Podcast Statistics & Industry Trends 2026: 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.

Listen, follow, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice!

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

Podcast Industry Statistics

How Many Podcasts Are There, Right Now?

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

There are 4,546,694 total podcasts registered, around the world.

podcastindex.org – Nov 2025

But what counts as a “registered podcast?”. We reached out to The Podcast Index to enquire.

Unsurprisingly, there are many “Hey, is this thing on!?” 20-second 1-episode “podcasts” on the free hosting platforms. The Podcast Index criteria require shows to have at least three episodes (one is often a trailer) and at least one of those episodes to be three minutes long.

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

Apple Podcasts hosts 2,905,698 podcasts as of November 2025

Podcast Industry Insights courtesy of Daniel J. Lewis

This is up from 2,332,900 (+25%) 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?

There are currently over 117,196,339 episodes published in Apple Podcasts, as of November 2025

Podcast Industry Insights courtesy of Daniel J. Lewis

This is up from 52,990,000 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 just over 15% 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 440,794 active podcasts on Apple Podcasts, as of November 2025

Podcast Industry Insights courtesy of Daniel J. Lewis

The percentage of active podcasts has dropped slightly to 15% since June 2024

There was a big drop after the COVID boom year (2020 to 2021), but since the start of 2022, we’ve been relatively steady between 21% and 15%, and a bit of a rebound in mid-2023.

Here are the recent stats, on a percentage basis.

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 everyone back to “normal” work and life – many 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. This isn’t a bleak sign of the state of the industry; it’s just that things were so different in 2020 (and most of 2021) that it’s hard to make any reasonable comparison.

And, though the percentage of people making podcasts (and sticking at it) has been pretty stable the past couple of years, the percentage of people knowing about them and, most important of all, consuming them, has risen.

What’s the Ultimate Goal of Podcasters?

What motivates people to launch and run podcasts?

Data from the 2025 Independent Podcast Report found that the majority of podcasters (31%) want to help, support, or motivate others. Other popular goals were:

• Personal enjoyment/creative outlet – 20%
• Raise awareness about a cause or topic – 12%
• Establish a main income source – 11%
• Develop or promote a business/brand – 10%

What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing Podcasters?

Podcasting has its challenges, and the Independent Podcast Report offers more data on the common barriers creators face today.

72% reported discoverability and growing an audience as their major challenge. Other common answers were:

• Making money – 39%
• Audience engagement – 32%
• Time commitment and burnout – 30%
• Costs of running a podcast – 23%
• Technical/production challenges – 21%

How Many People Know What a Podcast Is?

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

85% of people in the US are familiar with the concept of podcasting

Up 10% from 2020

Infinite Dial 2025

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 analysing entry into the mainstream consciousness and out of the podcaster bubble. Indeed, this year, familiarity continues to rise at a rapid pace, with well more than 4 in 5 Americans now aware of the term “podcast”.

How Many People Listen to Podcasts?

Familiarity is one thing, but how many people have actually gone ahead and listened to a podcast?

Well, in mid-2023, data from Edison Research revealed that, for the first time ever, on-demand audio (like podcasts and streaming music) has leapfrogged linear audio (like radio) when it comes to ear-time in America.

On top of this, here are the latest Infinite Dial stats, released early 2025.

70% of people in the US have listened to a podcast, at least once

Up from 55% in 2020

Infinite Dial 2025

What Does This Mean?

Infinite Dial analyses 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 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 15% climb over the past five years!

On top of this data, the Share of Ear study by Edison Research indicates that podcasts now occupy 9% of Americans’ total audio consumption time, with an all-time high 31% of all spoken word audio listening going to podcasts.

Podcast Consumption Stats 2025

In 2025, the Infinite Dial reported on a new metric for the very first time – podcast consumption.

73% of people in the US have listened to or watched a podcast, at least once

Infinite Dial 2025

This takes into account the rise in popularity of video podcasts, and acknowledges the fact that not all podcast fans are “listeners” – some listen and watch, and a select few only watch.

Video Podcast Stats

Speaking of video podcasts, data from the Independent Podcast Report suggests that 31% of creators are publishing full video episodes alongside their audio content.

A further 32% of podcasters don’t currently make video, but are considering it. 19% don’t make any video, and don’t plan to.

Video Podcast Consumption

The 2025 Podcast Landscape Study by Sounds Profitable saw 40% of podcast consumers report YouTube as their primary podcast app. However, almost half of those respondents said more than half of their content is consumed audio-only.

Elsewhere, despite the growth of video, 92% of people still describe themselves as listening to podcasts. This is according to the Podcast Download report from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights.

More than half of the people who watch podcasts on YouTube also listen to those shows on other platforms. Only 8% watch and never listen, and that number has stayed the same since 2022.

