47 Detailed Short Form Video Statistics In 2026
As of 2026, there are more than 5.79 billion social media users globally, and most of them spend an average of 1 hour and 16 minutes watching short-form videos daily.
It is estimated that 60% of the global internet traffic is video-based, and 80% of all mobile data traffic in North America comes from short-form videos. Short-form videos are also considered the #1 media type for a strong return on investment.
All these numbers have resulted in brands integrating short videos into their marketing strategies. This set of statistics will help you get hold of the state of short-form videos and how people interact with them, which will then help you set up your strategy in 2026.
Top Short Form Video Statistics in 2026
- Videos under 90 seconds retain 50% of viewers.
- Short-form videos get 2.5x more user engagement compared to long-form videos.
- 60% of the short videos are watched between 41% and 80% of their total duration.
- 66% of viewers finish a video that's under 1 minute long.
- 73% of consumers prefer to watch short-form videos to learn about a product or service.
- 80% of the total mobile traffic in North America comes from short-form video content.
- In 2026, the market size of short video platforms is estimated at $60 billion.
- The total advertising expenditure for short-form videos as of 2026 is over $120 billion.
Short Form Video Market Size
The short-form video market is estimated to be valued at approximately $60 Billion in 2026 . The market is projected to reach $641 Billion by 2035, expanding at a CAGR of 30.33% from 2026 to 2035.
| Year | Short Form Video Market Size (Global) |
| 2026 | $60 billion |
| 2027 | $77 billion |
| 2028 | $100 billion |
| 2029 | $131 billion |
| 2030 | $170 billion |
| 2031 | $222 billion |
| 2032 | $290 billion |
| 2033 | $377 billion |
| 2034 | $492 billion |
| 2035 | $641 billion |
Short-Form Video User Demographic Statistics
Short-form videos are now the leading form of entertainment worldwide, with TikTok dominating the market. When it comes to preference by gender, men prefer YouTube Shorts over other platforms more than women. Here are some of the more interesting short-form video user demographic statistics you must know:
TikTok dominates the short-form video market
TikTok dominates the short-form video platform market with around 40% market share, followed by YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels with 20% market share each. Facebook Reels and WeChat rank fourth and fifth with roughly 15% and 5% market share, respectively.
Here are the top 10 most searched and used short-form video platforms in the world by market share:
| Platform | Market Share |
| TikTok | 40% |
| YouTube Shorts | 20% |
| Instagram Reels | 20% |
| Facebook Reels | 15% |
| 5% | |
| Chingari | 2% |
| Vimeo | 2% |
| Triller | 1% |
| Hippo Video | 0.5% |
| Other Platforms | 7.5% |
YouTube Shorts are popular among men, while females prefer TikTok
Men are 144% more inclined towards YouTube than women, whereas women have a 54% higher preference for TikTok than men. Data also reveals that most TikTok women users belong to the 18-24 year age group.
34% of US social media users like TikTok compared to 29% in the UK
34% of social media users in the United States prefer TikTok, whereas 29% like the platform in the UK. Data also reveals that 35% of British social media users prefer Instagram compared to 22% in the US. This data implies that TikTok is more popular in the US than in the UK.
6 out of 10 Gen Z social media users in the US prefer TikTok for short-form videos
Around 58% of Gen Z in the US prefer TikTok over YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for short videos. Millennials follow the same, with 33%, whereas 55% of Baby Boomers and 35% of Gen X users prefer YouTube for short videos.
The report reveals that Facebook is becoming less popular among Gen Z and millennial viewers. Only 3% of Gen Z and 7% of millennial consumers in the country prefer the platform to consume short videos.
Here is the table to showcase preferences of short-form video platforms by generation:
| TikTok | YouTube | |||
| Gen Z | 58% | 16% | 24% | 3% |
| Millennials | 33% | 27% | 32% | 7% |
| Gen X | 18% | 35% | 27% | 20% |
| Baby Boomers | 15% | 55% | 13% | 16% |
Source: Adobe
Short-Form Video Consumption Statistics
Video content dominates the global internet traffic compared to other content types. And, short-form videos attract more traffic than long-duration videos. Around half of the short-form video consumers like to watch comedy shows. Below, we have listed more key short-form video consumption statistics that might intrigue you:
80% of the total mobile internet traffic in North America comes from short-form video content
60% of the internet traffic worldwide is video-based, with short-form videos comprising 80% of North America's mobile internet traffic. These short videos account for 40% of all video content on the internet and are considered the most popular type of content on social media.
