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

Key takeaways:

• Podcast listening is growing rapidly: More than 584 million people listened to podcasts in 2025, 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 83% spend more than 9 hours listening weekly.
• Video is redefining the podcast landscape: More than half of shows are now posting full video on YouTube.
• Podcasting is a booming industry: The market is projected to be worth $17.59 billion by 2030.
• 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 understand your listeners better, come up with new ideas for monetization, and strategize for success.

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

Podcast listener demographics

How many people listen to podcasts?

• In 2025, there were more than 4.58 million podcasts, and this number is only growing.
• As of 2025, 73% of Americans have watched or listened to a podcast at least once in their lives, an increase from 67% in 2024. This is an estimated 210 million Americans!
• Of Americans who had watched a podcast, 55% had watched or listened in the last month and 40% in the past week, an increase of 8% and 6% year over year.
• In 2026, the number of podcast listeners worldwide will grow to  619.2 million.
• The amount of time people spend listening to podcasts has increased by 355% in the last 10 years.
• The United States and Canada have the highest number of podcast listeners. But China and Latin America are predicted to surpass them between 2025 and 2026.

Who listens to podcasts?

• Young people are the most avid podcast consumers. 66% of U.S. people aged 12-34 and 61% of people 35-54 are monthly podcast listeners.
• In 2025, 45% of women said they listened to a podcast in the last week, compared to 32% in 2024.
• In 2024, more than half of monthly podcast listeners had a part-time or full-time job (63%) and owned a home (56%).
• 51% of podcast listeners have college degrees compared to 46% of the general U.S. population.
• 17% of podcast listeners are early adopters of new products.
• Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa are home to some of the most engaged podcast audiences. South Africa leads the pack, with 66% of consumers listening at least an hour per week, followed by Saudi Arabia (60%), Indonesia (59%), and the United Arab Emirates (57%).

So what? Education and employment statistics show that podcasters are a valuable audience for advertisers. 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.
• 83% of podcast consumers spend 9 hours and 24 minutes listening to their favorite shows every week.
• 14% of podcast fans listen to their favorite shows at least once per day or even more!
• Listening to audio content such as podcasts is the sixth most popular entertainment activity among U.S. adults, right after playing video games.

So what? Aim to reach those “super listeners” who listen to their shows daily. These are the listeners with the potential to become 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%).
• Almost all podcast listeners (93%) prefer to enjoy their shows alone.
• While 70% of fans listen to most of the 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.

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How do people listen to podcasts?

• As of September 2025, Apple Podcasts (37% of listeners) and Spotify (32%) are the top platforms for listening to audio-only podcasts.
• For video podcasts, the most used platform for podcast consumption is Apple Podcasts (37.4% of listeners), followed by YouTube (23.2%), and Spotify (15.2%).
• Most people prefer consuming podcasts on their smartphone (95%) or computer (71%). Smart TVs are also used for video podcasts (61%).

So what? Your show must be discoverable on the top podcast directories like 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 or TVs for YouTube users.

Where do people find podcasts?

• 50% of podcast listeners find new podcasts through their podcast listening app; 31% of listeners find new podcasts on YouTube, followed by Spotify (24%) and Apple Podcasts (12%).
• 55% of podcast listeners say that they get podcast recommendations from people they know.
• People say they stop listening to podcasts because they lack time (64%), or they cannot find a podcast they want to listen to (15%). In other words, discoverability is an issue.
• The top RSS hosting domain is anchor.fm, accounting for 54.9% of total podcasts, followed by buzzsprout.com with just 6.7% 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 by:

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

Why do people listen to podcasts?

• People listen to podcasts because they want to hear discussions on topics of interest (83%), want to have something to listen to in the car or while traveling (66%), or want to listen while walking and exercising (62%).
• 84% of young podcast listeners tune in to dig deeper into topics of interest; 74% listen to hear unique perspectives on topics not covered in other media.
• The words people most often use to describe podcasts are entertaining, interesting, and informative.
• The number of people who used podcasts as a news source decreased between 2023 and 2024. This decrease occurred across all age groups, although the group that saw the steepest decline (-7%) were young people aged 18-29.
• 76% of podcast listeners prefer a podcast that publishes new episodes regularly. (Consistency is key!)

So what? Understanding how and why people listen to podcasts can help you better understand how to engage your audience. For example, if 62% of podcast listeners are exercising while listening, this provides some insight into the advertisers that may appeal to them.

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?

