Podcasts, available on many platforms, have attracted a new generation of listeners who prefer on-demand access over traditional radio schedules.
The way people consume content is always changing and developing. Where physical books, videotapes, cassettes and vinyl once dominated the media landscape, digital technology has fundamentally revolutionised the entertainment industry.
Episodic talk shows available on-demand, are reshaping traditional radio like streaming services have transformed TV.
Podcasts are also very easy for creatives to set up, and have become so popular that there is a show for just about every niche imaginable. However, with so much content out there, it can be difficult to track down the best programme for you.
To get a better understanding of the podcast phenomenon, we at MrQ have created the Global Podcast Index to shed some light on the most popular shows and genres across the world.
The most popular podcast in every country
From the millions of podcasts out there, we’ve endeavoured to find the most popular podcast in every country. These shows cover a wide range of topics and genres and give us an idea of how listening preferences change from country to country.
What’s the most popular podcast where you live?
The World’s Top Podcasts
We identified the top podcast in each country and tallied the results to reveal the most globally popular shows.
1. Love is a Crime – Number of countries at number 1:14
This true crime historical noir drama set in 1950s Hollywood is the most popular podcast in the most countries, starring Jon Hamm and Zooey Deschanel with a global audience.
2. Apple Events – Number of countries at number 1:6
The second most widely popular podcast is Apple Events, a show which sees announcements of new Apple products, services and technology, as well as being a great place to learn about the history of personal technology.
3. كنبة السبت | Saturday Sofa & Despertando Podcast – Number of countries at number 1:5
Tied for third are Saturday Sofa and Despertando Podcast, each topping five countries. Despertando focuses on wellbeing and is popular in South America, while Saturday Sofa explores social and philosophical themes in Arabic biweekly.
The Top Podcast Genres
1. Society & Culture – No. of countries in which the genre is top: 35
The genre that comes top in the most countries is Society & Culture, which took first place in 35 different countries. Some of the shows that fell into this category include Australia’s top podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss and Stuff You Should Know, the top podcast in the Seychelles.
2. TV & Film – No. of countries in which the genre is top: 15
The second most popular genre across all countries was TV & Film, which came top in 15 countries. Love is a Crime dominated this category and was joined by As You Should with Cely and Justine, the most popular podcast in Guyana.
3. Comedy – No. of countries in which genre is top: 15
Comedy tied for second place, also coming top in 15 countries. The top show in Great Britain, Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe’s Parenting Hell, falls into this category along with the top show in Croatia, Lebanon and Macedonia Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain.
Change in UK Podcast Demand Since 2018
We also wanted to find out which podcast genres have seen the biggest surge in interest over the last few years. Here we can see the genres that have received the biggest increase in search volume since 2018.
1. Cryptocurrency – Search Volume Increase: 256.41%
Cryptocurrency podcasts saw the biggest rise in interest, with monthly searches up 256% since 2018, reflecting its growing mainstream financial popularity.
2. Celebrity – Search Volume Increase: 141%
Celebrity podcasts are the genre with the second-highest increase in search volume since 2018 at 141%. Celebrity culture is as strong as ever in the UK, with the famous few capitalising on their success in all forms of media from book deals to TV shows and now their own podcasts.
3. Spirituality – Search Volume Increase: 140%
In stark contrast to the focus on wealth and success seen in the top two genres, third place is taken by spirituality podcasts with an increase in searches of 140%.
Change in Global Podcast Demand Since 2018
We also looked at how the popularity of different podcast genres has changed globally since 2018.
1. Cryptocurrency – Search Volume Increase: 201%.
Cryptocurrency also takes the number one spot worldwide for the biggest increase in search volume, showing that interest in these podcasts is growing the fastest out of any genre.
2. Spirituality – Search Volume Increase: 88.41%
Spirituality takes second place globally with an increase in searches of 88%. This genre could cover a wide range of topics from religion, to philosophy to meditation.
3. True Crime – Search Volume Increase: 81%
True crime ranks third, with an 81% increase, reflecting its popularity in TV and literature and its appeal in podcasts.
Methodology
We wanted to discover which podcasts are the most popular in every country, as well as find out the most popular genres, and which are currently increasing in popularity the most. To do this we collected data on each country’s top podcast from Chartable. This data was collected on the 5th of November.
Once we had this data we were able to create a table of each country’s favourite podcast, and tally up which genres were the most common. We then revealed separately the most common podcasts and genres to reach a nationwide number 1 spot.
We analyzed podcast interest by comparing average monthly Google search volumes for various genres in 2018 and 2021. Then, we ranked them by the percentage change, both for the UK and globally, to highlight differences in podcast preferences.
We also removed any podcasts that received fewer than 100 monthly searches to prevent small increases in search volume being represented as huge percent increases, potentially warping the results.