Most Popular YouTube Channels & Searches
Written by Backlinko TeamIn collaboration with Semrush
YouTube is undoubtedly the world’s most popular video platform with over 2 billion monthly users. But what are those users searching for when they’re on the platform, and which channels are they engaging with the most?
In this guide, we’re going to cover:
- The 50 most subscribed YouTube channels
- The 100 most searched terms on YouTube
- How marketers can leverage YouTube stats
We’ll also show you how to find YouTube keywords to enhance your video marketing campaigns.
Top 50 Most Subscribed YouTube Channels
The number of subscribers a YouTube channel has clearly indicates its success and popularity among its audience. Simply put—the more, the better.
So, which channels are King when it comes to subscribers? We’ve put together a list of the most subscribed channels based on data from Wikipedia.
Let’s take a look.
| Rank | Channel | Videos | Subscribers | Views |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MrBeast | 804 | 323M | 53.15B |
| 2 | T-Series | 21.28K | 277M | 259.26B |
| 3 | Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes | 1.19K | 184M | 182.88B |
| 4 | SET India | 140.34K | 178M | 165.77B |
| 5 | Kids Diana Show | 1.23K | 126M | 104.08B |
| 6 | Vlad and Niki | 732 | 126M | 91.89B |
| 7 | Like Nastya | 887 | 121M | 101.6B |
| 8 | Zee Music Company | 11.44K | 111M | 67.4B |
| 9 | PewDiePie | 4.77K | 110M | 29.33B |
| 10 | WWE | 77.19K | 105M | 85.6B |
| 11 | Goldmines | 8.66K | 100M | 29.24B |
| 12 | Sony SAB | 86.86K | 96.5M | 116.24B |
| 13 | BLACKPINK | 597 | 95M | 36.02B |
| 14 | ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs | 803 | 93.6M | 51.34B |
| 15 | Stokes Twins | 309 | 93.4M | 10.17B |
| 16 | Zee TV | 178.39K | 85M | 91.01B |
| 17 | 5-Minute Crafts | 7.09K | 81M | 27.46B |
| 18 | BANGTANTV | 2.52K | 79.1M | 22.97B |
| 19 | Pinkfong | 3.25K | 78.3M | 44.26B |
| 20 | Colors TV | 154.48K | 76.7M | 71.64B |
| 21 | HYBE LABELS | 1.9K | 75.9M | 34.63B |
| 22 | Justin Bieber | 249 | 74M | 32.63B |
| 23 | T-Series Bhakti Sagar | 28.14K | 71.3M | 34.26B |
| 24 | Shemaroo Filmi Gaane | 8.62K | 69.8M | 29.44B |
| 25 | Tips Official | 5.95K | 69.7M | 39.28B |
| 26 | A4 | 923 | 68.5M | 29.19B |
| 27 | Aaj Tak | 370.69K | 68M | 32.33B |
| 28 | Canal KondZilla | 2.82K | 67.4M | 38.35B |
| 29 | El Reino Infantil | 1.49K | 66.4M | 60.92B |
| 30 | ZAMZAM ELECTRONICS TRADING | 17.81K | 65.8M | 27.4B |
| 31 | UR Cristiano | 598 | 65.4M | 18.7B |
| 32 | Infobells – Hindi | 680 | 65.4M | 36.44B |
| 33 | Toys and Colors | 1.26K | 64.9M | 67.16B |
| 34 | 김프로KIMPRO | 1.1K | 64.6M | 24.49B |
| 35 | Alan Chikin Chow | 309 | 63.7M | 15.2B |
| 36 | Wave Music | 20.21K | 63.2M | 42.87B |
| 37 | Eminem Music | 166 | 62.6M | 30.04B |
| 38 | Movieclips | 40.74K | 62.4M | 62.43B |
| 39 | Sony Music India | 4.77K | 62.2M | 32.23B |
| 40 | YRF | 4.12K | 62.1M | 41.49B |
| 41 | HAR PAL GEO | 135.58K | 61.2M | 54.68B |
| 42 | Dude Perfect | 440 | 60.5M | 17.51B |
| 43 | Taylor Swift | 269 | 60.2M | 35.44B |
| 44 | LooLoo Kids | 854 | 58.6M | 34.8B |
| 45 | Mark Rober | 159 | 58.4M | 6.52B |
| 46 | ARY Digital HD | 140.87K | 58.4M | 51.71B |
| 47 | KL BRO Biju Rithvik | 982 | 58.4M | 12.8B |
| 48 | Marshmello | 487 | 57.4M | 15.9B |
| 49 | BillionSurpriseToys | 1.07K | 57.4M | 11.67B |
| 50 | Fede Vigevani | 1.34K | 57.4M | 14.52B |
Top 100 YouTube Search Terms Globally
Below, we’ve compiled a list of the most searched YouTube terms at the end of 2023. It’s based on search volume data obtained from Semrush’s Keyword Analytics for YouTube tool.
