YouTube Ads Statistics for 2026: Revenue, CPM, CPV, View Rates, Shorts Ads, CTV Advertising, Format Performance, and Audience Benchmarks

In 2026, YouTube is the world’s largest video advertising platform, the number one streaming destination on television screens, and the second most visited website on earth. YouTube generated USD 36.1 billion in advertising revenue in 2024, a 14.6% year-over-year increase, and recorded USD 10.26 billion in Q3 2025 alone, up 15% from Q2. Its advertising audience reached 2.5 billion reachable users globally. YouTube ads reached 46.5% of the global population in 2024, up from 42.1% in 2023. And in May 2025, YouTube captured 12.5% of all U.S. television viewing for the fourth consecutive month as the leading streaming platform by viewership, surpassing Netflix, Hulu, and all other individual services.

The platform’s advertising product set has expanded significantly alongside its audience. YouTube Shorts ads now account for 22% of total YouTube ad revenue in 2025, up from 15% in 2024, driven by 200 billion daily Shorts views and an average engagement rate of 5.91% that outperforms TikTok and Instagram Reels. CTV advertising on YouTube is growing at double-digit rates as TV screens now represent 36% of total YouTube viewing hours in the United States. Skippable in-stream ads on CTV run 10% to 20% higher view rates than the same ads on mobile. And Video Reach Campaigns deliver up to 40% better CPM efficiency than cross-format averages.

The cost benchmarks are comparatively accessible: average CPM sits at USD 9.29 for standard video formats, average CPV ranges from USD 0.02 to USD 0.03, and average CPC is approximately USD 0.49. Conversion rates span a wide range, from 0.05% to 0.5% for ecommerce campaigns to 40% to 60% for well-optimized lead generation campaigns. Bumper ads drive 15% higher ad recall for CPG brands. And 90% of marketers include YouTube in their video marketing strategy.

This article compiles more than 60 YouTube Ads statistics drawn from Alphabet investor relations filings, Strike Social benchmarking data, Store Growers analysis of USD 1 million-plus in ad spend, Tinuiti benchmarking reports, eMarketer forecasts, Nielsen streaming data, Business of Apps platform financials, and specialist YouTube analytics publications within the last two years. Data spans ad revenue and market share, CPM and CPV cost benchmarks, CTR and view rate performance, Shorts ads, CTV advertising, ad format comparisons, audience demographics, and regional data.

Scope and Methodology

Includes only publicly available YouTube Ads statistics relevant for 2026.
Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry reports.
Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.

Key YouTube Ads Statistics for 2026

YouTube generated USD 36.1 billion in advertising revenue in 2024, a 14.6% increase year-over-year, representing 13.66% of Google’s total global revenues for the year, based on Alphabet financial disclosures reported by Business of Apps.
YouTube’s advertising revenue in Q3 2025 reached USD 10.26 billion, a 15% increase from Q2 2025, signaling strong and accelerating demand from global advertisers, based on Alphabet quarterly earnings data reported by Electroiq.
YouTube ads reached 46.5% of the global population in 2024, up from 42.1% in 2023, with a reachable advertising audience exceeding 2.5 billion users globally, based on DataReportal data cited in an SQ Magazine 2025 YouTube statistics overview at SQ Magazine.
YouTube captured 12.5% of all U.S. television viewing in May 2025, leading all streaming platforms for the fourth consecutive month, based on Nielsen The Gauge data reported by inBeat Agency.
TV screens now represent 36% of total YouTube viewing hours in the United States, with 150 million monthly U.S. CTV viewers and over 1 billion hours of YouTube content watched on TV screens daily, based on data published in a September 2025 CTV viewership analysis by Adwave.
The average YouTube Ads CPM for standard video formats was USD 9.29 across the market, with small-to-mid advertisers averaging USD 8.15, based on Adzoola analysis of USD 14.3 billion in YouTube ad spend, cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
The average YouTube Ads view rate is 31.9% in 2025, meaning roughly 32 out of every 100 impressions result in a qualifying view, based on Strike Social and Google benchmark data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
YouTube Shorts accounted for 22% of YouTube’s total ad revenue in 2025, up from 15% in 2024, as the format scaled from a product experiment to a mainstream monetization channel, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
90% of marketers include YouTube in their video marketing strategy, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Shorts statistics overview by Loopex Digital.
YouTube ad spend reached USD 8.92 billion in Q1 2025 alone, driven by new formats, stronger AI integration, and expanding user behavior across mobile and TV screens, based on Strike Social internal benchmark data published in a 2025 YouTube advertising trends analysis at Strike Social.
YouTube Shorts generates 200 billion daily views in 2025, up from 70 billion in early 2024, representing a nearly 186% increase year over year, based on data cited by inBeat Agency sourced from The Wrap and Alphabet Investor Relations.
The average CPV on YouTube ranges from USD 0.02 to USD 0.03 with a benchmark of approximately USD 0.026, and average CPC is approximately USD 0.49, based on AdConversion analysis of USD 1 million-plus in YouTube ad data from 2023 to 2024, cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.

