Podcast Statistics and Trends for 2025 (& Why They Matter)

Key takeaways:

• Podcast listening is growing rapidly: Over 450 million people listened to podcasts in 2023, with numbers expected to reach 619 million by 2026.
• Engagement is high: 34% of Americans listen to an average of 8.3 podcast episodes per week, and 23% spend over 10 hours listening weekly.
• Discoverability is a challenge: Most people find new podcasts through recommendations or app charts, but 15% struggle to find content they like.
• Podcasting is a booming industry: The market is projected to be worth $17.59 billion by 2030, making now a great time to start a podcast.
• Riverside makes podcasting easier: It offers studio-quality recording, AI-powered editing, and seamless content repurposing to help creators stand out.
  

Are you a podcast producer or creator? 

Leveraging stats will allow you to strategize for success and even earn revenue from your podcast. For example, knowing that 70% of podcast fans listen while doing housework gives you great insight into the products you could advertise to monetize your podcast.

In this article, we’ll look at key podcast statistics and what they mean for you as a podcast producer, giving actionable tips for optimizing your show.

Podcast listener demographics

How many people listen to podcasts?

• In 2023 there were over 450 million podcasts, and this number is only growing.
• As of 2024, according to the Infinite Dial, 67% of Americans will have listened to a podcast in their lives. This is an estimated 192 million Americans and an increase from 64% in 2023.  
• From this figure, 47% of Americans listened to a podcast in the last month and 34% in the previous week, with an increase of 12% and 10% year over year.
• Insider Intelligence estimates that in 2026, the number of podcast listeners worldwide will grow to  619.2 million.
• It’s interesting to note that the percentage of time people spend listening to audio content has increased more than fivefold, from 2% to 11%, in the last ten years. Of this, 20% is spent listening to podcasts.
• While the United States and Canada are the center of the podcasting ecosystem with the highest number of listeners, Insider Intelligence predicts China and Latin America will surpass them between 2025 and 2026.

Who listens to podcasts?

• Podcast listeners in the U.S. represent 59% of the population ageg 12-34, 55% of the population between 35 and 54, and 27% of the population over 55.
• Podcast listeners are becoming more diverse. The percentage of people of white ethnicity listening to podcasts dropped from 67% in 2014 to 58% in 2024, with Hispanics seeing the most significant increase in listeners (from 12% to 18%).
• Podcast listening is growing among women. In 2024, 32% of women said they listened to a podcast in the last week, compared to 27% in 2023.
• In 2024, more than half of monthly podcast listeners had a part-time or full-time job (63%) and owned a home (56%).
• Podcast listeners care about learning new things. One-fifth (20%) of them are early adopters of new products, have a college degree or higher education, and a household income of at least $100K.

So what? Based on their education and employment statistics, regular podcast listeners have the power to make purchasing decisions and interest in products that will make their daily lives easier. Using these stats, you can strategize how to monetize your podcast more effectively.

‍How often do people listen to podcasts?

• The 34% of Americans who listened to podcasts in the last week listened to an average of 8.3 podcasts throughout the week.
• According to a survey from YouGov, 14% of podcast fans listen to their favorite shows at least once per day or even more!
• 23% percent of listeners spend over 10 hours a week listening to podcasts.  
• In general, listening to audio content such as podcasts is the sixth most popular entertainment activity among US adults, right after playing video games.

So what? Aim to reach those “super listeners” who listen to their shows daily or 10+ hours of podcasts a week, and you’ll create a loyal fan base. Cross-promote your show on podcasts similar to yours and access new listeners who share your interests.

Where do most people listen to podcasts?

• In 2023, podcasts were most often listened to at home while doing household chores (49%). However, they’re also often listened to while commuting to and from work (42%).
• Women love to listen to podcasts while cooking and baking (35%), while men prefer to listen while playing sports (32%).
• Nearly almost all podcast listeners (93%) prefer to enjoy their shows alone.
• While 70% of fans listen to most podcast episodes that they download, only 68% listen to whole episodes.

So what? Use these statistics to define the length of your podcast: The average podcast length—20 to 40 minutes—reflects the length of the average commute in the U.S. These numbers can also help you target your podcast ads to what your audience is doing when listening.

How do people listen to podcasts?

• As of December 2024, Spotify (37% of listeners) and Apple Podcasts (33%) are the top platforms and apps for listening to audio-only podcasts.
• However, if we include video podcasts in this statistic, the most used platform is YouTube (31%), followed by Spotify (21%) and Apple (12%).
• On average, 70% of people prefer listening to podcasts on their smartphone or tablet. However, it’s interesting to note that this percentage rises to 88% for Apple Podcasts users and falls to 54% for YouTube users. 
• Computers and laptops are the second most used device for listening to podcasts (12%), but once again, only 3% of Apple Podcasts users choose this method, compared to 21% of YouTube users.

So what? Your show must be findable on the top podcast directories, i.e., Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It’s also essential to optimize your content - if you’re going for a video podcast, make sure it looks good on large computer screens for YouTube users.

Where do people find podcasts?

• The main ways that people discover new podcasts to listen to are via charts and recommendations on their podcast listening app. YouTube is the most frequent place where 31% of users started listening to a new podcast, followed by Spotify (24%) and Apple Podcasts (12%).
• Personal recommendations are still important to drive podcast discovery, though, with 55% of podcast listeners saying that they receive them from people in their social circle.
• Why people stop listening to podcasts is just as important. While most people say they lack time (64%), 15% say they cannot find a podcast. In other words, discoverability is an issue.
• The top RSS hosting domain is anchor.fm, accounting for 55.5% of total podcasts, followed by buzzsprout.com with just 6.5% of them.

So what? Discoverability and building an audience are among the biggest challenges faced by podcasters, so use these statistics to reach new listeners:

• Push your show up the in-app charts by encouraging your listeners to subscribe to your podcast in your podcast intro and recommend it to friends.
• Share your podcast on your social media accounts, and work with relevant influencers to promote your show to their audiences.
• Work with other podcasters to promote each others’ shows.
• Work on your SEO to increase your discoverability on YouTube and search engines.

Why do people listen to podcasts?

• 84% of young podcast listeners tune in to dig deeper into topics, but the other reason Gen Zers listen to podcasts more frequently is staying up-to-date and hearing unique perspectives not covered in other media.
• Unsurprisingly, the words most used to describe podcasts are entertaining, interesting, and informative.
• Interestingly enough, even if not by much, the number of people who used podcasts as a news source has decreased from 2023 to 2024. This decrease occurred in all age groups, although the group that saw the steepest decline (-7%) were young people aged 18-29.
• Consistency is key since 76% of podcast listeners prefer a podcast that publishes new episodes regularly.

So what? Ensuring your show is engaging and offers value to your listeners is essential. It also needs to be findable on the main podcast directories. This may sound like a no-brainer, but producing studio-quality podcasts is also key, as a third of people claim low podcast quality is why they don’t listen.

Record on Riverside for professional-quality podcasts, no matter your skill level. sign up for free to see how easy it is!

General podcast statistics

How many podcasts are there?

• According to podcastindex.org, there are 4,406,236 podcasts out there. And before you think “Hey, but most of them are 1-episode, inactive podcasts that were never launched” - well no. Their admission criteria is to have at least 3 episodes, each lasting at least 3 minutes.
• In the last three days, a whopping 89,528 new shows have been launched. That's an average of 30,000 new shows every day.
• While Spotify claims to have "6 million podcast titles" on its roster, Apple Podcasts only lists 2,763,533 valid podcasts. These numbers likely include many inactive shows.
• According to Listen Notes, the year with the highest growth of new podcasts was 2020, with a sharp decline from 2022 on.

The future of podcasting: Is the podcast Industry growing? ‍

The podcast industry's growth is only on its way upward. It is estimated to be worth $17.59 billion by 2030.

If there’s a time to get involved in the podcast industry, it’s now.

So what? There’s a lot of competition! Make your podcast stand out by defining your unique selling point (USP) and target listener persona, and implementing clever marketing based on the statistics in this article.

How many downloads does the average podcast have?

• Downloads are the most widely used metric to measure success in podcasting efforts (46%).
• Looking at Buzzsprout’s monthly podcast download numbers, if your episodes get around 25-30 downloads in the first days after release, you’re already in the top 50% of podcasters.

That’s totally doable, isn’t it?

Include a CTA in your podcast intro to make it clear how listeners can subscribe to your show. Ramp up your marketing campaign on social media, websites, and other relevant podcasts to reach a wider audience.

What is the most popular podcast publisher?

• The most popular podcast publisher in the US is iHeart Audience Network, with 61,273,000 unique monthly listeners, followed by Acast (21,160,000) and Libsyn (20,268,000). 

What are the most popular podcast genres and formats?

• According to Truelist, the most popular podcast genres are comedy (22%), news (21%), and true crime (18%).
• An interesting analysis from the Podcast Marketing Academy shows that successful shows are mostly found in the fiction and leisure categories and less frequently in the society and culture, education, and arts categories.
• The format of most successful shows is usually co-hosted interviews without guests, or solo fiction.
• However, the category showing the highest growth is health & wellness.

So what? Listen to some of the most popular podcasts in your genre, check out these podcast in your genre's statistics, benchmark their format, length, and content, and take tips from the top podcasts in the world:

• Comedy: The Joe Rogan Experience, Armchair Expert with Dax Shephard, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, How Did This Get Made?
• News: The Daily, Up First from NPR, Ted Talks Daily
• True crime: Crime Junkie, Serial, My Favorite Murder, Rotten Mango, In The Dark
• Sports: Pardon My Take, The Bill Simmons Show

How Many Podcasts Use Video?

• The second most frequently cited reason people don’t listen to podcasts is that they prefer watching videos over listening (26%).
• Watching videos is preferred in particular by podcast newcomers, but they only constitute 9% of the weekly podcast audience.

So what? Video podcasting is not yet the norm, but since YouTube is becoming the most used podcasting platform and Spotify is now making video podcasts available for viewing, the growth potential of video podcasts is clear. 

This means that video podcasting is a great way for your show to stand out from the competition! Plus, using software like Riverside makes it really simple to record studio-quality video podcasts remotely, like the example below:

Podcast production statistics

What software do podcasters use?

