Top 10 Most Viewed Videos on YouTube in 2022

Ed Sheeran, one of the most popular artists on the Spotify streaming platform, has achieved another remarkable milestone with his hit song Shape of You. On December 22, Spotify announced that Shape of You, released in 2017, has become the most-streamed song in the platform's history, surpassing 3 billion streams, more than any other track on the platform. It also boasts over 5.8 billion views on YouTube. In a video, Ed Sheeran revealed that Shape of You was originally written for another artist and wasn’t even intended for his album Divide. The singer-songwriter expressed his excitement over the achievement. In 2020, Ed Sheeran, then 30, earned $64 million, ranking him 23rd on Forbes’ list of highest-paid celebrities worldwide, thanks to the success of his Divide Tour, which grossed $775 million. Ed Sheeran’s debut album Plus was released in 2011, and since then, he has released four more albums, including Equals, which came out in October. His most-streamed tracks on Spotify include Perfect and Thinking Out Loud, each with over 1.9 billion streams, Photograph with over 1.7 billion, and Castle on the Hill, Galway Girl, and Happier, each with over a billion streams. In 2015, Thinking Out Loud became the first song to reach 500 million streams on Spotify. The impact of Shape of You on the music industry remains strong even four years after its release.

See You Again is the iconic song featured in the blockbuster Fast & Furious 7 film. The song was written as a tribute to Paul Walker, the beloved actor in the Fast & Furious franchise, who tragically passed away in a car accident. The heartfelt lyrics and melody of the song quickly resonated with audiences worldwide, making the See You Again music video incredibly popular. Since its release on YouTube on April 6, 2015, the video has surpassed 5.6 billion views, overtaking Gangnam Style’s 4.5 billion views, and becoming the most-viewed video on the platform at the time. According to Hollywood Reporter, the view count for the See You Again video, performed by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, has continued to grow steadily, reaching 5.6 billion views on September 11. With its massive viewership, the song has officially surpassed Gangnam Style in terms of popularity, becoming the second-most-viewed music video in YouTube history. The view count is still rising as media outlets continue to report on this record-breaking achievement. Thousands of congratulatory comments have flooded the video, celebrating the new milestone. With its touching melody and meaningful lyrics, the song serves as a tribute to the late actor Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013. In addition to topping various prestigious charts upon its release, See You Again earned three Grammy nominations, including for Song of the Year, Best Song Written for Visual Media, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The music video, which features the emotional final scene of Walker's character driving off into the sunset to reunite with his family, has brought tears to countless fans of the late actor.

Cocomelon, also known as Cocomelody, is a YouTube channel dedicated to children’s content and is owned by the entertainment company Moonbug from the United Kingdom. Currently, Cocomelon ranks second in the list of the most-watched YouTube channels, as well as in the list of the most-subscribed channels worldwide.

The channel primarily features animated cartoons and children's songs that are both entertaining and educational. Additionally, each video on Cocomelon includes subtitles at the bottom of the screen. In 2020, Cocomelon expanded to other video-sharing platforms like Netflix, Roku, and Hulu. The channel rebranded in 2018 to its current name, Cocomelon, with a new logo featuring a watermelon and a TV screen inside it, while the ladybug mascot remained. This year also marked the acquisition of Cocomelon by Moonbug Entertainment. By the end of 2020, Cocomelon had added content in Spanish and Portuguese, followed by Chinese, German, French, Italian, and Arabic in early 2021. During this period, Cocomelon continued to dominate YouTube, reaching 2.5 billion views in May and June 2019, with an average of 83 million daily viewers. Impressive subscriber growth occurred as well, with more than 36 million new subscribers in 2019, bringing the total to 67.4 million by year-end. On December 12, 2020, Cocomelon became the third YouTube channel in the world to surpass 100 million subscribers. With this achievement, it was expected that Cocomelon would surpass PewDiePie, who had held the title for the most subscribed channel from 2013 to 2019, in 2021, securing second place in the YouTube rankings.

Cocomelon also achieved success on other platforms, ranking among the top 3 most popular shows on Netflix in September 2020. Additionally, it was the most-watched program on Netflix that year, according to Reelgood.

Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' smash hit Uptown Funk continues to rise in popularity. Not only has the song been a commercial success, but it has also earned critical acclaim. Uptown Funk won the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. The track now holds the 7th spot in the top 10 most-viewed songs on YouTube worldwide. This funky, soulful, boogie-infused, Minneapolis sound, and disco-pop collaboration brings a fun narrative about city boys enjoying life. The track, which features Mark Ronson’s production and Bruno Mars’ distinct vocals, has become a feel-good anthem, making listeners want to dance and groove. The song’s success was further solidified when it won two prestigious Grammy Awards in 2016. The unique collaboration between the two stars has made Uptown Funk a go-to track whenever you need to lift your spirits. The British producer and American singer’s infectious energy in Uptown Funk has propelled it to 4.7 billion views on YouTube, placing it among the most-watched music videos on the platform.

This YouTube video might be unfamiliar to many, as it is in Russian and teaches children about six basic colors: black, brown, pink, white, red, and blue. Although not the only children's video on the list, it may very well be the longest. Lasting 5 minutes and 10 seconds, 'Learning Colors – Colorful Eggs on a Farm' from Miroshka TV is a simple animated video where animated eggs help kids learn about colors. The narration is in Russian, while the background song 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm' is sung in English. Although the video serves its purpose of teaching various color names, it is a lengthy video that features eggs doing unusual things like cracking into pieces and reassembling them into a giant egg, which then creates smaller eggs. This educational video, available on the Miroshka TV YouTube channel, is one of four children's videos to make it to the top 10 most-viewed videos of all time.

