The world’s biggest video sharing platform, YouTube, has just turned 20. The 26-year-old YouTube star Mr Beast earned US$85 million (£67 million) in 2024 from videos – ranging from live Call of Duty play-alongs to handing out 1,000 free cataract operations. YouTube has 2.7 billion monthly active users, or 40% of the entire global population outside China, where it is blocked. 4. Who makes contentAbout 50 million people now think they are professional creators, many of them on YouTube. The BBC has 14.7 million YouTube subscribers.