Original research
Creator economy statistics 2026
· compiled by the Slice team. Every source read on 2 October 2026.
The short answer
The figures people quote most: US advertisers spend about $37 billion a year on creators (IAB, 2025), heading for $44 billion in 2026. Goldman Sachs estimates about 67 million creators worldwide (2025). Most earn little: in CreatorIQ’s 2026 survey 67% make under $10,000 a year from it and just under 5% make over $100,000. YouTube paid out over $100 billion in four years, Facebook nearly $3 billion in 2025, and US podcast ad revenue reached $2.9 billion in 2025. Every figure below links to its source, and 12 of the 30 are flagged as more than two years old.
Every number on this page is the source’s own: we have not adjusted, combined or extrapolated any of them. Each is labelled as an estimate, a projection, a survey result, a company’s own figure or a measured count, and where sources disagree we show each and the range. For figures we measured ourselves, see how many creatives work for themselves and the cover art of 1,000 top podcasts.
How big is the creator economy?
Estimates of the creator economy measure different things, so they should not be read as one range. Goldman Sachs sizes the whole global market; IAB measures only what US advertisers spend with creators; others measure influencer marketing.
The range: From $29.5 billion (US creator ad spend, 2024) to $480 billion (Goldman Sachs's global market forecast for 2027), because they measure different things.
$250 billion, forecast to reach $480 billion by 2027
Total addressable market of the global creator economy, "today" at the time of writing (April 2023), with a forecast for 2027.
Goldman Sachs Research, The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027 · · Estimate by the source · Over two years old
Often quoted as "$250 billion in 2024". The source says today, meaning 2023.
$37 billion in 2025, up 26%
US advertiser spending on creators in 2025, up from $13.9 billion in 2021 and $29.5 billion in 2024; growing about four times faster than media overall (5.7%).
IAB, Creator Economy Ad Spend & Strategy Report · · Projection by the source
US ad spend only, not creator income from subscriptions, merchandise or platform payouts.
$44 billion in 2026
IAB's projection for US creator ad spend in 2026.
IAB, 2025 Creator Economy Ad Spend & Strategy Report · · Projection by the source
Repeated in the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, April 2026.
$32.55 billion in 2025
Estimated size of the global influencer marketing industry in 2025.
Influencer Marketing Hub, Influencer Marketing Statistics · · Estimate by the source
An industry publisher's estimate whose method is not fully published. Included to show the range, not as a benchmark.
$117.7 billion in 2025
US social media advertising revenue in 2025, up 32.6%, out of $294.6 billion total US internet advertising. Context for how much of the ad market creators sit inside.
IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full Year 2025 · · Measured
How many creators are there?
Counts swing by a factor of six because each source defines a creator differently: Goldman counts people who call themselves creators; Adobe and Linktree count anyone making and monetising content online.
The range: 50 million to 303 million worldwide, depending on the definition. The only estimate newer than 2023 is Goldman Sachs's: about 67 million in 2025.
50 million
Creators worldwide, forecast to grow 10% to 20% a year over the following five years.
Goldman Sachs Research, The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027 · · Estimate by the source · Over two years old
About 67 million in 2025, about 107 million by 2030
People worldwide who consider themselves creators, up from about 50 million in 2022, growing about 10% a year.
Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research, reported by Net Influencer, news report · · Estimate by the source
From a Goldman Sachs client research note dated 26 March 2025, which is not published openly; linked here through press coverage.
303 million
Creators worldwide, more than 165 million of whom joined since 2020, from a survey of about 9,000 people in nine countries.
Adobe, Future of Creativity study · · Survey by the source · Over two years old
Counts anyone making and sharing content online, which is why it is far higher than Goldman's figure.
200 million
People using their influence, creativity or skills to build and earn from an audience, from a survey of more than 9,500 creators.
Linktree, Linktree Creator Report · · Survey by the source · Over two years old
Over 3 million
Creators in the YouTube Partner Program, which shares ad and subscription revenue with them. YouTube gave the same "more than 3 million channels" figure in February 2024.
