Spotify has taken the world by storm. The enormous library, the high quality of the sound, and the easy interface have captivated the hearts of millions.
But surely, there must be more to the app. What makes it an undisputed hit among users?
Read our list of Spotify statistics below to find out.
The Most Impressive Spotify Statistics in 2022 (Editor’s Choice)
- Spotify’s revenue for 2020 was €7.85 billion.
- The platform had 286 million monthly active listeners in Q1 2020. Of them, 113 were premium subscribers.
- As of the end of 2021, Spotify has 381 million listeners across 184 markets.
- The average time people spend on the platform varies between 99 and 140 minutes depending on the region.
- 80% of its free and paid subscribers use the app multiple times a week.
- Spotify has 70 million songs, 2.9 million podcasts, and over three billion playlists.
- More than five million playlists are created or edited daily.
- The most streamed song in 2021 on Spotify was Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” (over 1.1 billion streams).
- The top five most-streamed artists in 2021 are Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, BTS, Drake, and Justin Bieber.
Spotify Revenue
The streaming platform has come a long way in the past 12 years. The massive growth of Spotify started becoming noticeable in 2015.
The success of a business is not measured only by its revenue. Still, it is an important metric of growth.
1. Spotify’s annual revenue increased by almost €5 billion in four years.
(Source: BusinessofApps)
The company’s 2016 revenue was €2.93 billion. In 2020, Spotify reached €7.85 billion.
2. In mid-2021, Spotify had a market share of 33.8%.
(Source: Backlinko)
There are 487 million people with a streaming platform subscription. Around 170 million of them use Spotify.
Despite its growing user count, though, Spotify’s market share has been decreasing over the past few years. In 2018, the company held 42.7% of the market share.
This is probably due to the rising popularity of Apple Music in the US and a few other markets. Other notable competitors of Spotify are Deezer and Pandora.
3. Spotify expanded to 92 new markets in 2021.
(Source: Spotify)
Spotify’s growth is reflected not only by its increasing revenue but by its presence in 184 markets globally, too.
The new countries Spotify added to its list span across Asia, Africa, The Caribbean, Europe, and Latin America. These include South Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and many others.
4. Spotify’s ad revenue increased by 75% in 2021.
(Source: Spotify)
Spotify reports its annual ad earnings surpassed one billion euros in November 2021. This is the first time the company has reached this number.
Spotify attributes the growth to the Spotify Audience Network, where advertisers can connect to listeners.
5. Spotify is the second most popular app for podcasts.
(Source: Buzzsprout)
Spotify has a fierce competitor in the face of Apple. The latter dominates the streaming market when it comes to podcasts, with 32.8%.
Holding 30.7% of the podcast market share, Spotify breathes down Apple Podcasts’ neck.
Be that as it may, you can reach both seamlessly with a quality podcast host.
Spotify Users
Undoubtedly, users are what makes a business grow. So, we simply have to include some data about the platform’s subscribers in our Spotify stats list.
6. Judging by the sheer number of users, Spotify is the best music streaming service.
(Source: Statista)
Apple Music hasn’t revealed its exact number of paying subscribers since 2019. That said, the latest data available suggests that Spotify wins in that category.
At the beginning of 2020, Spotify had around 130 million paid users, and Apple Music—only 72 million.
Of course, the two companies have other competitors too. Still, music streaming statistics suggest that few of them have the potential to surpass them.
7. The number of Spotify premium subscribers rose by 19% YOY, reaching 172 million in Q3 2021.
(Source: Gadgets360)
Spotify’s user base growth exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. Granted, analysts’ predictions came pretty close.
They estimated 171.7 million paid subscribers, and Spotify hit 172 million.
8. Most Spotify subscribers are based in Europe.
(Source: BusinessofApps)
As of the end of 2021, the total number of Spotify subscribers in Europe is 121 million. It has increased by 81 million since 2016.
Next on the list is North America, with 85 million subscribers.
9. More than 50% of Spotify’s user base is under 35.
(Source: Siteefy)
29% of the platform’s user base falls into the 25-34 age range. Next comes the group of 18-24-years-olds with 26%.
Surprisingly, after the Millennials and Gen Z come Baby Boomers (55 or older) with 19%.
10. More than half of Spotify listeners are male.
(Source: Siteefy)
Spotify demographics show that men account for 56% of the platform’s user base.
11. Spotify users from North America spend 140 minutes daily on the app on average.
(Source: BusinessofApps)
Next come Spotify subscribers from the Middle East and Africa with 124 minutes of average daily use.
According to Spotify stats, Latin American listeners rank third, with 117 minutes.
The Asia Pacific and Europe take fourth and fifth place with 110 and 99 minutes, respectively.
