTube.

(Ofcom)  

Over the last three years, more than 95% of adult internet users in the UK watched content on YouTube. However, as of 2020, the number of YouTube active users increased to a whopping 97%, showing that this platform has a remarkably high reach among users and marketers. 

2. YouTube is the highest reaching video-sharing platform in the UK.

(Ofcom)

YouTube has more than 42 million unique visitors in the UK. Even though this is an impressive number, this social media site’s actual reach is even higher. This becomes particularly evident when we consider how many people watch YouTube videos embedded on other social media like Facebook and Twitter.

3. Youtube is the leading website for arts and entertainment in the UK. 

(SimilarWeb) (Alexa)

According to Alexa, it is the second most visited site in the United Kingdom, with a considerable amount of traffic and views. What’s more, in the arts and entertainment, movies and streaming category, SimilarWeb ranks YouTube as the UK’s most visited video platform, beating Netflix and  Sky. 

4. The UK ranks 3rd globally in terms of total Youtube views.

(Medium) 

On the list of the top 25 countries by the number of YouTube views, the UK ranks third with 390 billion accumulated views, right behind the USA and India. When it comes to the total number of subscribers, however, the United Kingdom comes in fourth place with a total of 817 million subscribers. 

5. Adults in the UK watched 168 billion YouTube videos in 2019.

(Ofcom) 

2019 Youtube video statistics reveal that adults in the UK watched a total of 168 billion videos on the platform. This translates to over 4000 videos per adult YouTube user or about 11 videos per day. Fascinating, isn’t it? 

6. How many videos are uploaded to YouTube?

(Ofcom)

Estimates show that 16% of children and 9% of adults who use YouTube create and upload content on the platform once a week. 

49% of adults who post on video-sharing sites cite sharing experiences with friends and family as their primary motivation. 12%, on the other hand, say they do it to spread an important message, while 3% see the creation of video content as their full-time job. 

7. How much time do Brits spend on YouTube?

(Ofcom)  

As of September 2019, UK adult internet users spend an average of 29 minutes on this video-sharing platform, Youtube statistics and data reveal. 

Individuals aged 18 to 24 spend the most time on YouTube—twice as much as the average internet user, or 65 minutes per day. Since lockdown was enforced in the UK, time spent on YouTube by young adults increased drastically, going up to 1 hour and 32 minutes per day.

8. In the UK, Youtube is more popular with men.

(YouGov) (Ofcom) (Business of Apps)

An analysis of Youtube channel demographics in the UK shows that:

• Among online users in the United Kingdom, with 83% positive opinion, YouTube is more popular among men than women (78% of which have a favourable opinion about this platform).
• A higher proportion of boys than girls aged 8-15 watch videos at least once a day (82% vs 77%).
• Although Youtube is popular across all income categories, more significant YouTube usage is noticed among the higher earners — 85% of those who make over £48k are YouTube users. 
• Youtube usage is higher among Brits living in urban areas. 81% of people living in towns and cities are users, Youtube data and figures show, compared to 72% of those in rural areas.

9. 18 to 24-year olds are the biggest users of YouTube in the UK. 

(SQ Digital)

YouTube has the highest success among the younger demographic in the UK, with an incredible 97% of young adults, aged between 18 and 24, using the platform. Older generations are not lagging, either as research indicates that 96% of 25 to 34-year-olds use YouTube.

10. In the UK, YouTube is most popular with millennials and Generation X.

(YouGov) 

According to Youtube analytics and surveys by YouGov, this site is well-liked by all age groups in the UK. However, millennials seem to be the biggest fans of the platform—it’s ranked as the most popular website within this age group. What’s more, 74% of Gen Xers have a positive opinion of YouTube, as do 77% of boomers in the UK. 

11. 54% of children logged on to YouTube at least several times a day during the lockdown. 

(Ofcom)

More than half of children aged 3 to 18 said they visited YouTube a few times a day during the coronavirus lockdown, which is 9% more than the same period last year. 

Ofcom’s 2020 report also reveals the following YouTube facts and data: 

• 80% of children reported watching videos on the platform at least once a day.
• 44% of kids have bought an item connected to their favourite YouTuber, most commonly video games, magazines, or clothes.
• 25% of 8 to 15-year old children watch YouTube Kids.
• The number of children under 13 years of age who want to become a YouTuber when they grow up increased by 19% since 2018.
• 75% of parents monitor their children’s use of Youtube. 

Youtuber Facts and Stats in the UK

12. Brothers Vlas and Nikita were the richest YouTubers in 2020.

(YahooFinance)

With just a webcam, a winning personality and some fascinating videos, the two brothers aged four and six earn quite a lot of money on YouTube. They came on the top of YouTube rich list for 2020, making an estimated £240,500 per video and gaining over 34.5 million subscribers. Next on the list are Dude Perfect with £231,800 per video and six-year-old Anastasia Radzinskaya earning £197,700 per video.

13. Ed Sheeran’s YouTube channel has the most subscribers in the UK.

(SocialBlade)

From cooking shows and live streaming to music and educational videos, YouTube has millions of channels on every topic. 

However, based on Youtube channel stats by Social Blade, Ed Sheeran tops the list with 46 million subscribers, followed by One Direction (34 million subs) and NoCopyrightSounds (29 million subs).

Not only is his channel incredibly popular, but so are his videos. In fact, with a total of 21 billion views, Ed Sheeran dominates the most-watched list, ranking much higher than DanTDM with 17 billion views and Mister Max with 11 billion views. 

14. One of the Body Coach Joe’s videos tops the most-watched list for 2020. 

(TheGuardian)

Joe Wicks’ live-streamed, children-friendly PE classes took Britain by storm during the first lockdown. In fact, Youtube view stats show that the first day of Joe Wicks’ PE with Joe was seen by 7.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched video of 2020, apart from music videos and film trailers. 

The list of the most-watched videos for 2020 also includes content by influencers, moments in sports, tutorials and other trending YouTube videos from various categories. 

15. Entertainment and how-to videos are the most popular content on YouTube in the UK.

(Ofcom)

The most common reasons for accessing YouTube are watching entertainment and how-to videos. Broken down by age, Youtube statistics show that music and funny videos are the most popular among 16 to 24-year-olds. On the other hand, the most trending content watched by over-35s is “how-to” tips and tutorials — 57% of 35 to 54-years-olds watch these videos as do 62% of those aged 55 and over.

16. SONG  is the most searched term on YouTube in the UK. 

(DataReportal)

Searches for YouTube music, games, and tutorials are first on the list when it comes to interests.  The ten most common terms that British YouTube audiences searched throughout 2019 include Song, Songs, Music, and Fortnite. Brits also searched for terms like Baby, ASMR, Pewdiepie, Peppa pig, Minecraft, and Baby shark. 

17. Less than 50 YouTube channels with over 10 million subs come from the UK. 

(tubics)

How many YouTube channels are there with more than 10 million subscribers? Out of the 700 channels that already have over 10 million subs, more than 220 come from the US. The UK, with less than 50 of the most popular channels, along with India, Brazil, and Mexico makes up the top five countries of origin for these channels.

YouTube Watchtime Statistics in the UK

18. YouTube has 9.91 daily page views per visitor. 

(Alexa)

Youtube view stats show that this site is ranked second in the UK, with an average of 9,98 daily page views per visitor, and an average visit duration of 17 minutes 42 seconds. According to Alexa, Google still dominates as the most popular website with 17,11 page views per visitor. 

19. 42% of UK YouTube users access the platform every day. 

(Business of Apps) (Social Films)

Both in the UK and the US, less than half of YouTube users are DAUs (daily active users). In Great Britain, 42% of people who go on YouTube do so every day. On the other hand, Facebook has a slightly higher share — 44% of Brits are Facebook daily active users.

