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Who’s the Most Popular YouTuber in Every Country?
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Who’s the Most Popular YouTuber in Every Country?
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Forgot about becoming an astronaut—these days, kids are three times more likely to dream of becoming a professional YouTuber.
And who can blame them? With a big enough fan base, vlogging can be a lucrative business. Who exactly are these professional content creators, and how do they make their money?
This graphic by Accredited Debt Relief shows the most popular YouTuber in nearly every country. The list only considers individual YouTubers, so brands, bands, or shows didn’t make the cut.
How Do YouTubers Make Money?
Before diving into the list, it’s important to understand the basics of the business. How do these content creators generate revenue?
- Advertisements
If a YouTuber reaches 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours within a year, they can start to monetize their account with advertisements. YouTubers only get paid when a viewer watches the full ad, or clicks on it. - YouTube Premium
This is a monthly subscription service that allows fans to watch their favourite content without ads. YouTubers get a cut of subscription profits, based on how many views their channel attracts. - Corporate Sponsorships
Also known as influencer marketing, this is when brands pay content creators to promote their product. A vlogger typically needs a large following before brands are willing to work with them, but expectations from brands vary based on the company and their marketing objectives. - Merchandise Sales
If an influencer has a loyal fan base, they can make a pretty penny selling branded swag. It’s estimated that PewDiePie, the world’s most popular YouTuber, makes over $6 million a month from merch sales.
While there are several options for making money on YouTube, it’s nearly impossible to make a living without a large following.
The Full Breakdown
With over 50 million content creators on YouTube, getting noticed is no easy feat. Here’s a look at the most popular YouTubers in 187 different countries, based on their total subscribers:
| Country | YouTuber | Category | Subscribers | Est. Monthly Earnings (USD$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇸 Iceland | Sorelle Amore | Entertainment | 965,000 | $3,300 |
| 🇧🇸 Bahamas | Crypto Beadles | Tech | 92,600 | $2,400 |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus | TumkaGames / Тумка:3 | Gaming | 900,000 | $7,900 |
| 🇲🇿 Mozambique | Arte e Vida | Entertainment | 86,800 | $655 |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | Young Tubers | Kids | 828,000 | $63,100 |
| 🇱🇾 Libya | King GTA | Gaming | 812,000 | $69,900 |
| 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | Amharic Cooking | How To | 81,700 | $872 |
| 🇧🇼 Botswana | Shree craft place | How To | 80,800 | $11,000 |
| 🇳🇷 Nauru | JerseySurvivor | Entertainment | 80,700 | $2,800 |
| 🇹🇴 Tonga | TasteoftheSouthPacific | How To | 8,700 | $281 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | はじめしゃちょー（hajime） | Entertainment | 8,710,000 | $238,800 |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | NTN Vlogs | Entertainment | 8,610,000 | $19,600 |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | Narins Beauty | Beauty & Style | 8,310,000 | $203,300 |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | Life Hacks & Experiments | How To | 8,040,000 | $318,400 |
| 🇫🇲 Micronesia, Federated States of | dxd101 | Entertainment | 79,300 | $2,700 |
| 🇯🇲 Jamaica | Yanrique | Gaming | 785,000 | $50,300 |
| 🇬🇾 Guyana | Pro Marathi | Tech | 77,000 | $29 |
| 🇵🇸 Palestine | Fozi Mozi | Kids | 7,700,000 | $723,900 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | Marzia | Entertainment | 7,660,000 | $1,800 |
| 🇩🇿 Algeria | Oum Walid | How To | 7,470,000 | $217,700 |