• 57% of podcasters use AI-powered software to record, edit, or promote their shows.
• With 60% of the total forecasted growth of AI in the podcasting industry, software is the most essential segment. 

So what? Platforms like Riverside use AI to record high-quality audio (and video!), edit podcasts to perfection, and repurpose content effortlessly!

Start recording with Riverside

Easily record high-quality podcasts & videos remotely

Get Started

What Equipment Do Podcasters Use?

• The leading brands for podcasting microphones are Shure, Logitech for Creators, MAONO, FIFINE, and HyperX. Bidirectional mics are preferred, with XLR becoming predominant over USB ones as the podcaster becomes more experienced (5+ years).
• The Blue Yeti is consistently the most popular podcasting microphone overall, having held its top spot position since 2019.
• 70% of podcasters use headphones when recording and in post-production. That means 30% of people risk not knowing if there are audio problems while they record!
• The most frequently used accessories are boom arms (36%) and pop filters (31%).

So what? There’s so much different equipment out there, and its popularity changes year on year (except for the Blue Yeti, which is a keeper). Check out our podcast starter kit guide to find the right kit for you and your budget.

Average podcast length

• We mentioned the average length of a podcast episode is 20 to 40 minutes, but length varies greatly across genres.

So what? For podcasts starting out, it’s best to keep your show short and concise. Once you’ve got a loyal listener base, your episodes can go much longer, and your fans will listen no matter what. The key is making sure to hook your listeners right at the start of your episode because podcasts lose between 20 and 35 percent of listeners in the first five minutes. 

Average podcast frequency & schedule

• According to Buzzsprout’s global statistics, around 34% of podcasts publish an episode on their hosting platform every 3 to 7 days, and 39% every 8 to 14 days.
• However, 90% of podcasts don’t get past episode 3. Of the few that continue, another 90% will quit after 20 episodes. In other words, if you reach episode 21, you’re among the top 1% of podcasters worldwide who made it.
• An inconsistent publishing schedule is among the top 10 reasons people stop listening to a show.

So what? Learning how to schedule your podcast will help you produce regular, engaging content that will keep your listeners interested.‍

Most popular posting times

According to Podbean, the most popular days and times to publish podcasts are:

• Wed 7 pm EST
• Mon 8 am EST
• Mon 9 am EST
• Tue 9 am EST
• Mon 10 am EST

So what? You want to publish your content when your audience is active. Looking at popular publishing times can help, but we suggest analyzing your target audience more closely. When are they most active online? It won't help to publish a podcast at an ideal EST time when you and your listeners may be in another time zone.

Podcast monetization statistics

‍

How much money do podcasters make?

• Podcasting can be a great source of potential revenue through brand sponsorships, ads, and membership sites. Ad dollars spent in this industry are constantly growing, with a forecasted 10% increase from 2024 to 2025.
• Podcast ads are very effective at driving purchases. Nearly half (46%) of weekly podcast listeners have purchased a product or service after hearing an ad on a podcast.
• Beware though, as 16% of podcast listeners quit a show if they have too many ads.

So what? Use the podcast statistics above and our guide to monetizing your podcast to target your ads and sponsorships to your listener profile.‍

FAQs on Podcast Statistics

How do I find podcast stats?

You can easily find out podcast stats by looking at metrics online. Many directories and podcast hosts upload regular reports on podcast listener stats, downloads, demographics, and more. For example, Buzzsprout has monthly stats for you to see podcast download statistics and which podcast directories most listeners use. If you’re looking for your podcast’s analytics, you can generally find this with your podcast host. 

You can easily check Apple, Spotify, or Podchaser lists for charts.

Why do people make podcasts?

Let's begin with the fact that podcasting is a growing industry. It’s popular and trendy right now, making it the right time to start making your own podcast. If you need reasons why, here are a few: 

• Podcasting is great for marketing your brand.
• You can build a community with your listeners.
• With millions of podcast listeners, you can grow your audience reach.
• You can earn income from podcasts.
• It’s fun to create a podcast and interview interesting people.

There are lots more reasons why you should start a podcast, our biggest advice is to find a reason that motivates you personally first.

How can I see how many listeners a podcast has?

If you’re looking for how many listeners your podcast has, then chances are you’ll be able to find this in your hosting platform's podcast analytics. Although, if you’re interested in finding out how many listeners another podcast has, this might be a little trickier. 

It’s hard to get an exact figure of listeners unless you have direct access to their numbers. It also depends on what you classify as a listener. Is this someone who’s subscribed, or someone who’s just listened to only one episode?

You can look at things like social media followings, site traffic, ratings, and reviews to get an idea of a podcast's popularity.

Put theory into practice: Start recording your podcast with Riverside

The main takeaway of these podcast statistics is that podcasting is a huge and growing platform with a massive audience to tap into. Knowing the demographics of podcast listeners and comparing your podcast against benchmarks will help you define success for yourself. 

Leveraging these key stats and our actionable tips will help your podcast capture and maintain a loyal listener base. So, what are you waiting for? Start recording on Riverside!