These are the most viewed videos on YouTube of all time

YouTube- the world’s largest video sharing platform, has gained enough popularity to be a household name for us. Undoubtedly, we spend a considerable chunk of our time watching videos on the site. That said, have you ever wondered what the most viewed videos on YouTube of all time are? Well, here are they! Before we start, let’s get through a piece of information circling the video-sharing giant.

YouTube- How it all started?

These are the most viewed videos on YouTube of all time

It all started back in February 2005, when a group of three PayPal employees- Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim registered the domain YouTube.com. It was 23 April 2005 when Jawed uploaded the first video titled “Me at the Zoo” on the platform. Upon realizing its worth, Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion and made it public in December 2005. Since then, YouTube has been a home to millions of videos.

Youtube is now the world’s 2nd largest search engine. It has more than 1.9 billion monthly active users followed by over 30 million visitors a day. Every 60 seconds more than 300 hours of video is being uploaded to YouTube to contribute to the already massive collection of 1,300,000,000 videos. Now that you’re aware of how significant this platform is let’s start with the list of most viewed videos on YouTube of all time.

The most viewed videos on YouTube of all time

Well, what kinds of uploads do you think have topped the list of most watched videos on YouTube? Well, you guessed it right; most of them are songs that became popular enough to be viewed multiple times by the audience.

  • Despacito – Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee
  • Ed Sheeran – Shape of You [Official Video]
  • See You Again – Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
  • Masha and the Bear – Recipe for Disaster
  • Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars
  • PSY- Gangnam Style
  • Justin Bieber – Sorry
  • Maroon 5 – Sugar
  • Katy Perry – Roar
  • Taylor Swift – Shake it Off

For those who didn’t get it right, the most-viewed videos were initially viral videos, such as “Evolution of Dance” and “Charlie Bit My Finger.” However, the spots were soon replaced by music videos.

1] Despacito – Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee

Views: 6.1 billion+

Despacito, being the fastest video to reach the milestone of 2B views has broken all records in terms of the most viewed YouTube videos. Released in Jan 2017, the video currently tops the list of all time with over 6.1B views.

The tremendous popularity of a song that’s sung entirely in Spanish surprised everyone. That said, experts speculated that a mix of Caribbean, Latin, pop and rap gave it a broad appeal while the danceable beat and perfectly summery vibe took it to where it is at the moment.

2] Ed Sheeran – Shape of You [Official Video]

Views: 4.15 billion+

The second spot is grabbed by the famous song “Shape of You” sung by Ed Sheeran. Well, the romantic song is so favorite that exposure through clubs, restaurants, and bars made it familiar even to those who never heard of it before.

That said, it holds records as the third fastest video to reach a billion views and is the second fastest to achieve two, as well as the three billion milestones. All of this within two years of release, sounds interesting right?

3] See You Again – Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

Views: 4.07 billion+

Released to aid the promotion of the film, Fast and Furious 7, See you Again was an oblique tribute to Paul Walker, to whom the movie itself also acted as a tribute.

That said, it was the second video ever to pass the 2 billion views milestone and ranks amongst the only three videos to cross 4 billion views. The music video of the song was momentarily the most viewed video on YouTube between July 10 and August 4, back in 2017.

4] Masha and the Bear – Recipe for Disaster

Views: 3.56 billion+

Evident by the name itself, it is the only non-music video ranking amongst the top 10 most viewed videos on YouTube. For starters, Masha and the Bear (Маша и Медведь in Russian) is a particular episode of a Russian children’s cartoon, loosely based on an old Russian folk story.

Its incredible popularity in Russia can be estimated by the fact that amongst all 68 episodes uploaded to YouTube, three have managed to surpass the 1 billion mark. What’s more interesting is that the previous episode to cross 3.5B mark isn’t on the official Masha and the Bear channel. Undoubtedly, it’s the most popular non-music video of all time on the platform.

5] Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars

Views: 3.55 billion+

The Uptown Funk, being Mark Ronson’s biggest hit sits right next to Masha and the Bear with 3.55 billion views in the pocket. The reason behind the immense popularity of this song is its lyrics, adorned further by a simple four-chord structure and effortlessly funky beat that drives people crazy.

Packed with Bruno’s street dancing and some head-nodding appearances from Mark Ronson, Uptown Funk sits as the fifth most watched video on YouTube.

6] PSY- Gangnam Style

Views: 3.32 billion+

Does it even need an introduction? Psy’s Gangnam Style went so crazy among people that it crossed a billion views less than six months after its release (from July to December 2012). That being said, it has been the very first video in YouTube history to be watched more than a billion times.

The catchy tune combined with a ridiculously funny video drove people into creating their parodies of the song, granting exposure across the globe. Well, even I recall myself trying Psy’s horse dance moves, back in 2013.

7] Justin Bieber – Sorry

Views: 3.11 billion+

While you might’ve been expecting Baby to be in the list, it’s Justin Bieber’s Sorry that lately made an appearance in top 10 most watched YouTube videos.

Selling 10 million copies in 2016 alone and topping the charts in 13 countries, Sorry has managed to grab over 3.1 billion hits on YouTube. Directed by Parris Goebel, Sorry uses more vibrant and playful visuals to make up for the regretful lyrics.

8] Maroon 5 – Sugar

Views: 2.93 billion+

Based on an entirely new concept, the video was shot in a variety of locations around Los Angeles, featuring Maroon 5 smashing numerous weddings. In reality, the bride and her guests had no idea about what’s happening. Following the same, the video subsequently reveals the expressions of shock, surprise, fear, and even anger as the crew starts singing. Nonetheless, the video is an absolute joy to watch, a reason behind it grabbing over 2.93 million eyes on YouTube.

9] Katy Perry – Roar

Views: 2.78 billion+

Moving beyond the tenth position in February 2019, Katy Perry’s Roar has now crossed 2.78 billion hits, securing the number 9 spot on YouTube. The powerful music is backed by CGI animals and a skimpy leopard print bikini. Besides social media, Roar had sold almost 10 million copies. It had topped the charts in 12 different countries, seeking immense fame across the globe.

10] Taylor Swift – Shake it Off

Views: 2.76 billion+

Last on our list is the Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off. Falling a mere 20 million hits short of Katy Perry’s Roar. A significant reason behind the song’s popularity is Taylor’s fan following. With over 100M followers on Instagram alone, Taylor managed to grab so much hype that Shake it Off turned out to be her most famous song till date.

About the author

Ritik Singh

Being a tech aficionado, Ritik is highly fanatic about smartphones and computers since childhood. He has good experience in reviewing gadgets and loves shooting random videos. Above all, he believes in continuous learning and is ardent about writing on tech.