44 Must-Know Podcasting Statistics For 2024 (Detailed Analysis)

Looking for the latest podcasting statistics? We’ve got you covered.

In this post, we’ll be sharing 44+ interesting stats and facts about the podcast industry. 

We’ll cover the number of podcasts and podcast listeners globally and in select countries, the size of the podcasting market, the most popular podcasts and podcasting platforms, and a lot more.

First, let’s take a look at our top picks…

General podcasting statistics

We’ll start with some podcasting statistics that provide a general overview of how many podcasts there are and how fast the podcasting industry is growing.

1. There are over 3.3 million podcasts

That’s according to the Listen Notes database. It’s one of the most reliable sources as it does a good job of cleaning up the data to remove things like deleted podcasts and podcasts with no episodes.

However, it’s worth noting that other sources offer different figures. Podcast Index, for example, puts the total number of podcasts closer to 4.1 million.

Source: Listen Notes, Podcast Index

2. There are over 189.3 million podcast episodes

Again, this is according to the best data we could find, from Listen Notes.

Now we know how many total podcasts there are, and how many total episodes, some quick math tells us that…

Source: Listen Notes

3. The average podcast has around 57 episodes

That’s more than you might expect. But keep in mind that there’s a lot of variance. Some shows will have hundreds of episodes in their back catalog, while others might only have a handful.

Source: Tone Island

4. Over 222,000 new podcasts were started last year

That might seem like a lot, but it’s less than a fifth of the number of new podcasts that were started in 2020 (1.02 million).

The reason for the spike in 2020 probably had something to do with the pandemic, and it’s been falling ever since.

Source: Listen Notes

5. And over 38,000 podcasts ‘died’ last year

A podcast is classed as ‘dead’ if its RSS feed is deleted or if the podcaster hasn’t uploaded any new episodes for a sufficiently long time. 

Source: Listen Notes

6. The podcast market is worth $23.75 billion

This is according to industry estimates as of 2023. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27.6% and is projected to reach $130 billion by 2030. 

Source: Grand View Research

7. 83% of US citizens are familiar with podcasting

The vast majority of the population of the US is familiar with podcasting—237 million Americans, or around 83%—which shows that podcasts have become a ‘mainstream’ form of media. 

The table below shows the podcast familiarity in the US by year. As you can see, it’s grown steadily year-over-year for the past decade.

Year	Podcast familiarity in the US (as a % of the population)
2023	83%
2022	79%
2021	78%
2020	75%
2019	70%
2018	64%
2017	60%
2016	55%
2015	49%
2014	48%
2013	46%

Source: Edison Research

Podcasting around the world

Next, let’s look at some statistics that tell us how popular podcasting is in different countries and regions around the world.

8. Around 64% of podcasts are from the United States

The US is the top country for podcasts with around 2.1 million in total. That’s significantly more than any other region. 

See the table below for a full breakdown of the top 10 countries by number of podcasts.

Country	Number of podcasts	Share of total podcasts (approx. %)
Brazil	201,340	6%
Indonesia	143,569	4%
Germany	88,994	3%
France	69,039	2%
UK	55,055	2%
Spain	47,451	2%
China	35,626	1%
Japan	35,597	1%
Italy	34,704	1%

Source: Tone Island, Listen Notes

9. Sweden has the highest share of podcast listeners

According to data from Statista, 47% of surveyed people in Sweden said they’d listened to at least one podcast in the year before the survey, which is a greater portion of respondents than in any of the other 54 countries in the study.  

Ireland and Brazil also had a high podcast listenership share at over 40%.

Source: Statista²

10. Japan has the lowest share of podcast listeners

Only 5% of surveyed Japanese people reported listening to a podcast in the year before the survey, which is a lower portion of respondents than in any of the other 54 countries surveyed.

Source: Statista²

11. Around 61% of podcasts are recorded in English

There are almost 2 million podcasts recorded in English, which works out at around 61% of all podcasts. 

You can see a full breakdown of the top podcasting languages in the table below.

