Average CPM on YouTube – What Creators and Advertisers Need to Know

If you’re curious about how much money creators really make, the average CPM on YouTube is a great place to start.

It shows what advertisers pay for every thousand ad impressions on videos. This number matters because it directly affects your potential revenue. Still, many creators find it confusing since YouTube also talks about playback-based CPM and RPM.

In this guide, I’ll explain these terms in plain English, share real CPM figures by country and niche, and give you practical steps to improve your earnings.

What Is CPM on YouTube?

When people talk about YouTube money, you’ll hear the term CPM a lot. CPM means “cost per mille,” which is the cost an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions. An impression is simply one ad shown to a viewer.

Think of it this way: CPM shows the advertiser’s budget, playback-based CPM shows what’s happening on your channel, and RPM shows the money that actually hits your account.

Average CPM YouTube in 2025 (Global Overview)

So, what does the average CPM YouTube look like today? The truth is, there isn’t a single number that applies to everyone. Rates change depending on where your audience comes from, the niche you cover, and even the season. That said, we can still use reliable benchmarks to get a global snapshot.

This global perspective gives you a baseline. However, it’s only the starting point. The real differences show up when you break CPM down by country and niche, which we’ll explore next.

CPM by Country – Which Regions Pay the Most?

Where your viewers live plays a huge role in how much you can earn. Advertisers pay more in countries with higher purchasing power, which is why creators in the U.S., U.K., or Australia usually see stronger returns compared to creators in India or Brazil.

Recent research from Is This Channel Monetized (2025) analyzed over one million monetized views to calculate the median CPM by country. This dataset offers one of the clearest looks at how location affects revenue.

Here’s a breakdown of key countries, with values shown in both EUR and approximate USD equivalents:

As you can see, creators in the U.S. enjoy CPM rates around $11 per 1,000 monetized views, while creators in India may see less than $1. That’s a massive gap, and it highlights how audience location is one of the biggest drivers of YouTube earnings.

CPM by Niche – How Topics Change Earnings

Not all YouTube videos earn the same amount. The YouTube average CPM shifts a lot depending on your niche. Advertisers are willing to pay more for content that attracts audiences with higher spending power or clear buying intent.

Here are some common niches and their typical CPM ranges:

Long-Form vs Shorts CPM

One of the biggest shifts on the platform has been the rise of Shorts. But when it comes to earnings, long-form content still outperforms. The average CPM on YouTube is much higher for regular videos than for Shorts.

• Long-form videos (8+ minutes): Playback-based CPMs often sit between $6–$12 in top countries. Longer videos can also host multiple ads, which raises total revenue.

• Shorts: CPMs are usually under $1, and many creators report RPMs below 20 cents per 1,000 views. That’s because Shorts run in a revenue pool shared among creators, instead of direct ad placement on each video.

That doesn’t mean Shorts aren’t valuable, they’re excellent for growth, subscriber spikes, and discovery. But if your main goal is ad revenue, long-form content remains the more reliable earner.

Advertiser Perspective on YouTube CPM

Up to now, we’ve looked at CPM mainly from the creator’s side. But understanding how advertisers view it helps you see the bigger picture. After all, advertisers set the demand that drives your earnings.

Brands buy ads on YouTube through an auction system. They decide how much they’re willing to pay to reach certain audiences, and the highest bids win those ad slots.

That’s why factors like age, location, and interests can raise or lower CPM rates. According to recent YouTube user statistics, advertisers pay far more to reach viewers in the U.S. or U.K. than in developing markets, because those audiences spend more money online.

For advertisers, a CPM of $3–$7 is common for general campaigns, but targeted campaigns in profitable niches can climb much higher. As a creator, this explains why your niche and audience geography directly shape your earnings potential.

Factors That Affect Average YouTube CPM

You might wonder why your CPM changes so much from month to month. The truth is, the average CPM on YouTube is influenced by several moving parts. Knowing these factors helps you understand the ups and downs in your revenue.

How to Check Your Own CPM & RPM

Playback-based CPM – how much advertisers paid per 1,000 monetized playbacks.

RPM (Revenue per Mille) – how much you actually earned per 1,000 total views, after YouTube’s cut.

Remember, not every view shows an ad. That’s why your RPM will almost always be lower than CPM. For example, you might see a playback-based CPM of $10, but your RPM could land closer to $4–$5.

The YouTube average CPM is helpful for comparison, but what matters most is your personal data. Checking your numbers regularly lets you spot trends, test new content, and measure the real effect of your strategy.

Growing your subscriber base is one of the smartest ways to raise RPM over time. More subscribers mean more loyal viewers, which leads to stronger ad performance and higher CPM opportunities.

Conclusion

At this point, you know that the average CPM on YouTube tells only part of the story. Your actual earnings depend on where your viewers are located, the topics you cover, and how suitable your videos are for advertisers. CPM might look high inside analytics, but it is RPM that shows the real money reaching your account.

The smartest way forward is to focus on what you can control. Choosing a niche with strong advertiser demand, attracting audiences from high-value regions, keeping your content suitable for ads, and creating longer videos for more ad slots can all make a difference.