Podcasts are booming and 2020 has made that fact more true than ever. The podcast industry is now a billion dollar industry and there are absolutely no signs that its popularity growth is stopping anytime soon. Million of people all around the world are now listening to podcasts on a daily basis.
The popularity of podcasts can be explained by its 21st century-compatible concept. It is basically an on-demand talk radio show, by that combining the radio talk show format with the on-demand availability of streaming services.
The podcast boom has led to an explosion of new podcasts show, covering a variety of genres. This isn’t surprising either, considering that practically everyone can start a podcast. You don’t need a big broadcast studio or work for a radio station, just a mic and computer. So while there are lots and lots of podcasters out there these days, there are some that really dominate the podcast market. These biggest podcasts attract millions of listeners per episode. But what are the most popular podcasts?
The following list tells you just that, by ranking the most listened to podcasts in the world by global listeners in 2020. The top podcast ranking is based on the Spotify and iTunes charts throughout 2020 and only counts shows that are actual podcasts (traditional radio shows are hence disregarded here).
The 10 Most Popular Podcasts in the World 2021

1. The Joe Rogan Experience

2. TED Talks Daily

3. The Daily

4. The Michelle Obama Podcast

5. Call Her Daddy

6. Crime Junkie

7. Stuff You Should Know

8. Office Ladies

9. Entiende Tu Mente

10. Pod Save America

The 10 Most Popular Podcasts (at a glance)
(based on 2020 data)
The Top 10 Most Popular Podcasts: |
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1. THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE Hosted by Joe Rogan |
2. TED TALKS DAILY Hosted by Elise Hu |
3. THE DAILY Hosted by Michael Barbaro |
4. THE MICHELLE OBAMA PODCAST Hosted by Michelle Obama |
5. CALL HER DADDY Hosted by Alexandra Cooper |
6. CRIME JUNKIE Hosted by Ashley Flowers & Brit Prawat |
7. STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW Hosted by Charles Bryant & Josh Clark |
8. OFFICE LADIES Hosted by Angela Kinsey & Jenna Fischer |
9. ENTIENDE TU MENTE Hosted by Molo Cebrian, Luis Muino & Monica Gonzalez |
10. POD SAVE AMERICA Hosted by: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett & Thomas Vietor |