The podcast industry has grown significantly over the last few years thanks to the convenience it offers.
Unlike visual or written content, podcasts are easy to listen doing housework, at the gym, or performing other tasks in daily life.
A podcast is a collection or series of digital audio files that can be downloaded or played over the internet.
Podcast statistics indicate that they are an effective, portable and intimate way to create and deliver content.
Podcasts serve many purposes, but the main one is to occupy your audience. A podcast listener may subscribe to a podcast for several reasons, including hearing updates and breakdowns of current events or connecting with a like-minded community.
From a creator’s point of view, a podcast can be used to make money online by monetizing your content.
Plus, the best part is that it is one of the best side hustles, as there is no need to release a new episode every day.
Let us have a look at 30 Vital Podcast Statistics that will help you stay updated about the podcast market and make more informed decisions about your own podcast. Here you go:
Key Podcasts Statistics
- There are around 424 million podcast listeners worldwide.
- The United States accounts for 47.9% of podcast listeners, followed by the United Kingdom with 6.3% and Canada with 5.0%.
- More than 104 million Americans listen to the podcast regularly.
- 28% of Americans listen to podcasts every month.
- 38% of the monthly podcast listeners in the United States are 12+.
- 43% of listeners in the U.S aged between 35 to 54, and 19% are 55+.
- 26% of people listen to podcasts between 10 AM to 2 PM, while 25% do in the morning.
- In the U.S, 68% of podcast listeners are white.
- The female podcast listenership reached a record high in 2021.
- Only 65% of the listeners listen to the whole episode.
- 49% of the podcasters listen at home, 22% while driving, 11% at work, and 8% while exercising.
General Podcasts Statistics
Here are 30 Vital Podcast Statistics:
1. 79% of the U.S. population is familiar with the concept of podcasts
As podcasts are becoming more common in their general references to more traditional media, a vast majority of Americans have been exposed to the term.
According to Infinite Dial’s 2022 report, 79% of the population is now familiar with the concept of a podcast, which is up from 75% in 2020, and 78% in 2021.
2. More than 160 million Americans have listened to a podcast
According to podcast statistics from Infinite Dial, 162 million American citizens above 12 have listened to a podcast in their lives which is enormous compared to the number of podcast listeners in the world, which is an estimated 424 million.
However, it is an increase from 57%, the percentage of the same statistic in 2021.
3. 41% of the population in the U.S. listen to podcasts monthly
According to an estimate, in 2020, 37% of the American population older than 12 listened to a podcast monthly.
This percentage went up to 41% in 2021 and is anticipated to increase further by the end of 2022.
4. 28% of Americans listen to podcasts once a week
28% of the American population listens to or watches a podcast every week. About 22% of Americans above 12 listen to the podcast once a week.
Listener statistics podcasts suggest that podcasters are becoming mainstream, and the number of weekly listeners has been increasing every year since 2013.
5. Podcast Listeners are 51% of Americans between the age of 12 and above
51% of Americans above 12 have listened to podcasts, Edison Research statistics said, which is 144 million podcast listeners.
According to a survey in 2019 by Statista, it has numbered, 86 million Americans listen to podcasts at least occasionally.
6. 22% of the listeners prefer comedy as a genre
According to podcast popularity statistics, comedy is the most popular podcast genre in the United States, preferred by 22% of the listeners.
The news comes second with 21%, followed by true crime with 19% and sports with 17%.
7. 65% of people listen to the whole episode
A survey conducted by MIDAS showed that almost 65% of podcast listeners listen to the whole episode. In addition, 68% of the listeners listen to all the downloaded episodes.
8. With 37.5% of podcast users, Apple podcasts hold the number one spot
As of September, Apple Podcast holds the number one spot in the order of popularity with 37.5% of all podcast listeners and 44,542,138 podcast downloads, followed by Spotify with 27.4% of listeners and 32,604,227 downloads. To see the list of all podcasting platforms in order of popularity, click here.
9. There are 4,058,150 podcasts registered worldwide
According to podcast statistics from Podcast Index, there is a total of 4,058,150 podcasts registered around the world. This number is 8% less than 4,449,115 recorded in2021.
The reason is that the Podcast Index has tautened the eligibility criteria to be a valid podcast.
10. 50% of the podcasts are 20-60 minutes long
Podcast duration and publishing frequency can vary, but in general, 50% of podcasts have a running time of 20 to 60 minutes. 15% of the podcast episodes are shorter than 10-minutes, while 17% are longer than 60 minutes.
When it comes to publishing frequency, 19% of podcasts publish 15 to 29 days, 34% publish 3-7 days, 40% publish 8-14 days, 6% between 1-2 days, and only 1% more than 30 days.
11. 30% of the podcast listeners search the internet to discover new podcasts
According to the latest Podcast discovery trends, different listeners use different methods to find new podcasts.
30% turn to the internet to find a new podcast, 19% as friends and family for recommendations, 17% rely on social media, 6% use host recommendations, and 7% take suggestions from other audio programs and advertisements.
12. 81% of podcast listeners tend to pay more attention to ads than they do on T.V.
The latest podcast advertising statistics from Business Insider revealed that 81% of the listeners say podcast ads are difficult to ignore, and they notice ads more on the podcast than on Tv, radio, billboards, and other mediums of advertising.