5 out of 10 short-form video viewers prefer consuming comedy content
50% of short-form video viewers like watching content that makes them laugh. 44% of the viewers prefer entertainment content such as movie clips and trailers. They are followed by videos on animals/pets and lifestyle, with 42% and 36% votes, respectively.
The table below shows the total viewership of different types of short video content:
| Content-Type | Viewership Percentage |
| Comedy | 50% |
| Entertainment (movie clips, trailers) | 44% |
| Animals and Pets | 42% |
| Lifestyle, Vlogging, Personal Stories | 36% |
| Memes (viral trends, challenges, etc.) | 35% |
| DIY (home improvement tips, tutorials) | 35% |
| Food and Restaurant Reviews | 34% |
AI in Short-Form Video Creation Statistics
- 52% of TikTok and Instagram Reels are now created using AI video generation tools.
- Short-form video (<60 seconds) makes up 67% of all AI-generated video content.
- AI reduces average video production costs by ~91% from $4,500/min to ~$400/min
- Production time dropped from 13 days to 27 minutes for a 60-second marketing video with AI tools.
- AI video market projected at $18.6 billion by end of 2026, up from $5.1 billion in 2023 (34.2% CAGR).
- 63% of video marketers have used AI tools to create or edit marketing videos (Wyzowl 2026).
- 71% of creators use AI for first drafts, then refine manually (“human-in-the-loop” workflow).
- AI-powered A/B testing of video variations costs 96% less than producing multiple traditional versions.
- Vertical (9:16) format accounts for 59% of AI-generated videos, up from 31% in 2024.
- 78% of social media ads use videos edited using AI tools, increasing viewer engagement by 45%.
Short-Form Video Creator Economy Statistics
- The creator economy is estimated to exceed $250 billion globally in 2026.
- 200+ million people worldwide identify as content creators; ~50 million are professional or semi-professional.
- 69% of creators rely on brand collaborations as their primary income source.
- Video streaming captured 39% of creator economy revenue in 2024 the largest segment.
- TikTok is the #1 platform among creators, with 45%+ choosing it as their preferred platform.
- YouTube Shorts creators earn $0.01$0.06 per 1,000 views ($10$60 per million views).
- Creator economy MandA deal volume increased 17.4% YoY (69 to 81 transactions in 2025).
- 71% of creators are over 30; average creator age is 37 challenging the “young person” stereotype.
- AI tools reduced content production timelines by 30% for many creators.
- User-generated videos get 10x more views than brand-produced videos on YouTube.
Short-Form Video Usage Statistics
The usage of short-form videos has increased immensely, and now viewers spend more than an hour a day watching them. They have become a medium for shoppers to discover new products and brands. Here are some of the interesting short-form video usage statistics that will intrigue you:
Users spend an average of 1 hour 16 minutes per day on TikTok
As of 2025, users spend 76 minutes daily on TikTok on average, making it the most popular short-form content platform. It is followed by Instagram and YouTube, with 54 minutes and 44 minutes average usage time per day.
7 out of 10 social media users learn about products through short-form videos
73% of consumers choose to watch short videos to learn about products or services. 5 out of 10 Gen Z social media users have revealed that they discovered new products through short-form videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Short-Form Video Length Statistics
Length in short-form videos is important to maintain viewer engagement and optimize platform algorithms effectively. According to various reports, the optimal length of short-form videos for marketers is between 30 seconds to 2 mins. Here are some of the key short-form video length statistics to check:
What is the optimal duration of a short-form video?
Generally, the length of a short-form video ranges from 11 to 60 seconds.
A study revealed that around 39% of marketers prefer videos with a 30-60 second runtime. Another 28% of marketers like videos with a 1 to 2 minute runtime.