Youtube Gaming Statistics

20. PewDiePie is the most subscribed gaming channel on Youtube.

(SocialBlade)

Judging by Youtube view count, there is an influential community on the platform around the video games culture. The most widely known gaming channel is UK-based PewDiePie with a million subscribers in the last month alone. On top of that, his estimated channel earnings are between $342K-$5.5M per year. Sounds good, right?

21. Minecraft is the most streamed game on Youtube.

(YouGov)

Raking in 100.2 billion views, Minecraft attracts a massive player-based YouTube audience. In fact, the most-watched Youtube gamer in the UK, PewDiePie, got over 570 million views in July 2019 just because of this video-game. 

Youtube facts and figures show that the second most-searched game in the UK was Fortnite with 60.9 billion views, while Roblox, gaining 29.6 billion views, came in third.

22. Over a third of young adults watch gaming videos on YouTube and Twitch every month. 

(Ofcom)

15% of adults and 37% of 18 to 24-year-olds watch gaming videos on YouTube, Twitch or other video-sharing platforms. However, YouTubers who post gaming videos attract a massive audience in the UK by complementing their channels with different types of content. This leads to PewDiePie reaching 5% of all online adults (including gamers) and TheDiamondMinecart having a reach of just under a million British internet users in 2019. 

YouTube Ad Statistics

23. YouTube revenue in the UK was £851 million in 2019.

(Ofcom)          

With British users generating millions of views, Youtube advertising has had a beaming success. 

In 2019, the platform earned over $15 billion globally (over £10 billion) in advertising revenue, while estimates put the platform’s ad revenue in the UK at £851 million. 

24. YouTubers can earn up to six-figures.

(Ofcom) (The Guardian)

For some YouTubers, each video means money in the bank. For instance, Ryan Kaji made £22 million in 2019 in Youtube channel earnings alone. Not to mention an additional $200 million (£146 million) through the sale of branded toys and clothing. And guess what? He is only 9.

25. Only 1% of British households subscribe to YouTube Premium.

(Ofcom) 

YouTube Premium, introduced in 2018, enables viewers to watch videos without ads as well as access original content for about £12 a month. In the UK, though, this service generates a very small share of YouTube’s revenue as only one per cent of households actually subscribe to it. 

26. Carwow is the biggest brand channel.

(SocialBakers)

Given the massive reach of Youtube, some UK’s brands took advantage of emerging opportunities to promote themself. The top-ranked brand channel with the biggest number of subscribers and video views is Carwow with 3,140,000 subs. Next in line are Smyth Toys Superstores with 771,000 and SceneScreen with 410,000 subscribers.

YouTube Mobile Statistics

27. 73% of the British adult online population use the YouTube app on their smartphones.

(Ofcom)

According to Ofcom’s latest report, eight in ten adults aged 16+ in the UK use smartphones, and the majority (73% or 27.2 million) watch YouTube content on them. Since the YouTube app is pre-installed on Android devices, YouTube has a higher reach on Android (80.5%) than on iOS (62.5%).

28. YouTube is the third most downloaded non-gaming app, Youtube data reveals.

(Ofcom) 

In 2019, Youtube was the UK’s third non-gaming app based on consumer spending, both on iPhones and Androids. This means that it was one of the three most popular applications from more than 4.8 million apps available across the Google Play and App stores. 

29. YouTube is the 7th most popular iPhone app.

(SimilarWeb)

It’s impossible to imagine our day without our trusty tech. And now more than ever, with COVID-19 forcing millions of people to turn to entertainment and streaming sites, we turn to our phones. Among the top 20 free iPhone apps downloaded from the Apple Store, YouTube is at number seven, ahead of the ultra-popular Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Bottom Line

YouTube is one of the most visited social media sites in the UK, providing an opportunity for millions of users to be entertained, get creative and share experiences. Amid the 2020 pandemic, the search for entertainment, connection and occupation at home has resulted in YouTube’s videos views reaching new heights and attracting an even bigger audience. 

Hopefully, these Youtube statistics were insightful about the network’s presence and its influence in everyday life. Who knows, they might even inspire you to create and upload a video of your own.