Podcasts: Listening Occasionally, Frequently or Not at All?

The term podcast, first mentioned in 2004, is believed to have been created by combining the words iPod and broadcast or Portable on demand (pod) and broadcast. The relatively new audio format has quickly gained great popularity around the globe aided by the rise of digital audio platforms like Spotify or Apple Music.

However, the consumption of podcasts varies quite a bit from one country to another. According to the latest data from the Statista Consumer Insights, half of those surveyed in Brazil say they listen to podcasts, while in South Korea the format appeared much less popular, with only 18 percent of respondents saying they listened to the format at least occasionally.

Listening to podcasts is quite a popular activity in Spain. 45 percent of Spaniards said they access this type of content occasionally, while 4 percent said they were frequent listeners tuning into podcasts or 11 hours or more every week. In Europe, this number is topped by Sweden. Consumption of podcasts was somewhat lower in the U.S. at 32 percent of podcast listeners.