| 🇹🇱 Timor Leste | king_vieira OFFICIAL | Music | 7,300 | $221 |
| 🇮🇶 Iraq | قناة منوعات الكوميدية العراقيه | People & Blogs | 7,260,000 | $593,000 |
| 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | Resul Abbasov Official | Entertainment | 668,000 | $33,400 |
| 🇲🇪 Montenegro | AdnanBro | Gaming | 626,000 | $18,000 |
| 🇸🇨 Seychelles | Rosa Gruner | Gaming | 60,900 | $7,100 |
| 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | Editing ki Dukan | How To | 60,500 | $635 |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | Be Inspired | Education | 6,690,000 | $86,500 |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | MarkAngelComedy | Comedy | 6,340,000 | $326,800 |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | Mimonona Stories | Kids | 6,230,000 | $7,900 |
| 🇱🇦 Laos | Bigyai Seehalad | Entertainment | 582,000 | $114,300 |
| 🇧🇧 Barbados | Brilliant News | Entertainment | 580,000 | $158,500 |
| 🇧🇹 Bhutan | Cigano Ramires | People & Blogs | 56,900 | $7,200 |
| 🇺🇸 United States of America | Like Nastya | Kids | 56,900,000 | $7,730,000 |
| 🇧🇿 Belize | ngashigi kangleipak | People & Blogs | 56,300 | $806 |
| 🇩🇯 Djibouti | Eman Lotfi | Entertainment | 55,700 | $1,400 |
| 🇨🇺 Cuba | Lifeples | Entertainment | 538,000 | $70,700 |
| 🇧🇳 Brunei | Bernardo Werneck | Entertainment | 52,800 | n/a |
| 🇸🇲 San Marino | BlackJack997 | Autos | 51,500 | $222 |
| 🇲🇳 Mongolia | Mesmerism Official | Comedy | 504,000 | $16,300 |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | TheRelaxingEnd | Gaming | 5,800,000 | $128,600 |
| 🇦🇩 Andorra | Tri-line | Entertainment | 5,700,000 | $127,900 |
| 🇺🇾 Uruguay | Dosogas | Entertainment | 5,600,000 | $55,800 |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | Ahmed Hassan Family | Entertainment | 5,450,000 | $218,200 |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | মায়াজাল | Entertainment | 5,320,000 | $19,000 |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Rainbow Learning | Kids | 5,250,000 | $5,100 |
| 🇬🇪 Georgia | Guka Family Show | Kids | 5,210,000 | $339,800 |
| 🇰🇼 Kuwait | AboFlah | Gaming | 5,130,000 | $786,800 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | SirKazzio | Entertainment | 5,060,000 | $11,600 |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | Fabio Wibmer | Sports | 5,020,000 | $317,000 |
| 🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | The Motivator 2 | Sports | 48,100 | $60 |
| 🇲🇬 Madagascar | Philippe MARRONE | Sports | 47,700 | $3,800 |
| 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | Caroline Elizabeth | Entertainment | 45,400 | $54 |
| 🇬🇭 Ghana | RakGhana | Comedy | 448,000 | $12,600 |
| 🇲🇼 Malawi | Dj Àmit Áligarh | Music | 44,100 | $468 |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | Badabun | Entertainment | 43,000,000 | $299,100 |
| 🇧🇯 Benin | Ma Chaîne | How To | 42,000 | $611 |
| 🇨🇱 Chile | HolaSoyGerman | Entertainment | 41,100,000 | $208,400 |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | Jamal alimwase ـ جمال العمواسي | Nature | 4,730,000 | $89,100 |
| 🏴 Wales | Ben Phillips | Entertainment | 4,610,000 | $53,600 |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | PlataBush | Gaming | 4,590,000 | $70,000 |
| 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | Farjana Drawing Academy | How To | 4,580,000 | $225,300 |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | Blowek | Entertainment | 4,530,000 | $87,700 |
| 🇲🇦 Morocco | YassPlays | Gaming | 4,460,000 | $322,900 |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | TimKo Kid | Kids | 4,450,000 | $58,200 |
| 🇻🇪 Venezuela | KeiferMC | Gaming | 4,310,000 | $210,000 |
| 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | ElFlacoWTF | Entertainment | 4,270,000 | $54,000 |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | Akosi Dogie | Entertainment | 4,210,000 | $415,400 |
| 🇸🇩 Sudan | المنهج السلفي بالسودان | People & Blogs | 398,000 | $20,400 |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | whinderssonnunes | Comedy | 39,800,000 | $62,400 |
