India is a big market for content creators. Photo-freepik.
Technology Desk, New Delhi. People are no longer unaware of the word content creator and many people recognize it as a means of earning. Especially Gen Z people are often found talking about followers, likes and viral content. In India, about 20-25 lakh people are working day and night to get fame and money on mobile screens. But the question is, how many people are actually earning and what is the truth of the content creator economy? Let's talk about this.
In the last few years, people have started seeing content creation as a means of earning. However, for a long time relatives called these content creators 'unemployed'. But today the situation has changed.
According to a BBC report, at the Waves Summit held in Mumbai in May this year, it was reported that India's digital creators are influencing customer spend of approximately $350 billion annually and this figure will reach $1 trillion in the next five years. This means that India's content creator economy will become worth one trillion dollars.
The Government of India has also taken this very seriously. In March 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that $100 crore would be allocated for the creator economy.
The thing is simple, the creators whose one to one and a half minute content you see on your mobile screen are actually becoming a big sales force for the country.
According to reports, there are 20 to 25 lakh active digital creators in India who have more than 1,000 followers and who regularly post content on different platforms. And needless to say, due to cheap data, the race among Gen Z to cash in on this formula is increasing day by day.
How many people are actually earning from this?
The answer may surprise you. According to a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), only 8 to 10 percent of creators are able to earn money from their content.
In other words, out of 20 to 25 lakh active creators, only 2 to 2.5 lakh are earning. The remaining 90-92 percent of creators either earn very little or social media is not their main source of income.
How do content creators actually make this money?
Top creators partner with big brands; Because they have a large audience, they sell exclusive content through their videos. Apart from this, they also earn from brand sponsorships, platform ads, affiliate marketing, subscriptions and premium content.
But who is really getting rich?
It is true that many content creators have become millionaires in India, but the social media platforms that have made them millionaires are the real winners of this game. According to a report by Business Standard, the revenue of YouTube's Indian operations in the year 2024 was Rs 14,300 crore, while the turnover of Facebook (Meta) was also in thousands of crores.
In such a situation, it can be said that content creation is a big market, but getting success is equally difficult. Along with this there is also psychological pressure of being unsuccessful.
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