The Most Interesting Podcast Stats for 2026

A lot has changed since the “old days” of podcasting, back with Podfest first started as a small get together before growing into 2100+ registered attendees!

Every year, podcasters worked tirelessly to share their passion with the world and taking advantage of the ability to broadcast on audio and video without barriers.

Today, there’s no denying that podcasting is much more than a hobby industry, even being credited with shaping cultural and political conversations.

But just how relevant are podcasts? To podcasters like us, it seems like podcasts are everywhere. Is that just because we’re in this circle?

And what does listenership tell us about audience behavior?

Backlinko recently compiled some of the most insightful statistics about podcasting in one place.

It’s definitely worth the read, if you haven’t checked it out. Here are a few of our favorites:

• 55% of the US population 12+ listen to a podcast at least once a month.

  • This suggests a huge audience already exists but there still remains a lot of room for growth by reaching a higher percentage of people and earning more frequent listens.

• As many as 53% of podcast listeners in the US watch video podcasts.

  • Again, this suggests a huge audience of more than 25% of the US population with even more room to grow.

• YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts make up 64% of weekly podcast listeners in the US, as of late 2025, with YouTube leading the pack at 42%.

  • This suggests it could be smart to optimize for YouTube but also not forget about other platforms because even the “top three” only make up 64% of listeners.

If you want even more insights into the industry, definitely read the entire article. They include listening behavior trends, demographics, most popular genres, video podcast statistics, advertising, and more!

You can check it out here.

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