Here is the table to show the preferred video length that works for marketers:
| Video Length | Marketers Preference |
| 30 seconds or less | 18% |
| 30 to 60 seconds | 39% |
| 1 to 2 minutes | 28% |
| 2 to 3 minutes | 10% |
| 3 minutes + | 5% |
7 out of 10 social media viewers prefer videos that are under 1 min
Over 66% of viewers tend to finish a video within 1 minute of its runtime. Another 56% of viewers revealed that they finish a video with a runtime of 1 to 2 minutes. The share of votes goes down as the runtime increases, with only 22% of online video viewers mentioning that they prefer videos longer than 20 minutes.
Here is the table to show the video length preference of online viewers:
| Video Length Range | Percentage of Viewers Who Finish Video |
| Less than 1 minute | 66% |
| 1 to 2 minutes | 56% |
| 2 to 10 minutes | 50% |
| 10 to 20 minutes | 39% |
| Over 20 minutes | 22% |
6 out of 10 short videos have a watch duration from 41% to 80% of their total runtime
Nearly 60% of short videos on the internet are viewed for between 41% and 80% of their total duration. This statistical figure shows why 6 out of 10 marketers are more inclined towards short-form videos to market their products or services.
5 out of 10 viewers retain interest in videos shorter than 90 seconds
Videos with a runtime under 90 seconds can retain 50% of their viewers. This retention rate is much higher than long-form videos.
Brands can take note of this statistical data to improve their user engagement and retention rate by investing more in short-form videos.
Source: Hubspot 1, Vidico, Vidyard, HubSpot 2, Wyzowl
Short-form Video Statistics by Purchase Behavior
A majority of shoppers purchase their preferred products after seeing them on short-form videos. According to various studies, most of the purchases on short-form video platforms are impulsive, and TikTok dominates this field compared to other platforms. Below, we have compiled some exciting statistical data that can help you understand the purchasing behavior of short-form video consumers:
4 in 10 people made purchases after seeing a product in a short video
Around 37.5% of viewers did online shopping after watching products on a short-form video. The study also revealed that, among these viewers, 41% were women and 30% were men.
20% of purchases on short video platforms were made within 1 hour of watching
Nearly 20% of the purchases made on various short video platforms were impulsive. All these purchases were made within 1 hour after watching the videos.
Another study revealed that 51% of impulse purchases were made on TikTok, with an average shopping time of 18 minutes. 31% of Instagram and 11% of Facebook users have an average purchase time of 16 minutes and 13 minutes, respectively.
9 out of 10 Gen Z users made impulse purchases on TikTok
Almost 90% of Gen Z users prefer TikTok to make impulsive purchases. While 47% of millennials and 55% of Gen X users also use the platform for similar purposes.
Instagram and Facebook short-form content influence 40% of Baby Boomers in their impulse shopping decisions.
Source: Adobe
Effectiveness Of Short-Form Videos
Short-form videos have impacted brands and marketers positively in their CTR and ROI. They are more engaging than long-form videos by a big margin and provide extraordinary returns on investment for brands. Let's take a look at the effectiveness of short-form videos:
8 out of 10 marketers consider short-form videos as the best format on social media
Various surveys reveal that 85% of marketers believe short-form videos as the most effective way to generate attention on social media.
Another study found that a video under 1 minute is worth similar to 1.8 million words. Brands must take note of this data as videos under 90 seconds are the best way to attract customers compared to longer videos.
Short-form videos engage viewers 250% more effectively than long videos
Reports show consumers find short-form videos are around 2.5 times more engaging than long videos, as most of these videos are under 60 seconds. The reports also mentioned that 9 out of 10 marketers claim short-form videos are the most important part of their social media marketing strategies.
Half of the short-form marketing videos have a CTR of 5 to 8%
Approximately 50% of short-form marketing videos used by brands achieve a Click-Through Rate (CTR) that ranges between 5% to 8%.
This statistical data is highly significant for brands as their viewers are not only watching their promotional videos but also engaging further, like purchasing.
Short-form videos have a 30% return on investment for brands
Brands reveal that they received a 30% higher ROI from short-form videos, which is the highest of any of their social media strategies.
Source: Neal Schaffer, Sprout Social, Hubspot, Business2Community, Forrester
Short-Form Video Advertisement Spending Statistics
With short-form videos gaining popularity and immense engagement, more brands are investing in their ads. They have increased their investments by billions and are focusing on creating testimonial videos for their consumers. Here are some of the important short-form video advertisement spending statistics to check:
A total of $111.01 billion is spent on ads for short-form videos
As of 2025, brands have spent around $111.01 billion on advertising for short-form videos. This expenditure is set to increase in the future and will reach $145.8 billion by 2028 at an annual growth of 10.4% from 2024 to 2028.