Language	Number of podcasts	Share of total podcasts (approx. %)
English	1,998,723	61%
Spanish	368,378	11%
Portuguese	212,298	6%
Indonesian	143,528	4%
German	92,760	3%
French	74,893	2%
Chinese	66,305	2%
Japanese	35,484	1%
Italian	34,725	1%
Russian	30,910	1%

Source: Tone Island, Listen Notes

Podcast listener statistics

Next, let’s look at some statistics that tell us more about the people who listen to podcasts. These stats tell us how many podcast listeners there are, what the top listening demographics are, how/when listeners find and tune in to podcasts, and more.

12. There are 504.9 million podcast listeners globally

It’s often said that ‘there are more podcasts than podcast listeners’. Well, that’s nothing more than a myth, as this statistic shows.

There are actually over 100x as many podcast listeners as podcasts—504.9 million, according to industry estimations. That’s up from 464.7 million (+23.5%) year-over-year. And it’s almost double as many as there were five years ago in 2019 (274.8 million).

Source: Statista¹

13. 64% of the US population has listened to a podcast in their lifetime

Almost two-thirds of the population of the US—around 183 million people—have listened to a podcast at least once before. That’s more than double the percentage of people in the US who had listened to a podcast a decade ago and shows just how rapidly the industry has grown.

The table below shows the change in listenership in the US over time

Year	Podcast listeners in the US (% of the total population)
2023	64%
2022	62%
2021	57%
2020	55%
2019	51%
2018	44%
2017	40%
2016	36%
2015	33%
2014	30%
2013	27%

Source: Edison Research

14. 42% of the US population are monthly podcast listeners

In 2021, 41% of people in the US reported listening to podcasts monthly. In 2022, that dropped to 38%. But in 2023, it shot back up to 42%

Furthermore, 31% of the US population are now weekly podcast listeners, compared to 26% in 2022.

Source: Edison Research

15. Men are more likely to regularly listen to podcasts than women

That is, at least in the US. 

46% of American men report listening to a podcast in the last month, compared to 39% of American women. This difference between genders has been consistent over the last few years.

Source: Edison Research

16. Those aged 12-34 are more likely to regularly listen to podcasts

55% of people in this age range in the US listened to a podcast in the last month, compared to 51% of those aged 35-54, and just 21% of those aged 55+.

Source: Edison Research

17. The average US citizen listens to 9 podcast episodes per week

That’s the average according to recent research. However, there’s plenty of variance: 19% of surveyed people report listening to 11+ podcast episodes per week, 24% report listening to 6-10, 16% report listening to 4-5, 16% report listening to 3, 14% report listening to 2, and 11% report listening to just 1 podcast episode per week.

Source: Edison Research

18. 84.8% of podcast listeners do so on their mobile

The vast majority (84.8%) of podcast listening happens on mobile. A further 9.3% use their computer to listen, 4.8% use an unknown device, 0.6% use a smart speaker, and 0.4% use a smart TV.

Source: Buzzsprout

19. 63.6% of podcast listeners listen on an Apple iPhone

Podcasts seem to be more popular amongst iOS users. 63.6% of people tune in on an Apple iPhone, compared to just 20% on an Android phone. 

Furthermore, 7.3% use a Windows computer, compared to 1.7% who use an Apple computer. 

Source: Buzzsprout

20. Weekdays account for 78% of podcast consumption

According to Spotify’s 2023 fan study, 78% of podcast streams on the platform happen between Monday and Friday. Only 22% of podcast streams happen on Saturday and Sunday.

Source: Spotify¹

21. Podcast listenership spikes at 8 AM and 5 PM

These are the two peak times for podcast streams identified in Spotify’s fan study. Unsurprisingly, these times happen to coincide with typical commuting hours, which brings us on to the next statistic…

Source: Spotify¹

22. 71% of podcast listeners like to tune in while commuting/traveling

According to a recent survey by Spotify, 71% of podcast listeners say they like to stream podcasts while they’re commuting. 71% also said they like to listen while doing chores, 43% said they like to listen while relaxing, and 34% said they like to listen while working out.

