Spotify Usage and Growth Statistics: How Many People Use Spotify in 2021?
by Brian Dean · Updated Feb. 25, 2021
Spotify launched in October 2008 as a music streaming service.
It took Spotify over two years to reach the 1 million subscriber milestone.
Today, as a publicly traded company, Spotify has 155 million paying subscribers. And it has expanded beyond music, with more than 2.2 million podcast titles available.
Here’s an overview of what you’ll learn about Spotify in 2021:
- Spotify monthly active users
- Distribution of Spotify monthly active users by region
- Spotify paying subscribers
- Distribution of Spotify Premium subscribers by region
- Spotify revenue
- Spotify revenue by segment: Premium subscribers
- Spotify revenue by segment: ad-supported
- Spotify market share
- Spotify for podcasts
- What are the most popular podcasts on Spotify?
- What are the most popular podcast genres on Spotify?
- How many podcast titles are available on Spotify?
- In how many countries is Spotify available?
- Spotify availability by platform
- How many playlists are available on Spotify?
- What are the most popular playlists on Spotify?
- How many tracks are available on Spotify?
- Who are the most popular artists on Spotify?
- How many employees work at Spotify?
Spotify monthly active users
Spotify has 345 million monthly active users. Spotify has seen consistent quarter-over-quarter growth of its active user base since 2015.
In fact, Spotify has added 138 million monthly active users over the last two years (2019 & 2020) alone.
According to insights shared in a recent Spotify shareholder letter, Spotify estimates that it will have 407-427 million monthly active users in 2021. A forecasted yearly increase of 23.77%.
Here’s a full breakdown of Spotify monthly user growth since 2015:
| Quarter, year | Monthly active users |
|---|---|
| Q1 2015 | 68 million |
| Q2 2015 | 77 million |
| Q3 2015 | 82 million |
| Q4 2015 | 91 million |
| Q1 2016 | 96 million |
| Q2 2016 | 104 million |
| Q3 2016 | 113 million |
| Q4 2016 | 123 million |
| Q1 2017 | 132 million |
| Q2 2017 | 138 million |
| Q3 2017 | 149 million |
| Q4 2017 | 160 million |
| Q1 2018 | 157 million |
| Q2 2018 | 180 million |
| Q3 2018 | 191 million |
| Q4 2018 | 207 million |
| Q1 2019 | 217 million |
| Q2 2019 | 232 million |
| Q3 2019 | 248 million |
| Q4 2019 | 271 million |
| Q1 2020 | 286 million |
| Q2 2020 | 299 million |
| Q3 2020 | 320 million |
| Q4 2020 | 345 million |
Distribution of Spotify monthly active users
35% of Spotify’s monthly active users live in Europe. That equates to over 120 million monthly active users in the EU alone.
A further 46% of Spotify MAUs are based in North & Latin America.
Europe & North America combined make up the majority (59%) of Spotify’s active user base, totaling 203.55 million monthly active users.
Here’s the complete distribution of Spotify MAUs by region:
| Region | Share of monthly active users |
|---|---|
| Europe | 35% |
| North America | 24% |
| Latin America | 22% |
| Rest of the World | 19% |
Source: Spotify.
Spotify paying subscribers
Spotify has 155 million Premium subscribers worldwide. An increase from only 100 million subscribers in early 2019.
Spotify estimates that the audio streaming service is expected to have 172-184 million Premium subscribers by the end of 2021. An annual increase of at least 8.29% (assuming the lowest number in the forecasted range).
Here’s a complete breakdown of Spotify Premium subscriber growth since Q1 2015:
| Quarter, year | Paying subscribers |
|---|---|
| Q1 2015 | 18 million |
| Q2 2015 | 22 million |
| Q3 2015 | 24 million |
| Q4 2015 | 28 million |
| Q1 2016 | 30 million |
| Q2 2016 | 36 million |
| Q3 2016 | 40 million |
| Q4 2016 | 48 million |
| Q1 2017 | 52 million |
| Q2 2017 | 59 million |
| Q3 2017 | 62 million |
| Q4 2017 | 71 million |
| Q1 2018 | 75 million |
| Q2 2018 | 83 million |
| Q3 2018 | 87 million |
| Q4 2018 | 96 million |
| Q1 2019 | 100 million |
| Q2 2019 | 108 million |
| Q3 2019 | 113 million |
| Q4 2019 | 124 million |
| Q1 2020 | 130 million |
| Q2 2020 | 138 million |
| Q3 2020 | 144 million |
| Q4 2020 | 155 million |
Distribution of Spotify Premium subscribers by region
69% of Spotify Premium subscribers are based in Europe and North America.
Here’s the regional distribution of Spotify Premium subscribers:
| Region | Share of Premium subscribers |
|---|---|
| Europe | 40% |
| North America | 29% |
| Latin America | 21% |
| Rest of the World | 11% |
Source: Spotify.
Spotify revenue
Spotify registered $9 billion (€7.88b) in annual revenue in 2020. An increase from $7.57 billion (€6.76 b) in 2019.
