Highest-earning YouTube stars 2023

In 2023, it was estimated that YouTube Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson) ranked first as the top-earning YouTuber worldwide with earnings of approximately 82 million U.S. dollars. Comedic duo Rhett & Link ranked second, with an estimate of 35 million U.S. dollars earned during the last measured year. Fourth-ranked Ryan Kaji, who goes by Ryan on his YouTube channel, called Ryan's World, is 12 years old and earned 35 million U.S. dollars in the past year, surpassing YouTuber Jake Paul.

YouTube most popular channels and creators

Created in 2005, YouTube has become one of the most popular social networks worldwide. In 2023, YouTube had approximately 868 million users worldwide. As of February 2024, the most-subscribed YouTube channels did not only include popular video game commentators or comedy creators, but also children-specific channels, such as nursery rhymes channel Cocomelon, Kids Diana Show, and Like Nastya. Beauty and skincare YouTubers were also among the most beloved content creators for users on the social video platforms, with channels such as Sandra Cires Art and Jeffree Star recording over 15 million subscribers as of March 2024.

Content for children

In 2023, U.S. children were estimated to have spent over 80 minutes per day on average watching YouTube content. Despite being based on user-generated content such as make-up tutorials, toy reviews, or comedy sketches, YouTube channels for kids present professional video production values and full-time work commitment to the platform. As of March 2024, Cocomelon had over 177.4 billion views, while the Kids Diana Show had over 100 billion views.