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Creator Economy Market Size (2025-2030)

by Fabio Duarte
November 19, 2024

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 $191 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

The global creator economy is currently worth $191.55 billion.

Graphic stating the global creator economy value

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%.

bar chart showing creator economy market growth projections

Here’s a breakdown of the projected annual growth of the creator economy:

YearMarket 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.

graphic stating proportion of creators relying on brand deals and main source of income

However, this isn’t the only revenue source for creators. Approximately 7.3% claim that ad share brings in the most money for them.

bar chart showing content creator top revenue sources

Here’s a breakdown of the highest-earning revenue sources for creators:

RankCreator Economy Main Revenue SourceProportion
1Brand deals68.8%
2Ad share7.3%
3Started own brand4.8%
4Affiliate links4.6%
5Courses4.4%
6N/A (no income)3.7%
7Tips3.5%
8Other2.7%

However, this isn’t the only revenue source for creators. Approximately 7.3% claim that ad 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 Channel20212023Change
Sponsored content91%82%↓ 9%
Affiliate47%56%↑ 9%
Advertising revenue18%33%↑ 15%
Creator funds-25%-
Paid content subscriptions-16%-
Selling merchandise11%15%↑ 4%

In terms of revenue, merchandise companies average the most with figures exceeding $500 million.

bar chart showing the types of companies supporting the creator economy

Here’s a list of the types of companies supporting the creator economy ranked by average annual revenue:

Type of Company Supporting Creator EconomyAverage 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)

E-commerce/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 2025, the North American creator economy is worth around $32.28 billion – over double Europe’s ($15.35 billion).

By 2030, this figure is expected to grow by over 4x to $142.91 billion. That’s more than Asia & Oceania ($52.17 billion), Europe ($41.17 billion), and South America ($14.67 billion) combined.

bar chart showing the creator economy market broken down by region

Here’s a breakdown of the projected creator economy value by region:

Creator Economy Value
YearNorth AmericaAsia & OceaniaEuropeSouth 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

Key Takeaways

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 Remote Work Trends.