Here’s a comprehensive overview of Spotify’s revenue since 2012:
| Year | Revenue (in Euros) |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 13.36 million |
| 2010 | 73.9 million |
| 2011 | 187.8 million |
| 2012 | 430.1 million |
| 2013 | 746 million |
| 2014 | 1.08 billion |
| 2015 | 1.94 billion |
| 2016 | 2.95 billion |
| 2017 | 4.09 billion |
| 2018 | 5.26 billion |
| 2019 | 6.76 billion |
| 2020 | 7.88 billion |
Source: Statista, Spotify, BBC, Mashable.
Spotify revenue by segment: Premium subscribers
Spotify has two revenue streams: subscription fees from Premium subscribers and an ad-supported business.
Spotify registered $8.15 billion (€7.13b) in revenue in 2020 from Premium subscribers.
In fact, Spotify’s Premium subscriber revenue has increased $1.18 billion (€1.04 billion) in 2020 alone.
We’ve charted the growth of Spotify revenue from Premium subscribers since 2012:
| Year | Revenue from Premium subscribers (in Euros) |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 374.6 million |
| 2013 | 677.89 million |
| 2014 | 982.7 million |
| 2015 | 1.74 billion |
| 2016 | 2.657 billion |
| 2017 | 3.67 billion |
| 2018 | 4.717 billion |
| 2019 | 6.086 billion |
| 2020 | 7.13 billion |
Spotify revenue by segment: ad-supported users
Spotify generated $851 million (€745m) in annual ad revenue in 2020. An increase from $975.6 million (€542m) in 2018.
Here’s an overview of Spotify’s ad-supported revenue since 2012:
| Year | Ad-supported revenue (in euros) |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 55.5 million |
| 2013 | 68.16 million |
| 2014 | 102 million |
| 2015 | 196 million |
| 2016 | 295 million |
| 2017 | 416 million |
| 2018 | 542 million |
| 2019 | 678 million |
| 2020 | 745 million |
Spotify market share
Spotify has a 32.5% market share. Among the 400 million people that have a music streaming subscription, 130 million of them are subscribed to Spotify.
Over the past 5 years, Spotify’s market share has been consistently n the 32% – 43% range. Although Spotify’s market share has decreased slightly over the past three years.
We’ve charted the Spotify market share among paying music streaming users since 2015:
| Year | Market share |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 41.2% |
| 2016 | 42.8% |
| 2017 | 40.3% |
| 2018 | 42.7% |
| 2019 | 36.4% |
| 2020 | 32.5% |
Spotify as a podcast listening app
Spotify is the 2nd most used app for listening to podcasts in the US, with a 22% market share. An increase from a 15% market share the previous year.
For Android mobile phone owners in the US, Spotify is the most used app for podcast listening, with a 23% market share (up from 18% in 2019).
Among American millennials aged 18-34 who listen to podcasts on a weekly basis, Spotify is the most used platform for podcasts (43% share).
Source: Westwood One.
What are the most popular podcasts on Spotify?
Globally, the Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast on Spotify. Other popular podcast streams include Ted Talks Daily and The Daily.
Here’s the complete list of the top 5 most popular podcasts on Spotify globally:
- The Joe Rogan Experience.
- TED Talks Daily.
- The Daily.
- The Michelle Obama Podcast.
- Call Her Daddy.
Source: Spotify.
What are the most popular podcast genres on Spotify?
Among global Spotify podcast listeners, Society & Culture is the most popular podcast genre on the platform. Comedy and Lifestyle & Health round out the top 3 podcast genres on Spotify.
Here’s are the top 5 most popular podcast genres among Spotify’s worldwide audience:
- Society & Culture
- Comedy
- Lifestyle & Health.
- Arts & Entertainment.
- Education.
Source: Spotify.
How many podcasts are available on Spotify?
Spotify has over 2.2 million podcasts in its catalog. An increase of 4.4x since 2019.
Spotify added 1,700,000 new podcasts in 2020 alone.
Source: The Guardian, Spotify.
Which countries is Spotify available in?
Spotify is currently available in 93 countries. In 2020, Spotify expanded its presence to 12 additional European countries.
Back in 2017, Spotify was available in only 61 markets across the world. Over the past 3 years (2018-2020), the audio streaming service became available in 31 additional countries.
Source: Spotify, TechCrunch, Wikipedia.
Spotify app geographic availability by platform
The iOS Spotify mobile app is available for download in 84 countries in the App Store.
As of February 2021, Spotify is available in 48% of countries where the iOS App Store operates.
Spotify’s mobile app for Android is available for install in 75 countries in the Google Play Store. The Spotify Android app reaches 53% of countries where the Google Play Store is available.
The Spotify desktop app in the Microsoft Store appears in search results in 82 different countries. The international reach of the Spotify app in the Microsoft Store extends to roughly 75% of the markets that the Windows Store serves.
Besides their desktop offering, the Spotify Music app is available for install on smart TVs via the Roku Channel Store. Spotify for Roku is available in 16 out of 17 countries where Roku operates.
In the Amazon App Store, the Spotify app is available in 9 countries among the 11 countries where the Amazon App Store works. The two excluded countries are China and Japan.
Source: Appfigures.
How many playlists are available on Spotify?
Spotify has over 4 billion playlists available in its catalog.
The audio streaming platform has added over 1 billion new playlists in 2020 alone.
Source: Spotify.
What are the most popular playlists on Spotify?
All of the top 20 most-followed playlists on Spotify are curated by the company itself.
50% of Spotify’s top 20 most followed playlists are personalized.
Categorized by genre, 50% of the top 20 Spotify playlists feature pop music. While pop and Latin music genres are responsible for 10% of total playlist popularity.
70% of Spotify’s top 20 most followed playlists are composed of mostly new tracks (tracks less than 18 months old).
The remaining 30% of Spotify’s top 20 most popular playlists include a minority of new tracks (tracks less than 18 months old).
Spotify has 27 playlists with over 5 million followers.
Here’s the ranking of the top 20 most followed playlists on Spotify:
| Playlist | Number of followers |
|---|---|
| Today’s Top Hits | 27.76 million |
| Global Top 50 | 15.91 million |
| RapCaviar | 13.62 million |
| ¡Viva Latino! | 10.81 million |
| Baila Reggaeton | 10.19 million |
| Songs to Sing in the Car (personalized) | 9.78 million |
| All Out 00s (personalized) | 9.05 million |
| Rock Classics (personalized) | 8.77 million |
| All Out 80s (personalized) | 8.17 million |
| Beast Mode (personalized) | 7.74 million |
| All Out 90s (personalized) | 6.43 million |
| Mood Booster (personalized) | 6.39 million |
| Chill Hits (personalized) | 6.25 million |
| Hot Country | 6.24 million |
| Peaceful Piano | 6.13 million |
| Get Turnt | 5.96 million |
| Songs to Sing in the Shower (personalized) | 5.86 million |
| Esquenta Sertanejo | 5.71 million |
| mint | 5.57 million |
| Happy Hits! (personalized) | 5.52 million |
Source: Charmetric.
How many tracks are available on Spotify?
Spotify has over 70 million tracks on the platform. An increase from only 50 million tracks in early 2020.
During the past year alone, Spotify has added an estimated 20 million tracks (an average of 54,794 tracks per day).
Sources: Music Business Worldwide, Spotify.
Who are the most popular artists on Spotify?
The Weeknd is the most popular artist on Spotify, with 70.59 million monthly listeners. An estimated 20.46% of Spotify’s monthly active users have listened to The Weeknd.
Here’s are the top 20 most popular artists on Spotify ranked by the number of monthly listeners:
| Artist | Monthly listeners |
|---|---|
| The Weeknd | 70.59 million |
| Justin Bieber | 64.96 million |
| Ariana Grande | 61.97 million |
| Dua Lipa | 61.68 million |
| Ed Sheeran | 56.83 million |
| J Balvin | 54.35 million |
| Billie Eilish | 52.89 million |
| Drake | 50.57 million |
| Bad Bunny | 48.19 million |
| Shawn Mendes | 46.90 million |
| DaBaby | 45.95 million |
| Maroon 5 | 45.61 million |
| Taylor Swift | 45.60 million |
| Sia | 45.58 million |
| Travis Scott/td> | 45.33 million |
| Khalid | 44.96 million |
| Marshmello | 44.80 million |
| Jason Derulo | 43.48 million |
| Olivia Rodrigo | 42.96 million |
| Rihanna | 42.58 million |
In 2020, the most streamed artist among the global Spotify audience was Bad Bunny.
Sources: Charmetric, Wikipedia, Spotify.
How many people work at Spotify?
A recent Spotify press release states that 6,554 employees work at the company as full-time employees. Employee count has grown by 48.8% since 2019.
We’ve charted the growth of Spotify’s employee headcount since 2011:
| Year | Number of employees |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 311 |
| 2013 | 958 |
| 2014 | 1,365 |
| 2015 | 1,581 |
| 2016 | 2,162 |
| 2017 | 2,960 |
| 2018 | 3,651 |
| 2019 | 4,405 |
| 2020 | 6,554 |
The average annual salary of a full-time employee at Spotify us €122,814. Spotify’s spending on wages and salaries per full-time employee has increased by 9.63% over the last year.
Conclusion
You made it! That wraps up my list of Spotify users and revenue statistics.
Even though Spotify is a public company, they don’t publish a lot of their data in one place. So I did my best to compile facts and figures available from a range of sources. That way, you could easily find the data that you’re interested in.
Spotify has gone beyond music with major investments in podcasts and video. Yet, the company is still not profitable as of early 2021.
Now I want to hear from you:
Do you have any suggestions for this Spotify statistics round-up? Or questions about the data listed here?
Go ahead and leave a quick comment below.