Unveiling the Global Podcasting Landscape

Podcast Statistics 2024

With over 464.7 million podcast listeners, the podcasting industry has grown rapidly over the past years. And by the end of 2024, the number of podcast listeners worldwide is estimated to reach 504.9 million. 

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With over 464.7 million podcast listeners, the podcasting industry has grown rapidly over the past years. And by the end of 2024, the number of podcast listeners worldwide is estimated to reach 504.9 million. 

Hence, with the increase in the number of podcast listeners worldwide, the number of podcasts published worldwide has also reached 4.2 million. 

That’s just the bigger picture. The details about the adoption of podcasts worldwide are more shocking. Let’s uncover detailed facts and figures about the podcasting industry, the behavior of podcast listeners, the adoption of AI in podcasts, and more in this article. 

Podcast Statistics 2024: Top Highlights

  • There are 4.3 million podcasts worldwide as of July 2024.
  • 504.9 million people are estimated to listen to podcasts in 2024.
  • 109.1 million people in the United States are estimated to listen to podcasts in 2024. 
  • The global podcasting market is projected to reach 130.63 billion by 2030. 
  • On average, podcast listeners spend around 7 hours per week listening to the podcasts on their favorite podcast app.
  • 86.1% of people worldwide prefer to listen to podcasts on mobile.
  • Every month, 103.3 million podcasts are downloaded worldwide. 
  • Nearly one-third of the podcasts have a length of 20 to 40 minutes. 

How Many Podcasts Are There?

1. There are 4.2 million podcasts worldwide as of July 2024.

341.2K podcasts were published in the last 30 days, and 460.8K podcasts were published in the last three months. 

Source: Podcasting Index

How Many People Listen To Podcasts?

2. 504.9 million people are estimated to listen to podcasts worldwide in 2024.

Comparatively, in 2023, 464.7 million people worldwide listened to podcasts. That was an increase of 9.6% in the number of podcast listeners compared to 424.2 million podcast listeners recorded in 2022. 

The number of podcast listeners grew from 274.8 million in 2019 to 464.7 million in 2023. That was an increase of 69.10% in the number of podcast listeners in the past four years. 

The following table displays the number of podcast listeners recorded over the years:

Number-Of-Podcast-Listeners-Worldwide-1
YearNumber of Podcast Listeners Percentage increase 
2024*504.9 million8.7%
2023464.7 million9.6%
2022424.2 million10.6%
2021383.7 million18.7%
2020332.2 million20.9%
2019274.8 million

*-Estimated Numbers

Source: Statista

Podcast Listener Demographics

3. Two-thirds of adults aged 18 to 29 years listen to podcasts in the United States.

Meanwhile, 58% of adults aged 30 to 49 listened to podcasts in 2022. Conversely, just 28% of adults aged over 65 listened to podcasts. 

The following table displays the share of people from different age groups who listened to the podcast in 2022. 

Age groupPercentage of adults listening to podcasts
18 to 29 years67%
30 to 49 years58%
50 to 64 years42%
Over 65 years28%

Source: Pew Research. 

4. Nearly one in two adults aged 18 to 29 listens to podcasts at least a few times a week in the United States.

Meanwhile, 30% of adults in the United States aged 30 to 49 stated that they listened to podcasts at least a few times a week in 2022. Further, 35% of the adults aged 50 to 64 and 27% of the adults aged over 65 stated the same. 

Source: Pew Research. 

5. 53% of the podcast listeners were male in 2022.

Meanwhile, 46% of the podcast listeners were female as of 2022.

The share of female and male podcast listeners did not have a vast difference. 

Source: Statista.

6. 46% of the white adults in the United States listened to podcasts.

At the same time, 46% of the Black and 54% of Hispanics listened to the podcast in 2022. Further, 52% of Asians reported listening to the podcasts. 

Podcast listening rate was recorded as highest among the Hispanic ethnicity and lowest among the Black adults. 

Source: Pew Research. 

Podcast Listeners In the United States  

7. 109.1 million people in the United States are estimated to listen to podcasts in 2024. 

