Podcast Industry research summary. Podcasts are a great way to spend your free time, whether you’re preparing for bed or driving to work. They’ve also become surprisingly popular in recent years, despite all of the options for entertainment these days.
So, if you’re someone who wants to know more about podcasts, or a podcaster yourself, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about the podcast industry. According to our research:
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There are 464.7 million global podcast listeners.
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62% of US adults have listened to podcasts before.
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There are over 5 million active podcasts globally.
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The total number of podcast episodes globally is 70 million.
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The market value of the podcasting industry is $21.4 billion as of 2022.
For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways: Listener Frequency | Listeners | Podcasts
How many people listen to podcasts?
Podcasts are very popular in 2023, with the majority of Americans having listened to one in their lifetime. To find out more about how many people listen to podcasts in the US and around the world, here are some essential facts:
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177 million people listen to podcasts in the US.
That’s an estimated 38% of the global share of people who listen to podcasts, showing just how popular they are in the US.
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78% of Americans are aware of podcasts.
And given that 62% have listened to one before, it’s impressive that the vast majority who’ve heard of them have also listened to them.
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Since 2019, the number of people who listen to podcasts globally has increased by 69%.
In 2019 there were an estimated 274.8 million people around the world who listened to podcasts. That number has increased steadily every year, and is expected to reach over 500 million by 2024.
Global podcast listeners over time
Year Number of global podcast listeners 2019 274.8M 2020 332.2M 2021 383.7M 2022 424.2M 2023 464.7M 2024* 504.9M -
Sweden is second behind the US for the number of podcast listeners, with 34.6% of all internet users listening to podcasts.
Among the top 5 countries by number of podcast listeners, the US is number 1, with 40% of internet users listening to podcasts. Then, after Sweden, Norway, Australia, and Canada are the next runner-ups.
Share of podcast listeners by country
Country Share of internet users who listen to podcasts United States 40.0% Sweden 34.6% Norway 34.2% Australia 33.2% Canada 32.8% Spain 30.0% Denmark 28.4% United Kingdom 27.9% Finland 27.6% Mexico 25.8%
Podcast listener frequency statistics
Podcast listeners are often in tune with their favorite podcasts monthly, or even weekly. Here are some interesting facts about how often listeners are engaging with their favorite podcasts:
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41% of US adults listen to podcasts monthly.
Another considerable amount, 28% are listening to podcasts weekly, and up to 10% are listening daily.
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35% of Americans who engage with podcasts are listening to more than 10 different shows per month.
Podcast listeners seem to like bouncing around between different podcasts. Likewise, 26% listen to 8 or more podcasts throughout the week.
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22% of podcast listeners are listening to podcasts multiple times per week.
This amounts to approximately 39 million Americans who are tuning into their favorite podcasts multiple times per week.
Podcast listener statistics
Podcast listeners come from a variety of background, and have an array of different interests. If you want to learn more about podcast listeners, here are some interesting statistics you should know:
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74% of podcast listeners want to learn new things.
Wanting to learn new things is the most common desire shared by podcast listeners, with other common motivations for listening including entertainment, keeping up to date, relaxing, and inspiration.
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50% of monthly podcast listeners are between 12 and 34.
Younger people are more likely to listen to podcasts, with half of all listeners being 12 to 34 years old. On the other hand, 43% are 35 to 54, and only 22% are 55+.
US podcast listeners by age
Age range Share of monthly podcast listeners 12-34 50% 35-54 43% 55+ 22% -
Americans spend an average of 9 hours and 3 minutes listening to podcasts weekly.
Even broken up daily, this would equate to over an hour of listening time each and every day. Luckily, many people are performing other important tasks while they listen to podcasts.
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65% of podcast listeners pay attention to advertisements.
Though ads are usually something people try to ignore, podcast listeners are actually more likely to pay attention. In fact, they report that they’re 33% more likely to pay attention to ads on a podcast as opposed to ads on other media.
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Podcast listeners are on the move, with 64% listening while in a car or truck.