The bottom line here: video can bring extra value and discoverability benefits. But ultimately, most people still listen to podcasts because there’s much more time in the day to listen than there is to watch. If you’re creating a podcast that leans heavily on video, it must still work with your eyes closed.

How Many People Consume Podcasts on a Monthly Basis?

Both monthly and weekly listenership fell slightly in 2022 (a correction from the pandemic era), but came back stronger in 2023 and have continued to grow into 2025, especially now that watching has been added to the equation.

How Many People Listen to Podcasts on a Daily Basis?

In November 2022, Edison Weekly Insights revealed that daily podcast listening among Americans continues to grow.

In 2014, the first year of the Share of Ear survey, podcasts reached 5% of those in the U.S. age 13+. As of our most recent data, Q3 2022, podcasts now reach 18% of those age 13+ in the U.S. — a 20% increase in the past year (Q3 2021), and over three times the reach of 2014. 

When Do People Listen to Podcasts?

A YouGov survey ‘What situations do Americans listen to podcasts?’ asked listeners when they’re most likely to listen to shows.

The most popular podcast-listening situations respondents gave were the following:

• 49% said they listen to podcasts while doing chores (the gender split was 43% male vs 55% female)
• 42% said they listen to podcasts on their work commute
• 29% said they listen to podcasts while working out.

Car & Commute-Based Podcast Listening

According to Edison Research, individuals with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in their vehicles tend to engage with podcasts for nearly twice the duration compared to those without these features.

Data on Podcast Trust, Engagement, & Authority

Podcasts are gaining trust and engagement as a source of news and information. A study by The Pew Research Center shows that two-thirds of listeners hear news discussions on podcasts, expecting accuracy.

Research by the University of California suggests that headphone listening is twice as effective for message reception, with 93% of podcast consumption happening on headphones.

According to data presented in Audacy’s Spring 2023 State of Audio guide, advertisers benefit from podcast host reads, which outperform social media.

In November 2024, new data from Veritonic’s 2024 Podcast Study showed a significant portion of listeners took action after hearing a podcast ad. Visiting a brand’s website (57%) and making a purchase (28%) were two common outcomes.

And a Spanish listener survey by Acast reveals that 97% of listeners have a positive perception of brands advertised on podcasts.

Overall, this data helps build a picture that podcasts have become a trusted medium for content and advertising.

Demographic Stats: The Women’s Podcast Report

The Women’s Podcast Report surveyed 1,500 Americans who self-identify as women, aged 18+ in August of 2022 and listen to podcasts monthly.

Over 1 in 3 U.S. Women 18+ (35%) have listened to a podcast in the past month. This is up 67% over the past 5 years, and now represents an estimated 47 million women.

And

Women listen to a variety of podcast content – on average, they listen to 5.7 different genres or topics. Some groups are even more voracious, with women aged 25-34 listening to 6.9 topics, Hispanic women listening to 6.8 topics, and moms listening to 6.5 topics.

Read the Women’s Podcast Report

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?

• Audiobook listening in the US fell slightly for the first time since 2022
• However, the percentage of audiobook listening is still higher than 2023 and all years prior
• Daily reach of audiobook consumption has grown 94% since 2017
• 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
• 41% of audiobook listeners say they subscribe to at least one audiobook service.

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?

2024 was a record-breaking year for podcast listening in the UK, according to Edison’s latest UK Podcast Consumer Report.

They found that:

• 69% of the UK population has listened to a podcast
• 42% of the UK 18+ population has listened in the last month
• 30% of the UK 18+ population has listened in the last week

2024 Ofcom data shows a lower number (50%) in the “has listened” bracket and 25% in the “regular listener” category.

Meanwhile, RAJAR’s most recent audio measurement report suggested that 34% of Brits listen to podcasts at least once a month and that 77% of podcast listeners in the UK enjoy between one and three episodes per week.

What Age Group Consumes Podcasts Most?

Men aged 25-34 make up the core audience of podcasting, according to data from Edison Research. They spend 16% of all of their audio time with podcasts.

Here are more age and demographic stats from Edison Research’s Infinite Dial Report 2025:

What do these Podcast Statistics Mean?

66% of 12 to 34 years olds consume podcasts on a monthly basis, while 38% of 55+ watch or listen at the same frequency.

Infinite Dial 2025

It looks like podcasting is a young person’s game! Proportionally, people in the 12 to 34-year-old age group enjoy podcasts more frequently than their older counterparts. Well more than half of all 12 to 34-year-olds consumed a show within the last month, which has even exceeded the 2021 pandemic boom.

The segmentation still shows a steep drop-off in the overall number of regular listeners once it hits the 55+ range (38% in 2025), but that number has also exceeded its 2021 high, so there are encouraging signs.

The 35-54 range has shown consistent growth for the past four years, too, climbing 16% since 2022.

