35 Latest Podcast Statistics for 2024: Users, Facts and More

If you're looking for a powerful way to attract high-paying clients, podcasting is a great choice. The BEST part of podcasting is that people can listen even while working or commuting to work.

You want to know how many people listen to podcasts and other statistics interesting on podcasts? 

As of 2024, take a look at the popularity of the term “Podcast” (Google Trends);

The podcast's popularity is growing rapidly, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you know why ? You can listen to the podcasts on any device, be it a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

What are podcasts?

Podcasts are audio or video recordings that are usually released on platforms like Spotify, YouTube, etc. They can be thought of as pre-recorded radio programs dealing with a specific topic, such as marketing, fitness, lifestyle, travel, real estate, etc.

In this article, we will talk about;

• statistics listening to podcasts
• how many podcasts are there
• Podcast ad revenue numbers and more

Are you ready ? Let's get into the details.

Table of contents ☰

Podcast Statistics [Latest Data & Trends for 2024]

Podcast Listener Statistics

here are some statistics recent news about podcast listeners around the world.

1. How many people listen to podcasts around the world?

In 2023, the number of podcast listeners worldwide reached 464,7 million internet users. The number of podcast listeners worldwide will reach 504,9 million by 2024, or approximately 23,5% of internet users. (Source: Statista)

Here is the evolution of the number of podcast listeners over the past two years.

• 2019: 274,8 million listeners (14,4% of internet users)
• 2020: 332,2 million listeners (16,5% of internet users)
• 2021: 383,7 million listeners (18,7% of internet users)
• 2022: 424,2 million listeners (20,3% of internet users)
• 2023: 464,7 million listeners (22% of Internet users)
• 2024* (projection): 504,9 million listeners (23,5% of internet users)

2. Which country has the most podcast listeners?

Statista reveals that Sweden has the highest number of podcast listeners (47%) out of the 54 countries surveyed.

Some of the most popular Swedish podcasts include

• Simple Swedish Podcast
• Sweden in Focus
• A Flatpack History of Sweden
• Swedish podcast for beginners (Lätt svenska med Oskar)
• Coffee Break Swedish
• Teach Me Sweden

3. Where do most people listen to podcasts?

According to the Discover Pods report, 79,8% of people listen to podcasts while driving. 69,3% doing housework and 58,9% in their free time.

As you can see above, most listeners listen to their favorite podcast shows during their daily commute. This is the MAIN reason for the rapid growth of podcasting in the world.

4. How many people listen to the entire podcast?

68% of podcast listeners listen to the entire episode. What's impressive about podcasts is that 70% of people listen to almost every episode they've downloaded. (Source: MIDAS survey)

5. What device do most people use to listen to podcasts?

The most common device for listening to podcasts is the smartphone (73%). Next comes desktop/laptop (13%). (Exploding Topics)

6. How many men and women listen to podcasts?

The majority of podcast listeners are men (53%). Women represent 46%. (Source: Exploding Topics)

Here is the distribution of the last years;

• 2019: Men (36%), women (29%)
• 2020: Men (39%), women (36%)
• 2021: Male 43%, female 39
• 2022: Men (41%), women (36%)

7. How many podcasts do people listen to per week?

82,4% of podcast listeners spend more than 7 hours a week listening to their favorite podcast listening app. 22,4% listen more than 22 hours a week – more than 3 hours a day. (Source: Discover Pods)

8. What is the value of podcast listeners?

According to Forbes, 45% of podcast listeners have household incomes over $250. They are also highly educated, with 000% holding a university degree and 45% a graduate degree.

If you plan to target people with a high level of education, you should definitely go for podcasting.

9. How do listeners discover new podcasts?

Edison Research reveals that 30% of new podcast listeners search the internet to find new podcast shows.

Here's how listeners discover new podcasts;

• 19% ask friends and family for podcast recommendations
• 17% use social media networks such as Twitter, Instagram, etc.
• Nearly 6% follow recommendations from podcast hosts
• Nearly 7% find new podcasts through ads on other audio programs.

Le SEO and word of mouth are TWO great strategies you can use as a podcast creator to find more audience.

