The most viewed video ever on YouTube is "Baby Shark Dance" by Pinkfong, with over 16 billion views, making it a massive global phenomenon popular with children and adults alike. It surpassed Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" in 2020 to become the top video, and remains far ahead of other popular children's songs and music videos.
The #1 most viewed video on YouTube is "Baby Shark Dance" by Pinkfong, with over 16 billion views, significantly surpassing other popular videos like "Despacito" and "Wheels on the Bus". This children's song and dance video, released in 2016, became a massive global phenomenon due to its catchy tune and colorful animation, making it the first YouTube video to reach 10 billion views.
The most viewed YouTube video of all time is “Baby Shark Dance” by Pinkfong Kids' Songs & Stories, boasting over 14 billion views. The top 10 most viewed YouTube videos are dominated by music videos and kids' songs, underscoring their widespread appeal.
1 billion YouTube views can earn anywhere from a few thousand dollars (for Shorts) to several million (for long-form videos), with estimates often falling between $250,000 and $5 million, heavily depending on the Cost Per Mille (CPM) and viewer engagement, with gaming/music potentially earning $0.50-$1/1000 views and high-engagement content seeing higher rates. The wide range is due to factors like viewer location, ad types, video niche, and if it's a YouTube Short (which pays much less) versus longer content.
2747 miles THIS DAY IN HISTORY DECEMBER 21 "Gangnam Style" becomes the first YouTube video to reach one billion views On December 21, 2012, the music video for "Gangnam Style," a song by the Korean rapper Psy, becomes the first YouTube video to garner one billion views.
If each of those one trillion views were just one second long, that would add up to over 30,000 years. If each view were a Minecraft block 12 inches square, you could build a stack that reached from the Earth to the sun and back -- with about seven million miles to spare. That's how big one trillion views is.
To make $2,000 a month on YouTube from ad revenue, you generally need 400,000 to 1 million monthly views, depending heavily on your niche's CPM (cost per mille/thousand views) and RPM (revenue per mille), but many creators report needing 500,000 to 1 million+ views for a comfortable living, with high-value niches like finance potentially reaching it with fewer views and lower-value niches needing significantly more, plus other income streams like sponsorships.
The most viewed video on TikTok has approximately 2.2 billion views, and was achieved by Zach King (USA), as verified by TikTok on 15 March 2022. Titled "Zach Kings Magic Broomstick", it was posted on 9 December 2019.
The #1 YouTuber in the world by subscriber count is MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), holding the top spot as an individual creator with over 450 million subscribers, surpassing the music label T-Series, which is the most-subscribed overall channel when including companies like T-Series, Cocomelon, and SET India. He's known for large-scale stunts, cash giveaways, and philanthropy, becoming the biggest individual personality on the platform in recent years.
The "30-second rule" on YouTube refers to the critical first moments of a video, where creators must hook viewers within about 30 seconds to get them to keep watching, as YouTube registers meaningful engagement after this mark, impacting visibility and watch time. It's a key focus for audience retention, with strategies involving dynamic editing (B-roll, angles), emotional hooks, and clear value propositions, but it's distinct from copyright myths about using 30-second music clips.
"Despacito" became the first video to reach three billion views in August 2017, four billion in October 2017, five billion in April 2018, six billion in February 2019, and seven billion in October 2020.
The richest YouTuber in the world is Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, with estimated net worths ranging from $500 million to over $1 billion and reported earnings exceeding $700 million in 2025, thanks to his massive YouTube presence, business ventures like Feastables, and ventures such as Beast Games on Amazon Prime. He leads a list of high earners that includes Jeffree Star, Logan Paul, and Anastasia Radzinskaya (Like Nastya), who also generate significant wealth from branding, merchandise, and other entertainment projects.
The number one YouTube channel by subscriber count is MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), who surpassed Indian music network T-Series in early 2025 and now leads with over 450 million subscribers, known for massive stunts, giveaways, and philanthropy. T-Series remains a strong second, followed by children's content creators like Cocomelon, making MrBeast the top individual creator on the platform, according to data from late 2025 and early 2026.
"The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" is an electronic dance novelty song and viral video by Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis. The top trending video of 2013 on YouTube, "The Fox" was posted on the platform on 3 September 2013, and has received over 1.1 billion views as of November 2025.
Adsense Revenue
If you've ever heard that you make $1 for every 1,000 views, this seems to be exactly the case for my video. For example, with 505,000 views this piece has earned $505 dollars. This is with display ads, overlay ads, sponsored cards, and skippable video ads running before the video.
How many views do you need on YouTube to get paid? YouTube's threshold for payouts is $100. This means you must generate $100 in revenue in order to transfer the money you make from YouTube to your bank account. At a CPM of $7.84, you'd need 12,755 views to receive a payout.
Recommended resolution & aspect ratios
2160p (4K): 3840x2160. 1440p (2k): 2560x1440. 1080p (HD): 1920x1080.
PSY's "Gangnam Style" became the first video of any kind to receive 1 billion views online, with 1,000,382,639 views on YouTube as of 21 December 2012. As of January 2013, "Gangnam Style" was also the most “liked” video on YouTube and the most viewed video online of any kind.
The Minecraft community has crushed one trillion views on YouTube. Celebrate this huge milestone with a look back at some of the biggest moments in Minecraft history. And the entire Minecraft community. In collaboration with YouTube.
1 billion YouTube views can earn anywhere from a few thousand dollars (for Shorts) to several million (for long-form videos), with estimates often falling between $250,000 and $5 million, heavily depending on the Cost Per Mille (CPM) and viewer engagement, with gaming/music potentially earning $0.50-$1/1000 views and high-engagement content seeing higher rates. The wide range is due to factors like viewer location, ad types, video niche, and if it's a YouTube Short (which pays much less) versus longer content.
“Gangnam Style” by South Korean musician PSY became the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views.
Breaking News Cristiano Ronaldo SMASHED the record for the fastest YouTube channel to hit 1 million subscribers, achieving the feat five-and-a-half hours quicker than the previous record. YouTube Golden boy. #PrinceWZ.