YouTube, YouTube blog · · Company figure
The same post says entry thresholds double for channels applying from February 2027.
How many creators make a living from it?
Every survey agrees on the shape: most creators earn little and a small minority earn well. Survey samples are self-selected, so treat the exact shares as rough.
The range: Roughly 3% to 7% of creators earn over $100,000 a year, depending on the source and year.
About 4%
Share of creators worldwide who are professionals, meaning they earn more than $100,000 a year. Brand deals make up about 70% of creator revenue.
Goldman Sachs Research, The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027 · · Estimate by the source · Over two years old
Goldman's 2025 note puts the professional share at 3% in 2025, falling to 2.5% by 2030, as the number of creators grows faster than the number earning well.
67% earn under $10,000; just under 5% earn over $100,000
Yearly earnings from content creation, from a survey of more than 5,095 creators in 100 regions. For 62%, creating is not their main source of income.
CreatorIQ, State of Creators Report 2026 · · Survey by the source
The newest large survey we could verify.
12% of full-time creators make over $50,000
Earnings from the 2022 Linktree survey. Also: 68% of part-time creators earn less than $1,000, and 7% of niche creators earn over $100,000.
Linktree, Linktree Creator Report · · Survey by the source · Over two years old
Up over 30%
Year-on-year growth in the number of creators earning more than $10,000 a year on Facebook.
Meta, Meta newsroom · · Company figure
Meta gives the growth rate, not the number of creators.
How much do platforms pay creators?
Only some platforms publish totals, and each counts differently. YouTube's figures include artists and media companies, not only individual creators.
Over $100 billion over four years
Paid by YouTube to creators, artists and media companies worldwide over the four years to September 2025.
YouTube, YouTube blog, Made on YouTube 2025 · · Company figure
Includes record labels and media companies, and YouTube gives no yearly breakdown. In February 2024 it reported over $70 billion over the previous three years.
Over $70 billion over three years
Paid by YouTube to creators, artists and media companies over 2021 to 2023.
YouTube, YouTube blog, CEO letter · · Company figure · Over two years old
Superseded by the four-year figure above.
Nearly $3 billion in 2025
Paid by Facebook to creators through its monetisation programmes in 2025, up 35% on 2024 and its highest year. 60% went to reels.
Meta, Meta newsroom · · Company figure
Facebook only, not Instagram.
$200 million, expected to grow to over $1 billion in the US
TikTok's Creator Fund at launch, with an expected US total of over $1 billion over three years and more than double that worldwide.
TikTok, TikTok newsroom · · Projection by the source · Over two years old
A pledge, not a reported payout, and the fund has since closed. TikTok has not published a total for its replacement, the Creator Rewards Program.
Spotlight viewing up 25%
Snapchat's year-on-year growth in Spotlight viewing when it announced one creator monetisation programme from February 2025; creators posting publicly had more than tripled.
Snap, Snap newsroom · · Company figure
Snap did not give a payout total.
How much do podcasts make from advertising?
The standard US figure is IAB and PwC's annual count of podcast ad revenue. Recent actuals have come in above IAB's own earlier projections.
$2.9 billion in 2025, up 17.6%
US podcast advertising revenue in 2025 ($2,862.2 million), up from $2,433.1 million in 2024 and $1,925.2 million in 2023.
IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full Year 2025 · · Measured
The same report finds about 71% of US podcast creators also produce video versions of their shows.
$2.6 billion by 2026 (projected in 2024)
IAB and PwC's 2024 projection for US podcast ad revenue: $2,164.7 million in 2024, $2,379.0 million in 2025 and $2,562.1 million in 2026.
IAB and PwC, US Podcast Advertising Revenue Study, FY2023 · · Projection by the source · Over two years old
Too low: 2025 actually came in at $2,862.2 million, above the projection for 2026.
58% of Americans 12+
Share of Americans aged 12 and over (about 167 million people) who listened to or watched a podcast in the last month; 45% in the last week.
Edison Research and SiriusXM Media, The Infinite Dial 2026 · · Survey by the source
How much short-form video do people watch?