Source: Spotify¹

23. 73% of surveyed podcast listeners said they want more opportunities to interact with the hosts

Did you get that, podcast hosts? Almost three-quarters of those who listen to podcasts say they’d like more opportunities for host interaction. 

Source: Spotify¹

24. The top way listeners find new podcasts is by hearing about them on another podcast

54% of podcast listeners discover new podcasts when they hear about them on a show they already listen to, making this the top podcast discovery method. 

The second top method for podcast discovery is getting recommendations from friends/family (53%), the third is browsing Spotify (50%), the fourth is scrolling social media (42%), and the fifth is reading articles/blogs/newsletters (15%).

Source: Spotify¹

Podcasting benchmarks

These podcast statistics reveal useful benchmarks for podcasters to aim for, including the average number of downloads, new episode release frequency, and episode length.

25. The top 1% of podcasts get 4,988 downloads in the first week on average

That’s what you’re aiming for if you want your podcast to be uber-successful. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of how many downloads you can expect based on how popular your podcast is.

Success of podcast	Average number of downloads per week
Top 1%	4,988
Top 5%	1,120
Top 10%	480
Top 25%	120
Top 50%	31

Source: Buzzsprout

26. 31% of podcasts are 20 to 40 minutes long

This is the most common podcast length, and a good ballpark to aim for if you’re not sure how long your episodes should run for. 

A further 16% of podcasts are under 10 minutes long, while 15% are 10-20 minutes long, 31% are 20-40 minutes long, 21% are 40-60 minutes long, and 15% are over 60 minutes long.

Source: Buzzsprout

27. 38% of podcasts release new episodes at least once a week

7% of podcasts release new episodes every 0-2 days while 31% release new episodes every 3-7 days.

A further 40% of podcasts share new episodes every 8-14 days, 20% share new episodes every 15-29 days, and 2% share new podcasts every 30+ days.

Source: Buzzsprout

28. 23% of podcasters earn $50k-$75k per year

Running a successful podcast can be very lucrative. According to the data, almost a quarter of podcasters earn between $50k and $75k per year. 

A further 22% earn between $75k and $100k; 18% earn between $30k and $50k; 15% earn $100k to $150k; 11% earn $150k+; 7% earn <$15k, and 4% earn $15k to $30k.

Source: StartupBonsai

Podcasting platform statistics

Next, let’s look at a couple of podcasting statistics that tell us more about the platforms people use to host and discover podcasts and their market share.

29. The top RSS podcast hosting domain is Anchor FM

Anchor FM is a free podcasting platform from music streaming service Spotify that allows users to create, distribute, and monetize their podcasts. It plays host to 1.79 million podcasts, giving it a 55.8% market share.

Buzzsprout comes second with around 199k podcasts and a market share of 6.2%, while Soundcloud ranks third with 126k podcasts and a market share of 3.9%.

Source: Listen Notes

30. Apple Podcasts is the leading podcasting platform by monthly downloads

According to Buzzsprout’s podcast stats, there were around 42.65 million podcast downloads on Apple Podcasts in Jan 2024. That’s out of 115.5 million podcast downloads across all platforms. So, Apple Podcasts has a 36.9% market share of podcast downloads.

Spotify comes next with a 33.3% market share of monthly downloads. Web Browser comes third, with a 5.1% market share. Apple iTunes is fourth with a 2.9% market share, and Google Podcasts is fifth with a 2.9% market share.

Source: Buzzsprout

Podcast advertising statistics

Next, we’re going to look at some statistics that tell us more about how podcasts are being used for advertising and marketing. 

31. Podcast advertising is projected to bring in over $4 billion in revenue this year

And over $5 billion by 2027. That’s according to industry forecasts available on Statista.

Source: Statista³

32. 55% of podcast advertising revenue in the US comes from host-read ads

Making this the number one podcast ad type. Announcer-read/pre-produced ads account for a further 40% of revenues.

Source: Statista⁴

33. ‘Sports’ podcasts are the most popular for advertisers

Podcasts about sports account for 15% of podcast ad revenue in the US. Society & Culture and Comedy podcasts come next, each with a 14% share of ad revenue.