12. In November 2021, Spotify announced the acquisition of Findaway.
(Source: Spotify)
With this move, Spotify plans to expand its presence on the audiobook market.
Spotify’s fast user growth inspired several other innovations in 2021.
For example, the company introduced Spotify Open Access, allowing subscribers to hear third-party content.
Another clever addition was the Spotify Greenroom, which allows live audio streaming.
Stats for Spotify
After discussing its revenue and demographics, it’s time to get to the essence of the platform.
In this section, we explore some Spotify stats about music, such as the most-played artists, genres, songs, and more.
13. Spotify was founded in 2006.
(Source: BusinessofApps)
Spotify was founded in 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden. Its founders’ goal was to create a legal digital music platform.
Back in the day, music piracy was on the rise. Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon decided to fight against it.
14. The most streamed song on Spotify of all time is “Shape of You.”
(Source: ChartMasters)
Our list of statistics for Spotify wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the most streamed song on the platform ever.
The all-time winner is Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.” It has been streamed more than two billion times since its release in 2017.
The next tracks on the list are “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, and “Dance Monkey” by Tones And I.
Will these Spotify statistics remain the same in 2022?
Well, only time will tell. For now, it seems like Ed Sheeran has some serious competition.
15. The most streamed song in a day is Adele’s “Easy on Me.”
(Source: The National News)
According to Spotify analytics, the most streamed song in a day is “Easy on Me” by Adele.
After a six-year break, the British star released her new single on October 15, 2021. It was played more than 19 million times in one day.
16. Olivia Rodrigo tops two Spotify charts.
(Source: Spotify)
The 18-years-old US star shines on top of not one but two Spotify listening stats lists. She has the most streamed song and the most streamed album globally.
Her song “Drivers License” has over one billion streams. What’s more, her debut album “SOUR” is even ahead of Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia.”
17. Spotify categorizes music in over 5,000 genres.
(Source: Nylon)
While we can barely name 15 music genres, Spotify uses 5,071! This was revealed with Spotify Wrapped 2020.
Have you heard of “chamber psych,” “escape room,” and “antiviral pop”? Yeah, neither have we.
18. Joe Rogan is the king of podcasts.
(Source: Spotify)
Spotify podcast statistics reveal that “The Joe Rogan Experience” is the most popular show on the streaming platform.
The next four most listened to podcasts on the list are Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy,” “Crime Junkie,” “TED Talks Daily,” and “The Daily.”
Spotify Wrapped 2021
The platform has included a few new components in Spotify Wrapped stats in 2021.
Besides your top artists on Spotify, you can now see what your music aura looks like, for example.
19. The company added new components to Spotify Wrapped 2021.
(Source: Spotify)
Spotify Wrapped puts your top songs in a playlist.
What’s more, based on your preferred genres and top Spotify artists, the platform creates your “music aura.”
The platform also added suggestions for your soundtrack for different moods.
To see your Spotify Wrapped stats, log into your account. Toward the end of each year, a pop-up suggesting you to see your year in review appears.
You can find your Spotify statistics from previous years on the home page.
20. Bad Bunny is Spotify’s top streamed artist worldwide for 2021.
(Source: Spotify)
The Puerto Rican singer is the most streamed artist on Spotify for the second year in a row.
His songs were streamed over nine billion times, even though he didn’t release a new album in 2021.
21. Justin Bieber is Spotify’s most listened to artist monthly.
(Source: RouteNote)
Here are the 2021 top 10 artists on Spotify based on monthly listens: Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, Adele, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and Doja Cat.
Did you find your favorite on the list?
22. Spotify made a playlist with the top streaming songs.
(Source: Spotify)
Spotify released its Top Tracks of 2021 playlist at the beginning of December.
It includes the 50 most played songs on Spotify for 2021 and is two hours and 44 minutes long. As of December 2021, nearly 35,000 people have liked it.
The top 10 songs on Spotify’s playlist are:
- “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo
- MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X
- STAY by The Kid LAROI ft. Justin Bieber
- good 4 You by Olivia Rodrigo
- Levitating by Dua Lipa ft. DaBaby
- Peaches by Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar and Giveon
- Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
- Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
- Heat Waves by Glass Animals
- Beggin’ by Maneskin
Wrap Up
The pandemic has changed user needs and behavior, which certainly accelerated Spotify’s growth. Still, the platform’s success is also due to the company’s efforts to satisfy listeners.
Whether you’re playing music at a party or listening to a podcast on your way to work, Spotify has got you covered.
With the company’s plans for the future, we can definitely expect that Spotify will keep its position on the streaming market.
Still, Apple Music is growing rapidly, so the future might surprise us. We’ll follow the key Spotify statistics and keep you updated!
Sources
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