The 10 most-subscribed YouTube channels in the world in 2022 (2023)

From Bollywood and WWE superstars to vloggers like PewDiePie and MrBeast, these are the most-subscribed YouTube channels on the entire platform.

Since it launched in 2005, YouTube has dominated its competitors to become the primary way that most of us share and consume videos online. No, really: After parent company Google, it’s the second most-visited site on the entire internet.

YouTube has given us laughter. It has given us news. It has taught us things. It has even —for better or worse —launched the careers for a number of celebrities, some who’ve gone from vloggers to household names. Even a professional boxer, or two.

If you’re here, there’s a good chance you’re either bored, looking to get deeper into YouTube culture, or maybe you’re trying to settle a bet. We hope you win. While you’re here, why not check out the most-viewed YouTube videos of all-time, too? Without further ado, these are the most-subscribed YouTube channels and users from all around the world.

The most-subscribed YouTube channels in the world in 2022:

1.) T-Series

Subscribers: 206 million

The most-subscribed YouTube channel in the world is T-Series, an Indian company that was around long before the internet as we know it today. Founded in 1983, T-Series is both a record label and film production house, famous for Bollywood soundtracks and Indian pop music. T-Series’ YouTube channel features music videos and film trailers, and has held the most-viewed title since 2017. Videos on the channel come in English, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi and Rajasthani.

2.) Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes

Subscribers: 128 million

Popular for its “Bath Song” —viewed 5 billion times on the platform —Cocomelon features 3D animated videos of traditional children’s songs and nursery rhymes, plus a few of their own original bops. Is this good for kids or not? We don’t know; we’re not that kind of site! But as far as 128 million subscribers are concerned, whatever Cocomelon is doing — it’s working.

3.) SET India

Subscribers: 126 million

Japanese electronics giant Sony has massive reach in India, as Sony Entertainment Television India comes in as the third-most subscribed and third most-viewed YouTube channel overall. Airing a mix of dramas and reality shows like India’s Got Talent and Indian Idol, it ensures 24 hours of entertainment a day for its 126 million — and growing —subscriber base.

4.) PewDiePie

Subscribers: 111 million

The name Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg may not ring a bell, but that’s because you probably know him as PewDiePie, the online personality both famous and infamous for his online “Let’s Play” gaming content. His YouTube fame took him from episodes of South Park to TIME magazine’s “100 most influential” list, and to date has amassed over 28 billion views on his channel, making him still the most-subscribed individual personality on the whole platform.

5.) MrBeast

Subscribers: 90 million

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has been gaining and more and more attention since he first went viral for “counting to 100,000” in 2017. Since then, he’s done more and more viral stunts for his YouTube subscribers, most notably recreating the set from Netflix’s hit series Squid Game, and bringing in 456 people to compete for a US$456,000 prize. MrBeast is recognised as the highest earner on the platform — according to Forbes, he earned as much as US$54 million in 2021 alone.

6.) Kids Diana Show

Subscribers: 89.8 million

Ukraine’s Kids Diana Show, another English-language series geared toward children, features a 7-year-old girl named Diana and her brother Roma, who has his own channel, Kids Roma Show. They play, they do kid stuff. The videos have become so popular that the videos are dubbed in Hindi, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

7.) Like Nastya

Subscribers: 86.3 million

Anastasia Radzinskaya, aka Like Nastya, is only 8 years old, but she’s already amassed a fortune through YouTube through her videos that captured the attention of the world. Her parents funded the videos from the family savings account, which went from toy unboxing to amusement park visits, and the success of the channel helped them relocate from Russia to Miami, Florida.

8.) WWE

Subscribers: 85.5 million

Cue Vince McMahon meme face: World Wrestling Entertainment is one of the 10 most-subscribed YouTube channels in the world. Featuring highlights, interviews and exclusive content with the federation’s biggest superstars, wrestling fans from around the globe flock to WWE’s YouTube page for the best in “sports entertainment”. Woo!

9.) Zee Music Company

Subscribers: 81.2 million

Another Indian Music Company headquartered in Mumbai, Zee Music is a main competitor of T-Series, YouTube’s most-subscribed page. Under the Zee Entertainment Enterprises umbrella, the label distributes hit songs from Bollywood and famous Indian artists.

10.) Vlad and Niki

Subscribers: 78 million

Vlad and Niki round out the top ten — and yes, it’s another series for kids. Vladislav Vashketov (age 8) and Nikita Vashketov (age 6) live in Miami, Florida with their parents and create videos in 18 languages for 212 million subscribers across their 21 different YouTube channels. They went from opening toys on video to creating their own after signing a deal with Playmates Toys, a company founded in Hong Kong. They even have their own app. Not bad for a couple kids born in the 2010s.

(Main and featured image: CardMapr/Unsplash)

The story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong