Quick Answer
How many YouTube channels are there in 2025?
YouTube currently has 38 million active channels.
This video sharing platform has provided over a decade of opportunities for content creators to become popular almost overnight.
It all starts by creating a channel and can result in a lucrative income.
We will attempt to answer the question that is the topic of this article. Before we do that, we want to share a little background information about video sharing and video marketing.
Video marketing is currently dominating the whole of the content marketing sector these days.
YouTube is the pioneer of all video sharing platforms in the world. It’s also the second largest search engine, just under Google search.
SEMrush data says that viewership for YouTube is likely to reach the 210 million mark in 2022 in the United States alone.
As video content continues to engage and impress consumers, the YouTube platform is likely to surprise us with some great things.
In 2021, we saw YouTube launching new features like YouTube Shorts (short-form videos), YouTube Live streaming, Community Tab, Premieres, and Chapters.
We think YouTube is just getting started and that 2022 will be a record year for this platform.
How Many YouTube Channels Are There in 2025?
The most recent data reveals that YouTube currently has 38 million active channels.
It’s important to understand that some channels are operated by a single YouTuber.
One you are on the platform, you can add multiple niche-specific channels to your account. You can also have more than one Gmail/Google account to use for your YouTube.
There are channels on this platform that have reached over one million subscribers. However, those results are not typical of all YouTube channels.
Having 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 or more does have a significant impact on your exposure, but these numbers require time, effort, and patience.
Now that you know how many channels are on YouTube, let’s get into some numbers and facts about channels.
How Many YouTube Channels Are There with Over 1,000 Subscribers?
It’s essential to know that 1,000 subscribers is the initial number of subscribers needed to qualify for the YouTube Partner Program.
The next metric is to achieve 4,000 views, which you should either have already or can expect from 1,000 or more channel subscribers.
Being part of the YouTube Partner Program allows you to get a small ad revenue share for your views.
Advertisers pay for views, so when you provide them with views, you share in the ad revenue received by YouTube.
Google keeps 45% of the ad revenue obtained by YouTube as its parent company. Ad revenue for YouTubers’ views can range from between $3 and $5 per 1000 views.
That accounts for about $0.10 to $0.30 per view.
How Many YouTube Channels Are There with Over 10,000 Subscribers?
As we move up the subscriber level, you can imagine how your views will rise along with your ad revenue share earnings.
Keeping in mind that it’s not easy to get 10,000 subscribers, but it’s definitely a goal to add to your list if you plan to make money on YouTube.
Over 300 channels are hitting this mark each day.
Some YouTubers pay for advertising to get exposure for their YouTube videos, but they also get earnings through their views on the platform.
It’s not about the money in every instance. Oftentimes, it’s about the passion a YouTuber has for their niche and the desire to provide value to their subscribers and viewers.
One of the main rules of success on YouTube and other social media platforms is to love what you do.
Your passion will show and people will want what you’re offering. So, when choosing your YouTube channel niche, keep that in mind.
Bear in mind that when you see a channel with 10,000 plus subscribers, that YouTuber has worked for that.
How Many YouTube Channels Are There with Over 100,000 Subscribers?
The latest data shows that there are over 24,000 YouTube channels with at least 100,000 subscribers. Also, over 40 channels are reaching the 100,000 milestone each day.
YouTubers with 100,000 subscribers have the potential to enjoy earnings over between $2,400 to $4,000 per month in ad revenue.
This is contingent on consistently uploading two new videos per week, the advertisers’ rate, your niche, and your views.
How Many YouTube Channels Are There with Over 250,000 Subscribers?
First, let’s discuss what a channel is. It’s not much different from other social media sites.
A YouTube channel is your personal presence on the platform. Your channel is where you will upload and share your videos according to your niche.
According to recent data, YouTube hosts 65,000 channels that have reached 250,000 subscribers. You should know that you don’t get paid for your subscribers count.
You do get paid based on views count, which is related to how many views your subscribers provide.
Depending on what the advertisers are paying, your niche and your view count, the potential earnings for a channel with 250,000 subscribers can range from $40 to over $2,000 per month.
Keep in mind that you need to put in the work and upload at least two videos per week to get and maintain these numbers.
How Many YouTube Channels Are There with Over 1 million Subscribers?
We have already seen some substantial and unbelievable subscriber numbers in this article. However, there are YouTubers with 1 million or more subscribers.
As you might imagine, this number of channel subscribers can equal six figures in ad revenue earnings.
Currently, there are over 24,000 channels with 1 million or more subscribers. Also, about 4 channels hit that million subscriber mark each day.
This many subscribers can provide you with enough views to earn between $6,000 and $10,000 per week. That equals between $24,000 and $40,000 each month.
Which Channels Have the Most Subscribers?
