Spoken-word audio statistics 2022: Listener habits & demographics

Discover the latest spoken-word audio statistics in our roundup. This data will help you get to grips with listener habits and demographics, so you can build an effective audio content strategy for 2022.

(Want to know why listening is so popular all of a sudden? Check out our article: Why audio content is booming)

We keep this article up to date with the latest research, facts, and numbers, covering:

• Digital audio statistics
• Audio hardware statistics
• Who listens to spoken-word audio?
• Why do people listen to spoken-word audio?
• How and where do people listen to spoken-word audio?
• News audio publishing statistics
• Podcast statistics
• Audio article statistics
• Audiobook statistics
• Radio statistics

Digital audio statistics

74% of listeners consume audio during their daily rituals⁴⁰

40% of listeners plan their day and activities around audio content⁴⁰

Digital audio listening experiences have a stronger impact on the brain than radio listening experiences: +25% emotional intensity, +28% detail memory, +25% global memory, and +23% engagement²¹

47% of Americans pay for an audio subscription³

The average US adult listens to digital audio for 1 hour 34 minutes a day²

Spoken-word audio accounts for 28% of digital listening⁴

73% of over-12s in the US (approximately 209 million people) listened to online audio in the past month (2022)²⁹:

• 87% of 12 to 34-year-olds
• 81% of 35 to 54-year-olds
• 52% of 55 and overs

67% of over-12s (approximately 192 million people) in the US listened to online audio in the last week²⁹

71% of over-12s in Australia listened to online audio in the last week, listening for an average 13 hours and 31 minutes³⁸

Listened to online audio in the past month (2021)²⁸:

• UK (16+), 75%
• Australia (15+), 73%
• Canada (18+), 71%
• South Africa (15+), 61%

Listened to online audio in the past week (2021)²⁸:

• UK (16+), 66%
• Australia (15+), 66%
• Canada (18+), 61%
• South Africa (15+), 52% — listening for an average of 6 hours and 20 minutes

Audio hardware statistics

The number of smartphone subscriptions worldwide increased by 71% from 2017 to 2021, to 6.3 billion³⁵

Global annual headphone sales increased by 51% from 2016 to 2021, to 1.3 billion³⁶

35% of over-12s in the US own a smart speaker (2022)²⁹

Who listens to spoken-word audio?

75% of the 18+ US population listens to spoken-word audio each month⁴

The average over-13 in the US listens to 1 hour and 4 minutes of spoken-word audio every day³⁹

46% of the 13+ US population listen to spoken-word audio daily:³⁹

• They listen to an average of 2 hours 19 minutes every day
• They spend more time with spoken-word audio than with music (51% vs 49%)

Share of US digital listening time spent listening to spoken-word audio (as opposed to music)

 in 2022:³⁹

• Total: 29%
• On a mobile device: 34%
• By age: 13 to 34 (26%), 35 to 54 (30%), 55 and over (32%)

 in 2021:⁴

• By gender: Men (32%), women (24%)
• By ethnic group: White/other (29%), African-American (22%), Hispanic/Latino (27%)

51% of US spoken-word audio listeners reported listening more in 2021 than they did five years previously⁴

Why do people listen to spoken-word audio?

Monthly listeners cite the following reasons for listening to spoken-word audio⁴

• the ability to multitask (71% — the most popular reason)
• it allows them to process information more efficiently (60%)
• they like listening more than reading (56%)
• they need to stay informed (52%)

Among this audience:

• 58% say spoken-word audio is a productive use of their time
• 54% say spoken-word audio engages their mind in a more positive way than other media
• 45% say spoken-word audio is becoming a more important part of their life

How and where do people listen to spoken-word audio?

48% in the US listen via AM/FM radio, 22% via podcasts, 10% via audiobooks, 20% via other platforms⁴

47% in the US listen on an AM/FM radio receiver, 31% on a mobile device, 9% on a computer, 4% on a smart speaker, 9% on another device²⁴

54% in the US listen at home, 30% in the car, 13% at work, and 3% elsewhere²⁴

Searching the internet is the most common way for US listeners to discover new spoken-audio content, with 59% having done so⁴

49% of US spoken-word audio listeners listen exclusively alone, while 51% sometimes listen with others⁴

News audio publishing statistics

80% of news leaders will put more resource into podcasts and digital audio in 2022²⁷

The most popular spoken-word audio topic in the US is news/information, with 56% of listeners having consumed this type of content⁴

40% of spoken-word audio time in the US is spent listening to news or information³⁹

