YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over ₹18,000 crore to India’s GDP in 2025: Report

YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over ₹18,000 crore to India’s GDP in 2025 and supported more than 9.6 lakh full-time equivalent jobs nationwide, according to the latest report by Oxford Economics. 

The report highlights the growing economic impact of India’s digital creator economy, which is generating employment opportunities for cinematographers, sound engineers, scriptwriters and other production professionals. The impact extends beyond metropolitan cities to emerging creative hubs such as Jaipur, Lucknow and Kochi, where local talent is gaining technical skills and access to new career opportunities. 

In the past year alone, monetising creators on YouTube supported more than 3 lakh apprentices, underscoring the platform’s role in developing India’s creative workforce. 

Regional creators expand their global reach 

Regional content is increasingly finding audiences beyond geographical and linguistic boundaries, with Indian creators using digital platforms to take local stories, music and cultural traditions to international markets. 

Marathi singer and songwriter Sanju Rathod is one such example. His breakout track Gulabi Sadi crossed 500 million views on YouTube, demonstrating how regional music can reach audiences worldwide. 

According to the report, 81% of media companies with a YouTube channel say the platform helps them reach new audiences globally. The growing international reach of regional content is also creating opportunities for Indian creators to monetise their work beyond domestic markets. 

The expansion of creative clusters in non-metro cities is expected to play an important role in strengthening the creator economy by providing local talent with technical expertise and opportunities to collaborate. 

YouTube bets on AI tools and creator partnerships 

To sustain the growth of India's creator economy, YouTube is focusing on artificial intelligence, ecosystem partnerships and responsible content creation. 

The platform is introducing AI-powered tools to simplify video production and publishing, including conversational AI editing in Shorts and agentic channel management through Ask Studio. These tools are aimed at helping creators streamline production and manage their channels more efficiently. 

YouTube is also expanding its partnerships with government institutions to strengthen creative skills and promote India's cultural heritage. It is working with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) on the Create with AI initiative. 

Separately, its partnership with the Ministry of Culture aims to preserve India's cultural heritage and promote traditional folk and tribal music among global audiences. 

The company is also expanding initiatives such as YouTube Creator Collectives, which connect emerging creators with peers and provide opportunities for learning, collaboration and sustainable monetisation. 

Focus on child safety and responsible AI 

Alongside its investment in creators, YouTube is strengthening parental controls and safeguards around AI-generated content. 

According to the report, 74% of Indian parents agree that YouTube helps their children discover the world, highlighting the platform's role in how younger audiences access information and entertainment. 

The company is offering parents greater control over children's viewing habits through YouTube Kids, supervised teen accounts and custom daily time limits on Shorts. Parents can also set the Shorts limit to zero minutes, effectively disabling the feed. 

On responsible AI, YouTube is introducing AI Likeness Detection to give creators greater control over the use of their digital identities. The platform is also strengthening its rules on synthetic content through labels, disclosures and other safeguards intended to protect authenticity.