We have covered a lot of ground, but now we want to show you some proof of channels with the most subscribers and those with the most revenue generated.
T-Series – Most Subscribers
The most subscribed to YouTube channel is one operated by T-Series with 210 million subscribers.
T-Series is a channel with India’s biggest music and movie is brought to its subscribers and all of YouTube.
This channel has been in operation since March 2006, giving this channel the benefit of 16 years experience.
The total number of views since its start is 184,730,838,685.
By the time you read this, their subscriber count and views count will likely have increased.
Ryan’s World Most Generated Revenue
Ryan’s World is a YouTube channel that involves fun, science experiments, music videos, challenges, skits, arts and craft, pretend play, and more.
No wonder it’s generating the most revenue on YouTube.
This channel has 32 million subscribers at the time of this writing and 50,716,906,349 views total since it started in March 2015.
The creator(s) of Ryan’s World has a net worth of $32 million.
This YouTuber is earning about 560 times the salary of the average American.
PewDiePie – Gaming
The YouTube channel PewDiePie has 111 million subscribers at the time of this article.
The channel was started in April 2010 and has so far received 28,201,821,332 views.
This YouTube channel is a gaming channel.
Cocomelon – Kids Nursery Rhymes
Cocomelon is a channel for kids and family entertainment and educational content directed at preschoolers.
September 2006 is when this channel was established.
Since that time, Cocomelon has gotten 131 million subscribers and 124,428,593,902 views.
Set India – Hindi General Entertainment Channel
This channel is related to Sony Entertainment Television and provides 24-hour access to multiple genres in television entertainment.
The channel got started in September 2006 and has since received 129 million subscribers and 113,895,162,892 views.
5-Minute Crafts – DIY Crafts and Projects
5-Minute Crafts has been around since November 2016.
This is a DIY projects and crafts channel that is entertaining and fun. This channel is the official and first of its channels.
The people operating this channel have offshoots of it on other channels.
This specific channel currently has 75.9 million subscribers and a total view count of 22,887,545,709.
What are the Top Celebrity Channels?
YouTube isn’t just for the average user, it’s also being used by some pretty famous celebrities that are getting a lot of views.
Let’s look at the top 5 list of celebrities by views.
1. Canal KondZilla – Brazilian Singer
Canal Kondzilla is a singer from Brazil with 65.5 million subscribers.
His view count as of now is 36,018,535,509. Canal joined YouTube in March 2012.
2. Justin Bieber – American Singer
Justin Bieber is a popular American singer with 67.9 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
His channel has received 27,406,675,497 video views since he joined the platform in January 2007.
3. Ed Sheeran – English Singer and Songwriter
Ed Sheeran, English singer and songwriter, started his YouTube channel in August 2006.
Since that time he has obtained 51.3 million subscribers and 26,694,303,330 views.
4. Taylor Swift – American Singer
Taylor Swift, American singer, has 45.9 million subscribers on her YouTube official channel.
Her total views since she joined in September 2006 comes to 24,457,859,483.
5. Katy Perry – American Singer
Katy Perry is an American singer who joined YouTube in June 2008.
She has 42.5 million subscribers and 23,310,861,520 views since she started.
If you look at their subscriber numbers versus their views, you can see how views work.
For instance, Ed Sheeran has the most subscribers, but is in third standing for video views.
Conclusion
Now you know how many channels are on YouTube in 2025, and the fact that some YouTubers operate multiple channels.
You should also have a better understanding about earning ad revenues from YouTube and the qualifications of joining the partner program.
It takes work and effort to consistently make and upload videos for your subscribers.
Your subscribers are likely to follow you on multiple social media platforms and share your videos. Once that starts to snowball, you will start seeing bigger results.
While it’s not easy to achieve 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, and more subscribers, the potential is always there. Patience, perseverance, and passion will be helpful.
Most YouTubers with over 1,000 subscribers got there through their own hard work, but there are some who might have taken a shortcut.
It’s not as common as you might think, but it could get that way in a short time with all the competition on the platform.
There are those who will go and ‘buy’ subscribers (real or fake) to get their numbers up. That may make the channel look legit, but it doesn’t help get the views.
Along with buying subscribers, some YouTubers buy views and such to increase their exposure.
You need to understand that YouTube’s algorithms are very strict and these people are more likely to get caught using fake engagement, which can get you suspended or even banned.
You must decide if it’s worth it to buy subscribers and views at your own risk, or if it’s better to put in the work and be patient while getting real, organic subscribers and views.
If you’re a marketer, you have some information here that can help you boost your videos on YouTube.
You also know what to do and what not to do to be credible and legit on the platform.
If you’re a YouTube user, you now know how the platform works and how your views count for your favorite YouTubers.
Maybe you want to be the next successful YouTube with over 10,000 subscribers and get your share of that ad revenue.