News podcasts make up 7% of all those produced but account for 30% of top podcast episodes in the US⁵

Daily news podcasts make up 1% of all those produced but account for 10% of top podcast episodes in the US⁵

43% of daily news podcasts take the format of a deep dive, 24% a news roundup, 20% a micro bulletin, 14% an extended chat (US, UK, Australia, Sweden, France, and Denmark)⁵

The Daily, a podcast published by The New York Times, averages four million downloads a day⁶

The Intelligence, a podcast published by The Economist, reaches around 2.5 million listeners per week.³³

29% of podcast listeners in the US would like to see more news/current events/politics podcasts³²

Listened to a news podcast last week:³⁹

• Age 18 to 24: 13%
• Age 25+: 31%

News is the top genre for US podcast advertisers, accounting for 19% of revenue⁷

There were 51,406 news podcasts launched worldwide in 2020⁸

Podcast statistics

40% of millennials and Gen Zs rank their trust in podcasts higher than their average trust in traditional media sources⁹

25% of podcast listeners in the US and 14% in the UK said they are very or somewhat likely to pay money for a podcast in 2022³⁷

As of June 2022, there are over 67.4 million episodes on Apple Podcasts³⁴

Proportion who subscribe to audiobook or podcast services in the UK⁸:

• 18–24s (21%)
• 25–34s (18%)
• 35–44s (13%)
• 45–54s (12%)
• 55 and overs (5%)

Podcast awareness (2021)²⁸:

• Australia (15+), 92%
• Canada (18+), 78%
• USA (15+), 78%
• UK (16+), 71%
• South Africa (15+), 48%

How many people listen to podcasts?

34% listened to a podcast in the last month (2022): South Korea (52%), Ireland (46%), Sweden (44%), Norway (42%), Spain (41%), Chile (41%), USA (37%), Canada (36%), Switzerland (35%), Argentina (34%), Australia (33%), Singapore (33%), Denmark (32%), Austria (31%), Netherlands (30%), Finand (30%), France (29%), Italy (29%), Belgium (29%), Germany (29%), Japan (27%), UK (25%)⁸

Listened to a podcast last week (2021)²⁸:

• USA (15+), 29%
• Australia (15+), 26%
• UK (16+), 25%
• Canada (18+), 23%
• South Africa (15+), 20% — listening to four episodes on average

29% of people across eight international markets listened to podcasts in the past week²²

95 million monthly active users in India (20% of the online population aged 12+) has listened to a podcast²⁵

280 million monthly active users in China (62% of the online population aged 12+) has listened to a podcast²⁵

53% of US podcast listeners listen weekly¹¹

62% of over-12s in the US have listened to a podcast²⁹

Who listens to podcasts?

US monthly podcast listeners²⁹:

• By gender: 53% men, 46% women, 1% other
• By age: 47% aged 12 to 34, 33% aged 35 to 54, 20% aged 55 and over
• By ethnic group: 59% white, 16% African-American, 16% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 6% other

US monthly podcast listeners by generation: Gen Z (37%), Millennials (45%), Gen X (23%), Boomers (25%)¹⁹

UK weekly podcast listeners by generation: Gen Z (32%), Millennials (38%), Gen X (16%), Boomers (9%)²⁰

South African monthly podcast listeners²⁸:

• By age: 51% aged 15 to 34, 38% aged 35 to 54, 11% aged 55 and over

How and where do people listen to podcasts?

In the US, podcast listeners listen mainly through YouTube (26%), Apple Podcasts (22%), Spotify (17%), Google Podcasts (14%), Pandora (10%), NPR app or website (9%)¹⁰

In the UK, podcast listeners listen mainly through Spotify (30%), BBC Sounds (27%), Apple Podcasts (20%), YouTube (14%), Audible (8%), Google Podcasts (8%), or a news website/app (5%)⁸

In Germany, podcast listeners listen mainly through Spotify (25%), YouTube (19%), ARD Audiothek (12%), Apple Podcasts (11%), Audible (9%), Google Podcasts (8%), or a news website/app (8%)⁸

In Spain, podcast listeners listen mainly through YouTube (30%), Spotify (26%), iVoox (19%), Google Podcasts (13%), a news website/app (12%), Audible (7%), or Apple Podcasts (7%)⁸

In Australia, podcast listeners listen mainly through YouTube (26%), Spotify (25%), Apple Podcasts (23%), ABC app or website (22%), Google Podcasts (14%) Podcast Addict (8%)¹⁰

