Creator Economy Market Size (2024-2030)
The creator economy is currently booming.
And each year, the market is becoming larger and more varied.
Below, we’ll explore the following creator economy market size statistics:
Creator Economy Market Size Highlights
- The global creator economy is valued at over $155 billion
- By 2030, the creator economy is expected to surpass $525 billion
- On average, merchandise companies make over $500 million in annual revenue
- Shopify is the top company by revenue ($5.2 billion) supporting the creator economy
- North America has the largest creator economy market share (40%)
Creator Economy Market Size
As of 2024, the global creator economy is currently worth $156.37 billion.
The creator economy is growing at a CAGR of 22.5% and is expected to hit $528.39 billion by 2030.
Sources: GlobalNewswire, Coherent Market Insights
Creator Economy Market Growth Projections
Between 2023 and 2030, the creator economy is predicted to grow from $127.65 billion to $528.39 billion at a CAGR of 22.5%.
Here’s a breakdown of the projected annual growth of the creator economy:
| Year | Market Valuation Calculated Based on Forecasted CAGR |
| 2023 | $127.65 billion |
| 2024 | $156.37 billion |
| 2025 | $191.55 billion |
| 2026 | $234.65 billion |
| 2027 | $287.45 billion |
| 2028 | $352.13 billion |
| 2029 | $431.36 billion |
| 2030 | $528.39 billion |
Sources: GlobalNewswire, Coherent Market Insights
Content Creator Top Revenue Sources
Content creators often have multiple revenue streams.
Approximately 7 in 10 (68.8%) of creators rely on brand deals as their main source of revenue.
However, this isn’t the only revenue source for creators. Approximately 7.3% claim that ad share brings in the most money for them.
Here’s a breakdown of the highest-earning revenue sources for creators:
| Rank | Creator Economy Main Revenue Source | Proportion |
| 1 | Brand deals | 68.8% |
| 2 | Ad share | 7.3% |
| 3 | Started own brand | 4.8% |
| 4 | Affiliate links | 4.6% |
| 5 | Courses | 4.4% |
| 6 | N/A (no income) | 3.7% |
| 7 | Tips | 3.5% |
| 8 | Other | 2.7% |
Despite brand deals topping the list, the proportion of creators generating income in this method has actually dropped since 2021.
In 2021, approximately 91% of content creators received income from sponsored content. However, by 2023, that figure had dropped to 82%.
During that same period, there has been an increase in the proportion of creators generating income from affiliates (↑ 9%), advertising (↑ 15%), and merchandise sales (↑ 4%).
Here’s a closer look at content creator revenue channels over time:
| Proportion of Content Creators Generating Revenue | |||
| Income Channel | 2021 | 2023 | Change |
| Sponsored content | 91% | 82% | ↓ 9% |
| Affiliate | 47% | 56% | ↑ 9% |
| Advertising revenue | 18% | 33% | ↑ 15% |
| Creator funds | - | 25% | - |
| Paid content subscriptions | - | 16% | - |
| Selling merchandise | 11% | 15% | ↑ 4% |
In terms of revenue, merchandise companies average the most with figures exceeding $500 million.
Here’s a list of the types of companies supporting the creator economy ranked by average annual revenue:
| Type of Company Supporting Creator Economy | Average Annual Revenue |
| Merchandise | $511.69 million |
| Subscriptions | $308.11 million |
| Blockchain | $192.73 million |
| Ad Platforms | $47.01 million |
| Community Management/Analytics and Operations | $35.8 million |
| Courses | $30.8 million |
| Content Creation | $20.73 million |
| Fan Interactions | $18.52 million |
| Admin Tools/Analytics and Operations | $13.32 million |
| SaaS | $9.95 million |
| Financing | $9.76 million |
| Link-in-Bio | $7.97 million |
Sources: Goldman Sachs, eMarketer, NeoReach
Key Players in the Creator Economy Market
Social Media/Video Sharing
- BitClout (Japan)
- Cameo (US)
- Discord (US)
- Instagram (US)
- Moonio (Spain)
- Pallyy (Australia)
- TikTok (China)
- Twitch (US)
- YouTube (US)
Ecommerce/Marketplace
- Etsy (US)
- Gumroad (US)
- Impact (UK)
- OpenSea (US)
- Shopify (Canada)
- Stan (US)
- Teespring (US)
Subscription/Support
- Buy Me a Coffee (US)
- OnlyFans (UK)
- Patreon (US)
Content Creation/Distribution
- Acast (Sweden)
- Canva (Australia)
- ChatGPT (US)
- DALL-E (US)
- Gemini – formerly Bard (US)
- Ghost (US)
- Substack (US)
- TextFX (US)
- Thinkific (Canada)
- Writesonic (US)
- Spotify (Sweden)
Upscaling
- Beacons (US)
- Jellysmack (US)
- Komi (US)
- Later (Canada)
- Linktree (Australia)
- The Leap (US)
Source: NeoReach, Slashdot, The Leap
Creator Economy Market Geographic Breakdown
North America currently holds around 40% of the creator economy market share.
As of 2024, the North American creator economy is worth around $24 billion – nearly double Europe’s ($12.61 billion).
By 2030, this figure is expected to grow by approximately 6x to $142.91 billion. That’s more than Asia & Oceania ($52.17 billion), Europe ($41.17 billion), and South America ($14.67 billion) combined.
Here’s a breakdown of the projected creator economy value by region:
| Creator Economy Value | ||||
| Year | North America | Asia & Oceania | Europe | South America |
| 2023 | $17.79 billion | $18.35 billion | $10.35 billion | $2.68 billion |
| 2024 | $23.96 billion | $21.3 billion | $12.61 billion | $3.42 billion |
| 2025 | $32.28 billion | $24.73 billion | $15.35 billion | $4.36 billion |
| 2026 | $43.48 billion | $28.72 billion | $18.7 billion | $5.55 billion |
| 2027 | $58.57 billion | $33.34 billion | $22.78 billion | $7.08 billion |
| 2028 | $78.89 billion | $38.71 billion | $27.74 billion | $9.03 billion |
| 2029 | $106.27 billion | $44.94 billion | $33.79 billion | $11.51 billion |
| 2030 | $142.91 billion | $52.17 billion | $41.17 billion | $14.67 billion |
Sources: Research Nester, Coherent Market Insights, Coherent Market Insights (2), Coherent Market Insights (3), Global Newswire
Conclusion
The creator economy continues to go from strength to strength.
And with so many possibilities within the space, the market is set to continue its steep upward trajectory.
For related content, take a look at Freelance Statistics, Trends, and Insights and 7 Remote Work Trends.
