Top 10 Most Watched YouTube Videos in History

YouTube is no longer “just a video site.” It’s the world’s biggest attention marketplace, where children’s songs, Latin pop, K-pop, throwback dance hits, memes, and even devotional chants can outpace blockbuster movies in total audience.

View counts change every day, but the all-time leaderboard has been remarkably consistent: a few mega-viral videos have simply refused to slow down. Here are the Top 10 most-watched YouTube videos in history, and what keeps each one printing billions of views.

Baby Shark Dance – 12B+ (now over 16B)

This is the modern internet’s ultimate children’s loop: bright colors, simple rhythm, easy dance, and a chorus toddlers can repeat endlessly. It’s the perfect “replay machine” for homes, schools, and kids’ screens worldwideNand it has pushed far beyond the 10–12 billion era into 16+ billion views.

Despacito – 8.9B+

A global breakthrough for Latin pop at peak YouTube culture: irresistible reggaeton rhythm, sing-along hook, and a video that sells heat, color, and celebration. It became the template for how a non-English song can dominate the entire planet at once.

See You Again – 6.9B+

More than a song, it’s a public goodbye. The emotional pull friendship, loss, and memory gives it long life. People don’t just “discover” this video; they return to it during personal moments, which is why it keeps stacking views.

Shape of You – 6.6B+

Hook-heavy, radio-proof, club-proof, and algorithm-proof. The beat is immediate, the chorus is sticky, and the video is built around energy and movement perfect for replay culture and global playlists.

Gangnam Style – 5.8B+

The original “worldwide internet moment.” It didn’t just go viral it taught the mainstream world what “viral” meant. The dance is simple, the visuals are weird in a way that travels, and the satire didn’t need translation.

Uptown Funk – 5.7B+

This record lives on weddings, parties, school shows, dance rehearsals everywhere people need instant mood. The video’s styling, choreography, and throwback funk feel make it endlessly reusable.

Axel F (Crazy Frog) – 5.7B+

A meme before the word “meme” became everyday language. The beat is universal, the character is cartoonish, and kids keep discovering it like it’s brand-new, so it keeps cycling through generations.

Dame Tu Cosita – 5.3B+

It’s a dance challenge disguised as a music video. The green alien animation turned the song into a shareable gag, and once challenges start, the views don’t come in once, they come in waves.

Shree Hanuman Chalisa – 5.1B+

This is the proof that YouTube isn’t only for pop culture, it’s also a daily habit platform. Devotional content racks up views through repeat listening, family routines, and diaspora communities staying connected to faith and tradition.

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) – 4.4B+

A World Cup anthem with real staying power: football nostalgia, big chorus, and celebratory visuals that never go out of season. Every tournament cycle and throwback playlist sends it surging again.