Podcast Listening in Ages 55+

A study released in April 2023 by Edison Research and NPR found that podcasting has a largely untapped audience in the age 55+ demographic.

The new data reveals that while podcast listening has grown dramatically over the last five years overall, listening among “Baby Boomers” has not grown and is at a far lower level than younger demographics. According to the report from Edison Research and NPR, Boomers have the tools and the interest to listen, but increased education and targeting are required.

Hit Play, Boomer!

Men aged 55-64 spend only 4% of their total audio time with podcasts according to another report by Edison Research.

Kids Podcast Listening

A 2022 survey from Kids Listen reported that nearly half of all kids who listen to podcasts do so daily. Kids podcasts also show a high level of trust amongst parents compared to other mediums like TV and social media influencers.

Meanwhile, data in the Kids Podcast Listener Report from Edison Research suggests that 29% 6-12 year olds in the US are monthly podcast listeners, and that 87% of them have shared a takeaway or lesson with others.

Gen Z Podcast Listening

SXM Media’s Gen Z Podcast Listener Report examined the podcast listening habits of individuals aged 13 to 24 in the United States. The report, based on research conducted by Edison, reveals that 47% of Gen Z listeners have engaged with podcasts within the past month. Notably, this group demonstrates greater diversity compared to the overall monthly podcast listener base in the US. When it comes to discovering new shows, Gen Z podcast listeners primarily rely on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

According to a recent report from Spotify in the UK, Gen Z represents the music and podcast streaming platform’s most rapidly expanding demographic. In the first half of 2023, this generation has witnessed a remarkable 58% increase in year-on-year podcast plays. Additionally, 39% of these Gen Z listeners opt to listen at an accelerated playback speed.

Weekly Podcast Listener Stats

Just under 100 million Americans age 12 and older now listen to podcasts every week.

Infinite Dial 2024

With an estimated 34% of the US population listening to podcasts on a weekly basis, here’s a further breakdown of weekly podcast consumption.

Average number of podcast episodes listened to in a week:

• 8.3 – total weekly podcast listeners
• 9.5 – female weekly podcast listeners
• 7.2 – male weekly podcast listeners

Podcast fans consume over 8 episodes per week, on average, whilst female podcast fans consume between 9 and 10 episodes per week.

Infinite Dial 2024

What Day of the Week Do Podcasts Publish Episodes?

Wednesdays and Thursdays seem to be the most popular day for publishing podcasts, according to this 2022 report by Podchaser. The weekend sees a big dip in new uploads, with Saturday being the least popular day.

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 hosting providers 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 April 2025:

• Top 1% of Podcasts > 4,615
• Top 5% of Podcasts > 1,106
• Top 10% of Podcasts > 472
• Top 25% of Podcasts > 115
• Top 50% of Podcasts > 30

So, if you get 30 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:

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 recently regained their lead on Spotify:

Apple Podcasts is the most popular podcast listening app (37.5%) (Via Buzzsprout).
Spotify is in 2nd place (33.2%)

Updated April 2025.

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

Google Podcasts was killed off (rather slowly and painfully) by Google in 2024 and has finally stopped collecting listener data. This is a shame, as around 2% was still a respectable percentage of share, and it would’ve been an easy on-ramp for brand-new podcast listeners.

How Many People Listen to Spotify?

Spotify is a behemoth in the realm of online audio. Podcast listening has grown steadily on the platform these past few years, but streaming music is still what it’s best known for. 35% of people in the US (12+) have listened to Spotify in the last month.

• Up from 20% in 2018
• Up from 25% in 2020
• Up from 29% in 2021
• Stable at 35% from 2022 onwards

35% of people in the US (12+) have listened to Spotify in the last month

Unchanged since 2022

Infinite Dial 2025

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 April 2025, according to Buzzsprout.

1. Apple iPhone – 64.9% (down from 68.6% in Jan 23)
2. Android Phone – 22.8% (up from 18.1% in Jan 23)
3. Windows Computer – 5.5%
4. Unknown Device – 2.7%
5. Apple Computer – 1.6%
6. Apple iPad – 0.9%
7. Amazon Smart Speaker – 0.5%
8. Unknown Smart TV – 0.5%
9. Unknown Computer – 0.4%
10. Android Tablet – 0.1%

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.

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

In April 2023, Edison also published data suggesting that True Crime is the genre “most likely to place a show in the top 200”. Sounds Profitable’s Tom Webster expressed some legitimate concerns about how this data might be interpreted.

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.

And these stats are from the IAB and PwC Digital Adspend report:

• Podcasting ad spend in the UK is up 23%, year on year.
• £58m in 2021
• £68m in 2022
• £83m in 2023

Do Podcasters Make Money?

The Independent Podcast Report found that only 15% of respondents were making money from their content.

However, only 9% considered revenue and profitability as their primary measure of success, and income wasn’t among the top three ‘ultimate goal’ answers either. 

Of those who do monetise, 46% reported breaking even or making a small profit, and sponsorship/advertising was the most profitable revenue stream at 41%. Paid subscriptions (Patreon, Substack, etc) came in second at 23%.

What Audio Equipment Do Podcasters Most Commonly Use?

Finding the right podcast equipment is always exciting, but it can be daunting. So, what’s the most popular gear out there? In July 2024, we published our latest findings on podcast equipment statistics: The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2024. Here are some of the top-line numbers based on responses to this survey.

The Blue Yeti is the most popular mic (16.6%) with the Samson Q2U in 2nd place (8.1%)

The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2024

USB mics are the most popular (36.1%), followed by XLR (32.5%), and Combo (19.7%)

The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2024

42% of people use a dynamic mic, 28% use a condenser mic, whilst 30% were unsure

The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2024

More than 70% of podcasters record with headphones on

The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2024

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:

Audacity is the most popular podcast recording software (17%) AND the most popular podcast editing software (24%)

The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2024

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 (30%)

Across all Buzzsprout Podcasts

Here are the stats from Buzzsprout, as of January 2025, drawing from 120,338 active podcasts:

• Less than 10 minutes > 20%
• 10 – 20 minutes > 16%
• 20 – 40 minutes > 30%
• 40 – 60 minutes > 19%
• Over 60 minutes > 15%

For comparison, here are the same stats going back to 2021. You can see that these numbers remain fairly consistent throughout, though the number of sub-10-minute episodes is slowly climbing.

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 (39%)

Across all Buzzsprout podcasts

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

• 0 – 2 days > 7%
• 3 – 7 days > 34%
• 8 – 14 days > 39%
• 15 – 29 days > 18%
• Over 30 days > 1%

Updated January 2025.

How Much Time Do Podcasts Take to Make?

The Independent Podcast Report asked respondents how many hours they typically spent per episode, from planning through to publishing.

55% of respondents fell into the 1-5 hour camp. Only 4% spent less than an hour per episode, whilst 13% took more than ten hours to put theirs together.

How Much Money Does Podcasting Cost?

Software and hosting costs can add up, and the Independent Podcast Report asked creators how much they spent on a monthly basis.

40% fell into the $10-49 bracket. 17% reported podcasting entirely for free, whilst 20% spend more than $100 per month sustaining their shows.

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 2024. According to our respondents, here is how they find new shows:

• 50% said they would open up their preferred podcasting app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, etc)
• 13% said they would listen out for recommendations on the podcasts they already enjoy
• 12% said they would directly ask someone they know who likes the same stuff
• 11% said they would use a search engine like Google or Bing
• And 10% said they would ask on social media or in an online community

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.

Room For Growth

There are still massive growth opportunities for podcasting in certain countries.

India

In May 2024, Podnews shared data from The Podcast Pulse, the first-of-its-kind comprehensive report on podcast consumption in India.

Key findings from the report include:

• 82% of respondents were initially unaware of podcasts, highlighting a significant opportunity for awareness-building efforts.
• 78% of consumers discovered podcasts less than a year ago, indicating a recent surge in interest.

Japan

Japan is a country with lots of room for podcast growth. Though listening increased in 2022, overall uptake remains low at 15.7%.

With that said, one in three Japanese individuals aged 15-19 listens to podcasts monthly, making podcast listening as popular as TikTok consumption in the country. This 2024 data was published by Otonal in collaboration with The Asahi Shimbun Company.

Writing for Podnews in 2023, Guang Jin YEO takes an insightful deep dive into slow podcast growth in Japan, and what can be done about it.

Which Country Has the Highest Percentage of Podcast Listeners?

According to the Edison Research Infinite Dial 2023 Australian Audio Report, it’s Australia. The study highlights that 43% of Australians tune in to podcasts monthly, surpassing the US’s 42% figure. Additionally, a significant one-third of Australians engage with podcasts every week, outpacing the US’s 31% statistic.

And a 2024 YouGov study examined the percentage of populations who listened to podcasts for more than one hour per week.

• Saudi Arabia 59%
• Mexico 48%
• Romania 47%
• Vietnam 47%
• Morocco 45%

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:

• Edison Research Infinite Dial 2025
• Independent Podcast Report 2025
• Rajar Midas Audio Survey Summer 2022
• The Podcast Host Gear Survey 2024
• The Podcast Host Discoverability Report
• Reuters Digital News Report 2018
• Podcast Industry Insights courtesy of Daniel J. Lewis
• Buzzsprout Podcasting Stats
• Ofcom Podcast Survey April 2023
• Statista – U.S. Radio Industry – Statistics & Facts
• iab U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study.
• The Spoken Word Audio Report
• The Podcast Landscape Study