Uploaded in February 2018, this video skyrocketed in popularity and now boasts 4.6 billion views and 10 million likes in just two years.

Much like Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk,' the animated Russian show Masha and The Bear tells the story of Masha and her bear friend as they navigate through misadventures. In this particular episode, Masha overcooks too much porridge, leading every animal in the garden to consume it all.

The immense popularity of the show, particularly among young audiences, has helped it achieve staggering view counts on YouTube, even outside of Russia. This video, the 17th episode of Masha and The Bear, sparked some debate due to its content, but there’s no denying the love Russian children have for it.

Since its release, Masha and The Bear has grown exponentially, surpassing major milestones and achieving impressive view numbers on YouTube.

PSY's Gangnam Style became a viral sensation with its quirky style, unique dance moves, catchy tune, and PSY's signature voice. This music video made history in December 2012 by becoming the first to reach 1 billion views on YouTube, just six months after its release.

Fast forward 10 years, and it remains one of the top 5 most-watched music videos on YouTube, with over 4.5 billion views. PSY himself expressed how extraordinary it was to be the first artist to hit 1 billion views, and how honored he felt to help break down musical boundaries worldwide. After becoming a global phenomenon, PSY performed the song and spread the signature Gangnam Style dance to many countries across the globe. Following PSY’s success, many music videos in various genres have reached 4.5 billion views on YouTube. Artists like J Balvin and Justin Bieber each have 11 videos, while Ozuna has 10. Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Maluma each have 8.

Once a worldwide craze, Gangnam Style has now surpassed 4.5 billion views and continues to hold its place in the top 10 most-viewed music videos on YouTube.

Baby Shark is the first music video in history to reach the record-breaking 11 billion global views, a number that is still climbing. What many don't know is that the star of the video, Park Geon Roung, has grown into a talented and handsome teenager. After the video's success, the Pinkfong Baby Shark - Kids' Songs & Stories channel, which produced the video, has gained nearly 55 million subscribers. In March, Pinkfong’s CEO expressed the ambition to become the second Disney, though that may be a distant dream.

Produced by Pinkfong (South Korea), the video has seen over 3 billion additional views since last year. In November 2020, it surpassed Luis Fonsi’s 'Despacito' to become the most-viewed YouTube video of all time. On the Google platform, Baby Shark Dance has over 32 million likes. Pinkfong Baby Shark – Kids' Songs & Stories now boasts nearly 55 million followers, and the total views of the channel have reached 28.2 billion since its founding in December 2011. First uploaded to YouTube in June 2016, Baby Shark Dance quickly became a hit, particularly with children. Pinkfong, the educational brand of SmartStudy founded by Kim Min-seok, saw its 2019 revenue from this song alone hit $125 million. Last December, Pinkfong released an NFT collection featuring images from Baby Shark called Baby Shark: Collection No.1, sold on the MakersPlace platform.

The collection includes one unique NFT and five limited edition NFTs, each with its own 3D image and sound related to the artwork. The music for the collection was produced by Sony Music and Relentless Records.

Despacito currently holds the title of the second most-viewed music video on YouTube, with an impressive 7.9 billion views. To mark the 5th anniversary of its release, Luis Fonsi reflected on how global connectivity and the rise of the internet helped kickstart the worldwide popularity of Latin music, showcasing the universality of its language and rhythms.

Despacito became a catalyst for this cultural shift, opening doors for non-Latin audiences to connect with Latin music. According to Billboard, the song ushered in an era where Latin tracks began dominating global music charts. Before Despacito, only four Latin songs had made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016; by 2017, that number skyrocketed to 19, and 21 in 2018. In 2019, 26 songs achieved this feat, including Bad Bunny's 'Neverita.' English-speaking stars also became more open to collaborating with Latin artists—following the hit collaboration between Justin Bieber and Luis Fonsi, Beyoncé teamed up with Willy William and J Balvin for 'Mi Gente,' and Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin worked together on 'I Like It.' The success of Despacito has inspired pop artists to explore Latin sounds in their music.

20 years ago, Christina Aguilera released her Spanish album 'Mi Reflejo,' which topped the Latin album charts on Billboard. Not only did Despacito conquer the internet, but it also helped reshape radio's view of Latin music. Mike Chester, head of promotions at SB Projects, noted that when the song hit the airwaves, many radio engineers complained about the song's abundance of Spanish lyrics, suggesting an English version be aired.

While no Spanish-language song has yet to dominate pop radio since Despacito, Latin music remains a vital part of the global musical ecosystem.

The children's music video Johny Johny Yes Papa has become a global sensation, currently surpassing 6.5 billion views. Released in October 2016 by the LooLoo Kids channel, this catchy and simple song quickly captured the hearts of children worldwide, securing its place among the top five most-viewed videos on YouTube. With over 12 million likes and counting, it continues to rise in popularity, showing no signs of slowing down. The video centers around a playful boy named Johny, who loves candy so much that he sneaks into the kitchen, even while he's supposed to be sleeping. The cheerful melody, combined with the short and easy-to-remember lyrics, has made it a daily favorite among kids.

Additionally, Johny's adorable and relatable character further enhances the video's appeal, contributing significantly to the success of Johny Johny Yes Papa.