Pakistan Has the World’s Highest YouTube Viewership: PTA Chairman

Pakistan ranks highest globally for YouTube viewership, with 560 million videos watched daily, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman, Major General Hafeez Ur Rehman. Speaking at a National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication briefing, Rehman detailed that approximately 96 million Pakistanis use YouTube, while TikTok boasts 100 million user accounts and around 150 million Pakistanis watch videos on the platform.

WhatsApp also has 100 million user accounts in the country. Each day, Pakistanis make about 1 billion WhatsApp calls and send 12 billion messages on the app.

With growing data usage driven by social media and artificial intelligence, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja informed the committee that 1.8 million people currently use 5G, which is being rolled out in 24 cities. The 5G user base in Pakistan is nearing 2 million, and the government is working to enhance services.

The rapid growth in video streaming, calls, and messaging is straining mobile networks, highlighting the importance of improved 5G coverage for everyday users. Issues such as the theft of telecom towers along with their diesel and generators, as well as the blocking of inactive WhatsApp accounts, also contribute to service challenges.