Additionally, 49% listen while walking around, and 37% while commuting through other methods besides a car.
Share of podcast listeners listening on the move
Type of movement Share of podcast listeners Car or truck 64% Walking 49% Commuting 37% -
Podcast listeners like to multitask, with 59% listening while doing housework.
52% also like to listen while driving, and 50% tune in while cooking or baking.
Share of podcast listeners listening while multitasking
Type of multitasking Share of podcast listeners Housework 59% Driving 52% Cooking or baking 50%
Podcast statistics
Podcasts come in many shapes and sizes, from short audio recordings to long YouTube videos. Here are some examples of different types of podcasts and podcast statistics:
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22% of the top podcasts on YouTube include video.
Many podcasts only offer a static image for users, despite the fact that 57% of listeners say they prefer podcasts that include video.
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20-35% of podcast listeners stop listening after the first 5 minutes of a podcast.
Keeping the attention of podcast listeners for a long period of time can be difficult, as up to a third tune out after the first 5 minutes. This is why it’s so important for podcasts to start with a good hook.
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Around 60% of podcast listeners complete an episode.
That means that if you had around 100 listeners, approximately 60 of those people would stay for the whole duration of the podcast.
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34% of podcasts are 30-40 minutes long.
The length of podcasts can vary greatly, but 30-40 minutes is the average. On the other hand, only 7% of podcasts are less than 15 minutes, and only 3% are over an hour.
The average length of podcasts
Average length Share of podcasts 15 minutes or less 7% 15-30 minutes 24% 30-40 minutes 34% 40-50 minutes 23% 50-60 minutes 9% 60+ minutes 3%
Podcasting FAQ
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How fast are podcasts growing?
Podcasts are growing fast, with 69% more listeners in 2023 than there were in 2019. More specifically, there were around 274.8 million podcast listeners in 2019, and there are 464.7 million in 2023.
Podcasts are growing especially fast in popularity with American audiences, as there was a 20% increase in 13+ listeners from 2021 to 2022.
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What percent of podcasts succeed?
Only around 20% of podcasts succeed year-over-year. With a flooded market and competition around every corner, it can be extremely difficult to produce a successful podcast.
In fact, there is a 50% chance your podcast will go “podfade,” where you stop uploading new episodes suddenly with no notice or explanation.
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What types of podcasts are most successful?
Comedy is the most popular type of podcast, with 22% of all listeners preferring it. It turns out people like having a good laugh while they’re commuting, multitasking, or relaxing.
Other popular types of podcasts include:
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News (21%)
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True Crime (18%)
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Sports (17%)
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Health and Fitness (17%)
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Religion and Faith (16%)
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Politics (16%)
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Self-help (15%)
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Investigative journalism (13%)
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Finance (13%)
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Is the podcast market saturated?
Yes, the podcast market is very saturated, with over 5 million active podcasts globally and 70 million podcast episodes. This large quantity of content available to listeners can make capturing attention very difficult for new podcasters, especially considering the nature of the audience.
Unlike music, which can be played in the background easily, listening to a podcast requires more of a listener’s attention. This, combined with millions of podcasts and a finite number of hours in a day, can make gaining traction very difficult.
Conclusion
Podcasts have been taking the world by storm, increasing in popularity with listeners by 69% since 2019. Today, there are over 5 million podcasts out there with over 70 million episodes, and these numbers continue to grow.
The podcast industry offers a unique opportunity for podcasters and advertisers to educate and obtain business from podcast listeners. After all, listeners admit they’re 33% more likely to pay attention to podcasting ads as opposed to ads on other forms of media.
However, the podcast market is ultimately very saturated in 2023, which might be good news for advertisers, but bad news if you want to become a podcaster.
References
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Statista – Number of monthly podcast listeners in the United States from 2013 to 2023
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Pew Research Center – How Americans use and engage with podcasts
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InsideRadio – Podcast Listening Time Jumps As More Listeners Are Now Tuning In Weekly.
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Digiday – Podcasters weigh the cost-benefit of producing video podcasts
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