Of course, this data fluctuates over time and the most popular search terms change. So, if you want fully up-to-date data, we’d highly recommend using Semrush’s tool to find it.
The data in the following list is for global search volume rather than regional search volume. The data was also gathered specifically from YouTube searches, not from Google searches.
OK, let’s get into it.
| Rank | Keyword Name | Search Volume | Competitive rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | asmr | 5,800,000 | 99 |
| 2 | mrbeast | 3,700,000 | 96 |
| 3 | ishowspeed | 3,500,000 | 96 |
| 4 | linkin park | 3,300,000 | 95 |
| 5 | music | 2,900,000 | 95 |
| 6 | nikocado avocado | 2,700,000 | 94 |
| 7 | kendrick lamar | 2,500,000 | 94 |
| 8 | song | 2,500,000 | 94 |
| 9 | ksi | 2,300,000 | 93 |
| 10 | wwe | 2,100,000 | 93 |
| 11 | diddy | 2,100,000 | 93 |
| 12 | lofi | 2,000,000 | 92 |
| 13 | eminem | 2,000,000 | 92 |
| 14 | kabhi main kabhi tum | 1,900,000 | 92 |
| 15 | asmongold | 1,900,000 | 92 |
| 16 | cocomelon | 1,500,000 | 90 |
| 17 | kaffara | 1,500,000 | 90 |
| 18 | penguinz0 | 1,400,000 | 90 |
| 19 | nfl | 1,400,000 | 90 |
| 20 | iphone 16 | 1,300,000 | 90 |
| 21 | my mix | 1,300,000 | 90 |
| 22 | karaoke | 1,300,000 | 90 |
| 23 | p diddy | 1,300,000 | 90 |
| 24 | ufc | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 25 | youtube | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 26 | phonk | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 27 | talk tuah | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 28 | destiny | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 29 | movie | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 30 | playboi carti | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 31 | sidemen | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 32 | movies | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 33 | news | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 34 | cnn | 1,200,000 | 89 |
| 35 | markiplier | 1,100,000 | 89 |
| 36 | aaj ki raat | 1,100,000 | 89 |
| 37 | presidential debate | 1,100,000 | 89 |
| 38 | movie reaction | 1,100,000 | 89 |
| 39 | sml | 1,100,000 | 89 |
| 40 | iphone 16 pro max | 1,100,000 | 89 |
| 41 | fox news | 1,100,000 | 88 |
| 42 | skibidi toilet | 1,100,000 | 88 |
| 43 | israel | 1,100,000 | 88 |
| 44 | throne and liberty | 1,100,000 | 88 |
| 45 | the weeknd | 1,100,000 | 88 |
| 46 | lck | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 47 | heavy is the crown | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 48 | taylor swift | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 49 | speed | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 50 | dantdm | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 51 | podcast | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 52 | samay raina | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 53 | jaan nisar | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 54 | black myth wukong | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 55 | sparking zero | 1,000,000 | 88 |
| 56 | real madrid | 993,000 | 88 |
| 57 | sabrina carpenter | 991,000 | 88 |
| 58 | caseoh | 987,000 | 88 |
| 59 | billie eilish | 986,000 | 88 |
| 60 | dragon ball sparking zero | 970,000 | 88 |
| 61 | dr disrespect | 958,000 | 88 |
| 62 | ps5 pro | 953,000 | 88 |
| 63 | big dawgs | 936,000 | 88 |
| 64 | fortnite | 931,000 | 87 |
| 65 | deadlock | 928,000 | 87 |
| 66 | trump harris debate | 926,000 | 87 |
| 67 | doraemon | 911,000 | 87 |
| 68 | ducky bhai | 910,000 | 87 |
| 69 | boxdel | 907,000 | 87 |
| 70 | drake | 901,000 | 87 |
| 71 | cartoon | 900,000 | 87 |
| 72 | 곽튜브 | 899,000 | 87 |
| 73 | bruno mars | 896,000 | 87 |
| 74 | debate presidencial 2024 | 889,000 | 87 |
| 75 | justin bieber | 875,000 | 87 |
| 76 | musica | 861,000 | 87 |
| 77 | state of play | 843,000 | 87 |
| 78 | baby shark | 839,000 | 87 |
| 79 | arsenal | 838,000 | 87 |
| 80 | c | 837,000 | 87 |
| 81 | coryxkenshin | 818,000 | 87 |
| 82 | jubilee | 816,000 | 87 |
| 83 | one piece | 816,000 | 87 |
| 84 | ary news live | 815,000 | 87 |
| 85 | trailer | 808,000 | 87 |
| 86 | dhar mann | 805,000 | 87 |
| 87 | joe rogan | 804,000 | 87 |
| 88 | kamala harris | 795,000 | |
| 88 | kamala harris | 795,000 | 86 |
| 89 | michael jackson | 791,000 | 86 |
| 90 | roblox | 790,000 | 86 |
| 91 | space marine 2 | 788,000 | 86 |
| 92 | ghost of yotei | 774,000 | 86 |
| 93 | not like us | 754,000 | 86 |
| 94 | heavy is the crown linkin park | 745,000 | 86 |
| 95 | minecraft movie trailer | 743,000 | 86 |
| 96 | white noise | 734,000 | 86 |
| 97 | dandadan op | 732,000 | 86 |
| 98 | f1 | 727,000 | 86 |
| 99 | geo news live | 724,000 | 86 |
| 100 | msnbc | 724,000 | 86 |
Key YouTube Statistics
- Kids Content Dominance: 7 out of the top 50 channels (Cocomelon, Kids Diana Show, Vlad and Niki, Like Nastya, ChuChu TV, Pinkfong, BillionSurpriseToys) are children’s content, collectively commanding over 785 million subscribers.
