Top 20 Most-Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time (2026 Updated List)

YouTube has become so massive that its platform now receives more than 20 million video uploads every day, while Shorts alone average more than 200 billion daily views.

That scale makes the all-time leaderboard fascinating—and surprisingly unpredictable. In 2026, “Baby Shark Dance” remains the most viewed YouTube video ever, while CoComelon’s “Wheels on the Bus” has moved ahead of “Despacito” for second place.

Below is the latest practical ranking, built from current leaderboard snapshots and cross-checks. Because YouTube counts change continuously, view totals should be treated as time-stamped snapshots, not permanent numbers.

Most Viewed YouTube Videos: Quick Ranking

Important: The top 10 figures above are based on an August 8, 2026 snapshot; lower positions are cross-checked against a June 9, 2026 all-time leaderboard because YouTube counters continue moving. The exact order around ranks 11–20 can change between checks.

1. Baby Shark Dance — Pinkfong (17.20+ billion views)

“Baby Shark Dance” is still the most viewed YouTube video of all time, sitting dramatically ahead of every other upload. The simple choreography, repetitive melody and child-friendly visuals helped turn a traditional-style children’s song into a global digital phenomenon.

Pinkfong’s video became the first YouTube upload to pass 10 billion views on January 13, 2022. It also passed Despacito in November 2020 and has remained at No. 1 ever since. 

Unique data point: The video originated from South Korean children’s entertainment company Pinkfong, showing how non-U.S. children’s media can dominate the global YouTube economy.

2. Wheels on the Bus — CoComelon (9.23+ billion views)

For years, “Despacito” looked untouchable at No. 2. That changed in 2026 when CoComelon’s “Wheels on the Bus” moved ahead, helped by the relentless viewing habits associated with preschool content.

Its straightforward lyrics, recognizable nursery-rhyme structure and bright animation make it especially suitable for repeat plays.

Unique data point: The upload dates to May 24, 2018, yet it has accumulated more than nine billion views—an extraordinary example of how children’s content can scale long after publication. 

3. Despacito — Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee (9.09+ billion views)

“Despacito” remains the most viewed conventional mainstream music video on the platform, even after losing second place overall. Its combination of Latin pop, reggaeton and an instantly recognizable chorus helped push Spanish-language music deeper into global mainstream culture.

The video was historically dominant: it became the first YouTube video to reach 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 billion views, setting milestones that remained unmatched until Baby Shark took over the top spot.

Unique data point: It was the first video ever to cross 3 billion views, reaching that milestone in August 2017.

4. Bath Song — CoComelon (7.57+ billion views)

“Bath Song” shows exactly why CoComelon is such a powerful force in the most watched YouTube video rankings. Rather than depending on a one-time viral moment, the video is built around an everyday routine that children can easily recognize and replay.

The upload was published in 2018, part of a broader CoComelon content strategy centered on familiar activities, repetition and early-learning themes.

Unique data point: It is one of multiple CoComelon uploads in the top 20, demonstrating that the channel’s success is a catalog strategy rather than a single-video fluke.

5. Johny Johny Yes Papa — LooLoo Kids (7.22+ billion views)

“Johny Johny Yes Papa” transformed an old children’s rhyme into a global YouTube hit. Its extremely short runtime and repetitive structure make it almost perfectly engineered for repeat viewing by young audiences.

The LooLoo Kids version was uploaded in October 2016, placing it among the older children’s videos that have accumulated enormous long-term totals.

Unique data point: It is one of the clearest examples of a non-Western children’s channel competing directly with global entertainment giants.

6. See You Again — Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth (7.06+ billion views)

Originally tied to Furious 7, “See You Again” became much bigger than a soundtrack placement. Its emotional tribute to Paul Walker helped the song connect with audiences far beyond the film itself.

The track eventually became the first video to follow Despacito past 3 billion views, and it briefly held YouTube’s overall viewing record in 2017.