7 out of 10 marketers have spent money on video ads
According to various studies, 69% of marketers revealed that they have spent money on video ads. While the remaining 31% of marketers depended on organic reach.
4 out of 10 video marketers spent on creating video testimonials
39% of video marketers have focused spending on video testimonials. They are followed by explainer videos and social media videos with 38% and 34%, respectively.
Here is the table to showcase the types of video use cases marketers have spent on:
| Video Use Case | Percentage of Marketers |
| Video testimonials | 39% |
| Explainer videos | 38% |
| Presentation videos | 34% |
| Social Media videos | 34% |
| Product demos | 32% |
| Video ads | 30% |
| Sales videos | 30% |
| Teaser videos | 30% |
| Customer service videos | 28% |
| Videographics | 25% |
| Employee onboarding | 25% |
| Training | 22% |
| Customer onboarding | 22% |
| App demos | 22% |
More than half of marketers plan to increase their short-form video investments in 2026
57% of marketers using short-form videos in their advertisement strategies will increase their overall investment in this format.
Another report reveals that around 25% of marketers are interested in investing more in short-form video content than other formats, like podcasts, images, case studies, etc.
Source: Statista, Wyzowl, HubSpot
Short-form Video Statistics by Platforms
There is a wide variety of short-form video platforms available in the current market, like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and many more. Here are some interesting statistical facts about different short-form video platforms:
YouTube Shorts Stats
- YouTube has more than 2.7 billion users worldwide as of 2026.
- YouTube Shorts receives over 70 billion daily views.
- The runtime of a YouTube Short can be from 20 to 40 seconds.
- YouTube Shorts with a 50 to 60-second average view duration can reach around 4 million views.
- YouTube Shorts has around 54.4% male and 45.6% female users.
- Creators can earn $0.01 to $0.06 per 1,000 views on Shorts, or $10 to $60 per million views.
- 7 out of 10 shoppers made purchases after discovering a brand on YouTube.
- User-generated videos can get 10 times more views than brand-produced videos on YouTube.
- 8 out of 10 marketers prefer using YouTube to share videos.
Source: YouTube 1, YouTube 2, Statista 1, Google, DataReportal, vidIQ, Linearity, MotionCue, HubSpot
TikTok Statistics
- TikTok has more than 2 billion monthly active users as of 2026.
- Indonesia leads with around 127.5 million registered TikTok users, followed by the US with 121.52 million users.
- TikTok has around 54.3% male and 45.7% female users globally.
- It has around 36.7% Gen Z users, followed by millennials with 33.9% of the total user base.
- A Gen Z user spends an average of 1 hour 26 minutes daily and 22 days a year on TikTok.
- TikTok's ad revenues were $17.2 billion in 2024, a 30.7% increase from 2023.
- TikTok videos generally have a duration between 21 to 34 seconds.
Source: Adobe, Statista 1, Statista 2, Statista 3, Statista 4, Oberlo 1, Oberlo 2, eMarketer
Instagram Reel Stats
- Instagram launched Reels in 2020.
- As of 2026, Instagram Reels has 3 billion active users.
- India dominates the Instagram Reels user base with 413.8 million Instagram users, followed by the United States and Brazil with 171.7 million and 140.7 million users, respectively.
- An Instagram Video post has a maximum limit of 60 minutes, and for Instagram Reels, the limit is 90 seconds.
- Instagram users spend an average of 17.6 million hours daily on Reels worldwide.
- Hardik Pandya’s BGMI Promotion Reel is the most viewed Instagram reel till 2025 with 1.6 billion views.
- Instagram has 50.6% male and 49.4% female users globally.
- Instagram has more than 200 million business profiles worldwide.
- 4 out of 10 people shop on Instagram weekly by using features like shopping tags and the Shop tab.
- 8 out of 10 video marketers prefer Instagram as their video marketing strategy.