10. Which countries are leading in terms of podcast listening or growth?

North America and Asia-Pacific have the highest podcast listenership. Furthermore, 58% of South Koreans listen to podcasts every month.

Interesting statistics on podcasts

Here is a list of interesting podcast statistics that will surprise you.

How many podcasts are there?

According to the Podcast Index, there will be approximately 4 podcast episodes in 281.

Here is the breakdown of the total number of podcasts;

• 314 podcast shows published (in the last 827 days)
• 397 podcast shows published (in the last 823 days)
• 453 podcast shows published (in the last 126 days)

2. What is the most listened to first podcast?

“The Joe Rogan Experience, hosted by Joe Rogan, is the most listened to podcast in the world.

Every episode of Joe Rogan is listened to by approximately 11 million listeners, and Joe Rogan is on podcasts with the likes of Edward Snowden, Mike Tyson, Elon Musk and more.

Here are some of the most popular podcasts in the world;

• The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan
• Call Her Daddy, Alex Cooper
• The Always Sunny Podcast
• Welcome to Our Show, Iheartpodcast
• Murder, Mystery & Makeup, Audioboom studios

3. What is the most popular genre of podcast?

“Comedy is the most listened to podcast genre in the United States (Source: Edison's Weekly Insights).

It is followed by;

• Society and culture
• News
• Crimes and misdemeanors
• Sports
• Professional

4. What languages ​​are most podcasts created in?

Most podcasts are in English (over 1,8 million podcasts). (Source: ListenNotes)

Here is the breakdown of podcasts by language;

5. What are the most popular podcast listening platforms?

Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the two most popular podcast platforms. In total, 1 in 4 podcast listeners use Spotify to listen to podcasts. One in five uses Apple Podcasts.

Here are some of the most popular podcast platforms;

• Spotify, with a market share of 25%
• Apple Podcast, with a 20% market share
• Google Podcast, with 16% market share
• Pandora, with a market share of 15%
• Audible, with a market share of 10%

6. How many people prefer podcasts to other channels?

28% of podcast listeners prefer podcasts over other types of audio content, including YouTube, FM radio, Spotify, etc.

Semrush also reveals that by 2024, it is estimated that there will be 100 million podcast listeners in the United States alone.

7. What percentage of people listen to podcasts to learn?

74% of podcast listeners listen to them to learn something new.

Here's a quick breakdown of podcast listeners;

• 71% listen to podcasts for entertainment
• 60% for keeping up to date with the latest topics and news
• 51% for relaxing
• 47% for feeling inspired

8. Do people prefer to hear new podcast episodes?

40% of podcast listeners prefer to listen to new episodes every 8-14 days. 51,1% of podcast listeners prefer podcasts with studio-quality sound. (The podcast host)

The Podcast Host also reveals that 49% of podcast listeners are happy to listen to podcasts that sound poor, as long as the content is quality.

9. Do podcast listeners pay for a podcasting service?

Yes, 21% of podcast listeners subscribe to a paid podcast service.

Nearly 30% of frequent podcast listeners are more willing to pay for a podcast service (such as Spotify or Apple Music) than occasional listeners. Additionally, 32,5% of podcast listeners said their favorite podcast platform was Spotify.

10. What is the ethnicity of podcast listeners in the United States?

58% of Americans are white, 13% African American, 18% Hispanic, 11% Hispanic and 4% Asian. There are also 17% of other ethnicities. (Source: Edison Research)

General Podcast Statistics

Here are some general statistics on the size of the podcast market, its growth, and more.

1. How big is the podcasting market?

According to Grand View Research, the global podcasting market size was valued at $23,75 billion last year and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27,6% from 2024 to 2030.

As you can see, the podcast industry is growing tremendously every year.

“Research and Markets estimates that the global podcasting market will reach $130,63 billion by 2030.

2. What kind of podcast has the biggest market share?

“Research and Markets reveals that the “news and politics” segment dominated with a revenue share of more than 27% of the overall market in 2022 and will grow at an average annual growth rate of more than 29% between 2024 and 2030.

He also estimates that Latin America will experience the fastest growth for podcasts, with a CAGR of over 37%.