Source: Statista⁵

34. Advertisers spend $13.70 per podcast listener on average

This is the average podcast ad spending per listener in the US (in USD), as of 2022. Notably, it’s more than 4x less than the average spent per listener on radio advertising ($52.1)

Source: Statista⁶

35. Amazon is the leading podcast advertiser in the US

Amazon spent $8.16 million on podcasts as of December 2023. BetterHelp was the second biggest spender on podcast advertisements in the US, spending $7.97 million.

Source: Statista⁷

36. 70% of surveyed podcast listeners said they’d visited a brand’s website after hearing a podcast ad

As this stat shows, podcast ads seem to work. 70% of listeners in a survey said they’d checked out an advertiser’s website after hearing their ad on a podcast. And 67% said they’d talked to friends/family about a brand they’d heard about in a podcast ad.

Source: Statista⁸

37. 62% of surveyed podcast listeners said they preferred ads voiced by the host

This is by far the most popular way podcast listeners like to hear ads. In comparison, only 15% said they preferred ads like the ones they hear on the radio. 

Source: Statista⁹

38. The average podcast listener can tolerate 3.8 ads per hour

According to a survey, podcast listeners can tolerate around 3.8 ads in an hour. For 15-minute podcasts, the average surveyed listener said 2.2 ads is appropriate.

Source: Statista¹⁰

39. 81% of podcast listeners pay attention to advertisements

Podcast listeners are more engaged with ads than many other channels. They’re less likely to switch off and ignore (or even skip) podcast advertisements than, for example, TV ads.

Source: Blogging Wizard

Most popular podcasts

Finally, let’s find out what the top podcasts, genres, and networks/publishers are this year.

40. The top podcast by global reach is ‘Huberman Lab’

That’s according to data from Chartable at the time of writing (Feb 2024). The second top podcast by global reach is ‘Crime Junkie’, the third is ‘Dateline NBC’, the fourth is ‘12 Hour Sound Machines for Sleep’, and the fifth is ‘Stuff You Should Know’.

Source: Chartable¹

41. The top podcast in the US is ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’

Joe Rogan’s podcast ranks top in both the Apple and SoundCloud charts in the US. Other top-ranking podcasts in the US include ‘Up and Vanished’, ‘The Tucker Carlson Podcast’, and ‘Modern Wisdom’.

Source: Chartable²

42. The most popular podcast genre is ‘Society & Culture’

There are around 568,505 podcasts in the ‘Society & Culture’ genre, more than any other niche. The ‘Education’ genre comes second with 516,707 podcasts, ‘Arts’ is third with 375,189 podcasts, ‘Business’ ranks fourth with 375,079 podcasts, and ‘Religion & Spirituality’ comes fifth with 341,390 podcasts.

Source: Listen Notes

43. iHeartPodcasts is the top US podcast publisher by downloads/streams

It reaches a monthly audience of over 34 million people in the US alone and had over 206 million downloads & streams last month. 

Other top-ranking publishers are shown in the table below.

Podcast publisher	Audience size (US)	Downloads and streams (US)	Number of active shows
iHeartPodcasts	34.03 million	206.57 million	850
Wondery	20.39 million	94.90 million	232
NPR	20.36 million	117.37 million	51
New York Times	9.80 million	49.94 million	12
NBC News	9.31 million	40.25 million	79

Source: Podtrack¹

44. Libsyn AdvertiseCast is the top global podcast network

According to Podtrack, Libsyn AdvertiseCast is the number one podcast network globally with over 157 million global streams, downloads, and views. DailyWire+ ranks second with over 78 million global streams, downloads, and views.

Source: Podtrack²

Final thoughts

That concludes our roundup of this year’s podcasting statistics.

These stats show that the podcast market is still growing rapidly—but it’s getting more competitive. 

Listenership is growing, but with tens of thousands of new podcasts entering the scene every year, it’s going to be tough to cut through the noise and grow your following.

For more information about leading podcasting platforms, check out these Spotify statistics, and these Apple Music statistics. You might also enjoy our roundup of music industry stats

Sources