Want to See My YouTube CPMs for Every Country In the World?

We thought YouTube CPMs were confusing before.  Then we got this email.

I already have a headache writing this.  But here's the latest breakdown of every YouTube CPM by country (or most of them, anyway).

According to YouTube executive Lyor Cohen, YouTube pays $3 for every 1,000 views.  The RIAA states that the company pays closer to $1.50.  A reputable independent analyst team stated that the video platform pays closer to $0.60.  An artist reporting to DMN says he's making 1/10th of that.

So, who's correct?  Just when we thought it couldn't get any more confusing, an anonymous reader sent us their YouTube CPM payouts.  From every single country in which the videos played.

Taking a look at the content creator's earnings, you'll find that YouTube doesn't pay out an equal amount per country.  In top European countries, the video platform will pay out a higher CPM.  Norway and Algeria ranked the highest on the list with playback-based CPM at $55.49 and $50.00, respectively.  Germany, Moldova, and South Korea followed right behind with $38.88, $30.00, and $17.04, respectively.

In poorer and less populated Eastern European as well as in some Latin American countries, the company will pay relatively low rates.  Slovakia had one of the lowest playback-based CPMs with $0.27.  Georgia and Hungary tied for last place with $0.01 each.  Argentina and Mexico also appeared near the end of the list with $0.46 and $0.32, respectively.

What's the difference between 'CPM' and 'playback-based CPM'?

The distinction comes into place because more than one ad can be played on a video. Some have one ad, others two or more. According to YouTube, "CPM focuses on the advertiser cost for ad impressions. Playback-based CPM focuses on the advertiser cost for video playbacks that include one or more ads. Your playback-based CPM is often higher than your CPM."

YouTube uses an example in which 1,000 views of a video have one ad, while another 500 views have two ads. That means that 2,000 ads were served (which is used to calculate CPM), while just 1,500 videos had monetized playbacks (which is used for the playback-based CPM).

You can find the playback-based CPM followed by CPM breakdown by country below.

  • Norway: $55.49 (playback-based CPM) / $43.16 (CPM)
  • Algeria: $50.00 / $25.00
  • Germany: $38.88 (both remained the same)
  • Moldova: $30.00
  • South Korea: $17.04
  • Sweden: $18.28 /
  • Finland: $19.15 / $15.16
  • United Kingdom: $19.00 / $14.16
  • Canada: $14.76 / $13.83
  • United States: $15.58 / $13.18
  • Peru: $10.00
  • Israel: $10.68 / $9.27
  • Spain: $12.38 / $8.43
  • Netherlands: $10.66 / $7.72
  • Australia: $12.49 / $7.03
  • Japan: $7.51 / $6.26
  • Taiwan: $5.85
  • India: $5.83
  • Italy: $8.55 / $5.29
  • United Arab Emirates: $6.10 / $4.88
  • France: $6.06 / $4.47
  • Poland: $5.58 / $4.18
  • Chile: $5.88 / $3.92
  • Belgium: $4.89 / $3.91
  • Thailand: $2.97
  • Ireland: $3.47 / $2.78
  • Estonia: $4.57 / $2.36
  • Latvia: $3.22 / $1.89
  • Russia: $2.50 / $1.85
  • Greece: $2.83 / $1.61
  • Brazil: $2.20 / $1.54
  • Ukraine: $1.91 / 1.22
  • Belarus: $2.02 / $1.17
  • Romania: $1.52 / $1.02
  • Portugal: $1.31 / $0.88
  • Lithuania: $1.57 / $0.87
  • Bulgaria: $1.10 / $0.63
  • Czechia: $0.86 / $0.56
  • Kazakhstan: $0.45
  • Mexico: $0.32 / $0.21
  • Slovakia: $0.27 / $0.14
  • Unknown region: $0.12 / $0.06
  • Georgia: $0.01
  • Hungary: $0.01

You can also check out the screenshots below (with identifying information removed).