Unique data point: “See You Again” held the No. 1 position for only 25 days before Despacito reclaimed the crown.

7. Phonics Song with TWO Words — ChuChu TV (7.05+ billion views)

Educational content is quietly one of YouTube’s biggest traffic engines. ChuChu TV’s “Phonics Song with TWO Words” turns alphabet practice into a repetitive audiovisual format that young viewers can easily follow.

Its March 2014 upload date gives it years of accumulated views compared with newer children’s hits.

Unique data point: It was uploaded in 2014, meaning it predates Baby Shark Dance by roughly two years and has still reached more than seven billion views.

8. Shape of You — Ed Sheeran (6.78+ billion views)

“Shape of You” was a monster hit across radio, streaming and social media, and YouTube became another major engine of its longevity. The video’s visual simplicity also allowed the track itself to remain the star.

Released in January 2017, it has remained one of the biggest music uploads throughout the late 2010s and 2020s.

Unique data point: It became the second video to reach four billion views, after Despacito.

9. Axel F — Crazy Frog (6.09+ billion views)

Crazy Frog’s return to the top 10 is one of the strangest stories on this year’s leaderboard. A novelty character rooted in mid-2000s internet culture has accumulated billions more views than many newer pop releases.

The video was published in 2009, making it one of the oldest uploads in the current top 10.

Unique data point: Its presence demonstrates the power of nostalgia and character-driven entertainment, not just celebrity or traditional music promotion.

10. Gangnam Style — PSY (6.02+ billion views)

“Gangnam Style” changed YouTube culture. PSY’s choreography, instantly recognizable visual comedy and Korean-language lyrics turned a regional pop hit into one of the first truly global internet music phenomena.

It became the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views in December 2012.

Unique data point: It later became the first video to pass 2 billion views, proving that YouTube could sustain enormous audiences long after a viral moment.

11. Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (5.83+ billion views)

“Uptown Funk” combined funk-inspired production, Bruno Mars’ star power and a highly repeatable dance aesthetic. It became a defining pop song of the mid-2010s and remains one of the most watched music videos ever uploaded.

The official video arrived in 2014, during the era when YouTube was becoming a core distribution channel for major music labels.

Unique data point: The video is more than 4 minutes long, yet it has accumulated billions of full-video views, showing how strong a global music hit can be on long-form YouTube.

12. Dame Tu Cosita — El Chombo ft. Cutty Ranks (5.50+ billion views)

Few entries on the list look as unusual as “Dame Tu Cosita.” Its neon-green alien, eccentric dance and meme-ready visual style gave the track an enormous life online.

The upload dates to 2018 and became especially recognizable through viral dance and meme culture.

Unique data point: Its visual identity—not an elaborate narrative or celebrity cast—is a major part of why the video became one of the platform’s most replayable viral music clips.

13. Learning Colors – Colorful Eggs on a Farm — Miroshka TV (5.48+ billion views)

This educational children’s video is another reminder that the most popular YouTube videos ranked by views are not necessarily traditional entertainment hits. It mixes colors, simple animation and familiar objects in a format designed for early learners.

The video was published in 2018, but has continued collecting views at an extraordinary scale.

Unique data point: The concept centers on color recognition, placing it closer to early-learning content than conventional nursery music.

14. Shree Hanuman Chalisa — T-Series Bhakti Sagar (5.47+ billion views)

The “Shree Hanuman Chalisa” stands out because its audience isn’t based on pop culture or children’s entertainment. It is devotional content that has become a massive recurring-view destination for Hindi-speaking and Hindu audiences around the world.

The upload dates to 2011, making it one of the oldest videos in the current top 20.

Unique data point: Its popularity demonstrates how religious and devotional media can generate enormous repeat-view audiences on YouTube, even outside mainstream music charts.

15. Baa Baa Black Sheep — CoComelon (4.84+ billion views)

“Baa Baa Black Sheep” is another classic nursery rhyme transformed into a highly visual, repeat-friendly CoComelon production.

