{"id":17691,"date":"2023-08-02T13:54:15","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T19:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/?p=17691"},"modified":"2026-05-25T01:51:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T07:51:44","slug":"most-viewed-youtube-videos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/most-viewed-youtube-videos","title":{"rendered":"30 Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every <\/span>minute<\/span>, people upload <\/span>500 hours<\/span> of content to YouTube. You would need to watch videos for almost 21 hours straight to be able to watch what\u2019s been uploaded just within the last minute. The truth is that many of these videos won\u2019t get many views.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That’s the $1 million question. Learning what works and doesn\u2019t work on the platform requires you to study the <\/span>most viewed<\/b> YouTube videos<\/b> for hints at what they did right. Also, there\u2019s just a ton of amazing content to watch that will keep you entertained for days in our list below.<\/span><\/p>\n

30 Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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30.<\/strong>\u00a0Enrique Iglesias – Bailando<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Enrique Iglesias is a household name in the music industry, and his official video for Bailando surpassed expectations. He uploaded the song in 2014 to some controversy. However, the video exploded, with its sensual dancing and a bit of football mixed in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the crazy virality of the video, it sold \u201conly\u201d <\/span>8 million<\/span> units and was the 10th best-selling song.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.4 Billion<\/span> Views<\/span><\/div>
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29. Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Major Lazer & DJ Snake uploaded the Lean On video in 2015, and it skyrocketed to one of the most popular videos on YouTube of <\/span>all time<\/span>. Throughout the years, there has been a lot of commentary on the video, with the directors attributing an international fan base, especially India, and cultural appropriation to the video\u2019s success.<\/span><\/p>\n

The song was also named the most streamed song of all time in 2015 by Spotify.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.5 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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28. Maroon 5 – Girls Like You<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Just five years ago, Maroon 5 released \u201cGirls Like You,\u201d and the video, for the most part, is unremarkable. The video does feature multiple girls, including Cardi B, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot and others, <\/span>but<\/span><\/i> none are scantily dressed or the real reason for the video\u2019s success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, the song was just relatable and was helped by celebrities sharing it among their followers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.5 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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27. Passenger | Let Her Go<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Passenger\u2019s <\/span>Let Her Go<\/span> is another catchy song that didn\u2019t have a remarkable video. In fact, the song is considered a \u201csleeper hit,\u201d and it sold 1 million copies in the UK and 4 million in the US in the first two years.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the sales fall far short of the 3.5 billion views<\/span> that the song\u2019s video has racked up.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.5 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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26. Alan Walker – Faded<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Alan Walker\u2019s video is a better example of stunning videography, and you can see the despair in the video that meshes perfectly with the song\u2019s \u201cWhere are you now\u201d chorus. The song was highly popularized thanks to Spotify and Shazam, and it helped drive video views.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.5 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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25. Ed Sheeran – Perfect<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Perfect<\/span> shows Ed Sheeran walking through town while he finds the love of his life. Ed Sheeran is one of the world\u2019s most famous musicians, and this song became relatable to couples everywhere. Many couples get married with the song playing in the background.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.6 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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24. Humpty the Train on a Fruits Rid | Kiddiestv Hindi<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Nursery rhymes are insanely popular among parents worldwide. Hindi is spoken by 585 million people, yet this video has been viewed 3.6 <\/span>billion times<\/span>. Chances are, parents keep replaying the video for their kids because of its bright colors, talking fruits and trains and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.6 Billion <\/span><\/span>Views<\/div>
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23. Katy Perry – Dark Horse ft. Juicy J<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dark Horse was released 9 years ago and has 3.6 billion views. The song shows Katy Perry as an Egyptian goddess, and it went on to win MTV\u2019s Best Female Video award. The song reached the top charts for four weeks and stayed in the top ten for 22 weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The video?<\/span><\/p>\n

It became one of the most watched on YouTube of all time.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.6 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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22. Lakdi ki Kathi – Jingle Toons<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hindi children’s songs are a major hit, thanks in part to the large population of Hindi speakers. Stunning visuals and anything children-related do <\/span>amazingly <\/span><\/i>well on YouTube. The song is catchy \u2013 although I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re saying. You’ll see animated kids dancing, along with their stunning horses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.8 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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21. Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ed Sheeran cracks the list again with <\/span>Thinking Out Loud<\/span>. Sheeran is a superstar with a lot of \u201clikeability.\u201d\u00a0 His mastery of lyrics and vocals attracts viewers, but the videography is spectacular, too. He adds dancing, a beautiful woman and lyrics that helped him attract 3.7B views in 9 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.7 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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20. Justin Bieber – Sorry<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Justin Bieber knows how to become a YouTube success<\/a>, but everything at the time was perfect for the video\u2019s release. Bieber\u2019s popularity was huge, but the \u201cSorry\u201d lyrics drummed up a lot of curiosity. Who was he saying sorry to in the song? Turns out, it was a song to the mega-famous Selena Gomez.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.7 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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19. Shakira – Waka Waka<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Waka Waka starts off showing people playing \u201csoccer or football,\u201d and the entire video highlights some of the game\u2019s best players. The song benefitted greatly from the superstar that is Shakira and became the official song of the FIFA World Cup 2010 \u2013 which certainly helped make the video a wild success.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.8 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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18. Baa Baa Black Sheep | CoComelon Nursery Rhymes<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

CoComelon knows how to get views on YouTube<\/a>. The production includes a baby running through a meadow after a black sheep. The \u201cBaa Baa Black Sheep\u201d nursery rhyme plays in the background and has led to millions of parents playing the song before their kid\u2019s bath time.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.9 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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17. OneRepublic – Counting Stars<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

OneRepublic released the song Counting Stars 10 years ago. The song shot to the top of the charts in 20+ countries and is the first by a band to hit 1 billion views. The video is interesting, with the band playing when the ceiling collapses and a religious group falls through. An alligator can also be seen crawling around.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3.9 Billion<\/span><\/span> Views<\/div>
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16. Katy Perry – Roar<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Katy Perry is on the list again, but this time she\u2019s in the jungle in the song Roar. The video is funny and shows some people being attacked by lions. But the song focuses on Perry being a sort of \u201cqueen of the jungle.\u201d She roars in a tiger\u2019s face and really turned the song into a mega-hit for women worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Heavy promotions certainly helped the video become a success, including:<\/p>\n