What is the most-viewed YouTube video?
Baby Shark Dance by Pinkfong is the most-viewed video on YouTube, with more than 15 billion views. It became the first video to pass 10 billion views in January 2022.
Baby Shark Dance was uploaded in June 2016 by Pinkfong, a South Korean children's education brand. The song is based on an old campfire chant, and the video shows children singing and dancing along with cartoon sharks. It became a global hit in 2017 and 2018, especially among young children and their families.
The video overtook Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee as YouTube's most-viewed video in November 2020. Children often watch it many times in a row, which helps explain its huge numbers. The song also entered the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 and inspired TV shows and toys.
Other giants
Despacito remains the most-viewed music video by mainstream artists, with more than 8 billion views. Other videos near the top of the all-time list include Johny Johny Yes Papa from LooLoo Kids, Bath Song from Cocomelon and Shape of You by Ed Sheeran. Children's videos dominate the list.
Did You Know?
Gangnam Style by PSY was so popular in 2014 that YouTube had to upgrade its view counter, which had been built with a limit of about 2.1 billion views.