Ad Revenue and Market Share Statistics

YouTube’s ad revenue accounted for 13.66% of Google’s total global revenues in 2024, its highest share on record, up from 10.25% in 2023, based on Alphabet financial disclosures reported by Colorwhistle.
YouTube’s Q4 2024 ad revenue reached USD 10.4 billion, contributing to a full-year 2024 total of USD 36.1 billion, based on Alphabet quarterly earnings data reported by Colorwhistle.
YouTube’s brand value rose to USD 31.7 billion in 2024, based on brand valuation data reported by Colorwhistle.
YouTube and Hulu each captured approximately USD 3.4 billion of U.S. CTV ad revenue in 2024, collectively representing the two largest individual CTV ad platforms by revenue, based on eMarketer data cited in a 2025 CTV statistics overview by AI Digital.
YouTube is the single largest streaming destination by viewership on TV screens in 2025, capturing more TV screen time than Netflix, Hulu, or any other individual platform, based on data cited in a 2025 CTV advertising statistics report by Adwave.
Shorts monetization accounted for 22% of YouTube’s total ad revenue distribution in 2025, up from 15% in 2024, driven by the Shorts ad revenue sharing model launched in 2023, based on data cited in a 2025 YouTube Shorts statistics analysis by Zebracat.
44% of the top YouTube ads were non-traditional ad lengths, demonstrating that creative flexibility and format experimentation are increasingly dominant in high-performing YouTube campaigns, based on data reported by Colorwhistle.

CPM, CPC, and CPV Cost Benchmarks

The average market CPM for standard video formats on YouTube is USD 9.29, with a separate study covering USD 1 million-plus in spend finding an average of USD 9.00 with a range from USD 1 to USD 23, based on Adzoola and AdConversion research cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
The average YouTube Shorts Ads CPM is USD 4.00, roughly 57% lower than the USD 9.29 standard video format CPM, making Shorts an accessible format for reach-oriented campaigns, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
YouTube CPM follows a predictable seasonal pattern, with December 2024 averaging USD 5.70 and the highest week during Cyber Week hitting USD 6.93, while January 2025 averaged USD 1.98 and August 2024 recorded a summer low of USD 1.76, based on Lenos CPM analysis published at Lenos.
April and May 2025 CPMs climbed to over USD 6, with April averaging USD 6.33 and May averaging USD 6.30, reflecting Q2 budget spending by brands using annual marketing allocations, based on Lenos CPM analysis published at Lenos.
Monday is the most expensive day of the week for YouTube ads, with an average CPM of USD 3.53, while the end-of-year holiday period from late December to mid-January consistently delivers lower CPMs, based on Lenos CPM analysis published at Lenos.
Video Reach Campaigns deliver up to 40% better CPM efficiency than the overall YouTube average, making them the most cost-efficient format for scaling reach, based on Strike Social campaign data from APAC, EMEA, and North America markets, published in a 2025 YouTube advertising trends analysis at Strike Social.
Skippable in-stream ads on CTV devices run 10% to 20% higher view rates than the same ads served on mobile, while CTV CPMs are more stable than premium streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, which charge USD 20 to USD 40 or more per thousand impressions, based on Strike Social Q1 2024 CampaignLab data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.