Comparatively, in 2023, 103.6 million people in the United States listened to podcasts. Hence, the number of podcast listeners in the United States is anticipated to increase by 5.31% in 2024. 

Further, the number of podcast listeners in the United States is anticipated to grow by 15.25% between 2023 and 2026 and reach 119.4 million. 

Number-Of-Podcast-Listeners-In-The-United-States

Here are further details about the number of podcast listeners in the United States over the years. 

Year Number of Podcast listeners in the United States
202298.4 million
2023103.6 million
2024*109.1 million
2025*114.7 million
2026*119.4 million

Source: Statista

8. 62% of US consumers have listened to an audio podcast.

According to the most recent data, nearly 3 in 5 people in the United States listen to podcasts. 

Comparatively, just 55% of the people in the United States listened to podcasts in 2020. That displays an increase of 7% points between 2020 and 2022. 

The following table further details the share of people in the United States listening to podcasts. 

YearShare Of Consumers in the United States
202262%
202157%
202055%
201951%
201844%
201740%
201636%
201533%
201430%
201327%
201229%

Source: Statista.

9. 79% of the people in the United States are aware of podcasting.

According to a recent survey conducted by Statista, nearly 4 in 5 people in the United States stated that they are aware of podcasting. Comparatively, in 2020, just 3 in 4 people were aware of podcasting. 

The awareness about audio podcasts has rapidly grown between 2015 and 2019. 

Here is a table displaying further details about the awareness of podcasts recorded among Americans over the years. 

YearPercentage of the population in the United States aware of podcasts
202279%
202178%
202075%
201970%
201864%
201760%
201655%
201549%
201448%
201346%
201246%

Source: Statista

Podcast Listener By Country

10. 51% of the consumers in Brazil listen to podcasts.

Brazil has the highest number of podcast listeners among the selected countries worldwide. 

Indonesia comes in second, with 49% of the people listening to the podcasts in the country. 

Meanwhile, 34% of consumers in the United States listen to podcasts, and 41% of the people in the United States listen to podcasts in the United Kingdom. 

The following table displays the countries with the highest share of podcast listeners worldwide.

CountryShare of Podcast Listeners
Brazil51%
Indonesia49%
Mexico48%
South Africa46%
Sweden45%
Spain43%
Romania43%
India41%
United Kingdom41%
Australia41%
Finland41%

Source: Statista

11. Just 9% of the consumers in Japan listen to the podcasts.

Japan is recorded to have the lowest share of people listening to podcasts compared to the other countries recorded. 

Besides, just 18% of the people in South Korea, Pakistan, and Morocco each listen to podcasts. Meanwhile, just 24% of the people in China prefer listening to a podcast.

The following table displays the countries with the lowest share of people listening to a podcast.

CountryPercentage of Podcast Listeners
Japan9%
South Korea18%
Pakistan18%
Morocco18%
Taiwan19%
Belgium21%
Hong Kong23%
Malaysia23%
China24%
Russia24%
Singapore26%
France26%
Nigeria27%

Source: Statista

12. In 2024, 43.8% of internet users in the North American Region are estimated to listen to Podcasts.

This share is expected to increase to 46.3% by 2026.

At the same time, 30.9% of internet users in Western Europe are more likely to listen to a podcast in 2024.

Conversely, just 12.9% of internet users in China are estimated to listen to podcasts in 2024.

Here is a table displaying the penetration of podcasts among internet users in different regions worldwide. 

World Region2024*2025*2026*
North America43.80%45.20%46.30%
Western Europe30.90%31.90%32.80%
Latin America30.30%31.40%32.40%
South Korea15.20%15.90%16.50%
Japan14.80%15.40%16.00%
China12.90%14.60%16.60%

*-Estimated Values

Source: Statista

Podcast Market Size

13. The global podcasting market is projected to reach 130.63 billion by 2030. 

The global podcasting market is expected to grow at 27.6% from 2023 to 2030. 

The major factors driving the growth of the podcast market are the increasing popularity of audio-on-demand platforms, easy accessibility to audio content, and the ability to listen to content while performing other tasks.