3. What percentage of podcast listeners bought a product after hearing about a product advertised in a podcast?

Discover Pods reveals that 55,6% of podcast listeners are somewhat or more likely to consider buying from a brand after hearing their advertisement in a podcast.

Here's a quick breakdown;

• 86,5% – Listen to podcast ads
• 55,6% – purchased an item that was advertised in a podcast

4. What's the most important metric for podcast creators?

Here are the main metrics considered by most podcast creators;

• Produce a quality podcast: 97.7%
• Engaged listeners: 96.5%
• Publish podcasts consistently: 89.7%

Additionally, 73,8% of podcasters consider making money to be important, placing them fourth on the list of important metrics for most podcasters, according to Discover Pods.

5. What are the biggest challenges faced by podcast creators?

72,8% of podcast creators struggle with podcast discovery, 49,8% with podcast awareness, and 32,9% with poor podcast quality.

6. What is the advertising revenue from podcasts in the United States?

eMarketers reveals that specialists in marketing in the United States spent $1,3 billion on podcast ads, and that ad spending on podcasts is expected to exceed $2 billion annually by 2024. 

7. Is podcast advertising revenue increasing or decreasing each year?

Podcast ad revenue is growing faster (72%) than total internet ad revenue (35%). In case you're curious, podcast advertising revenue in the United States has surpassed the $2021 billion mark for the first time (in XNUMX) and is growing rapidly.

8. What are the trends in podcasts in Canada?

More than 9 million Canadian adults are monthly podcast consumers. 34% of Canadian adults and 46% of adults ages 18-49 have listened to podcasts in the past month.

Nearly 40% of Canadian adults have listened to a podcast in the past year. 28,58% of Canadian listeners earn $100 or more per year.

9. Do Indians listen to podcasts?

Yes, India is ranked third in the podcasting industry after USA and China. Currently, India has over 150 million podcast listeners.

According to Live Mint, the top three podcast genres in India are;

• Information policy (62%)
• Comedy and Entertainment (53%)
• Business and finance (47%)

If you're planning to target a very rapidly developing country, you shouldn't miss India's audience, which numbers over 1,4 billion people.

Which countries are growing podcasts the fastest?

Podcasting is growing the fastest in the following 5 countries:

• Chile +83,9
• Argentina +55,3
• Peru +49.1%
• Mexico +47,8
• China +43,6

Fascinating facts about podcasts

Looking for podcast facts? This section is for you.

1. Who named it “podcast”?

The term 'podcast' was coined by BBC journalist Ben Hammersley in February 2004, combining the words 'iPod' and 'broadcast'. It was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2005.

2. What is the average length of a podcast episode?

Most podcasts (31%) are between 20 and 40 minutes long.

Here's the length breakdown of most podcasts (according to Buzzsprout)

• 15% of podcasts are less than 10 minutes long
• 14% last between 10 and 20 minutes
• 22% last between 40 and 60 minutes
• 17% last more than 60 minutes

3. When do most people listen to podcasts?

According to a MIDAS survey, most podcast listeners listen to them more in the morning than at any other time.

Here is the schedule breakdown;

• Podcast listening peaks between 8:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. (EST).
• Other popular times for podcasts are between 11 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. and then 17:30 p.m.

4. Why do people start podcasts?

38,4% of people start podcasting as a hobby. (Source: The Podcast Host)

Here are other common reasons to start a podcast;

• Build a personal brand (21%)
• Develop a business (19,7%)
• For a cause (13,8%)
• For employers (7,1%)

5. What software do most podcasters use to create podcasts?

The Podcast Host reveals that 48% of respondents use Audacity to edit their podcasts, with Adobe Audition coming in second (31%).

6. What is the percentage of people listening to podcasts in the car?

By 2024, approximately 32% of people aged 18 and over listen to a podcast in a car every month. (Explosive topics)

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FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about podcast statistics and user growth.

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Final thoughts

There is no doubt that the podcast industry is growing year on year. It is multi-billion dollar and will reach over 500 million podcast listeners worldwide by 2024.

If you're looking for the BEST way to reach your audience, podcasts are a great choice.

What do you think about the popularity of podcasts and the statistics mentioned here? Do you listen to podcasts? You have questions ? Please let us know in the comments.