| 🇸🇴 Somalia | Balanbaalis Studio | Music | 384,000 | $1,500 |
| 🇳🇦 Namibia | Namiban gospel music | Entertainment | 38,800 | $1,200 |
| 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | Jackson Oliveira | Entertainment | 38,700 | $333 |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | elrubiusOMG | Entertainment | 38,000,000 | $204,400 |
| 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | BlackPearl | How To | 36,800 | $327 |
| 🇸🇻 El Salvador | Fernanfloo | Gaming | 36,600,000 | $730,900 |
| 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | King Gryph | Gaming | 334,000 | $639 |
| 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis | Dr.Mungli | Education | 33,500 | $873 |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | Henry DeSagu | Entertainment | 328,000 | $8,800 |
| 🇹🇬 Togo | Fortnite Fantasy | Gaming | 310,000 | $2,900 |
| 🇹🇻 Tuvalu | GuruKidHD | Gaming | 31,800 | $9 |
| 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | Ned Tocino | Entertainment | 31,200 | n/a |
| 🇲🇴 Macau | 籽岷 | Gaming | 300,000 | $1,200 |
| 🇬🇳 Guinea | Faits - Divers GUINEE | News | 30,600 | $11 |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | SYBO TV | Gaming | 3,750,000 | $76,400 |
| 🇹🇳 Tunisia | Born2Kill | Gaming | 3,690,000 | $232,300 |
| 🇧🇭 Bahrain | عمر فاروق Omar Farooq | Entertainment | 3,500,000 | $23,800 |
| 🇦🇱 Albania | Co Vines | Entertainment | 3,440,000 | $81,700 |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | Kitchen with Amna | How To | 3,420,000 | $101,700 |
| 🇵🇼 Palau | Ananda Kelly | How To | 3,300 | $26 |
| 🇹🇼 Taiwan | TGOP (This Group Of People) | Entertainment | 3,260,000 | $15,300 |
| 🇯🇴 Jordan | Rozzah | Entertainment | 3,210,000 | $38,200 |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | Life of Boris | Entertainment | 3,040,000 | $56,200 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | LE GRAND JD | Entertainment | 3,020,000 | $65,300 |
| 🇨🇲 Cameroon | BYSNESS Comédie Club | Comedy | 292,000 | $7,300 |
| 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia | The Dating Guru | How To | 28,000 | $32 |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | caracol3000 | News | 27,200 | $818 |
| 🇰🇵 North Korea | Making ASMR | How To | 260,000 | $15 |
| 🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe | Anrita Melchizedek | Education | 25,300 | $95 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | VanossGaming | Gaming | 25,100,000 | $429,000 |
| 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | Certified sampson | Comedy | 241,000 | $19,400 |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland (Republic of) | jacksepticeye | Gaming | 24,300,000 | $991,700 |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | Atta Halilintar | Entertainment | 24,100,000 | $218,900 |
| 🇨🇬 Congo (Republic of the) | ASTUCES NATURELLES - DR KOLO | Education | 230,000 | $1,300 |
| 🇩🇲 Dominica | Chanel Raphael. | People & Blogs | 23,500 | $1,900 |
| 🇬🇩 Grenada | Laura Forde | How To | 23,200 | $611 |
| 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | Jasur Hamroyev | People & Blogs | 220,000 | $2,000 |
| 🇮🇳 India | CarryMinati | Comedy | 22,700,000 | $66,100 |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | shfa | Kids | 22,200,000 | $287,200 |
| 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | Shava TuBe | People & Blogs | 215,000 | $674 |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | LuxGamer | Gaming | 215,000 | $269 |
| 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | Tech Zaada | Tech | 206,000 | $8,100 |
| 🇨🇻 Cape Verde | Fred walkthrough | Gaming | 203,000 | $1,800 |
| 🇹🇩 Chad | twifacetube | Entertainment | 20,100 | $130 |
| 🇧🇾 Belarus | A4 | Entertainment | 20,000,000 | $2,210,000 |
| 🇬🇧 Ireland (Northern) | Adam B | People & Blogs | 2,930,0000 | $47,600 |
| 🇾🇪 Yemen | صدام العزي | Entertainment | 2,890,0000 | $92,000 |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | ViralBrothers | Entertainment | 2,780,000 | $7,800 |
