Audio content reached 93% of UK adults in a typical week in 2025, while podcast, streaming-music and recorded-music measures show how listening is spreading across formats, devices and business models. The figures below keep radio, podcasts, online audio, recorded music and hearing-risk estimates separate because they measure different populations and outcomes.
Key Audio Content Statistics
The most useful headline figures span weekly reach, podcast adoption, connected cars, advertising, streaming and safe listening:
- 93% of UK adults aged 16+ listened to some form of audio content weekly in 2025.
- 98% of UK adults aged 16–34 listened to audio content weekly in the UK in 2025.
- 62% of UK adults reached music radio weekly in 2025.
- 61% of UK adults reached online music services weekly in the UK in 2025.
- 85% of UK adults aged 16–34 used online music services weekly in 2025.
- 70% of Americans aged 12+ had ever listened to a podcast in January 2025.
- 55% of Americans aged 12+ were monthly podcast consumers in January 2025.
- 73% of Americans aged 12+ consumed podcasts in audio or video form in January 2025.
- 22% of UK adults listened to podcasts in 2025.
- 26% of UK live-radio listening occurred in cars, vans or lorries in Q1 2025.
- One-fifth of UK in-car audio time went to music streaming services and podcasts in 2024.
- U.S. podcast advertising revenue reached $2,433.1 million in 2024.
- Streaming represented 69.0% of global recorded-music revenue in 2024.
- 752 million paid music-subscription accounts existed globally at the end of 2024.
- More than 1 billion people aged 12–35 were at risk from loud recreational sound exposure under the WHO estimate.
- Nearly 2.5 billion people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss globally by 2050.
Contents
- Key Audio Content Statistics
- Weekly Audio Content Reach in the UK
- Audio Listening Trends by Age, Purpose and Device
- Podcast Adoption and Video-Podcast Statistics
- In-Car Audio and Voice-Controlled Listening Data
- Podcast Advertising and Audio Monetization Statistics
- Global Music Streaming and Safe-Listening Statistics
Weekly Audio Content Reach in the UK
Ofcom’s Audio Listening in the UK 2025 survey measured weekly reach among UK adults aged 16 and over. Its 2025 first reach question was online-only, so direct comparison with the 2024 Audio Report is restricted.
| Audio format or service | Weekly reach in 2025 | Population and geography |
|---|---|---|
| Any audio content | 93% | UK adults aged 16+ |
| Music radio | 62% | UK adults aged 16+ |
| Online music services | 61% | UK adults aged 16+ |
| Online music video for background listening | 46% | UK adults aged 16+ |
| Stored digital music | 41% | UK adults aged 16+ |
| Speech radio | 36% | UK adults aged 16+ |
| CDs, vinyl or cassette tapes | 27% | UK adults aged 16+ |
Source: Audio Listening in the UK 2025. These are reach measures, not listening-time measures; the physical-format figure combines CDs, vinyl records and cassette tapes, and 33% never listened to those formats.
Age differences were substantial for online music services. Weekly use was 85% among UK adults aged 16–34, compared with 67% among those aged 35–54 and 39% among adults aged 55+ in 2025.
Audio Listening Trends by Age, Purpose and Device
The Ofcom survey also asked why people used audio. These purpose categories can overlap, so they should not be added together as market shares.
- 54% of UK music-radio listeners used it as background listening in 2025.
- 59% of UK online-music streamers used streaming for entertainment in 2025.
- 50% of UK online-music streamers used streaming for relaxation in 2025.
- 49% of UK online-music streamers used streaming as background listening in 2025.
Voice control was already part of the audio pathway. 54% of UK adults had used a voice assistant during the previous three months in 2025, and among UK voice-assistant users, 71% used assistants to listen to radio stations while another 71% used them for other audio such as streaming music or podcasts.
Among UK voice-assistant radio listeners, 54% made requests through a smart speaker. Of the relevant voice-assistant users who listened to other audio, 44% used smart speakers, while 30% used smartphones; these are subgroup device-choice measures rather than shares of all UK adults.
Podcast Adoption and Video-Podcast Statistics
Edison Research’s The Infinite Dial 2025 measured self-reported podcast behavior among Americans aged 12 and over in January 2025. The broadest measure was 73%, or an estimated 210 million people, who had consumed a podcast in audio or video form.
| U.S. podcast measure | January 2025 result | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Ever listened | 70% | Americans aged 12+ |
| Ever watched | 51% | Americans aged 12+ |
| Audio or video consumption | 73% / 210 million | Americans aged 12+ |
| Monthly consumption | 55% | Americans aged 12+ |
| Both listened and watched | 48% | Americans aged 12+ |
Source: The Infinite Dial 2025. The 210 million population figure is derived by Edison, and audio-or-video consumption combines formats.
