Podcasts have really taken off in recent years. A lot of people are now listening to them as a way to stay informed or as entertainment, and the range of topics covered is vast.
If you’re curious about podcast statistics Australia, read on for a rundown of the most popular ones. You’re sure to find something that piques your interest!
10 Must-Know Podcast Statistics in Australia
- Nine out of ten Aussies were aware of podcasting in 2020, which is more compared to 78% of reported podcast awareness in the US
- Data from 2021 shows that podcasts reach around 9 million Aussies, which is a 54% growth year-on-year
- Comedy was the most popular genre among Australian podcast listening in 2021.
- The most popular podcast in Australia is Casefile True Crime, with almost 2 million downloads per month
- A podcast ad is successful in 77% of cases if it’s read by hosts
- Podcast statistics in Australia show that the majority of episodes (31%) last for about 20-40 minutes
- One report showed that 20% of Australian podcast listeners do so daily, whereas 57% of them finish the whole episode
- An average Aussie listener spends around 1 hour 54 minutes per week on podcasts.
- One report showed that 60% of podcast listeners do so to get a diverse range of perspectives
- Even 87% of podcast listening is done at home
How Popular are Podcasts in Australia?
1. Nine out of ten Aussies were aware of podcasting in 2020, which is more compared to 78% of reported podcast awareness in the US.
(APO, Edison Research)
On the other hand, the monthly comparison is almost the same, with 37% active podcast listening in Australia and 41% in the US.
2. During Covid lockdown, the popularity of podcast listening in Australia grew by 15%.
(B&T, APO)
In 2021, over 500 million downloads of podcasts were downloaded in Australia, which is an astonishing 28% more than the year before. Although podcast listening during the COVID-19 lockdown grew, it is still less than the global average, at 41%.
3. Data from 2021 shows that podcasts reach around 9 million Aussies, which is a 54% year-on-year growth.
(AdNews)
To enjoy its fullest potential, 88% of podcast listeners cancel all distractions before playing an episode.
4. Comedy was the most popular genre among Australian podcast listeners in 2021.
Comedy accounted for 22% of the total number of downloads. However, the fastest-growing genres are business and health & fitness, both growing more than 50% compared to the year before.
5. Both male and female listeners enjoy podcasts with specialised topics the most.
(APO)
Here are the genre preferences for podcast listening among genders:
6. The most popular Australian podcast has over 600,000 listeners and nearly 2 million downloads per month.
(Radio Alive)
What is the number 1 podcast in Australia? Casefile True Crime, with 652,368 listeners and 1,975,681 monthly downloads. Here are the other top Australian podcasts in January 2022, based on the listener and podcast download numbers:
A number of the popular personal brands in Australia who make a living off of the internet by being a YouTuber, blogger or influencer of any kind, also have a podcast with a large number of followers.
Podcast Listening Performance
7. A podcast ad is successful in 77% of cases if it’s read by hosts.
Not only that, but 25% of listeners went to dig deeper after the host read the ad, while 24% noticed the brand the next time they were in-store.
8. The majority of podcast episodes (31%) last for about 20-40 minutes.
(Buzzsprout)
Biggest percentage of podcast listening is done via Youtube, and the average YouTube watching session lasts over 40 minutes. Other than that, Podcast episodes usually last for:
- 22% 40-60 minutes
- 17% over 60 minutes
- 15% 10-20 minutes
- 14% less than 10 minutes.
9. An average Aussie listener spends around 1 hour 54 minutes per week on podcasts.
(B&T, Edison Research)
Podcast listening statistics from Australia show some important info listener habits:
- Tuesday is the top day for podcast listening.
- The top hours for podcast listening are 7-8 am.
- The average number of weekly downloads per listener is 3.3.
- Most of them listen to around 5 podcasts per week.
10. Most episodes (40%) are published every 8-14 days.
Podcast stats show that consistent frequency performs the best:
- 32% 3-7 days
- 19% 15-29 days
- 7% 0-2 days
- 2% over 30 days
11. The majority (42%) of podcast listening in Australia is done via Youtube.
(APO)
The unique 16.5 million Australian visitors per month made Youtube one of the top social media sites in 2021. The other popular platforms for podcasts in Australia are:
- 33% Spotify
- 21% Apple Podcasts
- 16% ABC Listens
- 15% Google Podcasts
- 10% Audible
12. Around 26% of Aussies have smart speakers, and 23% of podcast listeners use this device to access new episodes.
(Edison Research)
From the listeners who use AM/FM/DAB+ online, the most common devices, apart from smart speakers, are:
- 46% Radio station website
- 44% Radio station app
- 38% aggregator website or app.
13. Even 87% of podcast listening is done at home.
(Edison Research)
The other most common locations for podcast listening include:
- 59% in a car
- 51% while walking
- 39% in public transport
- 27% at work
- 24% while working out.
14. Around 43% of listeners younger than 34 are willing to pay for podcasts, compared to only one-third of the older demographic.
In fact, Australians and South Koreans are most likely to pay for podcasts.
What percentage of Australians listen to podcasts?
15. One-third of news consumers in Australia listen to podcasts at least sometimes.
Podcast statistics in Australia from 2020 show that around 32% of news consumers listen to podcasts, which is a 5% increase compared to the year before.
16. A report shows that 20% of Australian podcast listeners do so daily, whereas 57% of them finish the whole episode.
According to this report, more men (37%) than women (28%) listen to podcasts in Australia.
17. Australian podcast listening (11%) is below average (17%) when it comes to news podcasts.
(APO) (Infinite Dial Report)
A report by APO shows that the male part of the audience engages more (14%) with news and politics podcasts compared to females (8%). Despite the podcast ratings in Australia, according to the Infinite Dial 2021 Report, 86 % of Australians listen to live radio or catch-up radio podcasts each month.
18. One report showed that 60% of podcast listeners do so to get a diverse range of perspectives.
(APO)
The same report noted that 48% of Aussie podcast listeners are left-wing.
Thanks For Listening
Australia is a podcasting powerhouse, with one of the highest rates of podcast listenership in the world. We hope you enjoyed these podcast statistics Australia!
- APO
- AdNews
- B&T
- Buzzsprout
- Edison Research
- Infinite Dial Report