It reinforces one of the strongest trends in this ranking: familiar children’s songs have enormous value because parents can repeatedly return to formats children already recognize.

Unique data point: It was uploaded in June 2018, making it one of several CoComelon videos that have independently entered YouTube’s multi-billion-view club.

16. Masha and the Bear – Recipe for Disaster — Get Movies (4.67+ billion views)

“Recipe for Disaster” comes from the Russian animated series Masha and the Bear. The episode demonstrates that full children’s entertainment—not just short nursery songs—can compete for a place among the most viewed videos on YouTube.

Its 2012 upload date gives it a long runway for accumulating views.

Unique data point: It is one of the few episodic animated programs in the all-time top tier rather than a standalone music or nursery-rhyme upload.

17. Lakdi Ki Kathi — Jingle Toons (4.60+ billion views)

“Lakdi Ki Kathi” brings Hindi-language children’s content into the global leaderboard. Its animated presentation and familiar children’s-song format make it highly accessible to young viewers.

The upload dates to 2018, showing that local-language children’s media can build global-scale reach without being created primarily for English-speaking markets.

Unique data point: It is one of the clearest examples of Hindi children’s content competing directly with English-language nursery-rhyme channels.

18. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) — Shakira (4.56+ billion views)

“Waka Waka” became one of the defining songs of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and that football connection gave it a powerful international audience.

The video combines Shakira’s performance with football imagery and African-inspired musical elements, helping it remain relevant long after the tournament ended.

Unique data point: The video is tied to one of the world’s biggest sporting events—the 2010 World Cup in South Africa—rather than a conventional album-only release.

19. Baby Shark — CoComelon (4.47+ billion views)

Yes, another Baby Shark appears on the list—but this one is CoComelon’s separate upload, not Pinkfong’s record-setting version.

Its presence highlights an important point about YouTube rankings: different uploads of the same underlying song can independently accumulate billions of views.

Unique data point: It is a different upload from Pinkfong’s record-holder, meaning its views are counted separately rather than combined.

20. Humpty the Train on a Fruits Ride — Kiddiestv Hindi (4.45+ billion views)

Rounding out the top 20 is “Humpty the Train on a Fruits Ride,” a colorful children’s learning video from Kiddiestv Hindi.

Its concept combines transportation, fruit recognition and nursery-style animation—exactly the sort of repeatable educational entertainment that performs exceptionally well on YouTube.

Unique data point: The video is specifically associated with Hindi-language children’s programming, reinforcing the wider shift toward localized content.

How These Rankings Are Calculated

The phrase “most viewed YouTube video” sounds simple, but the leaderboard needs rules.

This list focuses on the public view count attached to the individual long-form upload, rather than adding together multiple versions of a song, channel totals or every re-upload. Public ranking databases also note that YouTube’s counters are dynamic and can differ slightly depending on when they were recorded.

A few distinctions matter:

• Views are not unique viewers. One person can watch the same video multiple times.
• Re-uploads count separately. A song can have billions of views across several uploads, while only one particular upload appears on an all-time chart.
• Compilations are separate videos. Their views are not automatically merged with the original upload.
• The ranking changes continuously. A video can move several places simply because another upload is growing faster.
• Long-form and Shorts are different ecosystems. This ranking follows the traditional long-form leaderboard rather than mixing Shorts metrics into the same table.

YouTube itself treats views as a distinct analytics metric and also tracks likes, comments, shares and other engagement measures separately.

Trends Across the List

The biggest surprise is that children’s content is the dominant force.

Among these 20 videos, a large share is made specifically for young children or early learning. Pinkfong, CoComelon, LooLoo Kids, ChuChu TV, Miroshka TV, Jingle Toons and Kiddiestv Hindi all benefit from the repeat-view nature of preschool content.

That creates a fundamentally different growth model from a typical hit song: one audience member can return to the same video again and again.

Music still rules global pop culture

Mainstream music remains heavily represented through artists including Luis Fonsi, Wiz Khalifa, Ed Sheeran, PSY, Mark Ronson, Shakira and Crazy Frog.

The common thread is international accessibility. Songs that rely on strong hooks, visual identity or emotional storytelling can travel across borders even when listeners do not speak the language.

Non-English content is no longer unusual

The list includes Spanish-language, Korean, Hindi, Russian and multilingual children’s content.

“Despacito,” “Gangnam Style,” “Shree Hanuman Chalisa,” “Lakdi Ki Kathi” and Masha and the Bear show how YouTube has evolved from an English-heavy video site into a truly global distribution system. (Wikipedia)

The oldest videos benefit from time

Most of the leaderboard was published between 2009 and 2018. That matters because a video that remains popular for a decade can accumulate views gradually even if it was never designed for today’s algorithm.

The real skill is not simply going viral. It is staying watchable for years.

Which Videos Are Closing In on the Top 20?

The next group worth monitoring sits only a few hundred million views below the current cutoff.

Based on the June 2026 leaderboard, Counting Stars, Sugar, and Roar were immediately outside the top 20, with Dark Horse and Perfect also sitting within striking distance.

21. Counting Stars — OneRepublic

With more than 4.4 billion views in the June snapshot, “Counting Stars” is one of the clearest candidates to move back into the top 20.

22. Sugar — Maroon 5

The wedding-crashing concept remains one of the most recognizable music-video ideas of the 2010s. Its billion-scale catalog longevity makes it another serious contender.

23. Roar — Katy Perry

“Roar” remains a major pop-era video with a long history of high viewing volume and a strong global audience.

24. Dark Horse — Katy Perry ft. Juicy J

At more than four billion views, “Dark Horse” is close enough that a future reshuffle could easily bring it into the top 20.

25. Perfect — Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran has another major contender outside the current top 20, and its strong long-term performance shows the staying power of his YouTube catalog.

The Most Viewed Music Video on YouTube

There are two ways to answer this question.

If you count all music-oriented videos, including children’s songs, “Baby Shark Dance” is the clear winner.

If you mean a conventional mainstream artist music video, “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee is the leader in this ranking, with more than nine billion views.

That distinction is useful because otherwise headlines can make it sound as though “Baby Shark” and a traditional pop music video are competing under exactly the same audience model.

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Final Takeaway

The biggest lesson from the most viewed YouTube videos is that viral fame and long-term viewing are not the same thing.

Baby Shark wins through repetition and global children’s entertainment. Despacito and See You Again demonstrate the power of music and emotion. Gangnam Style proved that language is no barrier to worldwide virality. And the explosion of CoComelon, Hindi children’s content and other localized programming shows that YouTube’s future is increasingly global.

The leaderboard will keep moving. Wheels on the Bus already changed the shape of the top three in 2026, and the next wave of children’s content, music videos and localized entertainment could reshape the rest.

Which video do you think will make the biggest jump next—and does anything realistically have a shot at catching Baby Shark? Leave your prediction in the comments.

FAQ

What is the most watched video on YouTube right now?

As of the latest 2026 snapshots used for this article, “Baby Shark Dance” by Pinkfong is still the most viewed long-form YouTube video, with more than 17.2 billion views.

What is the most disliked video on YouTube?

Historically, YouTube’s “YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind” became famous as the platform’s most disliked video, although dislike-count visibility was later removed from public YouTube pages. That means current public comparisons are much less straightforward than they were before the platform changed how dislikes are displayed.

What was the first video to hit 1 billion views?

PSY’s “Gangnam Style” was the first YouTube video to pass one billion views, doing so in December 2012.

Will Baby Shark ever be dethroned?

Possibly—but it is not close yet. With a lead of roughly 8 billion views over the next video, Baby Shark currently has a huge cushion. 

What is the YouTube views record?

The current record belongs to “Baby Shark Dance,” which became the first video to exceed 10 billion views in January 2022 and has since passed 17 billion.