The most viewed YouTube video is "Baby Shark Dance" by Pinkfong, with about 17.4 billion views as of 28 September 2026. It is the only video ever to pass 10 billion and leads the runner-up, Cocomelon's "Wheels on the Bus" (9.5 billion), by nearly 8 billion. The top video not made for kids is "Despacito" at 9.1 billion.
Below: the top 10, the records behind it, the numbers the leaders share, and what that means for a normal channel.
The top 10 most viewed YouTube videos (as of September 2026)
View counts change every day. The figures below are YouTube's public counters as of 28 September 2026, rounded. Paid ads are left out (see below).
| # | Video | Channel | Views (approx.) | Uploaded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baby Shark Dance | Pinkfong | 17.4 billion | June 2016 |
| 2 | Wheels on the Bus | Cocomelon | 9.5 billion | May 2018 |
| 3 | Despacito (feat. Daddy Yankee) | Luis Fonsi | 9.1 billion | January 2017 |
| 4 | Bath Song | Cocomelon | 7.6 billion | May 2018 |
| 5 | Johny Johny Yes Papa | LooLoo Kids | 7.3 billion | October 2016 |
| 6 | Phonics Song with Two Words | ChuChu TV | 7.1 billion | March 2014 |
| 7 | See You Again ft. Charlie Puth | Wiz Khalifa | 7.1 billion | April 2015 |
| 8 | Shape of You | Ed Sheeran | 6.8 billion | January 2017 |
| 9 | Axel F | Crazy Frog | 6.2 billion | June 2009 |
| 10 | Gangnam Style | PSY | 6.1 billion | July 2012 |
Places 6 and 7 are separated by only about 13 million views, so they may swap again. Just outside the top 10 are "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (about 5.9 billion) and "Shree Hanuman Chalisa" from T-Series Bhakti Sagar (about 5.8 billion), a devotional song that shows how large YouTube's audience in India has become.
What about ads?
Some lists include paid adverts. One widely shared ranking, for example, includes an advert with about 8 billion views, which would place it fourth. Those numbers come mostly from ad placements, where the clip plays before other videos. That's not the same as people choosing to watch, so this list keeps ads out.
Record breakers worth knowing
- First video to 1 billion views: "Gangnam Style" by PSY, in December 2012. Two years later it neared about 2.1 billion, the limit of YouTube's old view counter, and YouTube upgraded the counter.
- First and only video to 10 billion: "Baby Shark Dance", on 13 January 2022.
- Longest run at number one: "Baby Shark Dance" overtook "Despacito" on 2 November 2020 and has led ever since.
- Most views for a music video in its first 24 hours: BTS's "Butter", with about 108 million views in May 2021, a world record that still stands. Fan communities organized to stream the premiere together.
What the leaders have in common: the data
We took length and public like counts for the top videos (28 September 2026) and worked out likes per 1,000 views:
| Video | Length | Likes per 1,000 views |
|---|---|---|
| Baby Shark Dance | 2:17 | 2.7 |
| Wheels on the Bus | 3:49 | 2.4 |
| Despacito | 4:42 | 6.2 |
| Bath Song | 2:53 | 2.3 |
| Johny Johny Yes Papa | 1:41 | 2.7 |
| See You Again | 3:58 | 6.6 |
| Shape of You | 4:24 | 5.3 |
| Axel F | 2:52 | 3.6 |
| Gangnam Style | 4:13 | 5.3 |
What this shows:
- Every video is under five minutes. Short videos are easy to replay, and replays count as views.
- Kids' videos get fewer likes per view. Nursery rhymes collect about 2–3 likes per 1,000 views, pop hits 5–7. Toddlers don't press "like", and autoplay loops add views without new reactions. A huge view count and a strong like ratio are different kinds of success.
- They are old. Most of the top 10 went up between 2014 and 2018 and have had around a decade to compound.
1. Kids watch on repeat
Five of the top 10 are nursery rhymes or learning songs. Small children happily watch the same short video many times, and parents often leave autoplay running. That's how Cocomelon and Pinkfong compete with the biggest pop stars.
2. No language barrier
"Baby Shark", "Gangnam Style" and "Axel F" barely need words. "Despacito" is in Spanish and still topped charts in countries that don't speak it. A video that works without translation has the whole world as its audience.
3. Music is made to be replayed
The adult videos on the list are all songs. People play music in the background, add it to playlists and put it on at parties. A good song gets watched fifty times, not once.
4. A big first day
Big videos start with a label campaign, an existing fan base or a premiere. That early surge signals to YouTube that the video is worth showing to more people.
How YouTube counts a view
Since 24 August 2026, YouTube counts a view as soon as a video starts playing, for Shorts, long videos and live streams alike. Its systems still filter out low-quality or artificial playback, and counts can pause or be adjusted while views are checked. Partner Program earnings use a separate measure of engaged views, so the public counter and payouts don't always match. Our guide on how much YouTube pays per view explains that difference.
What this means for your channel
You won't reach 17 billion views, and you don't need to. The same forces work at any size:
- Make videos people replay or share: tutorials, music, kids' content and how-tos keep earning views for years.
- Keep it tight. The all-time leaders are all under five minutes; cut anything that doesn't earn its place.
- Think global. Clear visuals and simple language (or subtitles) widen your audience.
- Win the first 48 hours. Share each upload with your community, mailing list and other platforms on day one.
- Keep old videos alive with better titles, thumbnails, end screens and playlists.
For a full checklist, see our 15 tips for more YouTube views.
How it works at LikeMan
A new upload with a dozen views looks untested, and some creators give it a starting push. With LikeMan you can order views for a single YouTube video and a matching number of YouTube likes:
- you share only the video link; your Google account stays private;
- the calculator shows the exact cost before you pay;
- the order begins automatically after payment;
- any views or likes that drop within 365 days are restored at no charge.
A starting push helps a good video get noticed; it can't carry a weak one. YouTube doesn't pay for bought views, and if people click and leave in five seconds, no push keeps a video growing.
FAQ
What is the most viewed video on YouTube right now?
"Baby Shark Dance" by Pinkfong, with about 17.4 billion views as of September 2026. It has been number one since November 2020.
What is the most viewed YouTube video not made for kids?
"Despacito" by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee, with about 9.1 billion views. It was the most viewed video overall from 2017 until Baby Shark passed it in 2020.
What was the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views?
"Gangnam Style" by PSY, in December 2012. Today it has about 6.1 billion views.
Which music video got the most views in 24 hours?
BTS's "Butter", with about 108 million views on its first day in May 2021. Some ads and trailers have posted bigger first-day numbers, but those rely on paid placement.
Can buying views get a video onto these lists?
No. The top videos have billions of repeated views built over many years. Bought views can only give a new upload a first push; lasting growth comes from people choosing to watch.
The bottom line
The most viewed YouTube videos are short kids' songs and global pop hits that people replay for years. Baby Shark leads with over 17 billion views, Despacito leads everything made for adults, and nothing else is close to 10 billion. More video guides are on our YouTube page.
Prepared with AI assistance and fact-checked by the LikeMan editorial team. Last reviewed: 2026-09-28.