| 🇱🇷 Liberia | مهووس عضلات/كمال الاجسام | How To | 2,770,000 | $136,900 |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | Peter PlutaX | How To | 2,700,000 | $169,000 |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | Grandayy | Entertainment | 2,690,000 | $133,300 |
| 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | JR INN | Comedy | 2,670,000 | $65,200 |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | Emi Wong | People & Blogs | 2,540,000 | $42,700 |
| 🏴 Scotland | Mike Boyd | Entertainment | 2,440,000 | $31,500 |
| 🇲🇩 Moldova | GurinelTV | Kids | 2,410,000 | $460,700 |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | KM Music | Entertainment | 2,260,000 | $317,100 |
| 🇵🇾 Paraguay | TÍO RICZER | Entertainment | 2,200,000 | $15,600 |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | Maria OMG | Entertainment | 2,160,000 | $128,100 |
| 🇴🇲 Oman | قرية العجائب | Entertainment | 2,150,000 | $13,000 |
| 🇱🇧 Lebanon | Laila Mourad | Entertainment | 2,140,000 | $7,200 |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | Bodil40 | Gaming | 2,030,000 | $14,800 |
| 🇰🇲 Comoros | Vallenatos En Vivo Oficial | Entertainment | 199,000 | $152 |
| 🇭🇹 Haiti | Komedyen Lakay Official | Comedy | 197,000 | $4,300 |
| 🇦🇴 Angola | ShiryuAmigo龍 | Comedy | 196,000 | $316 |
| 🇲🇱 Mali | MS2A FUNNY | Comedy | 195,000 | $5,600 |
| 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | THE TRUE ROYAL FAMILY | Education | 19,700 | $311 |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | DrossRotzank | Entertainment | 19,600,000 | $131,100 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | HaerteTest | Entertainment | 18,900,000 | $25,600 |
| 🇲🇺 Mauritius | Ikhlaas MJ | Entertainment | 170,000 | $34,900 |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | mmoshaya | Entertainment | 17,300,000 | $913,300 |
| 🇺🇦 Ukraine | SlivkiShow | Entertainment | 16,900,000 | $620,200 |
| 🇧🇮 Burundi | Gasore Ismael Comedien | Comedy | 16,400 | $429 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | CKN Toys | Kids | 15,400,000 | $838,700 |
| 🇸🇷 Suriname | SRJ Musik | Music | 146,000 | $820 |
| 🇫🇷 France | SQUEEZIE | Entertainment | 14,700,000 | $325,200 |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | KhanAga Alireza Alibabaei Jabbari | Entertainment | 138,000 | $63 |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | TheBrianMaps | Entertainment | 13,900,000 | $126,900 |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | Boram Tube ToysReview [보람튜브 토이리뷰] | Kids | 13,800,000 | $13,400 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | Kaykai Salaider | Entertainment | 13,600,000 | $194,600 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | NikkieTutorials | Beauty & Style | 13,400,000 | $90,500 |
| 🇵🇪 Peru | Shidory Drawblogs | Entertainment | 13,300,000 | $195,900 |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | Enes Batur | Entertainment | 13,100,000 | $1,120,000 |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | Ranz Kyle | Entertainment | 12,000,000 | $52,400 |
| 🇲🇲 Myanmar | khunThinmg pao | Comedy | 119,000 | $4,800 |
| 🇬🇦 Gabon | Xavier HUBERT-BRIERRE | Nature | 113,000 | $7,000 |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | Ami Rodriguez | Entertainment | 11,700,000 | $244,000 |
| 🇬🇲 The Gambia | ebrohaugh | People & Blogs | 11,400 | $159 |
| 🇨🇳 China | 李子柒 Liziqi | How To | 11,100,000 | $810,000 |
| 🇷🇼 Rwanda | Shangazi Emma-Claudine | People & Blogs | 108,000 | $2,900 |
| 🏴 England | PewDiePie | Entertainment | 105,000,000 | $1,160,000 |
| 🇲🇷 Mauritania | INFOS AABD | Tech | 102,000 | $236 |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | SaraBeautyCorner - DIY, Comedy, Makeup, Nail Art | Beauty & Style | 10,600,000 | $100,900 |
| 🇪🇨 Ecuador | Doc Tops | Entertainment | 10,500,000 | $307,500 |
| 🇰🇮 Kiribati | TV WULKAN - లొఽథటలలొప్రఠఽరగల్వ | Entertainment | 10,200 | $2 |