The big platforms publish headline usage numbers, but rarely on the same basis twice. Several of the most-quoted figures are now more than two years old.
Over 200 billion daily views
Average daily views of YouTube Shorts, as stated by YouTube in June 2025 and repeated on Alphabet's fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call.
YouTube, YouTube blog · · Company figure
YouTube does not publish how it counts a Shorts view, so compare with older Shorts figures with care.
Over 2 billion logged-in users a month
People watching YouTube Shorts while signed in each month, up from 1.5 billion a year earlier.
Alphabet, Q2 2023 earnings call · · Company figure · Over two years old
The latest monthly-user figure Alphabet has given for Shorts.
50% of time on Instagram
Share of time spent in the Instagram app that goes to Reels, according to Mark Zuckerberg.
Meta, Q1 2024 earnings call · · Company figure · Over two years old
Meta has not given an updated share. On its Q4 2025 call it said US Reels watch time was up more than 30% on the year.
Reshared over 4.5 billion times a day
Daily reshares of Instagram Reels, according to Meta's finance chief.
Meta, Q4 2024 earnings call · · Company figure
Over $50 billion a year
Annual revenue run rate of Reels, with video time on Instagram up more than 30% on the year and Instagram at 3 billion monthly users.
Meta, Q3 2025 earnings call · · Company figure
More than 1 billion a month
People using TikTok each month worldwide.
TikTok, TikTok newsroom · · Company figure · Over two years old
TikTok's last official worldwide figure.
More than 200 million Americans
Americans using TikTok, as stated when the US joint venture was announced.
TikTok, TikTok newsroom · · Company figure
TikTok does not say whether these are monthly users.
YouTube 84%, Instagram 50%, TikTok 37%
Share of US adults who use each platform. 24% of adults use TikTok daily, and about half of 18 to 29 year olds do.
Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use 2025 · · Survey by the source
Surveyed February to June 2025.
Sources
Every source on this page, newest first. Read on 2 October 2026.
- Influencer Marketing Hub, Influencer Marketing Statistics, 19 August 2026. https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/
- CreatorIQ, State of Creators Report 2026, 11 August 2026. https://www.creatoriq.com/press/releases/creatoriq-state-of-creators-report-2026
- YouTube, YouTube blog, 10 August 2026. https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-partner-program-updates-2027-new-opportunities-earn/
- IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full Year 2025, April 2026. https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IAB_PwC_Internet_Ad_Revenue_Report_Full_Year_2025_April_2026.pdf
- IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full Year 2025, April 2026. https://www.iab.com/insights/internet-advertising-revenue-report-full-year-2025/
- Meta, Meta newsroom, 18 March 2026. https://about.fb.com/news/2026/03/creator-fast-track-grow-your-audience-earn-money-on-facebook/
- Edison Research and SiriusXM Media, The Infinite Dial 2026, 12 March 2026. https://ssrs.com/insights/the-infinite-dial-2026/
- TikTok, TikTok newsroom, 23 January 2026. https://newsroom.tiktok.com/announcement-from-the-new-tiktok-usds-joint-venture-llc?lang=en
- Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use 2025, 20 November 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/11/20/americans-social-media-use-2025/
- IAB, 2025 Creator Economy Ad Spend & Strategy Report, 20 November 2025. https://www.iab.com/insights/2025-creator-economy-ad-spend-strategy-report/
- IAB, Creator Economy Ad Spend & Strategy Report, 20 November 2025. https://www.iab.com/news/creator-economy-ad-spend-to-reach-37-billion-in-2025-growing-4x-faster-than-total-media-industry-according-to-iab/
- Meta, Q3 2025 earnings call, 29 October 2025. https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2025/q3/META-Q3-2025-Earnings-Call-Transcript.pdf
- YouTube, YouTube blog, Made on YouTube 2025, 16 September 2025. https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/made-on-youtube-2025/
- YouTube, YouTube blog, 18 June 2025. https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/neal-mohan-cannes-2025/
- Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research, reported by Net Influencer, news report, 25 April 2025. https://www.netinfluencer.com/goldman-sachs-sees-rise-of-content-creators-to-107-million-by-2030/