View Rate, CTR, and Conversion Statistics

The average YouTube Ads view rate is 31.9%, calculated by dividing views by total impressions, with view rate differing significantly by format as the definition of a qualifying view varies between in-stream skippable, in-feed, non-skippable, and Shorts placements, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
The average click-through rate for YouTube ads across all formats is approximately 0.65% in 2025, while CTR for display ads is also 0.65% on average, based on data cited in a 2025 YouTube statistics overview at SQ Magazine.
YouTube ad CTR followed a seasonal curve in 2024, starting at 0.35% in Q1, climbing steadily to 0.81% by September, and settling at 0.48% in December, based on Lenos CPC and CTR trend analysis published at Lenos.
The average YouTube Ads conversion rate for ecommerce campaigns is 0.05% to 0.5%, reflecting YouTube’s role as a primarily top-of-funnel and mid-funnel awareness channel for direct retail, based on AdConversion analysis of USD 1 million-plus in YouTube ad data from 2023 to 2024, cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
The average YouTube Ads conversion rate for lead generation campaigns is 40% to 60% when campaigns are optimized with a focused offer, tight targeting, and a well-matched landing page, based on AdConversion analysis cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
CTV ad completion rates on YouTube run at 90% to 96% on average, significantly higher than mobile video or desktop formats, because viewers watching on a television are less likely to skip, based on Strike Social, Agency Analytics, and Innovid CTV research data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
Global average view rates peaked at nearly 55% in July, aligning with summer video consumption increases, holiday events, and the ramp-up of Q4 campaigns, based on Strike Social internal benchmark data from 2024 campaign analysis, published in a 2025 YouTube advertising trends analysis at Strike Social.

YouTube Shorts Ads Statistics

YouTube Shorts accounted for 22% of YouTube’s total ad revenue in 2025, up from 15% in 2024, with Shorts ad impressions also growing significantly, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
Shorts ads deliver approximately 20% higher ROAS than standard long-form YouTube ads, based on data cited in a 2025 YouTube CPM and RPM analysis by Lenos.
62% of brands allocate more ad budget to YouTube Shorts than to TikTok or Instagram Reels, citing better targeting options and stronger integration with long-form content, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
80% of users recall seeing a Shorts ad within the last week, and 70% of Shorts ads lead directly to a website visit, based on data cited in a 2025 YouTube CPM and RPM analysis by Lenos.
YouTube Shorts ads under 6 seconds improve engagement by approximately 30% compared to longer Shorts ad formats, based on data cited in a 2025 YouTube CPM and RPM analysis by Lenos.
Brands using Shorts ads report 50% faster audience growth compared to those not using the format, based on data cited in a 2025 YouTube CPM and RPM analysis by Lenos.
YouTube Shorts ads now make up 12% of all YouTube ad spend, up from a negligible share in 2022, based on data cited in a 2025 YouTube CPM and RPM analysis by Lenos.
Advertisers spent 20% to 25% more on Shorts ads in 2025 compared to 2024, reflecting rapid monetization of the format following YouTube’s revenue-sharing program expansion, based on data cited in a 2025 YouTube Shorts statistics overview by Zebracat.

Ad Format and CTV Advertising Statistics

YouTube Video Action Campaigns ceased accepting new campaign creation in April 2025 and were automatically upgraded to Demand Gen by September 2025, making Demand Gen the only conversion-focused video campaign type on the platform, based on information published in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
Bumper ads of 6 seconds are favored by CPG brands and contribute to 15% higher ad recall compared to standard skippable in-stream ads, based on data cited in an SQ Magazine 2025 YouTube statistics overview at SQ Magazine.
On-Demand YouTube videos generate nearly six times more views than Shorts, while Shorts drive significantly more likes, comments, and shares, and average watch time per video has increased from 64% to 86% per video in recently published brand benchmarks, based on the Dash Social 2025 YouTube Benchmark Report published at Dash Social.
CTV Shorts viewership doubled worldwide between January and September 2024, no longer limiting the format to mobile-only placement distribution, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Ads benchmarks report by Store Growers.
YouTube Premium reached 100 million paid subscribers in 2024, creating a significant non-ad-supported inventory segment that reduces the addressable ad-supported audience within the platform, based on company data reported by Business of Apps.
YouTube Shorts were viewed 70 billion times per day in February 2024, rising to approximately 200 billion daily views by 2025, based on Alphabet Investor Relations Q1 2024 earnings call data and subsequent platform disclosures, reported by Business of Apps.

Audience and Behavioral Statistics

YouTube reached 2.74 billion active users in 2024, making it the third most-used platform globally behind Google and Facebook, with 2.7 billion monthly active users reported as of mid-2025, based on data reported by Business of Apps.
The largest demographic group of YouTube users globally is aged 25 to 34, representing 21.7% of total users, followed by 35 to 44 year olds at 18.5%, based on Statista data cited in a 2025 YouTube ad revenue statistics analysis by Electroiq.
India is the largest YouTube market by user count with 637.1 million users in 2024, followed by Russia with 95.38 million, based on Statista Key Market Indicators data reported by Electroiq.
UAE has the highest YouTube penetration rate of any country at 98.7% of internet users, followed by Israel at 92.7% and the Netherlands at 91.1%, based on platform usage data cited in a 2025 YouTube ad revenue statistics analysis by Electroiq.
U.S. adults aged 18 and above represent 238 million active YouTube users, making the United States the second-largest single national market, based on data reported by Business of Apps.
72% of YouTube users watch Shorts at least once per week, and 175.1 million U.S. users watched YouTube Shorts in 2025, with projections reaching 192 million by 2027, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Shorts statistics overview by Loopex Digital.
YouTube generates an average of USD 223 in revenue per U.S. user, compared to USD 191 for Facebook and USD 109 for TikTok, based on eMarketer data cited in an eMarketer December 2024 analysis at eMarketer.

Regional or Geographic Statistics

India represents the world’s largest YouTube advertising audience and user base, with 637.1 million users, 25.6% of all YouTube Shorts originating from India, and India consistently ranking as the top country for Shorts uploads globally, based on data cited in a 2026 YouTube Shorts statistics overview by Loopex Digital.
The United States accounts for 16.4% of YouTube’s total site traffic, the highest national share, with 23.4% of YouTube Shorts also originating from the United States, based on data reported at Storylab.ai.
Japan’s average YouTube CPM for standard video is approximately USD 2.93, reflecting a mature but lower-yield market compared to English-language markets, while the United States commands significantly higher CPMs and accounts for the largest share of global ad revenue on the platform, based on Lenos CPM country analysis published at Lenos.
Viewer engagement on YouTube peaks mid-year globally, with July showing the highest average view rates at nearly 55%, driven by increased summer video consumption, holidays, and Amazon Prime Day, based on Strike Social internal campaign data published in a 2025 YouTube advertising trends analysis at Strike Social.
Europe’s CTV ad spend is projected to reach EUR 14 billion by 2025, with YouTube representing one of the top two CTV platforms by revenue in the region, based on data cited in a 2025 CTV market overview by Xenoss.
YouTube’s penetration rate in the Middle East and North Africa is among the highest globally, with UAE at 98.7%, and the region represents a fast-growing advertising market for YouTube inventory, based on platform usage data cited in a 2025 YouTube ad revenue statistics analysis by Electroiq.
Among all streaming platforms globally, YouTube commands the largest share of CTV ad revenue in the U.S. alongside Hulu, each generating approximately USD 3.4 billion in CTV ad revenue in 2024 from connected TV placements, based on eMarketer data cited in a 2025 CTV statistics overview by AI Digital.

References

‍

Subscribe to our newsletter

Occasionally, we send you a really good curation of profitable niche ideas, marketing advice, no-code, growth tactics, strategy tear-dows & some of the most interesting internet-hustle stories.

Thank You.
Your submission has been received.
Now please head over to your email inbox and confirm your subscription to start receiving the newsletter.

Oops!
Something went wrong. Please try again.