Source: Grand View Research

Podcast Listener Behaviour

14. On average, podcast listeners spend around 7 hours per week listening to the podcasts on their favorite podcast app.

80% of podcast listeners usually spend over 7 hours in a week listening to podcasts, which accounts for around an hour per day. 

Meanwhile, 22.4% of the listeners spend 22 hours or more per week listening to the podcasts. 

Source: CoxNext

15. 38% of the people listen to podcasts while driving.

That is a 6% points increase compared to 32% of the people who listened to podcasts while driving. 

Podcasts are the third most popular audio choice in cars, and people prefer them just after AM/FM radio and personal digital media.

Many prefer to listen to a podcast while commuting or packing for their next trip. 

Source: Podcastle. 

16. 86.1% of people worldwide prefer to listen to podcasts on mobile.

Meanwhile, 8.6% of the people prefer to listen to podcasts on a computer, and 0.7% prefer to listen to podcasts on a smart speaker. 

Devices-That-People-Prefer-To-Listen-To-Podcasts

The following table displays the devices that people prefer to listen to podcasts:

Device TypesPercentage of people 
Mobile86.1%
Computer8.6%
Unknown4.1%
Smart Speaker0.7%
Smart TV0.4%
Watch 0.0%

Source: Buzzsprout.

17. 64% of people consider podcast hosts more trustworthy than other influencers.

Comparatively, 48% of the people in the United Kingdom trust podcast hosts to be more trustworthy than traditional media hosts.

Source: Media Bodies

18. 51% of marketers have already adopted podcasts in their marketing strategy.

Additionally, 53% of the marketers stated that podcasts are the most effective format for marketing.

Source: Hubspot. 

19. 3 in 4 Podcast listeners aged 18 to 29 stated that they prefer listening to the podcast for entertainment.

At the same time, 7 in 10 adults in the same age group stated that they prefer to listen to podcasts just to have something to listen to while doing something else. 

Conversely, 6 in 10 adults aged over 65 years stated that they listen to podcasts to learn something new. 

The following table displays the reasons American adults listen to podcasts by age group. 

Reason for listening to the podcast18 to 29 years30 to 49 years50 to 64 years Over 65 years
For entertainment 75%65%47%30%
to have something to listen to while doing something else70%58%38%22%
To Learn50%57%56%61%
To hear other people’s opinion34%29%27%33%
To stay up-to-date about the current events25%27%34%38%
For encouragement or inspiration23%28%26%30%

Source: Pew Research

20. 65% of Black adults in the United States listened to entertainment and pop culture podcasts. 

Over half of the black adults in the United States listened to podcasts about entertainment and pop culture, self-help and relationships, comedy, and money and finance. 

On the other hand, 44% of white adults in the United States preferred listening to comedy podcasts. 

The following table displays the percentage of podcast listeners that listen to different podcasts regularly by age group. 

Podcast TypeWhiteHispanic Black 
Race and ethnicity9%19%43%
Self-help and relationships25%40%57%
Money and finance25%41%51%
Entertainment and pop culture40%56%65%
Sports17%28%40%
Health and Fitness21%34%44%
Religion and Spirituality27%34%43%
Comedy44%53%57%
True Crime31%43%36%
Politics and Government42%35%45%
History 39%45%40%
Science and technology38%43%39%

Source: Pew Research 

21. 62.1% of adults listen to podcasts from Apple iPhones. 

Conversely, 22.8% of people listen to podcasts on an Android phone, and 6.8% prefer to listen to podcasts on a Windows computer. 

Additionally, just 1% of the people listen to podcasts on the Apple iPad. 

The following table displays the top devices that are used to listen to podcasts:

Devices used to listen to podcasts Percentage 
Apple iPhone62.1%
Android Phone22.8%
Windows Computer6.8%
Apple Computer1.6%
Apple iPad1.0%
Amazon Smart Speaker0.6%
Android Tablet0.2%
Google Chromebook0.1%

Source: Buzzsprout.

Podcast Download Statistics

22. Every month, 103.3 million podcasts are downloaded worldwide. 

According to the latest data by Buzz Sprout, 103.31 million monthly podcast downloads were recorded as of July 2024. 

Besides, the top 1% of podcasts are downloaded 4,824 times on average in the first seven days, while the top 5% of the podcasts are downloaded 1,101 times in the first seven days. 

Average-Number-Of-Downloads-In-First-7-Days

The following table displays the number of podcast downloads recorded in the first seven days by the podcast performance. 

Podcast Performance Average number of downloads in first 7 days
Top 1% of podcasts 4,824
Top 5%1,101
Top 10%471
Top 25%114
Top 50% (Median podcast)30

Source: Buzzsprout.

23. 70.8% of the podcast download requests are recorded on Apple Podcasts.

Apple Podcasts has recorded the majority of podcast downloads. 

Spotify follows Apple podcasts in terms of downloads. Still, there’s a huge difference recorded in the download rates of Spotify and Apple, with just 8.9% of the podcasts being downloaded on Spotify.

Meanwhile, 3% of the podcasts are downloaded on iHeartRadio.

The following table details the percentage of podcast downloads recorded on different platforms worldwide. 

PlatformPercentage of Podcast Downloads
Apple70.8%
Spotify8.9%
iHeartRadio3.0%
Alexa2.3%
Overcast1.6%
Stitcher1.3%
Amazon Music1.2%
Google Podcasts1.2%
Podcast Addict1.1%
Castbox1.0%
Chrome1.0%
Pocket Casts0.9%
Other5.9%

Source: Backlinko. 

Podcast Duration Statistics

24. Nearly one-third of the podcasts have a length of 20 to 40 minutes. 

Conversely, just 15% of the podcasts have an episode that lasts 10 to 20 minutes.

Besides, just 16% of the podcasts are over 60 minutes long, and another 16% are less than 10 minutes long. 

Length-Of-Podcasts

The following table displays the share of podcasts with different durations. 

Duration of podcasts Percentage of podcasts 
Less than 10 minutes16%
10 to 20 minutes15%
20 to 40 minutes32%
40 to 60 minutes 22%
Over 60 minutes16%

Source: Buzzsprout.

Podcast Episode Publishing Frequency

25. Nearly 1 in 4 podcast episodes are published every 8 to 14 days.

On the other hand, just 1% of the podcast episodes are published every 30 days or more. 

Besides, around one-third of the podcast episodes are published every 3 to 7 days, and 1 in 2 podcast episodes are published every 15 to 29 days. 

Publishing-Frequency-Of-Podcasts

The following table displays the frequency at which the podcasts are published.

Publishing frequency Percentage of episodes published
0 to 2 days6%
3  to 7 days34%
8 to 14 days 39%
15 to 29 days19%
Over 30 days 1%

Source: Buzzsprout.

Video Podcast Statistics

26. 46% of podcast listeners in the United States stated that they prefer to watch podcasts.

Comparatively, 42% of podcast listeners preferred to listen to podcasts. 

Hence, around 17% of podcast hosts prefer recording podcast episodes in audio and video formats.

Source: WARC, Morning Consult, Backlinko.

27. Approximately 32% of all podcast listeners on all the platforms prefer listening to video podcasts compared to 26% of people who prefer listening to audio podcasts.

51% of the listeners enjoy physical expressions and the reactions of the hosts as well as the guests. Meanwhile, 50% of video podcast listeners stated that video podcasts help them focus. 

As a result, video podcasts have gained more popularity compared to audio podcasts.

Source: WARC, Morning Consult

Podcast Advertising Statistics 

28. 69% of the podcast listeners stated that they were introduced to new products through podcast advertisements.

Besides, 81% of podcast listeners stated that they pay more attention to podcast ads compared to radio, TV commercials, billboards, and other digital ads on social media.

As a result, Two-thirds of the podcast listeners stated that they had researched a product or a service or even made a purchase after coming across it on a podcast episode. 

Source: Magellan AI, Buzzsprout.

29. On average, digital marketers in the United States allocate 3.8% of their budget to podcasts.

That is the third lowest share allotted by digital marketers. The highest share of the budget is allocated to digital video, accounting for 22.6% of the total budget. 

The following table displays the share of the budget allotted by digital markets in the United States for different digital marketing channels. 

Digital Marketing ChannelShare of Budget
Digital video22.6%
Paid search (SEM)15.5%
Social media15.3%
Digital display12.6%
Digital out-of-home (DOOH)3.8%
Podcasts3.8%
Digital audio***3.6%
Gaming1.3%

Source: Statista

30. In Q1 2024, BetterHelp was the leading podcast advertiser in the United States, with a podcast spending of $24.6 million.

Amazon was the second leading podcast advertiser, with a podcast ad spending of $15.6 million. 

At the same time, other top podcast advertisers in the United States are VGW, HelloFresh, and Shopify.

Here is a table displaying further details about the leading podcast advertisers in the United States as of Q1 2024.

Podcast AdvertisersSpending on Podcast advertising
BetterHelp$24.6 million
Amazon$15.6 million
VGW$13.4 million
HelloFresh$11 million
Shopify$9.2 million
DraftKings$7.8 million
Rocket Companies$7.8 million
MGM Resorts International$7.4 million
Oracle Corporation$6.9 million
Athletic Greens$6.3 million

Source: Statista

31. Podcast advertising spending in the United States is estimated to reach $2.16 billion in 2024.

Comparatively, podcast advertising spending in the United States in 2023 was $1.93 billion. That shows podcast advertising spending in the United States is expected to grow by 11.92% in 2024.

Further, by the end of 2026, podcast advertising spending in the country is projected to reach $2.56 billion. 

The following table displays the podcast advertising spending in the United States over the years.

YearPodcast advertising spending in the United States
2026*$2.56 billion
2025*$2.38 billion
2024*$2.16 billion
2023$1.93 billion
2022$1.83 billion
2021$1.45 billion
2020$0.84 billion

32. The podcast advertising market revenue worldwide is estimated to grow by 16.0% in 2024, reaching $4.02 billion. 

Further, the podcast advertising market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.76% between 2024 and 2027 and is expected to reach $5.03 billion by 2027. 

This increase in the podcast advertising market is estimated to be due to the rapid increase in podcast listeners worldwide. The average revenue per user in the podcast advertising market is estimated to be $8.69 in 2024.

The following table displays the podcast advertising market revenue over the years:

YearPodcast advertising market revenue Revenue growth rate 
2027*5.03 billion5.0%
2026*4.79 billion7.4%
2025*4.46 billion11.0%
2024*4.02 billion16.0%
20233.46 billion23.2%
20222.81 billion30.6
20212.15 billion45.0
20201.49 billion39.0
20191.07 billion45.8
20180.73 billion35.9
20170.54 billion

Source: Statista

Integration of AI in Podcasting

33. Approximately 40% of podcasters utilize AI tools to enhance their podcasts.

AI adoption can be seen majorly in areas such as episode transcription and personalized content generation. AI helps streamline the podcast production process and provides listeners with a tailored experience. 

Source: LinkedIn.

34. The global AI in podcasting market is expected to reach $2.82 billion in 2024. 

Comparatively, in 2023, the global AI in podcasting market was valued at $2.2 billion. 

Further, the market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 28.3% between the forecast period of 2024 and 2033, reaching $26.6 billion. 

The following table displays the AI in podcast market value worldwide over the years.

YearGlobal AI in Podcasting Market
2023$2.2 billion
2024$2.82 billion
2025$3.62 billion
2026$4.64 billion
2027$5.96 billion
2028$7.65 billion
2029$9.81 billion
2030$12.59 billion
2031$16.16 billion
2032$20.73 billion
2033$26.6 billion

Source: LinkedIn. 

Additional Stats on Adoption of AI in Podcasts:

  • Podcast listenership has grown by 45% due to personalized AI-driven recommendations.
  • 50% increase is observed in podcast ad targeting accuracy due to AI. 
  • The AI in Podcast industry is anticipated to grow at an annual rate of 25%
  • 15% of the podcast producers use AI-generated content.
  • 20% of the reduction is recorded in the podcast production costs due to the adoption of AI.
  • AI is used to create 10% of the new podcast episodes.

Source: Gitnux

Popular Podcast Genres

35. Comedy is the most preferred podcast genre in the United States.

The second most preferred podcast in the country is news podcasts, and the third most preferred podcast is society and culture podcasts.

Meanwhile, True Crime and Fiction podcasts have the highest completion rate.

Here are further details about the most popular podcast genres in the United States:

  1. Comedy 
  2. News 
  3. Society and Culture 
  4. True Crime
  5. Sports 
  6. Business 
  7. Education
  8. Health and Fitness 
  9. TV and Film
  10. Religion and Spirituality
  11. Arts
  12. History
  13. Music
  14. Science
  15. Leisure

Source: Edison Research.

36. Comedy is the most popular podcast in the United Kingdom, with 30% of the country’s podcast listeners preferring it.

Meanwhile, 25% of the podcast listeners preferred entertainment podcasts, and 23% preferred sports podcasts. 

Other most preferred podcast genres in the country are True Crime, News, and Health and Fitness. 

Here is a table displaying further details about the most preferred podcast genres in the United Kingdom. 

Podcast Genre Percentage of Podcast Listeners 
Comedy 30%
Entertainment25%
Sport23%
True Crime19%
News18%
Health and Fitness16%
Politics 15%
Personal development 14%
Pop culture14%
Drama12%

Source: Vodafone 

Popular Podcasting Channels

37. The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast worldwide.

The Joe Rogan Experience is hosted by UFC commentator and comedian Joe Rogan. New episodes are added every week, and the podcast features conversations with guests from different industries.

On average, the podcast has 11 million listeners per episode. It is also the longest-running podcast worldwide, with over 2100 episodes. 

Source: JRE Library

Popular Podcasting Publishers

38. iHeartPodcasts is the leading podcast publisher in the United States, with a 31.16 million US monthly audience.

At the same time, NPR is the second most popular podcast publisher in the United States, with an 18.86 million monthly US audience.

The following table displays further information about the most popular podcast publishers in the United States as of July 2024:

RankPodcast Publisher Unique Monthly Visitors
1iHeartPodcasts31,163,000
2NPR18,859,000
3New York Times9,673,000
4The Walt Disney Company8,859,000
5DailyWire+6,479,000
6Fox Audio Network5,886,000
7Vox Media5,633,000
8Barstool Sports5,509,000
10PodcastOne5,483,000

Source: Analytics.Podtrac

Podcasting Plaform Statistics

39. 35.8% of the people worldwide listen to podcasts on Spotify.

As of 2024, Spotify is the most preferred platform for listening to podcasts, and Apple Podcasts is the second most preferred platform worldwide. Over one-third of the people prefer listening to podcasts on Apple Podcasts. 

Other platforms consumers prefer to listen to podcasts are Web browsers, Buzzsprout Embed player and Buzzsprout Embed player. 

The following table displays consumers’ most preferred podcast platforms worldwide as of July 2024. 

Platform Percentage of Podcast Listeners
Spotify35.8%
Apple Podcasts33.8%
Web browser5.4%
Buzzsprout Embed player2.5%
Apple iTunes2.5%
Castbox2.1%
Google Podcasts1.7%
Overcast1.3%
Pocket Casts1.3%
Podcast Addict1.0%
Amazon Music0.9%
iHeartRadio0.6%

Source: Buzzsprout

40. Spotify has over 6 million podcast titles.

The platform also provides its users with 100,000 video podcasts.

Source: Spotify, Spotify.

41. Apple Podcast hosts 2.7 million podcasts as of July 2024.

That is up by 13.5% compared to 2.33 million podcasted hosted on Apple podcasts as of September 2021.

Besides, there are 95.39 million episodes on Apple podcasts as of July 2024. 

Source: The podcast host

Conclusion: People Spend 7 Hours Per Week Listening To Podcasts

With the evolution of the digital space, consumers’ attention spans worldwide have decreased, but surprisingly, podcasts have managed to grab their attention for a longer duration. 

Most podcasts worldwide last between 20 and 40 minutes, and listeners spend an average of at least 1 hour a day listening to their favorite podcast episodes. Plus, 81% of podcast listeners pay more attention to podcast ads compared to other ads.

As a result, a greater share of businesses and brands worldwide are investing in podcast advertising, and the podcasting industry is anticipated to grow rapidly in the near future.