- Meta, Q4 2024 earnings call, 29 January 2025. https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2024/q4/META-Q4-2024-Earnings-Call-Transcript.pdf
- Snap, Snap newsroom, 16 December 2024. https://newsroom.snap.com/snapchat-new-creator-monetization
- IAB and PwC, US Podcast Advertising Revenue Study, FY2023, May 2024 (over two years old). https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IAB_US_Podcast_Advertising_Revenue_Study_FY2023_May_2024.pdf
- Meta, Q1 2024 earnings call, 24 April 2024 (over two years old). https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2024/q1/META-Q1-2024-Earnings-Call-Transcript.pdf
- YouTube, YouTube blog, CEO letter, 6 February 2024 (over two years old). https://blog.youtube/inside-youtube/2024-letter-from-neal/
- Alphabet, Q2 2023 earnings call, 25 July 2023 (over two years old). https://s206.q4cdn.com/479360582/files/doc_financials/2023/q2/2023-q2-earnings-transcript.pdf
- Goldman Sachs Research, The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027, 19 April 2023 (over two years old). https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/the-creator-economy-could-approach-half-a-trillion-dollars-by-2027
- Adobe, Future of Creativity study, 25 August 2022 (over two years old). https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2022/adobe-future-of-creativity-study-165m-creators-joined-creator-economy-since-2020
- Linktree, Linktree Creator Report, 20 April 2022 (over two years old). https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/linktree-creator-report-reveals-key-insights-on-global-creator-economy-301529193.html
- TikTok, TikTok newsroom, 27 September 2021 (over two years old). https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/1-billion-people-on-tiktok
- TikTok, TikTok newsroom, 22 July 2020 (over two years old). https://newsroom.tiktok.com/introducing-the-200-million-tiktok-creator-fund?lang=en
Left out because we could not verify them on a primary source: Kit (ConvertKit) creator income figures, NeoReach figures, Snapchat’s reported Spotlight payouts, X creator payouts, “200 billion daily Reels plays” and a figure of 170 million US TikTok users.
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Questions
How big is the creator economy in 2026?
There is no single agreed figure. IAB projects US advertiser spending on creators at $44 billion in 2026. Goldman Sachs put the whole global market at $250 billion in 2023 and forecast $480 billion by 2027. They measure different things: US ad spend only, against everything creators earn worldwide.
How many content creators are there?
Between 50 million and 303 million worldwide, depending on who is counting. Goldman Sachs estimates about 67 million people who call themselves creators in 2025, rising to about 107 million by 2030. Adobe’s 2022 survey counted 303 million by a much broader definition.
What percentage of creators make a living?
A small minority. CreatorIQ’s 2026 survey found 67% of creators earn under $10,000 a year from creating and just under 5% earn over $100,000; for 62% it is not their main income. Goldman Sachs puts the share earning over $100,000 at about 3% to 4%.
How much does YouTube pay creators?
YouTube says it paid over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies worldwide over the four years to September 2025. It does not break that down by year or separate individual creators from record labels and media companies.
How much do podcasts make from advertising?
US podcast advertising revenue was $2.9 billion in 2025 ($2,862.2 million), up 17.6% on 2024, according to IAB and PwC’s April 2026 report.
How many views do YouTube Shorts get?
YouTube says Shorts average over 200 billion views a day (June 2025, repeated in February 2026). Its latest monthly figure, from July 2023, is over 2 billion signed-in users a month.
Download the data
The aggregates on this page as a CSV: creator-economy-statistics-2026.csv. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Please credit “Slice (tryslicemedia.com)” and link to this page.
More research
- We checked the cover art of 1,000 top podcasts: Sizes, formats, colours and text, measured with our cover art checker.
- How many creatives work for themselves?: US Census, BLS and UK figures on self-employed artists, writers, photographers and filmmakers.
- The Podcast Census 2026: Every podcast in the open Podcast Index, counted: how many are alive, where they quit, video, automation and names.