Creator Economy Statistics 2026
This page collects 55 figures on the creator economy: how many people create, what they earn, what platforms pay out, how much brands spend on creators, and which tools and AI creators use. Most figures cover 2025 and 2026 and come from company filings, platform announcements and surveys by research firms. Geography varies by source: platform payouts are global, while ad spend, consumer and audience figures are mostly for the US.
By the DBotMaker research desk · Updated November 6, 2026 · 55 numbers drawn from 32 publishers and reports
Short answer
There are roughly 50 million creators worldwide by Goldman Sachs' estimate, but only about 4% earn more than $100,000 a year. Platforms pay out billions: Facebook paid creators nearly $3 billion in 2025, Roblox creators earned $1.5 billion, and YouTube paid over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies in four years. IAB projects US advertisers spent $37 billion on creator content in 2025, and 86% of creators now use generative AI according to Adobe.
Headline numbers
- 50 millionGoldman Sachs Research estimated there were about 50 million creators worldwide in 2023 and expected that number to grow 10% to 20% a year for five years.Goldman Sachs
- 4%Only about 4% of creators worldwide earned more than $100,000 a year in 2023, the threshold Goldman Sachs uses to define professional creators.Goldman Sachs
- $3.0kAcross CreatorIQ campaigns with direct payments in 2025, the median creator earned $3,000 while the average was $11,400.CreatorIQ
- $3 billionFacebook paid content creators nearly $3 billion through its creator monetization programs in 2025, up 35% from 2024 and its highest annual total.Meta Platforms
- $1,503.1 millionRoblox creators earned $1,503.1 million in 2025, up from $922.8 million in 2024, according to Roblox's annual report.Roblox Corporation
- $37 billionUS creator economy ad spend was projected to reach $37 billion in 2025, a 26% increase on 2024 and about four times faster than the overall media industry, according to IAB.IAB
- 86%In Adobe's 2025 Creators' Toolkit survey, 86% of creators said they actively use creative generative AI.Adobe
- $55BYouTube's creative ecosystem contributed over $55 billion to US GDP in 2024, according to Oxford Economics research commissioned by YouTube.Oxford Economics
Reading the numbers
The creator economy is large but very uneven. Goldman Sachs estimated about 50 million creators worldwide and found only about 4% earn more than $100,000 a year. CreatorIQ's 2025 campaign data shows the same pattern: the median creator earned $3,000 against an $11,400 average, and the top 10% of creators took 62% of all payments. Deloitte found that 58% of creators earn less than $50,000 a year.
Platform payouts keep rising. Facebook paid creators nearly $3 billion in 2025, up 35%, with 60% going to Reels. Roblox creators earned $1,503.1 million in 2025, up from $922.8 million, and the number of creators registered to cash out rose to more than 35,500. Spotify paid the music industry over $11 billion in 2025 and more than $100 million to podcasters in a single quarter. Subscription and course platforms report large lifetime totals: $10 billion each for Patreon, Kajabi and Teachable with Hotmart.
Brands are the biggest paymaster. IAB estimates US creator ad spend grew from $13.9 billion in 2021 to $29.5 billion in 2024 and a projected $37 billion in 2025, and 48% of ad buyers call creators a must buy. Later finds 82% of creators rely mainly on brand partnerships. Deloitte's 2026 survey suggests the spending works: 65% of US consumers engage with creators, and about 60% of those bought something on a creator's recommendation in six months.
AI has become a standard creator tool. Adobe finds 86% of creators use creative generative AI and 60% use more than one tool, and Epidemic Sound reports 91% AI use in 2025, up from 84%. Yet 93% of creators in Epidemic Sound's 2026 survey link AI with significant risks. Visa's survey shows 86% of creators fund their work from personal money, which makes tool costs a real expense for most of them.
How many creators are there in 2026
- 1.
Goldman Sachs Research estimated there were about 50 million creators worldwide in 2023 and expected that number to grow 10% to 20% a year for five years.
Goldman Sachs, The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027 (Apr 2023)
Exact wording at the source
Goldman Sachs Research expects the 50 million global creators to grow at a 10-20% compound annual growth rate during the next five years.
- 2.
In May 2025, 18% of Americans aged 13 and older said they create or produce original content that is shared publicly online, according to Edison Research.
Edison Research, The Influencers Among Us (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
As of May 2025, 18% of Americans 13+ say that they are currently involved with the creation or production of any original content that is shared publicly online.
- 3.
Among Americans aged 13 to 24, 30% described themselves as digital content creators in Edison Research's 2025 survey.
Edison Research, The Influencers Among Us (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Just under one-third, 30%, of Americans 13-24 say that they are digital content creators.
- 4.
The Etsy marketplace had 5.6 million active sellers and 86.5 million active buyers at the end of 2025, according to Etsy's annual report.
Etsy, Inc., Etsy, Inc. Annual Report for fiscal year 2025 (Form 10-K) (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
As of December 31, 2025, the Etsy marketplace had 86.5 million active buyers and 5.6 million active sellers.
- 5.
More than 35,500 Roblox creators were qualified and registered in the Developer Exchange cash-out program at the end of 2025, up from 24,500 a year earlier.
Roblox Corporation, Roblox Corporation Annual Report for fiscal year 2025 (Form 10-K) (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, over 35,500 and 24,500 creators were qualified and registered in our Developer Exchange Program, respectively.
- 6.
More than 500,000 creators were taking part in YouTube Shopping as of early 2026, according to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan's annual letter.
YouTube, The future of YouTube 2026 (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
With over 500,000 creators already in YouTube Shopping, we’re focused on frictionless commerce.
- 7.
More than 450,000 creators had built over 5 million augmented reality Lenses for Snapchat by the end of 2025, according to Snap's Q4 2025 investor letter.
Snap Inc., Snap Inc. Q4 2025 Investor Letter (Form 8-K exhibit) (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
More than 450,000 creators from nearly every country have built over 5 million Lenses using our industry-leading AR and AI tools
- 8.
More than 59,000 creators earned money through Stan storefronts in 2025, according to the company's own platform data.
Stan, The State of the Creator Economy 2026 (Jul 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In 2025, more than 59,000 Creators earned money on Stan, turning their expertise into offers their audience wants.
How much do creators earn
- 9.
Only about 4% of creators worldwide earned more than $100,000 a year in 2023, the threshold Goldman Sachs uses to define professional creators.
Goldman Sachs, The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027 (Apr 2023)
Exact wording at the source
Only about 4% of global creators are deemed professionals, meaning they pull in more than $100,000 a year.
- 10.
Creators surveyed by CreatorIQ and Sapio Research reported average earnings of $44,293 over the past year, and only 11% earned six figures.
CreatorIQ, The State of Creator Compensation (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Among the respondents, the average creator reported earning $44,293 over the past year. Meanwhile, only 11% secured a 6-figure annual income.
- 11.
Across CreatorIQ campaigns with direct payments in 2025, the median creator earned $3,000 while the average was $11,400.
CreatorIQ, The State of Creator Compensation (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Across CreatorIQ campaigns with direct payments in 2025, creators earned an average of $11.4k, while the median creator earned $3.0k
- 12.
The top 10% of creators received 62% of all creator payments made through CreatorIQ campaigns in 2025.
CreatorIQ, The State of Creator Compensation (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
The top 10% of creators received 62% of the total volume of creator payments.
- 13.
In Visa's 2025 survey of 1,067 creators in five countries, 85% were full-time or part-time creators earning up to $100,000 a year.
Visa, Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
85% of respondents are full- or part-time creators making up to $100K a year
- 14.
Deloitte's research found that 58% of creators made less than $50,000 a year and 89% used two or more platforms to earn income (2023 survey data).
Deloitte, Creator empowerment and the future of the content creator economy (Jan 2024)
Exact wording at the source
In the creator economy, our research finds 58% of creators make less than $50K per year, with 89% of creators using two or more platforms to generate income
- 15.
The number of creators earning more than $10,000 a year on Facebook grew by over 30% in 2025, according to Meta.
Meta Platforms, Creator Fast Track: A New Way to Quickly Grow Your Audience and Earn Money on Facebook (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
The number of creators earning more than $10,000 annually on Facebook has grown by over 30% year-over-year.
- 16.
More than 13,800 artists generated at least $100,000 from Spotify alone in 2025, nearly 1,400 more than the year before.
Spotify, 10 key takeaways from Loud & Clear (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In 2025, more than 13,800 artists generated at least $100,000 from Spotify alone (nearly 1,400 more than the prior year).
- 17.
The 100,000th highest-earning artist on Spotify generated more than $7,300 in royalties in 2025, compared with about $350 for the artist in the same position in 2015.
Spotify, 10 key takeaways from Loud & Clear (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In 2025, the 100,000th-highest-earning artist generated more than $7,300 in royalties from Spotify alone. In 2015, the artist in that same position generated about $350.
Chart
Creator payments by size in CreatorIQ campaigns, 2025 (% of payments)
Share of direct creator payments by payment size across CreatorIQ campaigns in 2025.
- Under $1006%
- $100 to $49930%
- $500 to $99913%
- $1k to $2.4k14%
- $2.5k to $4.9k11%
- $5k to $9.9k11%
- $10k or more15%
Source: CreatorIQ, The State of Creator Compensation
How much platforms pay creators
- 18.
YouTube paid over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies in the four years before January 2026.
YouTube, The future of YouTube 2026 (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In the past four years alone, we’ve paid over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies.
- 19.
Facebook paid content creators nearly $3 billion through its creator monetization programs in 2025, up 35% from 2024 and its highest annual total.
Meta Platforms, Creator Fast Track: A New Way to Quickly Grow Your Audience and Earn Money on Facebook (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In 2025, Facebook paid content creators nearly $3 billion from its creator monetization programs — a 35% increase from the previous year and its highest annual total ever.
- 20.
Reels accounted for 60% of Facebook's total creator payouts in 2025, with Stories, photos and text posts making up the rest.
Meta Platforms, Creator Fast Track: A New Way to Quickly Grow Your Audience and Earn Money on Facebook (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
And the numbers back this up — last year, 60% of Facebook’s total payout to creators went to reels while the rest went to Stories, photos, and text posts.
- 21.
Spotify paid the music industry more than $11 billion in 2025, bringing its all-time payouts to nearly $70 billion.
Spotify, 10 key takeaways from Loud & Clear (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
For another year, Spotify was the highest-paying retailer globally, paying the music industry more than $11 billion in 2025 and bringing our all-time total to nearly $70 billion.
- 22.
Spotify paid more than $100 million to podcast publishers and podcasters worldwide in the first quarter of 2025.
Spotify, From Audio to Video, Spotify's $100 Million Payout Fuels Creator Success Stories (Apr 2025)
Exact wording at the source
For the first time, we’re revealing that Spotify paid out more than $100 million to podcast publishers and podcasters worldwide in the first quarter of 2025 alone.
- 23.
Roblox creators earned $1,503.1 million in 2025, up from $922.8 million in 2024, according to Roblox's annual report.
Roblox Corporation, Roblox Corporation Annual Report for fiscal year 2025 (Form 10-K) (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, creators earned $1,503.1 million and $922.8 million, respectively.
- 24.
Creators have earned more than $5 billion on Roblox since the Developer Exchange program launched in 2013, including about $1.7 billion in the 12 months to September 2026.
Roblox Corporation, RDC 2026: The World Needs More Play (Sep 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Since launching DevEx in 2013, creators have earned more than $5 billion on Roblox.
- 25.
Fans have sent $10 billion to creators on Patreon since 2013, according to Patreon.
Patreon, About Patreon (Nov 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Since 2013, fans have sent $10 billion to creators on Patreon.
- 26.
Substack reports 5 million paid subscriptions to newsletters and publications on its platform.
Substack, About Substack (Nov 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Tap into a platform with 5 million paid subscriptions and counting
- 27.
Creators on Kajabi had collectively earned more than $10 billion by August 2025, a few months after passing $9 billion.
Kajabi, $10B in Creator Revenue and Climbing: Kajabi Creators Are Achieving Long-Term Financial Success (Business Wire release) (Aug 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Kajabi, the leading creator commerce platform, today announced that creators on its platform have collectively earned over $10B in creator revenue only a few months after crossing the $9B mark.
- 28.
Creators on Teachable and its sister platform Hotmart have earned more than $10 billion combined, with students in 180 countries.
Teachable, About Teachable (Nov 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Together, Teachable and Hotmart creators have earned more than $10 billion, and students in 180 countries learn on Teachable.
- 29.
Course creators on Thinkific sold $460.0 million in gross merchandise volume in 2025, flat on 2024.
Thinkific, Thinkific Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
GMV (2) remained consistent at $460.0 million .
Chart
Roblox creator earnings, 2024 vs 2025 ($ millions)
Earnings by Roblox creators for full fiscal years, from Roblox's 2025 Form 10-K.
- 2024$923
- 2025$1,503
Source: Roblox Corporation, Roblox Corporation Annual Report for fiscal year 2025 (Form 10-K)
Brand deals and advertiser spending on creators
- 30.
US creator economy ad spend was projected to reach $37 billion in 2025, a 26% increase on 2024 and about four times faster than the overall media industry, according to IAB.
IAB, Creator Economy Ad Spend to Reach $37 Billion in 2025, Growing 4x Faster than Total Media Industry (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
The report found creator economy ad spend is projected to reach $37 billion in 2025 — a 26% increase year-over-year, about 4x faster than the media industry overall (5.7% per IAB 2025 Outlook Study: September Update).
- 31.
US creator economy ad spend more than doubled from $13.9 billion in 2021 to $29.5 billion in 2024, according to IAB.
IAB, Creator Economy Ad Spend to Reach $37 Billion in 2025, Growing 4x Faster than Total Media Industry (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Ad spend in the creator economy has more than doubled since 2021 from $13.9B to $29.5B in 2024.
- 32.
Nearly half (48%) of US ad buyers considered creators a "must buy" in 2025, ranking them behind only social media and paid search.
IAB, Creator Economy Ad Spend to Reach $37 Billion in 2025, Growing 4x Faster than Total Media Industry (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Nearly half (48%) of ad spenders consider creators a “must buy,” ranking only behind social media and paid search.
- 33.
US influencer marketing spending was forecast to pass $10 billion in 2025, a year earlier than EMARKETER previously predicted.
EMARKETER, US influencer marketing spending will surpass $10 billion in 2025 (Mar 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Influencer marketing spending will surpass $10 billion in the US in 2025, one year earlier than we previously predicted, according to Emarketer’s latest influencer forecast.
- 34.
EMARKETER forecasts US brands will spend $13.7 billion on influencer marketing in 2027, up from $10.5 billion in 2025.
EMARKETER, Influencer marketing set to surpass $13 billion by 2027 (Jun 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Key stat: US brands will spend $13.7 billion on influencer marketing by 2027, up from $10.5 billion this year, according to a March EMARKETER forecast.
- 35.
Brand deals made up about 70% of creator revenue in survey data cited by Goldman Sachs Research in 2023.
Goldman Sachs, The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027 (Apr 2023)
Exact wording at the source
Brand deals are the main source of revenue at about 70%, according to survey data.
- 36.
For 82% of creators in Later's data, brand partnerships are the main source of income.
Later, Why 2026 is the Year of Diversified Monetization (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Later data reveals that 82% of creators’ primary income comes from brand partnerships.
- 37.
Nearly 80% of brand collaborations booked on the Collabstr marketplace in 2025 cost under $300.
Collabstr, Collabstr Annual Influencer Marketing Report 2026 (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Small budgets dominate with nearly 80% of brand collaborations costing under $300.
- 38.
In a May 2026 Deloitte survey of 3,518 US consumers, 65% said they engage with creators or creator-led content across platforms.
Deloitte, Long-term vs. one-off: A new take on brand-creator collaborations (Sep 2026)
Exact wording at the source
According to our data, 65% of US consumers overall say they engage with creators or creator-led content across platforms.
- 39.
About 60% of US consumers who engage with creators bought something mainly because of a creator's recommendation or sponsorship in the previous six months, according to Deloitte's 2026 survey.
Deloitte, Long-term vs. one-off: A new take on brand-creator collaborations (Sep 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Roughly 60% of US consumers who engage with creators have made a purchase based primarily on a creator’s recommendation or sponsorship in the last six months.
Chart
US creator economy ad spend, 2021 vs 2024 ($ billions)
US advertiser spending on creator content, from IAB's 2025 creator economy ad spend report.
- 2021$13.9
- 2024$29.5
Source: IAB, Creator Economy Ad Spend to Reach $37 Billion in 2025, Growing 4x Faster than Total Media Industry
Creator tools, AI and business costs
- 40.
In Adobe's 2025 Creators' Toolkit survey, 86% of creators said they actively use creative generative AI.
Adobe, Inaugural Adobe Creators' Toolkit Report (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
With 86 percent of creators now actively using creative generative AI, it’s no longer confined to a single task, it’s integrated across their workflow.
- 41.
Six in ten creators (60%) used more than one creative generative AI tool in the three months before Adobe's 2025 survey.
Adobe, Inaugural Adobe Creators' Toolkit Report (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Creators aren't putting all their eggs in one basket: 60 percent of creators report using more than one creative generative AI tool in the past three months
- 42.
In Epidemic Sound's 2025 survey of US and UK creators, 91% used AI tools in content creation, up from 84% in 2024.
Epidemic Sound, Content Creators are the New Entrepreneurs: Epidemic Sound unveils The Future of the Creator Economy Report 2025 (Jun 2025)
Exact wording at the source
91% of creators use AI tools in their content creation process, up 7% from the 2024 Future of the Creator Economy Report (84%), and 99% see value in AI tools for ideation, production, and innovation.
- 43.
In Epidemic Sound's 2026 survey, 93% of creators said they associate AI with significant risks in music, sound or content creation.
Epidemic Sound, Epidemic Sound unveils The Future of the Creator Economy Report 2026 (May 2026)
Exact wording at the source
At the same time, AI is creating new questions around disclosure, consent, and brand identity, with 93% of creators saying they associate AI with significant risks in music, sound or content creation.
- 44.
In Kit's survey, 66% of creators used AI to create content in 2023, compared with 34% in 2022.
Kit, Kit 2024 State of the Creator Economy Report Reveals Paradigm Shift: The Rise of Full-Time Creators (May 2024)
Exact wording at the source
66% of creators used artificial intelligence last year to create content compared to 34% in 2022.
- 45.
In Visa's 2025 creator survey, 86% of creators said they finance their content work with personal funds.
Visa, Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
According to creators surveyed: 86% finance their content creation work using personal funds
- 46.
In the same Visa survey, 88% of creators expected their business revenue to grow over the following year.
Visa, Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
88% of creators surveyed expect their business revenue to grow over the next year
- 47.
Full-time creators in Later's data projected 78% revenue growth for 2026.
Later, Why 2026 is the Year of Diversified Monetization (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
According to data from Later, full-time creators are projecting 78% revenue growth in 2026.
- 48.
Creators selling through Stan made $67 per sale on average in 2025.
Stan, The State of the Creator Economy 2026 (Jul 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In 2025, Creators made $67 per sale on average.
- 49.
In Linktree's survey of 1,562 creators, 59% said consistent content production was a top reason that making money as a creator is hard, and 55% cited algorithm uncertainty.
Linktree, Linktree's Creator Commerce Report 2024 (Apr 2025)
Exact wording at the source
The majority of survey respondents described making money as a creator as difficult with the top two reasons being it’s hard to produce content consistently (59%) and the uncertainty around algorithms on social media platforms (55%).
Chart
Top uses of creative generative AI among creators, 2025 (%)
Share of creators using generative AI for each task, Adobe Creators' Toolkit survey of 16,000 creators, 2025.
- Editing, upscaling and enhancement55%
- Generating new images and video52%
- Ideation and brainstorming48%
Source: Adobe, Inaugural Adobe Creators' Toolkit Report
Economic impact and audience reach
- 50.
YouTube's creative ecosystem contributed over $55 billion to US GDP in 2024, according to Oxford Economics research commissioned by YouTube.
Oxford Economics, Exploring YouTube's U.S. Impact in 2024 (executive summary) (Jun 2025)
Exact wording at the source
YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over $55B to the U.S. GDP in 2024.
- 51.
YouTube's creative ecosystem supported more than 490,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the US in 2024, according to Oxford Economics.
Oxford Economics, Exploring YouTube's U.S. Impact in 2024 (executive summary) (Jun 2025)
Exact wording at the source
YouTube’s creative ecosystem supported more than 490,000 full time equivalent (FTE) jobs in the U.S.
- 52.
YouTube Shorts averaged 200 billion daily views as of early 2026.
YouTube, The future of YouTube 2026 (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
viewers are finding what they love on Shorts, which now averages 200 billion daily views.
- 53.
The number of US Snapchat users posting to Spotlight rose 47% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Snap Inc., Snap Inc. Q4 2025 Investor Letter (Form 8-K exhibit) (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
The number of US Snapchatters posting to Spotlight increased 47% year-over-year in Q4.
- 54.
About one in five US adults (21%) regularly got news from news influencers on social media in August 2025, unchanged from 2024, according to Pew Research Center.
Pew Research Center, News Influencers Fact Sheet (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
About one-in-five U.S. adults (21%) say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media, identical to when we first asked this in 2024.
- 55.
Among US adults aged 18 to 29, 38% regularly got news from news influencers in 2025, compared with 8% of those 65 and older.
Pew Research Center, News Influencers Fact Sheet (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Younger adults are especially likely to get news from news influencers, with 38% of those ages 18 to 29 saying they regularly do this – more than four times the share of those 65 and older (8%).
Questions readers ask
- How many content creators are there?
- Goldman Sachs Research estimated about 50 million creators worldwide in 2023. In the US, Edison Research found that 18% of Americans aged 13 and older created publicly shared content in 2025, rising to 30% among those aged 13 to 24.
- How much does the average creator earn?
- It depends on the sample. Creators surveyed by CreatorIQ reported average earnings of $44,293 in the past year, but the median payment total in CreatorIQ campaigns in 2025 was $3,000. Goldman Sachs found only about 4% of creators earn more than $100,000 a year.
- How much do platforms pay creators?
- Facebook paid creators nearly $3 billion in 2025 and Roblox creators earned $1,503.1 million. YouTube says it paid over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies in four years, and Spotify paid the music industry more than $11 billion in 2025.
- How big is the creator economy?
- Goldman Sachs projected the creator economy could reach $480 billion by 2027. In the US, IAB projected creator economy ad spend of $37 billion in 2025, and Oxford Economics estimates YouTube's creator ecosystem alone added $55 billion to US GDP in 2024.
- How many creators use AI tools?
- Adobe's 2025 survey found 86% of creators use creative generative AI, and Epidemic Sound found 91% use AI tools in content creation. Kit reported 66% AI use among creators in 2023, so adoption has risen fast.
Where these numbers come from
We used figures published by the organization that produced the data: company annual reports and earnings releases, official platform announcements, and surveys run by research firms and creator platforms. Each quote was checked against the live source page. Figures are not directly comparable: surveys use different samples (working creators in Visa, Deloitte and CreatorIQ, the general population in Edison and Pew), platform totals cover different time spans, and IAB and EMARKETER define creator and influencer spend differently. Goldman Sachs and Kit figures describe 2023 and are included because no newer equivalent exists. Several surveys come from companies that sell to creators, so their samples lean toward their own users. We store the sentence each number appears in, and a script loads the publisher's page again to make sure that sentence is still there. Our methodology has the details.
Sources
- Adobe. Inaugural Adobe Creators' Toolkit Report (Oct 2025).
- Collabstr. Collabstr Annual Influencer Marketing Report 2026 (Jan 2026).
- CreatorIQ. The State of Creator Compensation (Jan 2026).
- Deloitte. Creator empowerment and the future of the content creator economy (Jan 2024).
- Deloitte. Long-term vs. one-off: A new take on brand-creator collaborations (Sep 2026).
- Edison Research. The Influencers Among Us (Oct 2025).
- EMARKETER. US influencer marketing spending will surpass $10 billion in 2025 (Mar 2025).
- EMARKETER. Influencer marketing set to surpass $13 billion by 2027 (Jun 2025).
- Epidemic Sound. Content Creators are the New Entrepreneurs: Epidemic Sound unveils The Future of the Creator Economy Report 2025 (Jun 2025).
- Epidemic Sound. Epidemic Sound unveils The Future of the Creator Economy Report 2026 (May 2026).
- Etsy, Inc.. Etsy, Inc. Annual Report for fiscal year 2025 (Form 10-K) (Feb 2026).
- Goldman Sachs. The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027 (Apr 2023).
- IAB. Creator Economy Ad Spend to Reach $37 Billion in 2025, Growing 4x Faster than Total Media Industry (Nov 2025).
- Kajabi. $10B in Creator Revenue and Climbing: Kajabi Creators Are Achieving Long-Term Financial Success (Business Wire release) (Aug 2025).
- Kit. Kit 2024 State of the Creator Economy Report Reveals Paradigm Shift: The Rise of Full-Time Creators (May 2024).
- Later. Why 2026 is the Year of Diversified Monetization (Jan 2026).
- Linktree. Linktree's Creator Commerce Report 2024 (Apr 2025).
- Meta Platforms. Creator Fast Track: A New Way to Quickly Grow Your Audience and Earn Money on Facebook (Mar 2026).
- Oxford Economics. Exploring YouTube's U.S. Impact in 2024 (executive summary) (Jun 2025).
- Patreon. About Patreon (Nov 2026).
- Pew Research Center. News Influencers Fact Sheet (Oct 2025).
- Roblox Corporation. Roblox Corporation Annual Report for fiscal year 2025 (Form 10-K) (Feb 2026).
- Roblox Corporation. RDC 2026: The World Needs More Play (Sep 2026).
- Snap Inc.. Snap Inc. Q4 2025 Investor Letter (Form 8-K exhibit) (Feb 2026).
- Spotify. 10 key takeaways from Loud & Clear (Mar 2026).
- Spotify. From Audio to Video, Spotify's $100 Million Payout Fuels Creator Success Stories (Apr 2025).
- Stan. The State of the Creator Economy 2026 (Jul 2026).
- Substack. About Substack (Nov 2026).
- Teachable. About Teachable (Nov 2026).
- Thinkific. Thinkific Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results (Mar 2026).
- Visa. Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report (Oct 2025).
- YouTube. The future of YouTube 2026 (Jan 2026).
Citing this page
Link to this page or to a single numbered figure. If you reuse a number, name the organization that released it in the first place.
DBotMaker. (2026, November 6). Creator Economy Statistics 2026. https://dbotmaker.io/creator-economy-statistics
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