India’s creator economy is on track to generate over $100 billion in revenue by 2030, with consumer spending influenced by digital content creators projected to surpass $1 trillion, per Boston Consulting Group. 

After announcing a $100 million investment in India’s creator ecosystem over the next two years, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan shared key insights about this expanding sector during a recent conversation on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast “People.”

India currently hosts the world’s largest YouTube user base with over 491 million active users. The platform generates an estimated $1 billion in yearly revenue from India alone, with 4 out of 5 Indians using the service.

“India really is at the cusp of being a true creator nation. And I think the insight, at least for me, was the recognition that India’s creator economy is not just important for India, but will have global implications,” Mohan stated.

The platform now counts 15,000 Indian creators with over one million subscribers each, up from 11,000 just months ago and only “four or five” a decade ago.

Mohan highlighted India’s growing global influence: “About 15%, roughly 45 billion hours of watch time of Indian content happens outside India. So it’s not just a creator economy. It’s a cultural export engine.”

By 2029, India’s YouTube user base is projected to reach 859.26 million users.

Creators as Entrepreneurs

Mohan emphasized that today’s creators function as business owners and brand builders.

“You have to be a creative person, an authentic thought. You have to share it with yourself, but you also have to be an entrepreneur,” he explained, warning that creators focused solely on sales without genuine passion will struggle to build sustainable audiences.

While advertising remains YouTube’s primary revenue model, Mohan encouraged creators to explore additional monetization avenues, including fan funding, subscriptions, and e-commerce.

On technology’s role, Mohan views AI as enhancing rather than replacing creativity: “AI is really going to be a tool that enhances human creativity, never replacing it,” noting that AI tools will help creators overcome production barriers and expand global reach through capabilities like automated translation.