Archive · 29 Sep 2026
YouTube’s India Creator Economy Adds ₹18,000 Crore, Supports 9.6 Lakh Jobs
A report says YouTube helped create a large business community in India during 2025.
This community added more than ₹18,000 crore to the country’s economy.
It also supported more than 9.6 lakh full-time equivalent jobs.
These jobs included work for creators, video editors, camera operators and scriptwriters.
More than 18,000 Indian channels now have at least one million subscribers.
Many creators said YouTube was their main source of income.
Indian regional-language videos are also being watched by people in other countries.
YouTube is working with Indian institutions to teach digital skills and develop new artificial intelligence tools.
YouTube’s Indian creative ecosystem contributed more than ₹18,000 crore to GDP and supported over 9.6 lakh full-time equivalent jobs in 2025.
More than 18,000 Indian YouTube channels have crossed one million subscribers, while channels earning six-figure revenues grew by over 30% year-on-year.
About 73% of monetising creators surveyed said YouTube was their primary source of income, and creators supported more than 3 lakh apprentices.
Over 15% of watch time for content from Indian channels came from viewers outside India, while 81% of media companies said YouTube helped them reach global audiences.
YouTube is expanding digital-skilling partnerships and introducing AI production tools, synthetic-content disclosures and AI Likeness Detection.
- Who
- YouTube’s Indian creator ecosystem, with figures reported by Oxford Economics.
- What
- The ecosystem contributed more than ₹18,000 crore to India’s GDP and supported over 9.6 lakh full-time equivalent jobs in 2025.
- When
- The reported economic impact occurred in 2025; one article was dated September 29, 2026.
- Where
- Across India, including non-metropolitan hubs such as Jaipur, Lucknow and Kochi.
- Why
- Growing creator activity, regional content, global audiences and related production services expanded economic and employment opportunities.
- GDP contribution
- More than ₹18,000 crore in 2025
- Jobs supported
- More than 9.6 lakh full-time equivalent jobs
- Apprentices supported
- More than 3 lakh over the past year
- Million-subscriber channels
- More than 18,000 Indian channels
- Revenue growth
- Channels earning six figures or more increased by over 30% year-on-year
- Primary income
- 73% of monetising creators identified YouTube as their primary income source
- International watch time
- More than 15% of watch time for Indian-channel content came from viewers outside India
- Content uploaded
- More than 160 million hours by Indian channels in the past year