• There are 4,584,954 podcasts out there. These are real podcasts, with at least 3 episodes, each lasting at least 3 minutes.
• 82,184 new shows are launched every 3 days. That's an average of 27,000 new shows every day.
• While Spotify claims to have nearly 7 million podcast titles on its roster, Apple Podcasts only lists 2,877,261 valid podcasts. These numbers likely include many inactive shows.
• 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? ‍

• As of 2025, the podcast industry continues to grow. It is estimated to be worth $17.59 billion by 2030.
• 584.1 million people will listen to podcasts in 2025, up 6.83% over 2024.
• Podcast ad spending is projected to reach $4.46 billion in 2025.

So what? If there’s a time to get involved in the podcast industry, it’s now! But there’s still a lot of competition. Make your podcast stand out by defining your unique selling point (USP), targeting an ideal listener persona, and implementing clever podcast marketing based on the statistics in this article.

How many downloads does the average podcast have?

• 46% of podcasters use downloads as their main metric for measuring success, followed by listens/streams (37%), and consumption rate (34%).
• If your podcast episodes get around 25-30 downloads in the first week after release, you’re already in the top 50% of podcasters.

So what? 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 U.S. is the iHeart Audience Network, with 68,893,000 unique monthly listeners, followed by the NPR Sales Network (21,221,000) and Libsyn (20,632,000). 

What are the most popular podcast genres and formats?

• The most popular podcast genres are comedy, society & culture, news, and true crime.
• The most 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 co-hosted interviews without guests, or solo fiction.
• The category showing the highest growth is health & wellness.

So what? Listen to some of the most popular podcasts in your genre and take note of their format, length, and content. You can also listen and take tips from the top podcasts in the world:

• Comedy: The Joe Rogan Experience, This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• News: The Daily, Up First from NPR, Breaking Points
• True crime: Crime Junkie, Dateline NBC, Morbid
• Sports: Pardon My Take, The Bill Simmons Show

How many podcasts use video?

• 26% of people who don’t listen to podcasts prefer watching videos over listening. 
• Podcast newcomers are most likely to prefer watching podcast videos. But those who only watch are just 9% of the weekly podcast audience. 
• 50.6% of shows are now posting full videos on YouTube. This is 130% more than in 2022.
• 37% of the U.S. population aged 12+ watch video video podcasts every month.
• Video podcast consumers are generally younger. 30% of Gen Z mostly listens to video podcasts; 7% only listen to video.
• Among podcast listeners who choose video, 71% say it’s a more engaging or richer experience, and 61% point to facial expressions and body language.

So what? Video podcasting is not yet the norm, but as YouTube becomes the most used podcasting platform, 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!

The good news is, using software like Riverside makes it really simple to record and edit studio-quality podcasts.

Podcast production statistics

What software do podcasters use?

• 57% of podcasters use AI-powered software to record, edit, or promote their shows.
• Software makes up the largest share of the AI in the podcasting market, accounting for more than 60% of the total. 

So what? Platforms like Riverside use AI to make recording and editing a podcast easier with tools like AI transcription, instant audio editing, and automatically generated show notes.

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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 beating out USB mics as podcasters become 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 may be missing audio problems happening during recording!)
• The most frequently used podcast 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

• The sweet spot for podcasts is 20-40 minutes; 31% of shows fall within this range. 21% of podcasts are 40-60 minutes, followed by 18% of podcasts, which are less than 10 minutes long.
• Podcasts lose 20-35% of their audience in the first 5 minutes of an episode.
• Large dataset analysis has shown the average podcast length to be about 41 minutes.

So what? Study the podcast structure and length of podcasts in your niche to figure out what might work best for you. Keep things tight to keep people listening. And make  sure to hook your listeners right at the start of each episode! 

Average podcast frequency & schedule

• 34% of podcasts publish an episode on their hosting platform every 3 to 7 days, and 38% publish every 8 to 14 days.
• 44% of podcasts don’t make it past 3 episodes. Only 8% of podcasts make it past 10 episodes. 
• 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.‍ And if you make it past 10 episodes, congrats - you’re already in an elite class of podcasters.

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

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How much money do podcasters make?

• Ad dollars spent in the podcasting industry are constantly growing, with a forecasted 10% increase from 2024 to 2025.
• Nearly half (44%) of weekly podcast listeners have purchased a product or service after hearing an ad on a podcast.
• 88% of weekly podcast listeners say that listening to some ads is a fair price to pay for free content.
• 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 own podcast’s analytics, you can generally find this within your podcast host. 

You can also 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 best 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. 

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 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!