Contributors:
Amol Ghemud Published: February 21, 2026
Summary
YouTube CPM varies drastically by country in 2026, with Australia leading at $36.21 and India averaging below $1, creating a gap of 40–50 times between the highest and lowest-paying markets. A creator’s location is irrelevant — it is the viewer’s geography that determines CPM, making audience targeting strategy one of the highest-leverage decisions in YouTube monetisation. Creators who publish English-language, high-intent content optimised for Tier-1 search demand can attract premium advertiser markets regardless of where they are based.
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Where in the world does YouTube pay creators the most, and why the gap between markets is wider than most creators expect
Why Country Matters More than View Count
Two channels can publish the same content, attract the same number of views, and earn entirely different revenue. The reason is geography. Advertisers do not bid uniformly across markets. They bid based on where their customers are, how much those customers spend, and how competitive the local ad market is.
A single view from Australia can be worth 40 to 50 times as much as a view from India in terms of CPM. For creators and brands building a YouTube presence, understanding this gap is not optional; it is foundational to any honest revenue forecast.
This page is a focused reference on YouTube CPM by country as of 2026. For a broader context on what drives CPM across niches and formats, see our YouTube CPM rates in 2026 guide.
How Country-level CPM Works
YouTube’s ad system runs on a real-time auction. When a video plays, advertisers bid to show their ad to that specific viewer. The winning bid becomes the CPM for that impression.
In markets such as the US, the UK, and Australia, advertisers compete heavily. A bank wants to reach a potential credit card customer. A SaaS company wants to reach a business owner. An investment platform wants to reach someone with disposable income. All three are bidding for the same impression, and that competition drives CPM up.
In markets like India, the Philippines, or Indonesia, advertiser budgets are smaller, fewer global brands are actively targeting those audiences, and average transaction values are lower. Fewer competing bids mean lower CPM, regardless of how engaged the audience is.
The table below presents estimated average YouTube CPM rates for the highest-paying markets globally, based on creator benchmark data compiled from multiple sources as of 2025–2026.
Rank
Country
Estimated average CPM (USD)
1
Australia
$36.21
2
United States
$32.75
3
Canada
$29.15
4
New Zealand
$28.15
5
United Kingdom
$24.00
6
Switzerland
$23.13
7
Germany
$22.00
8
Norway
$20.17
9
Ireland
$19.50
10
Singapore
$18.80
11
Denmark
$17.49
12
Hong Kong
$17.23
13
Sweden
$16.50
14
Finland
$15.80
15
Israel
$14.08
16
Spain
$14.22
17
Portugal
$10.32
18
South Africa
$6.50
19
Brazil
$1.64
20
Nigeria
$2.89
Figures are estimates and may vary by niche, format, and engagement.
Regional breakdown
1. Oceania: the highest-paying region globally
Australia leads all countries with an average CPM of $36.21, making it the single highest-paying market on YouTube as of 2026. New Zealand follows at $28.15. Both markets are driven by affluent, English-speaking audiences with high consumer spending and strong advertiser competition. Despite having smaller populations than North America, the CPM per impression consistently outperforms the US across aggregate benchmarks.
2. North America: the largest ad market by volume
The United States is at $32.75, and Canada is at $29.15. North America generates the highest total ad revenue on YouTube due to the sheer scale of advertiser competition across every content category. Advertisers in finance, technology, and consumer products compete aggressively for US and Canadian audiences. Even entertainment and gaming channels earn substantially more from North American viewers than from global averages.
3. Europe: wide variance by subregion
Europe is not a uniform market. Northern and Western Europe command strong CPMs, while Southern and Eastern Europe trail considerably.
Switzerland ($23.13), Germany ($22.00), Norway ($20.17), Ireland ($19.50), Denmark ($17.49), Sweden ($16.50), and Finland ($15.80) represent the high end of European CPM performance. These markets combine high consumer purchasing power with active advertiser investment.
Spain ($14.22) and Portugal ($10.32) sit notably lower, reflecting smaller advertiser budgets and less competitive bidding environments. The gap between Norway and Portugal on the same continent illustrates how regional economic conditions directly translate into creators’ earnings.
4. Asia: the volume-versus-value paradox
Asia presents the starkest example of high audience scale paired with low advertiser value per impression.
India has the largest YouTube audience globally, with approximately 491 million users as of recent estimates. Yet its CPM averages below $1, ranging from $0.70 to $0.83 depending on the source. Singapore ($18.80) and Hong Kong ($17.23) are the regional outliers, performing comparably to Western European markets due to their highly developed financial and commercial advertising ecosystems.
Japan, despite being a mature economy, averages approximately $2.93 CPM—lower than its economic profile might suggest, partly due to language barriers that limit global advertiser reach.
Middle East and Africa: Emerging Markets with Exceptions
CPM rates across the Middle East and Africa are generally low, with meaningful exceptions.
Israel stands out in the Middle East at $14.08, driven by a highly developed tech and venture ecosystem that generates strong B2B and SaaS advertiser demand. Most other markets in the region sit well below $5 CPM.
In Africa, South Africa leads at $6.50 — the highest on the continent — due to a more developed digital advertising infrastructure. Nigeria, despite its large population and growing digital economy, averages $2.89. Most other African markets sit below $2 CPM.
Latin America: Scale Over Unit Value
Brazil is the dominant YouTube market in Latin America by viewership volume, but its CPM averages $1.64. Spanish-language content across the region generates an estimated CPM of around $3.00, reflecting the trade-off between the region’s large audience base and the lower advertiser investment per impression.
The Tier System: How Creators Classify Markets
Most creators and media buyers organise global markets into tiers based on CPM performance. This framework is a useful shorthand for content and distribution strategy.
India, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and most of Africa
Under $3
Low CPM; revenue through volume
The tier system is not a rigid classification; it is a planning tool. A channel earning 70% of its views from Tier-3 markets will have a substantially lower blended CPM than one with the same view count but 50% Tier-1 traffic.
For a full picture of what drives CPM beyond geography, including niche benchmarks and seasonal patterns, see our YouTube CPM rates in 2026 guide.
The earnings difference between markets is not marginal — it is structural. A channel generating 1 million views per month faces radically different revenue outcomes depending on where those views come from.
Consider two hypothetical channels with identical monthly views.
Channel A draws 80% of its views from India and 20% from the US. At blended rates, it might average $3–$4 CPM across all views.
Channel B draws 30% from the US, 20% from Australia, 20% from the UK, and 30% from Tier-2 Europe. Its blended CPM could sit at $18–$22.
Same view count. Potentially five to six times the revenue. This is why audience geography strategy is not a secondary concern for serious creators.
How to Attract Higher-CPM Audiences
Shifting audience geography is a slow but high-leverage process. These approaches have a consistent impact.
Publishing in English is the single most effective lever. English content is indexed and recommended to audiences in every Tier-1 market, including users in Australia, the US, the UK, and Canada. A creator based in India or Southeast Asia publishing quality English content opens access to premium advertiser markets that would otherwise be unavailable.
Keywords and SEO targeting matter. Search terms common among US, UK, and Australian audiences — personal finance, investing, business tools, productivity, technology reviews — surface content to Tier-1 viewers. Topic selection and keyword strategy directly influence which markets YouTube recommends your content to.
Subtitles and captions in English, German, and French extend reach into high-CPM European markets and improve retention among international viewers, both of which are positive signals for ad inventory quality.
Metadata localisation, including titles, descriptions, and tags referenced toward topics with strong Tier-1 search demand, influences how YouTube classifies and distributes your content geographically.
The India Case: Why Low CPM Does Not Mean Low Opportunity
India deserves specific attention, particularly for creators and brands operating in the Indian market.
The CPM below $1 is a ceiling set by the current state of the domestic advertiser market, not by audience quality or engagement. Indian YouTube audiences are among the most active and content-hungry globally. The opportunity in India lies in a different monetisation model.
Brand partnerships with Indian fintech, edtech, consumer goods, and regional brands operate outside the programmatic CPM system. Sponsorship rates in India are negotiated directly and can substantially exceed what programmatic ads generate. Channels with strong Tier-2 and Tier-3 city reach are increasingly valuable to regional advertisers who cannot efficiently reach those audiences through other channels.
The strategic frame for India is not CPM optimisation — it is brand partnership and audience scale.
Conclusion
Geography is one of the most powerful — and most underestimated — variables in YouTube monetisation. The CPM gap between the highest and lowest-paying markets is not 10 or 20 percent. It is 40 to 50 times. That gap does not shrink at scale. It compounds.
For creators building a long-term channel strategy, audience geography is a deliberate decision, not a passive outcome. Where your viewers come from is shaped by what you publish, the language you publish in, the keywords you target, and the topics you choose to build authority around.
For brands running media campaigns on YouTube, the country data here provides a clear framework for where to concentrate budget and how to interpret CPM benchmarks when evaluating channel partnerships or planning pre-roll campaigns.
Want to build a YouTube content or media strategy that targets the right markets from day one? The upGrowth team works with funded startups across India and emerging markets to build growth engines that are geography-aware and ROI-focused. Book a strategy call
Frequently asked questions
1. Which country has the highest YouTube CPM in 2026?
A: Australia leads globally with an estimated average CPM of $36.21, followed by the United States at $32.75 and Canada at $29.15. Australia’s CPM advantage is driven by a highly competitive advertiser ecosystem, strong consumer spending, and a premium English-speaking audience.
2. Why is YouTube CPM so low in India despite its large audience?
A: India’s CPM averages below $1 because advertiser budgets in the domestic market are significantly lower than in Tier-1 economies. Fewer global brands actively bid for Indian audiences, and average transaction values are lower, reducing the maximum CPM advertisers are willing to pay. Audience scale is large, but advertiser demand per impression is low.
3. Can a creator based in India earn Tier-1 CPMs?
Yes, if the audience is primarily located in Tier-1 markets. A creator based in India publishing English-language finance or technology content optimised for US and Australian search terms can attract Tier-1 audiences and earn CPMs of $15–$30. The creator’s geography is irrelevant — the viewer’s geography determines CPM.
4. What is the CPM difference between the US and India?
Based on 2026 benchmarks, the US averages $32.75 CPM while India averages under $1. A US viewer generates approximately 40-45 times as much ad revenue per impression as an Indian viewer on the same content. This gap narrows significantly in high-demand niches like finance, where Indian fintech advertisers have begun competing more aggressively for domestic audiences.
5. How can a creator improve their blended CPM across a mixed-geography audience?
The most effective strategies are publishing in English, targeting keywords with strong Tier-1 search demand, adding subtitles in English or German, optimising metadata for topics popular in high-CPM markets, and focusing content on high-intent categories like finance, technology, or business that attract premium advertisers globally.
Disclaimer: CPM figures in this article are estimates compiled from publicly available creator benchmark data and industry research as of 2025–2026. Actual rates vary by niche, content format, engagement, and advertiser demand. This content is for informational purposes only.
Amol has helped catalyse business growth with his strategic & data-driven methodologies. With a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has donned multiple hats, from channel optimization, data analytics and creative brand positioning to growth engineering and sales.
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