15 Most Watched YouTube Videos of All Time

It’s hard to really appreciate the cultural impact that YouTube has had since it’s creation in 2005. As of June 2022, more than 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute to YouTube which equates to approximately 300,000 hours of new content every hour. While the exact number of videos uploaded to YouTube is really only known to them, it’s estimated to be at least 800 million.

However, outside of the sheer volume of content on the platform is the scale of the audience. It’s estimated that over 122 million people visit YouTube daily. That includes 62% of the U.S.

So with all of those videos and all of those people watching, we wondered, “But what are the most viewed videos on Youtube.” Here’s what we found.

15. ‘Sugar’ by Maroon 5

‘Sugar’ was the third single off Maroon 5’s fifth studio album ‘V’.

Uploaded: January 14, 2015

Views: 4,044,825,374

Type: Music video

Watch: YouTube

14. ‘Axel F’ by Crazy Frog

‘Axel F’ was the biggest hit ever for Crazy Frog, a Swedish CGI-animated character and Eurodance musician created by ErikWenquist.

‘Axel F’ is a cover of the Beverley Hills Cop theme song of the same title.

Uploaded: June 17, 2009

Views: 4,532,837,525

Type: Music video

Watch: Youtube

13. ‘Masha and the Bear – Recipe for Disaster’

Masha and the Bear is an animated children’s series that is wildly popular (clearly). It was created by Oleg Kuzokov and focuses on Masha, a young child, and a very paternal bear who keeps her safe.

Uploaded: January 31, 2012

Views: 4,582,417,838

Type: Youtube Kids

Watch: Youtube

12. ‘Dame Tu Cosita’ by El Chombo

‘Dame Tu Cosita’ is a song by Panamian artist El Chombo featuring Jamaican musician Cutty Ranks. This version is a remixed and extended version of the track originally released in 1997.

Uploaded: April 5, 2018

Views: 4,630,408,939

Type: Music Video

Watch: Youtube

11. ‘Learning Colors – Colorful Eggs on a Farm’

‘Learning Colors – Colorful Eggs on a Farm’ is exactly what you expect it to be. It’s a simplistic animation of eggs while helping children learn six colors: black, brown, pink, white, red, and blue.

Uploaded: February 27, 2018

Views: 5,109,685,724

Type: YouTube Kids

Watch: Youtube

10. ‘Gangnam Style’ by Psy

‘Gangnam Style’ is a song by South Korean musician Psy that was the first music video ever to surpass 1 billion views on YouTube.

Uploaded: July 15, 2012

Views: 5,148,697,727

Type: Music Video

Watch: Youtube

9. ‘Uptown Funk’ by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

‘Uptown Funk’ was a smash hit by British record producer Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. It was the lead single off Ronson’s fourth studio album, ‘Uptown Special’

Uploaded: November 19, 2014

Views: 5,223,007,576

Type: Music Video

Watch: Youtube

8. ‘Phonics Song with Two Words’

‘Phonics Song With Two Words’ is an educational video for children from the YouTube channel ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes and Kids Songs. The video is animated and features a song that focuses on letters of the alphabet and two examples of words using that letter.

Uploaded: March 6, 2014

Views: 5,799,808,582

Type: YouTube Kids

Watch: Youtube

7. ‘Wheels on the Bus’

‘Wheels on the Bus’ is an animated video of a family and a bunch of cute animals riding on a bus while singing the classic children’s song ‘Wheels on the Bus.’ This video was created by the wildly popular children’s brand Cocomelon.

Uploaded: May 24, 2018

Views: 6,120,293,009

Type: YouTube Kids

Watch: Youtube

6. ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran

‘Shape of You’ is a song by English musician Ed Sheeran. It was one of the double lead singles from his third studio album. The video, shot in Seattle, pays homage to Rocky films and features dancer Jennie Pegouskie and retired sumo wrestler Yamamotoyama Ryuta.

Uploaded: January 30, 2017

Views: 6,258,405,126

Type: Music Video

Watch: Youtube

5. ‘See You Again’ – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth

‘See You Again’ at one time held the coveted positions of both the most watched and the most liked music video on YouTube. It was also the second video ever to hit two billion and three billion views. The song was commissioned for the Furious 7 soundtrack as a tribute to the late actor Paul Walker.

Uploaded: April 6, 2015

Views: 6,261,228,219

Type: Music Video

Watch: Youtube

4. ‘Bath Song’

Another massive hit from children’s brand Cocomelon, ‘Wash My Hands’ borrows an extremely recognizable melody from Baby Shark.

Uploaded: May 2, 2018

Views: 6,701,109,893

Type: YouTube Kids

Watch: Youtube

3. ‘Johny Johny Yes Papa’

‘Johny Johny Yes Papa’ is an animated video featuring a skateboard-riding baby who’s trying to sneak sugar from the pantry and then lying about it.

Uploaded: October 8, 2016

Views: 6,910,042,179

Type: YouTube Kids

Watch: Youtube

2. ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi

‘Despacito’ holds the record for the most viewed video on YouTube. It surpassed a billion views within the first 97 days and two billion views in 154 days. It is also the site’s most-liked video. This music video received a Latin Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. It was shot in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Uploaded: January 13, 2017

Views: 8,441,006,220

Type: Music video

Watch: YouTube

1. ‘Baby Shark’

‘Baby Shark’ is a children’s song that absolutely dominates this list. It has more than 6 billion more views than it’s closest rival on this list. And for good reason. If you have a kid, have been around a kid, have been outside, watched a show or even walked by an open window in the last 8 years you’ve heard this song. It was even turned into a 75-minute stage musical titled ‘Baby Shark Live.’

Uploaded: June 17, 2016

Views: 14,503,248,226

Type: YouTube Kids

Watch: YouTube