| 🇱🇸 Lesotho | Omnia Stars | How To | 1,900 | $2 |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | R3D 1 | Entertainment | 1,990,000 | $56,200 |
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | fanKID | Entertainment | 1,940,000 | $38,000 |
| 🇱🇻 Latvia | Little Movies Games & Fun | Gaming | 1,940,000 | $19,800 |
| 🇳🇵 Nepal | Tattato Khabar | News | 1,850,000 | $69,800 |
| 🇬🇹 Guatemala | Jexs | Comedy | 1,810,000 | $102,000 |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | morecaspar | Entertainment | 1,750,000 | $205 |
| 🇨🇮 Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | video whatsapptube | Entertainment | 1,700,000 | $5,100 |
| 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | Germán Rodezel | Entertainment | 1,690,000 | $13,600 |
| 🇧🇴 Bolivia | Edson FDB | Gaming | 1,640,000 | $48,800 |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | Kareemtime Official | Comedy | 1,530,000 | $40,000 |
| 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Omco | Comedy | 1,480,000 | $227,000 |
| 🇲🇨 Monaco | Jon Olsson | People & Blogs | 1,470,000 | $24,900 |
| 🇿🇲 Zambia | Cartoon Club | Kids | 1,440,000 | $3,400 |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | Apé Amma | People & Blogs | 1,430,000 | $94,500 |
| 🇦🇲 Armenia | Arin أرين | Entertainment | 1,410,000 | $145,500 |
| 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | Ekaterina Saibel | People & Blogs | 1,310,000 | $20,600 |
| 🇭🇳 Honduras | músicos Cínicos 鯉 | Music | 1,270,000 | $139,600 |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | Doctor DS | Autos | 1,260,000 | $86,400 |
| 🇸🇳 Senegal | Hussein and Zeinab. | Kids | 1,230,000 | $184,700 |
| 🇺🇬 Uganda | Masaka Kids Afrikana | Kids | 1,140,000 | $103,600 |
| 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | Сань Янь | Kids | 1,140,000 | $475 |
| 🇸🇾 Syria | OtakuGamer - أوتاكو قيمر | Gaming | 1,130,000 | $114,900 |
| 🇸🇿 Swaziland (Eswatini) | OuSSama MiZani | Entertainment | 779 | n/a |
*Note: Estimated earnings were calculated via NoxInfluencer. Actual earnings may vary.
As mentioned earlier, the world’s most popular YouTuber is Swedish-born vlogger PewDiePie. He’s well known for his “Let’s Play” videos, which document him playing various video games. PewDiePie joined YouTube in 2010, and has now amassed 105 million subscribers. While he’s based in England, his channel is registered under the United States.
It’s worth noting the vast discrepancies between certain countries. For example, while the U.S.’s most popular YouTuber, Like Nastya boasts 57 million subscribers, Eswatini’s top vlogger, OuSSama MiZani has less than 800. Clearly, some markets are more saturated than others.
Categories, Ranked by Popularity
Geography isn’t the only factor that impacts popularity—the type of content is important as well. Which 10 categories do the top earning YouTubers fall into?
| Rank | Category | Number of Top Earning YouTubers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entertainment | 72 |
| 2 | Gaming | 25 |
| 3 | How To | 18 |
| 4 | Comedy | 16 |
| 5 | Kids | 15 |
| 6 | People & Blogs | 14 |
| 7 | Education | 5 |
| 8 | Music | 5 |
| 9 | Tech | 4 |
| 10 | Beauty & Style | 3 |
Not surprisingly, the most popular category is entertainment, which has 72 of the top earning YouTubers. Some of the biggest YouTube personalities fall under this category, such as PewDiePie and Chilean YouTuber HolaSoyGerman, who has 41 million subscribers.
The second most popular category is gaming, which has 25 of YouTube’s top earners. Some big names in this category include Ireland’s jacksepticeye with 24.7 million subscribers, and Canada’s VanossGaming, who has 25.2 million.
In third place are “How To” videos—18 of the 187 top earners fall into this category. Life Hacks & Experiments is the most popular YouTuber in this group, with 8.3 million subscribers.
Categories, Ranked by Earnings
Here’s the highest earning YouTuber on this list for each category.