Podcast use also differed by gender in the same U.S. survey: monthly listening was 57% among men aged 12+ and 52% among women aged 12+. Online audio was broader than podcasts, reaching 79% of Americans aged 12+ monthly, or an Edison-estimated 228 million people.
Platform figures are not exclusive-use measures. YouTube was used most often to listen to podcasts by 33% of U.S. weekly podcast listeners in January 2025, according to Edison Podcast Metrics.
In the UK, Ofcom estimated that 22% of adults listened to podcasts in 2025. Among UK podcast listeners, 69% had ever listened to podcasts that also had video, and 37% listened weekly to podcasts that also had video.
Preferences did not point in one direction. Among UK listeners who had heard video podcasts, 41% preferred audio-only when both options were available, 29% preferred watching the video, and 23% preferred playing the video in the background without actively watching.
In-Car Audio and Voice-Controlled Listening Data
Radio remains important in vehicles, but the composition of in-car audio is changing. RAJAR data reported by Ofcom found that 26% of live-radio listening in the UK took place in cars, vans or lorries in Q1 2025.
| UK in-car radio measure | Earlier period | Later period | Reported change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults listening exclusively to radio in a vehicle | 14% / 7.8 million weekly adults, Q1 2020 | 20% / 11.5 million, Q1 2025 | Increase |
| Weekly in-car radio listening | 172 million hours, Q1 2005 | 266 million hours, Q1 2025 | 55% increase |
| At-home radio listening | 733 million hours, Q1 2005 | 636 million hours, Q1 2025 | 13% decrease |
Source: Audio Listening in the UK 2025. The vehicle-reach series covers UK adults aged 15+, while the weekly-hours series describes UK listening.
Ofcom estimated that one-fifth of UK in-car audio listening time went to music streaming services and podcasts in 2024. Between 2018 and 2024, the share of UK adults listening to streamed music while travelling in a car increased by 8 percentage points, while radio’s share of in-car listening time fell by 7 percentage points.
U.S. connected-car access was also measured among adults aged 18+ who drove or rode in a car during the previous month. Forty percent had Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and 33% actively used one; Apple CarPlay was available to 28% and actively used by 22%, while Android Auto was available to 19% and actively used by 13%.
Podcast Advertising and Audio Monetization Statistics
IAB/PwC industry estimates show the scale of U.S. podcast advertising revenue, measured in nominal dollars. The series rose from $708.1 million in 2019 to $2,433.1 million in 2024.
| Year | U.S. podcast advertising revenue |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $708.1 million |
| 2020 | $842.3 million |
| 2021 | $1,448.7 million |
| 2022 | $1,825.3 million |
| 2023 | $1,925.2 million; 5% year-over-year growth |
| 2024 | $2,433.1 million; 26.4% year-over-year growth |
Source: IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2024. These are U.S. podcast advertising industry estimates, not total global audio revenue.
The earlier IAB/PwC outlook projected U.S. podcast advertising revenue to exceed $2 billion in 2024 and approach $2.6 billion by 2026. That 2024–2026 outlook was a forecast made in the 2023 study; the FY2024 observed estimate is reported separately above.
Global Music Streaming and Safe-Listening Statistics
IFPI’s global recorded-music figures describe recorded music rather than the full universe of radio, podcasts or spoken-word audio. Global recorded-music revenue grew 4.8% in 2024, the tenth consecutive year of growth, while streaming revenue increased 9.5%.
Streaming accounted for 69.0% of global recorded-music revenue in 2024. There were 752 million users of paid music-subscription accounts globally at the end of 2024; this is an account measure and may not represent unique people across services.
Source: IFPI Industry Data.
Safe-listening statistics measure exposure risk, not audio consumption or diagnosed impairment. The WHO estimates that more than 1 billion people aged 12–35 are at risk of hearing loss from recreational exposure to loud sound, and that nearly 50% of this age group is at risk from prolonged loud recreational sound exposure.
WHO also estimates that nearly 25% of 12–35-year-olds in middle- and high-income countries are exposed to unsafe sound levels from personal audio devices. Around 40% of 12–35-year-olds are exposed to potentially damaging sound levels at clubs and bars.
By 2050, WHO projects that nearly 2.5 billion people globally will have some degree of hearing loss, while more than 700 million people will require hearing rehabilitation. These are projections of hearing-loss burden and rehabilitation need, not forecasts of podcast, radio or music use.
Source: Making listening safe.