Source: Statista 1, Instagram 1, DataReportal, Instagram 2, Instagram 3, Wyzowl, Influencer Marketing Hub, Social Insider
Short Form Video Marketing Statistics
Almost all businesses consider including videos in their marketing strategies to increase their ROI. Let's check out some of the key short-form video marketing statistics in this section:
9 out of 10 businesses globally use video as their marketing tool
Over 91% of brands have already integrated video into their marketing strategies. Another 88% of marketers consider video to be a crucial part of their strategies.
3 out of 10 marketers prefer short-form videos for the highest ROI
31% of marketers believe short-form videos generate the highest ROI than other content types. The surveys also revealed that over 90% of these marketers find video marketing highly profitable with good ROI.
The table below showcases what types of content marketers prefer to get high ROI:
| Content Format | ROI offered according to marketers |
| Short-form video | 31% |
| Images | 22% |
| Blog Posts | 15% |
| Case Studies | 15% |
| Podcasts/other audio content | 14% |
Short-Form Video Trends
As viewers are consuming more short-form videos nowadays, a majority of the internet traffic will be dominated by videos in the future. This will result in brands making short-form videos this year. Here are some significant short-form video trends to help you develop your short video marketing strategy:
8 out of 10 social media users want brands to create more short-form videos
A survey reveals that 81% of consumers wish to see an increase in the offering of short-form videos from brands in 2024.
84% of the world’s internet traffic will come from videos by the end of 2026
It is estimated that video traffic will contribute 84% of all internet traffic worldwide by the end of 2026. Brands should consider this data and integrate short-form videos into their marketing strategies to drive more engagement and eventually increase their ROI.
6 out of 10 marketers want to start using short-form videos in 2026
68.8% of marketers will use TikTok for their marketing campaigns in 2025. This is approximately a 13.3% year-on-year increase from 2024.
Here is the table to show what percentage of brands are using social media channels for marketing:
| Social Media Channels | Share of brands using the social media channel |
| TikTok | 68.8% |
| 46.7% | |
| YouTube | 33.1% |
| 27.5% | |
| X/Twitter | 9.9% |
| 9.6% | |
| Twitch | 7.9% |
| Other | 14.7% |
38% of short-form video platforms’ revenue will come from North America by 2036
By 2036, North America is projected to account for 38% of the global revenue of short video platforms, followed by Asia Pacific with 24%.
Source: Wyzowl, Personify, Influencer Marketing Hub, Hubspot 1, Hubspot 2, Sprout Social, Research Nester
Conclusion
Short-form videos remain the top priority in content marketing strategies of all major brands. Their popularity is expected to grow exponentially in the future, and with the introduction of AI, the video production process can be revolutionized. We can see the implementation of advanced technologies, like AR, VR, and others, in short-form videos to attract more viewers.
According to recent surveys, 92% of brands revealed that user-generated content helped in increasing their brand awareness. It is expected that brands will integrate more UGC into their social media channels. This will also affect the revenue of the short-form video platforms positively, as it is expected to grow with a CAGR of over 10% from 2024 to 2036, as brands seek more effective ways to connect with their audiences.
Frequently Asked Questions About Short Form Videos
Why are short videos more effective?
Short-form videos are more effective as they can capture attention quickly and engage viewers, making them 2.5 times more engaging than longer videos. These videos are easily consumed in minutes or seconds, are highly shareable on social media, and their rapid content delivery triggers dopamine release, fostering continuous engagement.
Which short-form video has the highest ROI?
Short-form videos are generally known for their high ROI and effectiveness in lead generation and engagement. Almost half of marketers prefer short-form videos as they believe these videos have a higher chance of going viral than other content types.
How much time is spent on short-form videos?
On average, users spend 1 hour and 16 minutes daily watching short-form videos on various platforms, like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and others.
What are the disadvantages of short-form content?
Short-form videos can be addicting due to their quick consumption and emotional impact. However, they have multiple disadvantages, such as lacking depth, spreading misinformation, and potentially impairing memory due to their intense emotional content.
Does short-form content increase brands' conversion rate?
Yes, short-form content boosts conversion rates by grabbing attention quickly and delivering clear, focused messages. It works especially well on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, where users respond better to fast, engaging content.
Why do Gen Z users prefer short-form content?
Gen Z prefers short-form content because of their shorter attention spans, typically around 8 seconds. They want quick gratification, enjoy mobile-first vertical videos, value authentic and relatable content, and are drawn to what's trending and easily shareable across algorithm-driven platforms.