| Rank | Category | Top Earner in Category | Est. Monthly Earnings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kids | Like Nastya | $7.73M | |||
| 2 | Entertainment | A4 | $2.21M | |||
| 3 | Gaming | jacksepticeye | $991.7K | |||
| 4 | How To | 李子柒 Liziqi | $810.0K | |||
| 5 | People & Blogs | قناة منوعات الكوميدية العراقيه | $593.0K | |||
| 6 | Comedy | MarkAngelComedy | $326.8K | |||
| 7 | Sports | Fabio Wibmer | $317.0K | |||
| 8 | Beauty & Style | Narins Beauty | $203.3K | |||
| 9 | Nature | Jamal alimwase ـ جمال العمواسي | $89.1K | |||
| 10 | Education | Be Inspired | $86.5K | |||
| 11 | Auto | Doctor DS | $86.4K | |||
| 12 | News | Tattato Khabar | $69.8K | |||
| 13 | Tech | Tech Zaada | $8.1K | |||
| 14 | Music | Balanbaalis Studio | $1.5K |
When ranked by monthly earnings, the kids category comes in at first place. Six-year-old Like Nastya makes an estimated $7.73 million per month—that’s over 5 million more than the second ranking category, which is entertainment. The third most lucrative category is gaming, with the highest earner, jacksepticeye grossing an estimated $990,000 a month.
It’s important to note that figures are estimates of each YouTuber’s ad revenue, so it doesn’t account for corporate sponsorships, merchandise sales, or any fan donations.
So for all we know, these influencers could be making even more money. If that doesn’t inspire you to start posting amateur videos on YouTube, we don’t know what will.
Demographics
Visualizing Population Density Patterns in Six Countries
These maps show the population density of several countries, using 3D spikes to denote where more people live.
Creator Program
As of 2022, Earth has 8 billion humans. By 2050, the population is projected to grow to 10 billion.
In the last 50 years, the global population more than quadrupled. But none of this growth has been evenly spread out, including within countries.
This series of 3D maps from Terence Teo, an associate professor at Seton Hall University, renders the population density of six countries using open-source data from Kontur Population. He used popular programming language R and a path-tracing package, Rayshader, to create the maps.
France and Germany: Population Density Spikes and Troughs
Let’s take a look at how the population spreads out in different countries around the world. Click the images to explore higher-resolution versions.
France is the world’s 7th largest economy and second-most-populous country in the EU with 65 million people. But a staggering one-fifth of the French population lives in Paris and its surrounding metro—the most populous urban area in Europe.
Many residents in the Paris metropolitan area are employed in the service sector, which makes up one-third of France’s $2.78 trillion gross domestic product.
Unlike France, Germany has many dense cities and regions, with Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, and Cologne all having over a million residents. Berlin is the most populated at 3.5 million residents in the city proper, and 6 million in the wider urban area.
That said, the relatively recent reunification of West and East Germany in 1991 meant that post-WWII growth was mostly concentrated in West Germany (and West Berlin).
Italy and Chile: Coast to Coast
In Italy, another phenomenon affects population density and urban development—a sprawling coastline.
Despite having a large population of 59 million and large metropolitan areas throughout, Italy’s population spikes are closer to the water.
The port cities of Genoa, Napoli, and Palermo all have large spikes relative to the rest of the country, as does the capital, Rome. Despite its city center located 15 miles inland from the sea, it extends to the shore through the district of Ostia, where the ancient port of Rome existed.
Meanwhile in Chile, stuck between the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, population spikes corroborate with its many port towns and cities.
However, the country is more concentrated than Italy, with 40% of its residents congregating around the capital of Santiago.
Turkey and Canada: Marred by Mountains and Climes
Though Chile has difficulties with terrain, it is relatively consistent. Other countries have to attempt to settle many different climes—regions defined by their climates.
Mountains to the south and east, a large, semi-arid plateau, and even a small desert leave few centers of urban growth in Türkiye.
Predictably, further west, as the elevation comes down to the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, population spikes begin to heighten. The largest of course is the economic and cultural hub of Istanbul, though the capital Ankara is also prominent with more than 5 million residents.
In Canada, the Rocky Mountains to the west and freezing cold temperatures in the center and north account for the large country’s relative emptiness.
Though population spikes in Western Canada are growing rapidly, highly populous urban centers are noticeably concentrated along the St. Lawrence River, with the Greater Toronto Area accounting for more than one-sixth of the country’s 39 million people.
Increasing Urbanization
According to the World Bank, more than half of the world’s population currently lives in cities, and that trend is only growing.
By 2050, 7 out of 10 people are projected to live in cities. This congregation makes cities a beehive of productivity and innovation—with more than 80% of the world’s GDP being generated at these population centers.
It’s in this context that mapping and studying urban development becomes all the more important, particularly as policymakers try their hand at sustainable urban planning.
As Teo puts it:
“By showing where people are (and are not), they show us where political and economic power is concentrated, and perhaps where and who our governments represent.”
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