- Multi-Billion View Gap: Despite having fewer subscribers (277M vs 323M), T-Series has nearly 5 times more total views than MrBeast (259B vs 53B views), highlighting different engagement patterns between individual creators and media companies.
- Language Distribution: While English remains prominent, Hindi is the second most common primary language among top channels, with 9 channels primarily producing Hindi content, reflecting India’s growing digital presence.
- Creator vs Brand: Of the top 50 channels, approximately 40% are individual creators or personality-driven channels (like MrBeast, PewDiePie, Mark Rober) while 60% are corporate/brand channels, showing both paths can lead to massive success.
- Content Volume Variation: There’s a massive disparity in video output – some top channels like Mark Rober have fewer than 200 videos total, while others like SET India and Zee TV have over 140,000 videos, suggesting quality vs quantity strategies can both work.
- Educational Entertainment: Channels mixing education with entertainment (Mark Rober, 5-Minute Crafts) show strong performance, with Mark Rober achieving 58.4M subscribers with just 159 videos, demonstrating high per-video value.
How Marketers Can Leverage YouTube Stats
YouTube statistics offer a goldmine of valuable information for marketers, providing insights that can significantly enhance their strategies and campaigns. Here’s why YouTube stats are crucial for marketers:
- Audience Understanding: Stats reveal detailed information about the audience, including demographics, preferences, and behaviors. Marketers can gain a deeper understanding of who is watching their content, and this enables them to create campaigns that are more targeted and personalized.
- Identify Trends: Stats provide real-time insights into current trends and popular topics. Marketers can capitalize on these trends by aligning their content with what captures the audience’s attention. This ensures that campaigns remain relevant and engaging.
- Optimized Search Strategies: YouTube is a search engine in itself, and understanding popular search terms can inform SEO strategies. Marketers can enhance discoverability and YouTube search rankings by tailoring their video titles, descriptions, and tags to align with the terms actively searched by their audience.
- Content Optimization: By analyzing stats, marketers can pinpoint the types of content that resonate most with their audience. Insights into the most-viewed videos, popular search terms, and subscriber patterns can empower marketers to optimize their content strategy for maximum impact.
- Collaboration: Understanding which channels are the most popular can aid marketers in identifying valuable collaboration opportunities. Partnering with a YouTuber with a substantial audience can significantly contribute to the growth of their (marketer’s) channel.
How to Find YouTube Keywords
Semrush’s Keyword Analytics for YouTube is great for finding search term data for YouTube keywords quickly and easily. This tool is a separate app, so you’ll need to access it via the Semrush App Center. Then, open the tool and you’ll get three options:
- Keyword Research
- Fast growing keywords
- Top Videos
Click “Get started” within the “Keyword Research” box.
On the next page, choose to see data for the past month by clicking the “Last Month” tab.
This will give you a better idea of trends over a longer period of time. At the top right of the screen, select a specific region or “All Regions” to view global keyword data.
Now, you’ll get a list of keywords with the “Search Volume” and “Competitive Rate” (a score out of 100 indicating how much competition there is for the term).
“Fast growing keywords” is another great feature that allows you to identify trending keywords that are surging in popularity.
You’ll then see a list of keywords with their “Search Volume” and the extent of volume increase during your selected time period.
Wrapping Up
YouTube offers an incredible avenue for marketers and content creators to connect with audiences, expand their reach, and open doors to income opportunities.
By staying tuned to trends, exploring collaborations, and optimizing content with popular keywords, individuals and brands can truly make the most of this dynamic platform.