Over the years, YouTube has evolved into a full-time income source for countless creators, monetizing through ad revenue, brand partnerships, and channel memberships. Inspired by this, the team at BonusInsider set out to uncover just how much money can be made, and which types of content attract the largest audiences. For our analysis, we focused on the ten most-watched YouTube videos, estimating their revenue as of November 17, 2025, calculated with the help of the Influencer Marketing Hub tool.
We found that the most-watched video on the platform, the children’s song Baby Shark, produced by Pinkfong, has generated approximately $30 million in revenue since its 2016 release, and has held the top spot since 2020.
Key takeaways
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All top 10 videos are music videos, highlighting that songs consistently outperform categories such as vlogs, lifestyle, or educational content, due to their easily shareable format and high replay value.
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Kids’ content dominates YouTube: 5 of the top 10 most-viewed videos are children’s songs, generating $87 million (over half) of the $147 million total revenue among the top ten.
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The presence of hits from South Korea (“Baby Shark”, “Gangnam Style”) and Latin America (“Despacito”) shows that culturally localised content can generate billions of views.
Methodology
The research identifies the ten most-viewed YouTube videos and provides estimated ad revenue for each. View counts were collected directly from YouTube, and revenue estimates were calculated through Influencer Marketing Hub software, which applies standard CPM (cost per thousand views) and CPC (cost per click) rates to generate approximate earnings. The tool assumes that if every viewer sees an ad, advertisers pay approximately $0.018 per view, equivalent to $18 per 1,000 views (CPM). This figure represents earnings before YouTube’s share, which typically takes 45% of ad revenue, leaving creators with 55% of the total. For music videos, rankings were further verified through Google sources to account for potential discrepancies.
It is important to note that the figures represent indicative ad revenue rather than actual earnings, as real income can vary by type of advertisement, audience, location, engagement, and industry type. For instance, video ads tend to produce more revenue than banner ads. Additionally, validated views exclude repeat views and those with watch times under 30 seconds.
10 Most-Watched Youtube Videos
“Baby Shark Dance”, Pinkfong Kids Songs & Stories (Released June 18, 2016)
For five straight years, Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark Dance” has been the undisputed champion of YouTube, racking up a mind-blowing 190 billion views, a global obsession so massive it is officially a Guinness World Record holder. But that is not all: the video claims titles for most-viewed music video on YouTube and most-viewed children’s music video. The reason for the popularity of the Korean education brand video is the combination of its infectiously repetitive lyrics, mood-boosting beat, and hypnotic dance routine, which spurs kids to watch it over and over. The numbers speak for themselves: estimates now place the video’s ad revenue at an impressive $30 million, and it continues to grow each day.
“Despacito”, Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee (Released January 13, 2017)
Once crowned the most-streamed song in history, “Despacito” now holds strong second place with 8.86 billion views. The song’s historic impact is not just online: the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) officially recognizes it for its 13 million sales plus track-equivalent streams, making it the 14th highest-certified single of all time in the United States. And the revenue? The original video’s estimated earnings hit $16 million, proving that even years later, “Despacito” still knows how to make waves… and money.
“Wheels on the Bus” by Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes (Released May 24, 2018)
Third place goes to “Wheels on the Bus”, a timeless nursery rhyme originally written by Verna Hill and first published in 1937. The 3-minute CoComelon version, uploaded on YouTube back in 2018, quickly became one of the channel’s earliest viral hits. Remarkably, it also became the first nursery rhyme to appear on any of Billboard’s global charts. Today, “Wheels on the Bus” has amassed 8.22 billion views, generating an estimated $15 million in ad revenue.
“Bath Song” by Cocomelon (Released May 2, 2018)
Another global smash from CoComelon, the “Bath Song” is a catchy, repeat-after-me melody that keeps kids, and surprisingly, adults, hooked. Beyond its fun visuals and earworm tune, the video helped solidify CoComelon as a powerhouse in children’s entertainment, inspiring merchandise, sing-along playlists, and educational spin-offs. The result? 7.29 billion views and an estimated revenue of $13 million, making it CoComelon’s second worldwide blockbuster.
“Johny Johny Yes Papa”, LooLoo Kids (Released October 8, 2016)
“Johny Johny Yes Papa” presents another hot spot, inspired by a nursery rhyme, with roots in the early 20th century. The simple, timeless poem tells the story of a little boy who, as the lyrics suggest, is fond of eating sweets and has been caught by his father with a mouthful of sugar. Some viewers find the LooLoo Kids release quite catchy, while others, presumably parents, are a bit disturbed by its repetitive construction and underlying themes of lying. Nevertheless, the video’s success is undeniable, backed up by its 7.13 billion views and approximate ad revenue of $13 million.
Wiz Khalifa – See You Again ft. Charlie Puth (Released April 7, 2015)
The heartfelt Paul Walker tribute “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, released on April 7, 2015, as part of the famous Furious 7 soundtrack, quickly became a cultural milestone. Just six months after posting, it became the first rap song to hit 1 billion YouTube views, a record-breaking moment in music history. Since then, the video has continued to captivate audiences, amassing 6.85 billion views and an estimated revenue of $13 million.
“Phonics Song with Two Words” by ChuChu TV (Released March 6, 2014)
Seventh place goes to “Phonics Song with Two Words” by ChuChu TV, a video designed to make learning fun for toddlers. Phonics songs are widely known as an effective aid in boosting memory and improving pronunciation, and this one delivers with a catchy melody and playful visuals that keep kids engaged from start to finish. It is no surprise that the video has earned a top spot among YouTube’s hits, racking up 6.78 billion views and $13 million in estimated profit.
“Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran (Released January 30, 2017)
Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” video took the world by storm when it was released in 2017, and it is not only among the most-viewed on YouTube but also one of the most-streamed songs on Spotify. It earned the title of best-selling song of 2017 globally and also became the decade’s best seller in the UK. As of November 2025, Ed Sheeran’s YouTube account has earned approximately $12M from this single music video.
“Gangnam Style” by PSY (Released July 15, 2012)
Coincidence or not, South Korean creators take another spot in YouTube’s top 10 with the cultural phenomenon “Gangnam Style” by PSY, released in July 2012. Within just a year, PSY had broken three Guinness World Records, fuelled by the catchy beat and the iconic “horse dance”, which had the whole world copying his moves. Even years later, the video continues to gain popularity, generating 5.76 billion views on YouTube and securing around $11 million in profit for its creators.
“Uptown Funk” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (Released November 19, 2014)
On November 19, 2014, producer Mark Ronson and co-writer Bruno Mars dropped their hit single “Uptown Funk,” and the world couldn’t get enough. Inspired by the groovy funk-rock vibes of the early 1980s, the duo claims to have spent seven months perfecting every beat, riff and hook – and it paid off. Despite the legal drama related to copyright that followed, the hit track succeeded in becoming a global party anthem and its 5.70 billion views currently equal around $11 million in ad revenue.
Beyond the View Count
What stands out from YouTube’s top 10 is that longevity beats novelty: many of the most-watched videos are years old, yet they continue to generate billions of views. Adult audiences often stream songs repeatedly on platforms like Spotify, skipping the video entirely, while children’s content thrives on visuals, animations, and sing-along engagement, making kids’ songs the undisputed rulers of watch time on YouTube.
This mix of staying power, visual appeal, and replay value has allowed relatively simple, older videos to outperform newer uploads, proving that YouTube success is not always flashy. Nonetheless, content that captures both the eyes and ears – emotionally, visually, and rhythmically – can dominate for years and generate astounding revenue, shaping the future of digital entertainment.
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