YouTube creator economy fuels `18,000-cr GDP boost
In Short
The findings point to a significant shift in India’s digital creator landscape, where independent content creators are increasingly evolving into full-fledged media enterprises, driving employment and local economic activity across both metropolitan centres and smaller towns.
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YouTube creator economy fuels `18,000-cr GDP boost
New Delhi: Video-sharing platform YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over Rs 18,000 crore to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supported over 9.6 lakh full-time equivalent jobs in the country in 2025, according to a report by Oxford Economics.
The findings point to a significant shift in India’s digital creator landscape, where independent content creators are increasingly evolving into full-fledged media enterprises, driving employment and local economic activity across both metropolitan centres and smaller towns. According to the report, the number of YouTube channels in India generating six figures or more in revenue (INR) rose by over 30 per cent year-on-year. Furthermore, over 18,000 Indian channels have crossed the threshold of one million subscribers. The report noted that 73 per cent of creators who monetise content on YouTube consider the platform to be their primary source of income. Beyond direct earnings, monetising creators supported more than 3 lakh apprentices over the past year. Creative clusters have sprung up in non-metro hubs such as Jaipur, Lucknow and Kochi, generating local demand for video editors, camera operators and scriptwriters. The platform highlighted that hyper-local and regional-language content is gaining significant traction internationally, with over 15 per cent of watch time on content produced by Indian channels coming from viewers outside the country. Additionally, 81 per cent of media companies with a presence on the platform said that YouTube assisted them in reaching global audiences. Over 160 million hours of content were uploaded by Indian channels in the past year, the report said. YouTube said it is collaborating with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) to advance national digital skilling under the "Create with AI" initiative. It is also partnering with the Ministry of Culture to preserve heritage and promote traditional folk and tribal music on the global stage. On the product front, the company is rolling out artificial intelligence-driven production tools, including conversational AI editing for Shorts and agentic channel management features in Ask Studio. To address digital authenticity, the platform said it is introducing 'AI Likeness Detection' alongside clear labels and disclosures for synthetic content.