This is because commercials are faultlessly united into the program and are usually read by the host.
13. The Ad revenue from podcasting to top $2 billion in 2022
According to a new forecast from trade group PWC and IAB, the ad revenue from podcasting is expected to grow 47% and hit 2 billion by the end of this year.
The industry hit $1.45 billion in 2021, showing 72% annual growth. The U.S. podcast revenue is poised to continue double-digit growth to an estimated $4.2 billion in 2024.
14. 60% of the podcast listener purchase something from a podcast ad
Podcasts are one of the most effective marketing tools for both businesses and big-name brands.
The efficacy of the medium can be judged by the fact that 60% of podcast listeners have admitted to buying something from a podcast ad.
69% of the consumers say that podcast ads increase their awareness of brands and products.
15. Around 2 million podcasts are registered with Google
There are 440 million blogs on Tumblr alone. Why are podcasts slower than blogs?
Length statistics of podcasts show that only 2 million podcasts are registered with Google, suggesting that consumers are not interested in podcast episodes anymore because they find them lengthy and uninteresting.
16. 61.1 million American households are a fan of podcast music
Music is the most popular podcast genre among Americans. Around 61.1 million users are in America who like the podcasts and watch or listen to these podcasts regularly as well.
According to podcast popularity statistics, other major podcast genres, such as technology, science, politics, art, games, sports, business, and religion, statewide it, is popular with 49 million households.
17. 58% of South Korean citizens listen to podcasts
Podcast listeners are rapidly increasing in South Korea. Around 58%of the population listens to podcasts monthly, and two of three Koreans are podcast fans.
According to a 2018 study, Podcasts are also famous in Spain, with 58% of citizens listening every month.
18. Podcast listeners are 68% more likely to graduate
Podcasts are becoming more and more popular among educated people. Podcast listeners are 45% more likely to earn a college degree.
Looking at the gender gap in podcasting and education, according to Podcast Analytics, female podcast users are more educated and earn more than the entire population.
19. Podcasts offer 10% off on everything millennials listen to
Millennials are passionate about podcasts! And why shouldn’t they? Podcasts fit accurately into their daily lives, granting them to listen to the latest episodes of their favorite shows anytime, anywhere. Most famous podcast platforms let users browse or download podcasts, music, and videos.
20. In 2018, 34 million women listened to a podcast
As per the latest podcast growth rates, podcast popularity among women is not far behind men. Podcast viewing statistics said that the number of female podcast users in the United States is increasing speedily and possibly reaching 34 million.
21. About 26% of podcast listeners get a speed boost when listening to a podcast
According to the latest podcast statistics from Statista, 26% of podcast listeners increase the speed of the podcast to finish it sooner.
They have a lot of podcasts to listen to, so the majority of users use apps like Apple podcasts and Spotify to increase their speed.
22. Morning is the peak time for Podcast listening
According to the survey by MIDAS, podcast listening peaks in the morning between 8:15 to 11:15 AM. 26% of people listen to podcasts between 10 AM to 2 PM, while 25% in the morning.
23. 90% of podcast users select listening to podcasts at home
Podcasts attract consumers because they are available on demand, meaning you can listen anytime, anywhere. More than 90% of podcast listeners prefer listening to podcasts at home.
Other famous places among Americans are cars and trucks (64%), gyms (43%), and work (37%). According to 2019 podcast statistics,49% of podcast users listen to podcasts while walking.
24. 50% of Americans do their work while listening to podcasts
According to podcast statistics from Edison Research, more than half of Americans (52%) listen to a podcast while doing work or daily chores.
About 59% listen to a podcast while doing house chores, 52% while driving, 51% during cooking, and 44% during a walk or exercise.
25. Weekdays are the best days to release your podcast
Can you tell me the best day to release a podcast? As per podcast marketing specialists, weekends are the days with the fewest downloads because most consumers download the episodes on weekdays.
26. 50% of Americans think podcasts are “too long”
As per statistics from Edison’s research, the reason why some of the American population doesn’t listen to podcasts is the length of the podcast.
For instance, gaming podcasts have longer episodes than business or education podcasts.
While the average podcast is 43-minutes and 24 seconds long, the most popular podcast was 53 minutes long.
27. A podcasts listener spends an average of 6 hours listening to a podcast every week
A few years ago, people used to spend an average of 5 hours listening to podcasts per week, but in 2018, the listening time increased drastically up to 32%.
Now, podcast listeners spend approximately 6 hours and 37 minutes listening to podcasts per week.
28. 50% of Americans listen to podcasts to relax
According to the same stats by Edison Research, about 50% of Americans have a habit of listening to podcasts while going to bed as they help them get relaxed and fall asleep quickly. Podcast listeners declare that podcasts are a great way to relax. About 50% go to bed listening to their favorite shows.
29. 79% of podcast listening hours from mobile phones
Mobile phones have always been the most preferred device to listen to podcasts among Americans. Mobile phones account for 79% of the podcast listening hours, followed by laptops (15%), and tables with 6%
30. Podcasting is getting popular among older listeners
While older citizens only account for 55% of podcast listeners, the popularity of this medium is growing at a lightning-fast speed.
In 2011, only 14% of the population older than 55 listened to a podcast monthly, which increased to 21% in 2021.
Shefali Jain is a Content Editor & Writer at National Planning Cycles.
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes.