Podcast Statistics & Industry Trends: Avg. Listens, Gear, & More

There are so many podcast statistics, facts and trends circulating, from listener numbers to industry size. It’s hard to know where to start. So, to make your life easy, I thought I’d bring as many podcast industry stats together here, for your reading pleasure.

I’ll keep this article up to date as new reports come out. Therefore, below, you should find the latest numbers, according to the podcast industry.

So, let’s get into it. Here are the questions we’ll cover. Take your pick!

Podcast Industry Statistics

Table of Contents

How Many Podcasts Are There, Right Now?

In total, how many podcasts are there in the world, right now?

There are 4,014,356 total podcasts registered, around the world.
podcastindex.org – November 2022

This is down from 4,449,114 (-9.7%) in December 2021. So where did over 390,000 podcasts go? We reached out to the Podcast Index to ask if they’d changed anything at their end. In short, they’ve tightened up their criteria on what gets considered to be a valid podcast.

Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of “hey, is this thing on!?” 20-second 1-episode “podcasts” out there on the free hosting platforms. The new criteria are that shows must have at least three episodes (one is often a trailer), and at least one of those episodes has to be 3 minutes long.

So now that we know the total number of podcasts, let’s look at one of the most in-demand of podcast statistics: how many of them are registered in the biggest listening platform – Apple?

Apple Podcasts hosts 2,503,247 podcasts as of November 2022
Podcast Industry Insights courtesy of Daniel J. Lewis

This is up from 2,332,900 (+6.8%) in September 2021. To show growth over the past few years, here’s what Apple announced at WWDC in 2018:

In 2018 there were 550,000 active podcasts on iTunes
Apple, WWDC 2018

How Many Podcast Episodes Are There?

In this case, we’re going by industry estimates here, rather than solid facts:

There are currently over 71,769,447 episodes published in Apple Podcasts, as of November 2022
Podcast Industry Insights courtesy of Daniel J. Lewis

This is up from 52,990,000 (+26%) in June 2021. Again, to compare, these stats came from Apple at WWDC in 2018:

In 2018 there were 18.5 millions episodes published, total
Apple, WWDC 2018

How Many Active Podcasts are There?

The stats show that 18% of the podcasts on Apple Podcasts are currently active. That means they’ve released a new episode in the past 90 days.

There are currently 459,100 active podcasts on Apple Podcasts, as of November 2022
Podcast Industry Insights courtesy of Daniel J. Lewis

This is down from 755,715 in June 2021, 548,447 in December 2021, and 512,480 in April 2022.

The percentage of active podcasts has dropped from 34% in June 2021 to 23% in December 2021 to 21% in April 2022, to 18% in November 2022

This seems a pretty massive drop in activity in just under a year…

The number of active podcasts on Apple Podcasts dropped from 990,000 in Dec 2020 to 548,447 in Dec 2021, to 512,480 in April 2022, and then to 459,100 in November 2022

Here are the recent stats, which show a decreasing trend:

December 2020: 59% active podcasts
March 2021: 37% active podcasts
June 2021: 34% active podcasts
December 2021: 23% active podcasts
April 2022: 21% active podcasts
November 2022: 18% active podcasts

As to what’s causing this… there was certainly a huge increase in new podcasts during the early stages of the pandemic. 2020 was a bumper year for growth as potential podcasters found more time and space to create, and therefore turned into active podcasters. Combine that with companies turning more to digital to either market themselves, or to communicate with staff, and you have a podcasting growth spiral the likes of which we’ve never seen.

But, now – with many folks back to “normal” work and life – a lot of those podcasters have lost enthusiasm, and internal podcasting projects have been abandoned. So, the 2020 boom raised our numbers, and now many of those shows have turned inactive.

How Many People Listen to Podcasts in 2022?

Familiarity is one thing, but actually taking action on it is another. So, how many people have actually gone ahead and listened to a podcast? These are from the latest Infinite Dial stats, released early 2022.

62% of people in the US have listened to a Podcast, at least once
Up from 55% in 2020 & 57% in 2021
Infinite Dial 2022

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What Does This Mean?

Infinite Dial analyzes listenership in steps:

Have ever listened to a podcast
Monthly Podcast Listeners
Weekly Podcast Listeners

The gap between listenership and familiarity has often seemed insurmountable. How do we get the people who are familiar with the term to become interested in trying a podcast, or invested enough to learn how to listen? What kind of tools can we use to get them there?

Listenership continues to grow, with a 5% climb in the past year. This is bigger than the previous two years growth, too!

How Many People Know What a Podcast Is?

There continues to be good growth in the simple act of knowing what a podcast is, year on year:

79% of people in the US are familiar with the concept of Podcasting
Up from 75% in 2020 & 78% in 2021
Infinite Dial 2022

What Does This Mean?

“Familiarity” doesn’t necessarily mean that the respondent has listened to a podcast, or even really knows how podcasts work, but that they have been exposed to the term.

As podcasts grow in their references in more traditional media and enter general conversations, so too will we see growth in familiarity; it’s a good benchmark for analyzing entry into the mainstream consciousness and out of the podcaster bubble. Indeed, this year, familiarity continues to rise at a rapid pace, with more than 3 out of 4 Americans now aware of the term “podcast”.

How Many People Listen to Podcasts on a Monthly Basis?

Both monthly and weekly listenership fell slightly.

38% of people in the US (12+) listened in the last month
Down from 41% in 2021
Infinite Dial 2022

26% of people in the US (12+) listened in the last week
Down from 28% in 2021
Infinite Dial 2022

What Does This Mean?

This year, we saw the first drop in regular monthly podcasting listening in almost 10 years, since 2013. Now, 38% of people listen to podcasts on a monthly basis.

Is this disheartening? I don’t think so. Overall listenership grew really strongly (those who have started listening at all to podcasts). So, those new listeners might take a while to develop into more regular listeners, and that might drag down our % here a little.

Or, the general world craziness may just have disrupted enough routines to contribute to lowering that number. We all know 2020 and 2021 were crazy in all sorts of ways, and that was bound to change people’s habits.

I think we’ll have to wait until 2023’s numbers to see if it’s a true trend.

Popularity of Spoken Word Audio

Podcasting doesn’t have a monopoly on audio content. The medium must still compete with audiobooks, radio and streaming music platforms.

Spoken word’s share of audio listening has risen 45% over the last eight years
There’s been a 25% increase in spoken word audio listeners in the US from 2014 to 2022 (105 million to 131 million)
Gen Z (aged 13-24) spends 22% of their listening time on spoken word, compared to just 9% of the same age group back in 2014. That’s a whopping 214% growth.

Source: The Spoken Word Audio Report

How Popular Are Audiobooks?

44% of UK adults said they listened to audiobooks in their spare time in 2021 (27% said they listened at least once per week)
The number of audiobook titles published in the US increased 66% between 2018 and 2022.
The global audiobook market was worth $4.2 million in 2021 and is set to grow annually at a rate of 26% between 2022-2030.

U.S. Radio Stats

Statista reported that radio had a weekly reach of around 82.5% among adults in the US, as of April 2022. There are over 15,445 radio stations competing for a share of this market.

What About Streaming Music?

Music streaming revenues have multiplied more than 28 times since 2012
The number of music streaming service subscribers worldwide grew 72% between 2019 and 2021 (305 million to 524 million).

Source: Statista

UK Podcast Audience Statistics

How Many People Listen to Podcasts in the UK?

Let’s break out the UK podcast statistics, based on the recent Ofcom survey, in April 2021, and Rajar’s regular survey. The situation in the UK is a little different, with lower listening stats across the board. But, the UK is seeing good growth in weekly podcast listening, year on year.

50% of adults in the UK have listened to a podcast
Ofcom podcast survey, April 2021

25% of adults in the UK are regular podcast listeners
Regular means once per week or more (Ofcom podcast survey, April 2021)

Weekly listening was only at 14% in 2019, and 18% in 2020, according to Rajar’s Spring 2020 data, so this shows really good growth in UK listening numbers.

What Age Group Listens to Podcasts Most?

Taking a look, now at how listening stats differ across the ages. Do younger people listen more, or older? Let’s take a look.

What do these Podcast Statistics Mean?

50% of 12 to 34 years olds listen to podcasts on a monthly basis, while only 22% of 55+ listen at the same frequency.
Infinite Dial 2022

It looks like podcasting is a young person’s game! Proportionally, people in the 12 to 34-year-old age group listen to podcasts more frequently than their older counterparts. Half of all 12 to 34-year-olds listened to a show within the last month, though that did drop from 56% in 2021. Growth had been heavy in the previous 3 years, though, so perhaps it’s now just finding a natural plateau in this bracket.

The segmentation still shows a steep drop-off in overall number of regular listeners once it hits the 55+ range (22% in 2022) and that bracket has also dropped 4% from 26% in 2021.

We do see some actual growth in the 35-54 range, though. They’re up 4% from 39% in 2021 to 43% in 2022!

Weekly Podcast Listener Stats

Let’s take a look at volume, next. How many podcasts do the most regular listeners, those that listen weekly, consume?

average stats on podcast episode listens

What do these Podcast Statistics Mean?

Podcast fans consume 8 episodes per week, on average
Infinite Dial 2022

The average weekly listener will consume 8 podcasts during their week. The most prolific listeners – a decent chunk at 18% – listen to 11 or more shows, every week. The deeper podcast statistics show that around half of all regular listeners will consume 3 to 5 shows every week, which is a significant amount of content.

How Many Listeners Do Podcasts Get on Average?

This is the number everyone cares about: how do you compare to other podcasters? Here are stats from Buzzsprout, one of the biggest Podcast Hosts in the world, on how many listeners podcasts tend to get.

Here is your position, based on downloads per episode within the first seven days, as of November 2022:

Top 1% of Podcasts > 4683
Top 5% of Podcasts > 938
Top 10% of Podcasts > 386
Top 25% of Podcasts > 101
Top 50% of Podcasts > 29

So, if you get 29 listens per episode, or more, you’re about the same as the middle-of-the-road average Buzzsprout podcast user, right at the 50% mark!

These stats give you a gauge of how your show stacks up against ultra-popular podcasts. But remember, podcast downloads are never the full story.

Here are the previous stats:

April 2022

Top 1% of Podcasts > 3994
Top 5% of Podcasts > 795
Top 10% of Podcasts > 335
Top 25% of Podcasts > 93
Top 50% of Podcasts > 30

October 2021

Top 1% of Podcasts > 3974
Top 5% of Podcasts > 731
Top 10% of Podcasts > 308
Top 25% of Podcasts > 87
Top 50% of Podcasts > 29

May 2021

Top 1% of Podcasts > 3647
Top 5% of Podcasts > 629
Top 10% of Podcasts > 264
Top 25% of Podcasts > 78
Top 50% of Podcasts > 28

Feb 2021

Top 1% of Podcasts > 3188
Top 5% of Podcasts > 584
Top 10% of Podcasts > 244
Top 25% of Podcasts > 74
Top 50% of Podcasts > 27

What are the Top Podcast Listening Apps (What do People Use to Listen to Podcasts?)

Everyone has to listen somehow! But what listening app do people use to listen, whether mobile or computer-based? Apple Podcasts is still the leader, but Spotify isn’t far behind.

Apple Podcasts is the most popular podcast listening app (39.3%) (Via Buzzsprout).
Spotify is in 2nd place (26.6%)
Updated April 2022.

Here are the top 10, according to Buzzsprout’s podcast statistics:

Listening Provider	May 21 (%)	Oct 21 (%)	Apr 22 (%)	Nov 22 (%)
Apple Podcasts	29.8	31.1	37.4	39.3
Spotify	29.4	31.2	26.8	26.6
Web Browser	2.6	2.6	2.9	2.9
Google Podcasts	2.7	2.4	2.4	2.5
Castbox	2.9	1.9	2.0	1.6
Podcast Addict	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.2
Overcast	1.2	1.1	1.2	1.0
Apple iTunes	1.0	1.1	1.1	1.9
Pocket Casts	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7
Amazon Music	0.9	0.7	0.7	0.7

Percentage of listener share for each of the top

As you can see, Buzzsprout showed Spotify as the top listening platform (just) back in October 2021. But Apple now seems to have regained a bit of a lead on them. There are a couple of reasons why this might be.

The first is that Buzzsprout may have tweaked something in how they measure these stats. They’re now much more in line with Libsyn who publish similar numbers.

The second is that Spotify might be a brilliant music app, but, at this moment in time, it just isn’t a great podcast listening app. Could it be that their users are moving on to other “proper” podcast apps once they discover they like listening to spoken-word content? Possibly!

With that all said, a huge amount of podcast listening is still taking place on the platform…

How Many People Listen to Spotify?

What should not be ignored when thinking about podcasting’s reach is Spotify’s growth as a recognizable audio brand, and how this plays into the podcasting surge.

Spotify have increased monthly listening by American audiences overall. 35% of all people have listened in the last month.

Up from 20% in 2018
Up from 25% in 2020
Up from 29% in 2021

35% of people in the US (12+) have listened to Spotify in the last month
Up From 25% in 2020 & 29% in 2021
Infinite Dial 2022

How Many People Listen to Podcasts on Spotify?

Leading on from Spotify’s general growth, above, it seems that their work in podcasting has had a pretty big effect since they branched out into podcasting. The growth in podcast listening within the Spotify audience is huge.

53% of monthly Spotify Listeners, 12-24 years old, also listened to a Podcast in the last month
Up from 32% in 2018
Infinite Dial 2019

What Devices Are People Using to Listen to Podcasts?

Long gone are the days of downloading podcasts on your computer and sticking them on your iPod. In this “internet of things” era, you could probably download an episode on your teapot.

The top 10 podcast listening devices as of November 2022, according to Buzzsprout.

Apple iPhone – 67.9%
Android Phone – 17.6%
Unknown Device – 5.2%
Windows Computer – 4.9%
Apple Computer – 1.5%
Apple iPad – 1.2%
Amazon Smart Speaker – 0.8%
Unknown Smart TV – 0.3%
Android Tablet – 0.3%
Unknown Computer – 0.2%

So no teapots, then.

Yet.

What Is the Most Popular Podcast Genre in the U.S?

Edison Research announced the Top Podcast Genres in the U.S. for Q2 2022. The list ranks the most popular podcast genres based on audience size from Edison Podcast Metrics.

Comedy
News
Society and Culture
True Crime
Sports
Business (up from #7 in Q1 2022)
Arts (up from #8 in Q1 2022)
TV and Film (down from #6 in Q1 2022)
Education (up from #10 in Q1 2022)
Religion and Spirituality(down from #9 in Q1 2022)

A podcast listener with her mattresses and socks

Podcast Ads & Advertising Stats

Podcasting is a big money industry these days, and it’s not all food hampers, mattresses, and socks.

Here are some statistics and data from the iab’s U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study.

For the first time ever, the podcast advertising market surpassed one billion dollars in 2021
Revenues increased 72% YoY to $1.4B and are forecasted to exceed $2B in 2022 and almost triple by 2024 to over $4B.
Revenues continue to grow faster than the total internet advertising revenue market – up 72% YoY vs. 35%. (IAB 2021 Internet Advertising Revenue Report)
Podcast advertising categories are diversifying: the “Other” category—which contains an increasing number of ad categories with lower spend—more than tripled share in just two years.
As advertisers demand surged, pre-roll advertising increased its share of revenue to 32% from 22% in 2020.

Investments in ad tech made podcast advertising more digitally-enabled, expanding its capabilities and value for advertisers
Dynamic ad insertion expanded to 84% of ad revenue, almost doubling in 2 years. Both host-read and announcer-read ads are largely being served via DAI (84% and 85%, respectively), creating greater scale, flexibility, and targetability for advertisers.
Announcer-read ads continued to grow its share of ad revenue to 40% from 35% in 2020 as it enables efficient ad creation and deployment.

Which Podcast Formats Will Be the Most Popular for New Creators in 2023?

There are various podcast formats you can use for your show. Running podcast interviews was almost considered the default choice for many years. These podcast statistics suggest that the future may look a little different, however.

Data from our free Podcast Planner Tool suggests that 43% of new podcasters plan to release solo episodes. Is this a sign of post-pandemic remote call fatigue? Or are podcasters starting to realise that going solo is an optimal way to become the authority on their shows? Only time will tell.

What Audio Equipment Do Podcasters Most Commonly Use?

Finding the right podcast equipment is always an exciting job, but it can be daunting. So, what’s the most popular gear out there? In Spring 2019 we published our latest findings around podcast equipment statistics: The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2019. Here are some of the top-line numbers based on responses to this survey.

According to our survey respondents:

Rode is the most popular microphone brand (19%) with Blue in 2nd place (17%)
The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2019

The Blue Yeti (17%) is the most popular mic, with the Blue Snowball in 2nd place (9%)
The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2019

35% of people use a dynamic mic, 29% use a condenser mic and 33% use a USB mic
(stats not mutually exclusive – the Blue Yeti is Condenser AND USB)

74% of podcasters record with headphones, while the rest choose not to monitor
The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2019

You can also see 2018’s podcast equipment stats here: Podcast Equipment Statistics: The Most Popular Equipment, Software & Tools

Do Podcasters Record Video Too?

In most cases, no! Again, these stats are from the Podcast Host Gear Survey 2019 where we asked about video podcasting:

Only 17% of respondents record video along with their podcast
The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2019

Only 10% of respondents live broadcast their podcast recording
The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2019

What Software Do Podcasters Use?

There’s definitely a big range of podcast software in use, by podcasters, but one option commands the bulk of podcast editing and recording usage:

48% of respondents use Audacity to edit their podcast, with Adobe Audition in 2nd place (31%)
The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2019

How Long are Podcasts, on Average?

If you’re trying to decide on how long your podcast should be, then it might help to get an answer to the question: how long is the average podcast?

The most common podcast length is between 20 and 40 minutes (32%)
Across all Buzzsprout Podcasts

Here are the stats from Buzzsprout, as of November 2022, drawing from 115,752+ active podcasts:

Less than 10 minutes > 15%
10 – 20 minutes > 15%
20 – 40 minutes > 32%
40 – 60 minutes > 21%
Over 60 minutes > 17%

For comparison, here are the same stats from Feb 2021 and April 2022. You can see that these numbers remain fairly consistent, despite over 20,000 new podcasts now active on the platform.

April 2022

Less than 10 minutes > 14%
10 – 20 minutes > 15%
20 – 40 minutes > 31%
40 – 60 minutes > 22%
Over 60 minutes > 17%

Feb 2021

Less than 10 minutes > 13%
10 – 20 minutes > 14%
20 – 40 minutes > 31%
40 – 60 minutes > 23%
Over 60 minutes > 18%

Episode Length & Time Data From Over 1500 Aspiring Podcasters

Data from our free Podcast Planner Tool suggests that 53% of new podcasters plan to publish episodes that are between 20 and 40 minutes long.

How Often Does the Average Podcast Publish an Episode?

Similarly, if you’re asking, how often should I release my podcast, here’s what Buzzsprout’s Podcast statistics show about the average.

The most common podcast publishing frequency is every 8 to 14 days (38%)
Across all Buzzsprout podcasts

Percentage of podcasts and the frequency by which they release episodes:

0 – 2 days > 7%
3 – 7 days > 36%
8 – 14 days > 38%
15 – 29 days > 18%
Over 30 days > 2%

Updated November 2022.

