35 Mind Blowing Podcast Statistics to Fuel Your Show (2024)

Podcasts have taken the world by storm and have become a popular medium for both entertainment and education.

As a podcaster, understanding the current landscape of the industry and the behavior of listeners can help you create a more successful show. In this guide, we’ll share 35 mind-blowing podcast statistics that will fuel your show and help you make informed decisions about your content, marketing, and distribution strategies. 

Whether you’re just starting out or are an established show, these statistics will provide valuable insights and help you take your podcast to the next level.

Key Podcast Statistics (2024)

Of the 35 podcasts stats covered in this post, these are the most mind-blowing:

• 504.9 million people listen to podcasts
• 144 million people in the US listen to at least one podcast per month
• 81% of listeners pay attention to podcast ads
• US podcast ad spending will reach $2.55 billion by 2024
• 74% of people listen to podcasts to learn new things
• Joe Rogan earns $30 million per year from his podcast
• 79% of listeners stream podcast episodes from smartphones

35+ Podcast Statistics and Trends You Need to Know in 2024

Continue below for more mind-blowing podcast data and trends, including in-depth insights and additional information related to each one. 

1. 504.9 million people listen to podcasts

There are over 504.9 million podcast listeners worldwide. This information is based on research from Demand Sage. 

2. Trends indicate that over 570 million people will listen to podcasts in 2025

The number of podcast listeners worldwide is still growing. In fact, the same research from Demand Sage predicts that there will be roughly 505 million global podcast listeners globally by the end of 2024. Here’s a deeper breakdown of podcast listeners worldwide by year:

• 2019 – 274.8 million podcast listeners
• 2020 – 332.2 million podcast listeners
• 2021 – 383.7 million podcast listeners
• 2022 – 424.2 million podcast listeners
• 2023 – 464.7 million podcast listeners
• 2024 – 504.9 million podcast listeners

If we run some quick math here, we can figure out that the CAGR of podcast listeners worldwide from 2019-2024 is 12.92%. So if we multiply that by the most recent data from 2024, we can assume that we’ll have about 570 million podcast listeners across the globe in 2025.

It’s clear that the popularity of podcasts across the globe continues to rise year after year.

3. 62% of US citizens have listened to a podcast

62% of people in the United States say they’ve listened to a podcast at least one time. This is a significant increase from when the same survey was conducted in 2006—where just 29% of respondents said they’ve listened to a podcast. 

4. 60% of listeners purchased something from a podcast ad

According to a recent study, 60% of people bought a product or service after hearing about it during a podcast advertisement. 

5. 69% of listeners say podcast ads increase their brand awareness

Nearly seven out of every ten people surveyed say that podcast advertisements have made them more aware of brands, products, and services. 

6. 144 million podcast listeners in the US listen monthly

A recent report indicates that 41% of people in the United States listen to a podcast once per month. This translates to about 144 million people.

7. 28% of US podcast listeners are weekly listeners

Weekly podcast consumption in the US is slightly less than the number of monthly listeners. That’s roughly 98 million weekly podcast listeners in the United States. 

8. Weekly podcast listeners average eight episodes

Of the 28% of people in the US who listen to podcasts weekly, they average eight episodes per week. Cumulatively, that’s more than 13 billion episodes per year based on 98 million weekly listeners. 

9. Apple Podcasts is the most popular podcast streaming platform

According to Demand Sage, Apple Podcasts controls 37.4% of the podcast streaming app market share. This puts them first on the list of the most popular podcast streaming platforms. Here’s a complete list of the podcast streaming app market share:

10. 81% of podcast listeners pay attention to podcast ads

81% of people who listen to podcasts say they pay more attention to these ads compared to television commercials and billboards. They even pay more attention to podcast ads compared to social media advertisements. 

11. 49% of people believe that podcast hosts use the products and services they’re recommending

There are several different types of podcast advertisements. But ads read during an episode by the host prove to be one of the most effective. In fact, roughly half of all podcast listeners say that they believe a podcast host actually uses the products or services that they’re recommending during a show. 

12. People who listen to at least five hours of podcasts per week are 94% more likely to pay for a streaming service

Super listeners—also known as people who listen to a minimum of five hours of podcasts per week, are 94% more likely than other podcast listeners to purchase some type of paid or premium streaming service. 

13. Podcast ad spending in the US will reach $2.55 billion in 2024

According to eMarketer, advertising expenditure on podcasts in the US will reach $2.558 billion by 2024. That’s more than 3.5x what was spent just five years prior, in 2019.

14. 73% of podcasters publish an episode at least once every 14 days

The vast majority of podcast hosts publish new episodes on a regular basis. Here’s a full breakdown of the publishing frequency of new podcast episodes:

• Every 2 days – 7%
• Every 3-7 days – 33%
• Every 8-14 days – 40%
• Every 15-29 days – 19%
• Every 30+ days – 2%

15. 17% of podcasters record video episodes

About 17% of podcast hosts record video episodes in addition to the traditional audio format. This allows them to distribute recorded episodes on YouTube, websites, and social platforms. With talk marketing and video marketing both trending upward, I expect to see this percentage continue to rise in the coming years. 

16. One in five podcast listeners subscribe to 70+ podcasts

About 21.7% of all podcast listeners say they have subscribed to more than 70 different podcast channels. 

17. 59% of people multitask while listening to podcasts

More than half of all podcast listeners say they do something else simultaneously while they’re listening to a podcast episode. 

18. 40% of people discover new podcasts through their podcast platform

The vast majority of podcast listeners find new podcasts simply by browsing the channel directory of their preferred podcast app. Here’s the complete breakdown showing how people find new podcasts:

• Podcast App Directory – 40%
• Word of Mouth – 18%
• Social Media – 15%
• Google – 13%
• Podcast Charts – 13%

This information highlights the importance of podcast SEO and ensuring your podcast is highly searchable on the platforms where it’s available. 

19. 74% of people listen to podcasts to learn new things

Learning is the number one reason why people listen to podcasts. This comes in ahead of entertainment, news, and relaxation. 

20. 53% of podcast listeners have a positive opinion of brands they hear about in episodes

According to Edison Research, 53% of podcast listeners who listen to five or more hours of podcasts per week say they have a more positive opinion about a company when they hear about the brand during an episode. 

21. 56% of podcast listeners are more likely to purchase a product

Of podcast listeners in the US who listen to at least five hours per week, 56% say they’re more likely to buy a product or service that they heard about in a podcast compared to other channels. 

22. 26% of people listen to podcasts between 10 AM and 2 PM

According to Buzzsprout, 10 AM is the most popular time for people to listen to podcasts, with 25% of listening occurring at this time. 

Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of the most popular times people listen to podcasts:

• Before 10 AM – 25%
• 10 AM to 2 PM – 26%
• 2 PM to 6 PM – 21%
• 6 PM to 10 PM – 15%
• 10 PM to 2 AM – 11%

23. 49% of people listen to podcasts while driving

Nearly half of all people who listen to podcasts say they do so while they’re driving. 

24. 46% of people listen to podcasts while walking

An additional 46% of people say they listen to podcasts when they go on a walk. This aligns with the research showing that streaming podcasts from mobile devices is the most popular way to listen. 

25. The average podcast is 20 to 40 minutes long

About 30% of all podcasts are 20 to 40 minutes long, and 51% of podcasts fall in the 20 to 60-minute range. 18% of podcasts are longer than 60 minutes, and just 15% of podcasts last fewer than ten minutes. An additional 15% of podcasts fall in the ten to 20-minute range. 

26. iHeartPodcasts is the top podcast publisher in the US

iHeartPodcasts gets 30.43 million unique listeners each month, making it the most popular publisher in the United States. Wondery and NPR come in at the second and third most popular spots, with 25.51 million and 18.25 million unique monthly listeners, respectively. 

Here’s the full breakdown, courtesy of Demand Sage:

27. The average podcast earns $500 to $900 per 10,000 downloads

A typical podcast with 10,000 downloads can earn up to $900. But this is just the average, as the top earners generate millions in revenue. 

28. The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast in the world

With an estimated average of 11 million listeners per episode, the Joe Rogan Experience is the world’s most popular podcast. Here’s the full top ten based on average listeners per episode:

• Joe Rogan Experience – 11 million 
• Crime Junky – 5.9 million
• Call Her Daddy – 3 million 
• My Favorite Murder – 2.9 million 
• The Ben Shapiro Show – 2.6 million
• The Daily – 1.8 million
• Office Ladies – 1.5 million
• Pod Save America – 1.4 million
• Stuff You Should Know – 1.2 million
• Morbid: A True Crime Podcast – 1.1 million

29. Joe Rogan’s podcast earns $30 million per year

The top podcasters worldwide earn millions. Hosting the world’s most popular podcast, it’s no surprise to see Joe Rogan earning the top spot in terms of annual revenue from his show. The hosts of My Favorite Murder earn about $15 million annually, and Dave Ramsey earns about $10 million per year. 

30. Comedy is the most popular podcast genre in the US

According to a recent survey, comedy podcasts are the most popular genre for listeners in the United States. News, true crime, sports, and health podcast genres are all in the top five. 

31. 79% of listeners stream podcasts from their smartphones

Smartphones are the most popular device for streaming podcasts in the US. An additional 25% of podcast listeners say they’ve streamed podcasts from a web browser, and just 6% say they listen to podcasts using their tablets. 

32. 17% of podcast listeners earn $100,000+ 

In the United States, households earning $100,000 to $150,000 annually represent 17% of all monthly podcast listeners. So there’s a good chance that high-income earners are listening to podcasts. 

33. Podcast ads introduce 69% of listeners to new products

69% of podcast listeners say that a podcast ad made them aware of a new brand, product, or service that they’ve never heard of before. 

34. 51% of podcast listeners have a full-time job

More than half of all podcast listeners in the United States are employed full-time. This makes sense when you consider the percentage of podcast listeners who earn more than $100,000 per year. 

35. 25% of podcast listeners have a college education

One in four podcast listeners have a college degree. Based on the last few statistics on our list, it’s safe to say that many podcast listeners are educated, employed, and earn a high salary. 

Final Thoughts

Podcasting and talk marketing has quickly become one of the most popular ways for people to consume content. It’s a great option for businesses or content creators who want to expose themselves to wider audiences, and it’s also an ideal way for brands to advertise.

Podcasting is perfect for building authority and marketing to massive audiences, and I encourage you to try it. I hope the statistics covered in this guide helped you understand the seemingly limitless possibilities for podcasts in the coming years.