How many people watch YouTube in the UK? How much time do they spend, and on which devices? We analyzed the latest Ofcom data to answer the questions marketers and researchers are asking about YouTube usage in Britain.
Reach & Popularity
How Many People Use YouTube in the UK? (2025)
YouTube is used by 94% of adult internet users in the UK, reaching 46.3 million online adults monthly.
Reach is unchanged from 2024 but up from 91% in 2023. Monthly reach increased 6% year-on-year in absolute numbers.
YouTube leads all social media platforms in both UK user numbers and time spent. It functions more like a utility than a social network.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ipsos iris
How Many People Watch YouTube Daily in the UK? (2025)
YouTube average daily reach is 58% of UK online adults, representing 28.6 million people.
That is up from 54% daily reach in May 2024, an increase of 4 percentage points. In absolute terms, daily viewers grew from 25.4 million to 28.6 million.
YouTube entered the top 5 daily reach apps at 32% of smartphone users. Daily usage is growing faster than monthly reach.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Time Spent
How Much Time Do UK Adults Spend on YouTube? (2025)
YouTube average time spent is 51 minutes per day among visitors. That increased from 47 minutes per day in 2024.
Time spent varies significantly by age. Users aged 18 to 34 spend 1 hour 28 minutes per day. Those aged 35 to 54 spend 43 minutes. The 55 plus age group spends 28 minutes.
Viewers watch an average of 21 videos per day. That volume suggests a mix of short clips and longer content.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
How Do Men and Women Use YouTube Differently? (2024)
Male YouTube visitors spend longer on the platform at 54 minutes per day, compared to 40 minutes for women.
However, women are slightly more likely to visit YouTube. 95% of online women visited YouTube compared to 93% of men.
The gender gap in time spent is notable. Men watch 35% more YouTube than women despite similar reach.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Devices & Platforms
Which Devices Do UK Adults Use to Watch YouTube? (2024)
54% of YouTube time is spent on smartphones, equating to 26 minutes per day. Tablets and computers each account for 23% of time, or 11 minutes each.
YouTube website reached 77% of adults compared to 69% for the YouTube app. Many users access YouTube through browsers rather than the dedicated app.
YouTube reached 80% of Android users compared to 65% of iPhone users. The Android advantage reflects YouTube preinstallation on many Android devices.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024, Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
How Popular Is YouTube on TV Sets? (2024)
39% of in-home YouTube viewing was on TV sets in 2024. YouTube TV viewing increased 31% from 11 minutes in H1 2023 to 15 minutes in H1 2024.
Total in-home YouTube viewing grew from 35 minutes per day in H1 2023 to 38 minutes in H1 2024.
Children aged 4 to 17 watched YouTube on TV for 25 minutes daily, up 18% year-on-year. Adults aged 18 to 24 watched for 18 minutes, up 50% year-on-year.
YouTube on TV is the fastest-growing viewing category. The living room screen is increasingly a YouTube screen.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024, Barb
Demographics
Which Age Groups Use YouTube Most? (2025)
YouTube rose from 4th to 3rd most-visited app among 18 to 34 year olds with 84% reach, up from 81% in 2024.
Among the 55 plus age group, YouTube rose from 5th to 4th with 60% reach, up from 57% in 2024.
YouTube is in the top 3 or 4 most-visited smartphone apps across all adult age groups. No other video platform achieves this consistency.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
What Is YouTube Gender Split in the UK? (2025)
YouTube gender split is broadly balanced at 49% male and 51% female visitors.
This makes YouTube unusual among major platforms. Most social media services skew notably toward either men or women. YouTube is genuinely mass-market.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
Search & Discovery
Is YouTube a Search Engine? (2025)
YouTube is the second largest search service in the UK after Google.
Combined with YouTube, Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram, the top three social media services, these platforms form the core of UK online activity alongside Google Search.
I see YouTube increasingly competing with Google for informational queries. How-to content, tutorials, and product reviews often start on YouTube rather than Google.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025
- [Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2025/online-nations-report-2025.pdf)
- [Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2024/online-nation-2024-report.pdf)
- Ipsos iris
- Barb