These are virtually identical to March 2021 and April 2022. Again, this is interesting given that there are over 20,000 new podcasts active on the platform.

Release Frequency Data From Over 1500 Aspiring Podcasters

Data from our free Podcast Planner Tool suggests that 55% of new podcasters plan to publish on a weekly basis.

How Do People Find New Podcasts to Listen To?

Let’s find out how listeners are actually finding new shows. These are the results of a discoverability survey we ran in 2020. According to our respondents, here is how they find new shows:

Search My Podcast App’s Directory – 40%
Directly Ask Someone I Know Who Likes the Same Stuff – 18.3%
Ask on Social Media or Online Community – 15.2%
Search on Google – 13.6%
Browse Through a Podcast Chart or ‘Featured’ Section– 13%

This was one result from The Podcast Host Discoverability Survey. The report is essential reading for anyone who wants to grow an audience. It highlights the most effective areas to concentrate on when it comes to promotion and marketing.

We’re always looking to run interesting new surveys too, so if there are any specific podcast data you’d like to see here in future be sure to give us a shout!

Where in the World is Podcasting Growing Fastest? Podcast Population Stats

Voxnext released a set of podcast stats in 2019, which showed the countries in which podcasting is growing fastest. It makes for an interesting read:

Chile (83.9% growth)
Argentina (55.28%)
Peru (49.1%)
Mexico (47.84%)
China (43.62%)
Voxnest, March 2019

Reuters Digital News Report 2018 also reported that, in South Korea, 58% of people said that they listened to a podcast at least once a month.

Why Do People Start Podcasts?

People start new podcasts every single day. But why? Data in our recent Podcaster Cares Survey shows that the majority our respondents (38.4%) launch shows “as a hobby”.

Is the term “hobby” slightly patronising, though? Many “hobbyist” podcasters prefer to describe their endeavours as a “creative outlet”.

Other common reasons for starting are to build a personal brand (21%) and to grow a business (19.7%).

What Do Podcasters Struggle With Most?

Our Podcaster Problems Survey showed that the vast majority (47.7%) of our respondents get stuck on podcast promotion.

Ideas, scripting, and episode planning caused problems for 17.9%, whilst editing was the issue for 13.4% of respondents.

How Do Podcasters Measure Success?

The term “success” means different things to different people. Our Podcaster Cares survey revealed that the most common way responding podcasters measure it is through spikes in their download numbers.

Feedback from listeners, either via email or podcast reviews, was also shown to be something podcasters put a lot of onus on. The amount of ‘likes’ an episode gets on social was the thing that had the least impact.

Are Podcasters Concerned With Censorship & Content Moderation?

There are an increasing number of conversations about censorship and content moderation in podcasting. We asked about this in our Podcaster Cares Survey.

49.2% said that they were “concerned about harmful, dangerous, and misleading content in podcasting”, but felt that censorship was a “slippery slope”.

19.3% felt it was the responsibility of hosting platforms to “weed out harmful, dangerous, and misleading content”, whilst 17.4% believe this should be the job of the listening apps themselves.

14.2% don’t want to see any content moderation whatsoever, stating that “it’s nobody’s right to try and police podcasting for everyone else.”

What Organisations are Collating Podcast Statistics?

The Infinite Dial report, a survey conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital, is probably the most popular databank and survey on the state of Podcast industry statistics in the United States, especially audio. The Rajar Midas survey is the equivalent in the UK.

Infinite Dial has conducted phone-based surveys since 1998, including podcasts since 2006–that means since nearly the inception of podcasting, making this incredibly valuable data. The respondent pool of 1500 is composed of people aged twelve and over, weighted against the US census data for population, and split proportionally between landlines and cell phones.

Podcast Industry Statistics: References

I’ve drawn from a range of great sources of Podcast Industry stats in this article, including: