How Many Podcasts Are There?

Podcasts are radio series that allows people to listen to audio content. As more people show interest in this form of media, most online content now includes podcasts.

There are 464.7 million podcast listeners around the globe turning to various topics. Some podcasts are also marketing tools and can be used for learning to broaden education. 

Find out more stats about podcasts and the number of podcasts that exist today based on the number of contents available.

Number of Podcasts in 2023

2023 opened with 3.02 million podcasts available. The latest data from May shows there were 4.06 million podcasts - a 1.04 million increase in 3 months. 

Research of Plos One shows that people listen to podcasts because it motivates them. Aside from motivation, podcasts also provide social gratification, which attracts more listeners to subscribe.

Continue reading for more data and facts about podcasts.

Statistics on How Many Podcasts Are There?

Recent data shows that there are more than 70 million podcast episodes worldwide. There are also 464.7 million people listening to podcasts, which equates to 22% of all internet users.

With this demand, podcasters upload more content regularly to meet the interest of the growing audiences of the platform.

Here’s more in-depth data showing how podcasts have penetrated the online world.

1. Podcasts based in the US make up 66.05% of the space.

(Podcast Insights)

In all the places worldwide, the United States dominates the podcast space. With 1,896,056 podcasts, the US has gained the top spot in the number of podcasts per region. 

The US is followed by:

 Brazil, Indonesia, Germany, and France, with 6.8%, 4.94%, 2.64%, and 1.91%, respectively.

2. 13.75% of podcasts are about society and culture.

(Exploding Topics)

Almost half a million podcasts available are about society and culture. Among the long list of podcasts, Believe in Magic with Jamie Bartlett takes the top spot as the most trending society and culture podcast. 

The said podcast is an extraordinary story of a teenage girl and her charity, challenging the very nature of sickness itself. It's a surprisingly dark tale of charity fundraising, One Direction, and mysterious death.

3. 25% of podcast listeners use Spotify for podcast listening. 

(Podtrac)

Spotify remains the number one choice of people as the platform for listening to podcasts. 

According to the statistics, at least 1 out of 4 listeners prefer Spotify to other platforms. Next to Spotify, Apple takes second place, which the choice for 1 out of 5 listeners. 

Number of Podcasts on Leading Platforms

Podcasts have a huge global community with different tastes and interests. Due to the variety of listeners, platforms offer diverse types of content to capture the audiences' interests.

Here is the data showing how many podcast episodes are available on some major platforms.

• Podbean - 9.8 million

• Spotify - 5 million

• Buzzsprout - 100,000

• Simplecast- 30,000

• Anchor - 1.3 million

• Google Podcasts - 2 million

• Apple - 2.5 million

Wrap-up

Podcasts build a connection of trust between podcasters and the audiences, which is helpful for healthy conversations. 

In this digital format, listeners go through a narrative through sound, music, and dialogue, giving an inviting and relevant experience.

The statistics showing how many podcasts are currently on the web prove that people increasingly appreciate them daily.