Top 10 Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time in May, 2025

Hello!

YouTube has grown far beyond its origins as a simple video-sharing platform. Today, it’s the epicenter of global entertainment, education, and pop culture. Each month, billions of viewers across the globe watch, rewatch, and share videos that shape internet history.

From viral sensations to kids' content that defines a generation, these are the titans of YouTube — videos that have stood the test of time, amassed unfathomable numbers of views, and in many cases, transformed creators into global icons.

As of May 20, 2025, every video in YouTube’s top 402 has now exceeded 1 billion views, and an impressive 136 videos have each amassed over 2 billion views.

Below, you’ll find the refreshed Top 10 Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time, along with a playlist of the top 200 most-watched videos worldwide.

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Top ten most viewed YouTube videos of all time

1. "Baby Shark Dance" by Pinkfong

Views: 15 916 134 835
Release Date: June 17, 2016
Channel: Pinkfong Kids' Songs & Stories

"Baby Shark" isn't just a viral hit—it's a global phenomenon. From toddlers dancing in living rooms to entire stadiums singing along, this video has transcended age and geography. The combination of bright visuals, repetitive lyrics, and a ridiculously catchy tune made it irresistible. Nearly a decade after its release, it's still YouTube’s most viewed video ever.

2. "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee

Views: 8 723 579 161
Release Date: January 12, 2017
Channel: Luis Fonsi

"Despacito" redefined what a Spanish-language song could achieve globally. Its rhythm, sultry vocals, and tropical vibe turned it into a crossover smash hit. The music video, set against the colorful backdrop of Puerto Rico, helped make it one of the fastest videos to reach billions of views—and its impact is still being felt today.

3. "Wheels on the Bus" by Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes

Views: 7 516 568 021
Release Date: May 24, 2018
Channel: Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes

Cocomelon has become a household name for parents around the world, and “Wheels on the Bus” is one of their crown jewels. The video pairs a classic children’s tune with high-quality 3D animation and bright, educational visuals. Its endless replay value among toddlers has pushed it to record-breaking numbers.

4. "Bath Song" by Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes

Views: 7 110 461 556
Release Date: May 2, 2018
Channel: Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes

Turn bath time into fun time—at least, that’s what this song managed to do for millions of families. Another Cocomelon hit, the "Bath Song" brings together catchy lyrics with animated storytelling that engages and educates. It’s an example of how digital media is reshaping early childhood experiences.

5. "Johny Johny Yes Papa" by LooLoo Kids

Views: 7 055 509 300
Release Date: October 8, 2016
Channel: LooLoo Kids – Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs

This simple story of a mischievous little boy caught eating sugar has become one of YouTube’s most memorable memes—and its view count proves it. The animated video, with its bright visuals and rhythmic pattern, quickly became a favorite for young children and spawned countless parodies and remixes across the web.

6. "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

Views: 6 676 384 109
Release Date: April 6, 2015
Channel: Wiz Khalifa

Created as a tribute to actor Paul Walker and featured in Furious 7, "See You Again" is an emotional powerhouse. With Charlie Puth’s moving vocals and Wiz Khalifa’s poignant verses, the song became a cultural moment. Its heartfelt message of loss, remembrance, and friendship struck a universal chord.

7. "Phonics Song with Two Words" by ChuChu TV

Views: 6 476 457 663
Release Date: March 6, 2014
Channel: ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs

Education meets entertainment with this mega-popular phonics video. Designed to teach English alphabet pronunciation using simple word associations, it’s a staple in preschool learning worldwide. ChuChu TV’s cheerful animations and repetitive learning structure keep kids engaged and returning.

8. "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran

Views: 6 471 253 422
Release Date: January 30, 2017
Channel: Ed Sheeran

This song dominated charts around the world and its music video followed suit. With a storyline about boxing and unexpected romance, “Shape of You” offered more than just a catchy beat — it told a story that resonated with fans. It’s one of the few non-children’s songs to reach these heights.

9. "Gangnam Style" by PSY

Views: 5 579 892 734
Release Date: July 15, 2012
Channel: PSY

The original YouTube breaker. “Gangnam Style” was the first video to hit 1 billion views and helped cement YouTube’s place in pop culture. PSY’s quirky dance, humorous storytelling, and catchy K-pop energy made this an unforgettable internet moment—and it's still going strong over a decade later.

10. "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

Views: 5 570 316 426
Release Date: November 19, 2014
Channel: Mark Ronson

This funky, retro-inspired music video captured lightning in a bottle. Bruno Mars’ charismatic performance and the song’s infectious groove made “Uptown Funk” a party anthem that refuses to fade. The video’s sharp visuals and nonstop energy make it one of the most replayed in YouTube history.

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Each of these videos has reached astronomical numbers because they struck a chord — whether through nostalgia, danceability, emotional power, or kid-friendly charm. As we move further into 2025, it’ll be interesting to see if any new contenders rise to shake up the ranks. Stay tuned for the June 2025 update to see how the list evolves!

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Playlist of top 200 most viewed YouTube videos

YouTube History

YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, who were all early employees of PayPal. Hurley had studied design at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, while Chen and Karim studied computer science together at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

According to a story that has often been repeated in the media, Hurley and Chen developed the idea for YouTube during the early months of 2005, after they had experienced difficulty sharing videos that had been shot at a dinner party at Chen's apartment in San Francisco. Karim did not attend the party and denied that it had occurred, while Chen commented that the idea that YouTube was founded after a dinner party "was probably very strengthened by marketing ideas around creating a story that was very digestible".

YouTube began as a venture-funded technology startup, primarily from a $11.5 million investment by Sequoia Capital between November 2005 and April 2006. YouTube's early headquarters were situated above a pizzeria and Japanese restaurant in San Mateo, California. The domain name www.youtube.com was activated on February 14, 2005, and the website was developed over the subsequent months.

The first YouTube video was entitled Me at the zoo, and shows co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo. The video was uploaded on April 23, 2005, and can still be viewed on the site.

From left to right: Chad Hurlet, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim

YouTube's former logo, used from 2006 to 2011, with different color gradient.

YouTube offered the public a beta test of the site in May 2005, six months before the official launch in November 2005. The site grew rapidly, and in July 2006 the company announced that more than 65,000 new videos were being uploaded every day, and that the site was receiving 100 million video views per day. According to data published by market research company comScore, YouTube is the dominant provider of online video in the United States, with a market share of around 43 percent and more than 14 billion videos viewed in May 2010. YouTube says that roughly 60 hours of new videos are uploaded to the site every minute, and that around three quarters of the material comes from outside the U.S. The site has eight hundred million unique users a month. It is estimated that in 2007 YouTube consumed as much bandwidth as the entire Internet in 2000. Alexa ranks YouTube as the third most visited website on the Internet, behind Google and Facebook.

The choice of the name www.youtube.com led to problems for a similarly named website, www.utube.com. The owner of the site, Universal Tube & Rollform Equipment, filed a lawsuit against YouTube in November 2006 after being overloaded on a regular basis by people looking for YouTube. Universal Tube has since changed the name of its website to www.utubeonline.com. In October 2006, Google Inc. announced that it had acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in Google stock, and the deal was finalized on November 13, 2006. Google does not provide detailed figures for YouTube's running costs, and YouTube's revenues in 2007 were noted as "not material" in a regulatory filing. In June 2008, a Forbes magazine article projected the 2008 revenue at $200 million, noting progress in advertising sales. In January 2012, it was estimated that visitors to YouTube spent an average of fifteen minutes a day on the site, in contrast to the four or five hours a day spent by a typical U.S. citizen watching television.

YouTube entered into a marketing and advertising partnership with NBC in June 2006. In November 2008, YouTube reached an agreement with MGM, Lions Gate Entertainment, and CBS, allowing the companies to post full-length films and television episodes on the site, accompanied by advertisements in a section for US viewers called "Shows". The move was intended to create competition with websites such as Hulu, which features material from NBC, Fox, and Disney. In November 2009, YouTube launched a version of "Shows" available to UK viewers, offering around 4,000 full-length shows from more than 60 partners. In January 2010, YouTube introduced an online film rentals service, which is available only to users in the US, Canada and the UK as of 2010. The service offers over 6,000 films.

YouTube's headquarters as of 2010 in San Bruno, California

In March 2010, YouTube began free streaming of certain content, including 60 cricket matches of the Indian Premier League. According to YouTube, this was the first worldwide free online broadcast of a major sporting event.

On March 31, 2010, the YouTube website launched a new design, with the aim of simplifying the interface and increasing the time users spend on the site. Google product manager Shiva Rajaraman commented: "We really felt like we needed to step back and remove the clutter." In May 2010, it was reported that YouTube was serving more than two billion videos a day, which it described as "nearly double the prime-time audience of all three major US television networks combined". In May 2011, YouTube reported in its company blog that the site was receiving more than three billion views per day. In January 2012, YouTube stated that the figure had increased to four billion videos streamed per day.

In October 2010, Hurley announced that he would be stepping down as chief executive officer of YouTube to take an advisory role, and that Salar Kamangar would take over as head of the company.

In April 2011, James Zern, a YouTube software engineer, revealed that 30 percent of videos accounted for 99 percent of views on the site.

In November 2011, the Google+ social networking site was integrated directly with YouTube and the Chrome web browser, allowing YouTube videos to be viewed from within the Google+ interface. In December 2011, YouTube launched a new version of the site interface, with the video channels displayed in a central column on the home page, similar to the news feeds of social networking sites. At the same time, a new version of the YouTube logo was introduced with a darker shade of red, the first change in design since October 2006.

In May 2013, YouTube launched a pilot program to began offering some content providers the ability to charge $0.99 per month or more for certain channels, but the vast majority of its videos would remain free to view.

source: wikipedia