Main ways in which people discover new podcasts (USA/Europe)¹⁰:

• Recommendations from friends/family/work colleagues (37%/32%)
• Searching the internet (27%/39%)
• Recommendations or advertisements via social media (25%/27%)
• Recommendations via my usual podcast app (24%/20%)
• Recommendations or advertisements on other podcasts (21%/17%)
• Promotions for podcasts via radio or TV (17%/15%)
• Recommendations in newspapers/magazines (12%/14%)

Among US adults who have driven or ridden in a car in the last month, 30% have listened to podcasts in the car¹

Among weekly podcast listeners in the US (Q4 2021)²⁹:

• 20% most often listen in the car, 59% at home
• 13% most often listen on their desktop/laptop computer, 73% on a smartphone

Where monthly podcast listeners in South Africa (Major Metro Commercial Population, 15+) typically listen²⁸:

• 76% at home
• 13% at work
• 4% in a vehicle
• 7% other

Where monthly podcast listeners in Australia (12+) have listened³⁸:

• 83% at home
• 60% in a car/truck
• 50% while walking around/on foot
• 29% while riding public transportation
• 27% at work
• 19% at a gym/while working out

Podcast advertising statistics

US podcast advertising revenues exceeded $1.4 billion in 2021 and are expected to exceed $4 billion by 2024⁷

• Revenue has grown faster than the total internet ad revenue market (72% vs 35% year-on-year)
• Most ads (55%) are 16 to 30 seconds long
• Pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads account for 32%, 64%, and 4% of revenue respectively

In 2021, online audio generated $3.5–4 billion of revenue in China²⁵

Audio article statistics

69% of millennials and 61% of Gen Zs think audio formats are one of the greatest ways to tell stories⁹

62% of millennials and 52% of Gen Zs think audio amplifies more diverse perspectives than traditional media⁹

Zetland’s paying members consume 80% of articles via audio¹²

66% of people surveyed said there's too much visual stimulation in today's media landscape, and that audio provides a nice escape from it²¹

BeyondWords AI audio article statistics

Non-listeners spend an average of 30 seconds on-site, whereas listeners stay for 322 seconds (+973%)¹³

Non-listeners visit 1.17 pages on average, whereas listeners visit 1.39 (+19%)¹³

Listeners are 32% more likely to engage in multiple sessions than non-listeners¹³

Returning visitors are 38% more likely to press play than new visitors¹³

The average new user who doesn’t engage with audio spends 2 seconds on-site, while the average new listener stays for 225 seconds (+11,150%)¹³

18 to 34s are 1.5x more likely to press play than 25 and overs¹³

35 to 54s who press play stay on-site for 9x longer than those who don’t¹³

55 and overs who press play visit 1.5x more pages than those who don’t¹³

Audiobook statistics

44% of UK adults said they listened to audiobooks in their spare time in 2021, with 27% listening at least once per week³⁰

• 72% said listening keeps their brain stimulated
• 70% said listening makes them feel less stressed and anxious
• 67% said listening cheers them up when they're feeling down

8% of adult British readers typically consume books into audiobook format¹⁴

• 6% (16 to 24), 13% (25 to 39), 7% (30 to 55), 6% (55 and over)
• 9% male, 7% female

In the UK, there were 24 million audiobook purchases in the 12 months to June 2021, accounting for a 6% share of the book market²⁶

54% of the US population (aged 12+) has listened to an audiobook²⁴, and 56% of listeners are under the age of 45¹⁵

US publishers' audiobook revenue grew 12% in 2020 to $1.3 billion¹⁵

55% of US listeners say they listen most of home, while 30% typically listen in the car¹⁵

38% of US audiobook listeners are subscribed to at least one audiobook service¹⁵

Business professionals cite listening to storytelling (26%) and accessibility/time-saving (26%) as the top benefits of audiobooks¹⁶

Most business professionals listen to audiobooks while driving (31%), doing housework/DIY (25%), exercising (18%) or walking (10%)¹⁶

Radio statistics

89% of the UK population listens into radio every week, with listeners tuning in for an average of 20.2 hours¹⁷

Speech radio stations reach 33% of UK adults every week²³

80% of the adult population in Ireland tunes into radio every day, listening for a total of 13.1 million hours³¹

88% of adults in the US listen to radio every week, with listeners tuning in for an average of 12.2 hours¹⁸

77% of people across eight international markets listened to radio in the past week²²

69% of South Africans (Major Metro Commercial Population, 15+), listened to radio in the last week²⁸

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