India’s growing creator economy is making a wider contribution to jobs and economic activity, with YouTube’s creative ecosystem adding more than Rs 18,000 crore to the country’s GDP in 2025 and supporting over 9.6 lakh full-time-equivalent jobs.
The figures come from YouTube’s latest India Impact Report, based on research by Oxford Economics. The jobs cover a wide range of roles, including cinematographers, sound engineers, scriptwriters and production professionals.
The ecosystem’s contribution has increased from 2024, when it added more than Rs 16,000 crore to India’s GDP and supported over 9.3 lakh full-time-equivalent jobs.
The impact is also spreading beyond major metropolitan areas, with cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow and Kochi emerging as creator economy hubs. Monetising creators supported more than 3 lakh apprentices over the past year.
India remains YouTube’s largest market, with more than 500 million users. As of June 2026, more than 20,000 Indian channels had crossed 1 million subscribers.
Indian content is also reaching audiences outside the country, with more than 15% of watch time for Indian content coming from international viewers.
The platform also saw strong growth in creator monetisation. Nearly 2 lakh channels were monetised for the first time last year, while 73% of monetised creators said YouTube was their primary source of income.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
Do Follow: The Mainstream LinkedIn | The Mainstream Facebook | The Mainstream Youtube | The Mainstream Twitter
About us:
The Mainstream is a premier platform delivering the latest updates and informed perspectives across the technology business and cyber landscape. Built on research-driven, thought leadership and original intellectual property, The Mainstream also curates summits & conferences that convene decision makers to explore how technology reshapes industries and leadership. With a growing presence in India and globally across the Middle East, Africa, ASEAN, the USA, the UK and Australia, The Mainstream carries a vision to bring the latest happenings and insights to 8.2 billion people and to place technology at the centre of conversation for leaders navigating the future.