The creator economy describes the growing number of content creators, influencers, and curators around the world, as well as the tools and platforms they use.

Aside from that, it includes the content they are creating such as videos, podcasts, blogs, photos, and infographics.

Many businesses tied up with content creators to advertise their products and services, and make write-ups about their brands.

Content creation is becoming more popular these days, wherein more people are interested to invest time in crafting and posting content to gain a huge audience and earn money.

Data reveals that there are over 50 million content creators in the creator economy.

Creator Economy Market Size in 2023

The creator economy recorded a big expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic. More people recognized the opportunities that content creation can give.

They used different platforms including YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch to earn income instead of merely having fun.

Based on creator economy statistics, more than 50 million creators contribute to the creator economy, and around 450,000 were full-time content creators.

The creator economy has grown continuously over the years. It is incredibly rewarding and profitable.

According to the latest report, the creator economy market size has boomed and reached approximately $104.2 billion worth.

Below is the global creator economy market size from 2012 to 2021:

• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $600 thousand worth in 2012
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $4.9 million worth in 2013
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $13.7 million worth in 2014
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $21 million worth in 2015
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $36.2 million worth in 2016
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $41.4 million worth in 2017
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $52.3 million worth in 2018
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $73.1 million worth in 2019
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $143.8 million worth in 2020
• The global creator economy market size reached an estimated $104.2 billion worth in 2021

Creator Economy by Platforms

Study shows that the creator economy grew by more than 165 million people worldwide in two years.

Nearly one in four people in the world contribute to the creator economy. 23% of people considered themselves content creators. 

Some of the biggest platforms for content creators are YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and TikTok.

This depends on what content they create and who their target audiences are.

Based on a report, there were 38 million channels on YouTube, 30 million amateur creators on Instagram, 11 million streamers on Twitch, 2 million podcasts, and 1 million contributors on Shutterstock.

Let’s take a look at the creator economy by platforms:

YouTube

YouTube is the most profitable platform for content creators, with estimated total earnings of $4 billion per year.

This is followed by Etsy with combined earnings of $1.46 billion per year, Instagram with $460 million, WordPress with $348 million, and Amazon Publishing with $220 million.

YouTube has more than 2.6 billion users and over 37 million channels as of January 2022. More than 600 YouTube channels have at least 10 million subscribers.

T-Series recorded the highest number of subscribers, with 231 million as of December 2022.

Instagram

Is the leading platform with the largest number of earners, with an estimated 5.64 million earners.

This is followed by WordPress with 4.85 million users earning from the platform, Tumblr with 3.14 million, YouTube with 2.19 million, and Etsy with 928 thousand.

Instagram holds the most number of amateur creators, with approximately 30 million people. YouTube comes next with 12 million, and Twitch with 2.7 million.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the top-ranking person on Instagram with the highest follower count. His account has 512 million followers.

Instagram’s personal account was the leading in terms of followers among all Instagram accounts. It has 576 million followers as of December 2022.

TikTok

Is the most downloaded mobile app from 2020 to 2021, and the fastest-growing platform with the highest engagement rate among all social media platforms.

It has an estimated 3.1 million content creators.

Charli D’Amelio claims the first spot with more than 141 million followers, followed by Khaby Lame, with 139.9 million, and Bella Poarch with 89.9 million.

Twitch

Is the most used and most popular streaming platform, especially for gamers.

There are approximately 11 million monthly active streamers on Twitch in 2022, a 2 million increase from the previous year.

In 2020, there were 6.9 million active channels on this platform.

Ninja was Twitch’s biggest streamer with 16.9 million followers.

Second on the list was Tfue, with 10.7 million followers. Auronplay comes next, with 10 million, and Rubius with 9.8 million.

Here are some of the platforms used by creators to monetize their content:

• Kajabi – recorded 50,000 heroes
• Patreon – recorded 210,000 creators
• Podia – recorded 50,000 customers
• Thinkific – recorded 50,000 customers
• Udemy – recorded 65,000 instructors

Creator Economy Startups

Most startup content creators post their content on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

As they continue their career in the creator economy, creators improve their content to hit their target audience.

They are learning content creation tools, other social networking services, streaming platforms, sponsorship, selling, and crowdfunding platforms.

Study shows that over 300 creator economy startups provide services from content creation to monetization, and managing the audience.

Top Platforms for Monetization

Content creators plan which platform they use to create and share their content, as well as the different ways to generate income.

YouTube is one of the most popular platforms used by content creators since it is the most beneficial content creation platform.

Here is a list of the top platforms for monetization:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitch

Conclusion

The creator economy is incomplete without content creators.

Businesses and companies collaborate with content creators.

This is one way to create a connection with their target audience.

Through this strategy, it is easier to advertise their products and services.

Content creators continuously improve their content to have established audiences.

They also look for ways to monetize their content and generate income.

As of March 2022, over 37 million YouTube channels were created, and more than 32,000 channels have at least 1 million subscribers.

Sources