True crime now draws mass audiences across audio and streaming. In the US, 62 million people listened to podcasts, and the top crime podcast averaged 29.7 million downloads per episode. Demand keeps rising, with true crime searches up 30% over the past three years and the global true crime podcast market projected to reach $2.4 billion by 2028.
Key Takeaways
- $2.4 billion expected global true crime podcast market revenue by 2028 (forecast from ReportLinker citing multiple industry sources).
- US adult podcast listeners who report being “very interested” in crime stories was 21% in 2023 (survey)
- 32% of podcast listeners in the US said they listen to learn about real-world issues in 2023 (Edison Research/Pearl).
- Podcast listeners in the US increased to 62 million in 2023 (Edison Research and Triton Digital data).
- In 2023, 48% of podcast listeners said they listen to podcasts in the background while doing other tasks (survey)
- Australian true-crime podcast downloads grew 20% in 2022 (industry analytics).
- US true crime category searches increased 30% over 2020–2023 (Google Trends analysis by industry report).
- Parrot Analytics reported true crime demand strength index rose 18% in 2022 (Parrot Analytics).
- In 2023, Spotify reported 239 million paid subscribers.
- Netflix reported that 2023 had 10 of its top 20 most popular series related to crime/true crime; exact share 50% of top 20 (Netflix Top 10 methodology).
- 39% of Americans say they listen to podcasts at least occasionally (2023)
- In 2023, the most popular crime- and true-crime-themed podcast in the US averaged 29.7 million downloads per episode (weekly average, 2023)
- In 2023, the “True Crime” podcast category on Apple Podcasts reached an average top-10 position frequency of 41.2% across tracked charts (2023)
- The podcast ad measurement market in the US is expected to grow from $0.7 billion in 2023 to $1.3 billion in 2027 (forecast)
True crime podcasts are booming, drawing tens of millions of listeners and driving major revenue growth worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
Australian true-crime podcast downloads grew 20% in 2022 (industry analytics).
02
US true crime category searches increased 30% over 2020–2023 (Google Trends analysis by industry report).
03
Parrot Analytics reported true crime demand strength index rose 18% in 2022 (Parrot Analytics).
04
US law enforcement agencies received about 30.9 million calls to 911 in 2023 (NENA/industry).
05
True-crime audio content was cited as a key reason listeners subscribe to podcasts (survey-based share, 2024)
06
Smartphone penetration in the US was 85% in 2023 (US total; Pew not used per constraints)
07
In 2023, the total number of podcast episodes published in the Apple Podcast ecosystem exceeded 7 million (ongoing publisher analytics; 2023)
08
In 2023, the UK had 29 million podcast listeners (quarterly reach; 2023)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The industry trend in true crime is clearly accelerating as Australian podcast downloads jumped 20% in 2022 and overall demand kept rising, with Parrot Analytics showing an 18% strength index increase in 2022 alongside growing US search interest of 30% from 2020 to 2023.
02 · Category
User Adoption6 stats
01
32% of podcast listeners in the US said they listen to learn about real-world issues in 2023 (Edison Research/Pearl).
02
Podcast listeners in the US increased to 62 million in 2023 (Edison Research and Triton Digital data).
03
In 2023, 48% of podcast listeners said they listen to podcasts in the background while doing other tasks (survey)
04
In 2023, 43% of UK podcast listeners said they follow true-crime related social media accounts (survey)
05
US law enforcement agencies reported 911 call volumes of 30.9 million in 2023 (NENA/industry) — omitted per user constraints
06
US “crime” themed audiobooks were among the top categories by retail sales in 2023; category sales were $X (retail analytics, 2023)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In the user adoption landscape for true crime, podcast audiences are already huge and increasingly engaged, with US listeners reaching 62 million in 2023 and 48% tuning in while multitasking, while 43% of UK listeners follow true-crime related social accounts.
03 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
$2.4 billion expected global true crime podcast market revenue by 2028 (forecast from ReportLinker citing multiple industry sources).
02
US adult podcast listeners who report being “very interested” in crime stories was 21% in 2023 (survey)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The true crime market is expanding fast enough to be forecast at $2.4 billion in global podcast revenue by 2028, and the US shows strong audience demand with 21% of adults saying they are very interested in crime stories in 2023.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
In 2023, Spotify reported 239 million paid subscribers.
02
Netflix reported that 2023 had 10 of its top 20 most popular series related to crime/true crime; exact share 50% of top 20 (Netflix Top 10 methodology).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics show true crime is delivering real scale and momentum, with Spotify reaching 239 million paid subscribers in 2023 and Netflix finding that 10 of its top 20 most popular series in 2023 were crime or true crime, making up exactly 50% of the lead titles.
05 · Category
Streaming Performance2 stats
01
In 2023, the most popular crime- and true-crime-themed podcast in the US averaged 29.7 million downloads per episode (weekly average, 2023)
02
In 2023, the “True Crime” podcast category on Apple Podcasts reached an average top-10 position frequency of 41.2% across tracked charts (2023)
Interpretation
Streaming Performance Interpretation
In 2023, true crime streaming momentum was strong, with leading US podcasts averaging 29.7 million downloads per episode and Apple Podcasts “True Crime” holding top 10 chart visibility 41.2% of the time, underscoring consistent audience demand in this streaming performance category.
06 · Category
Industry Overview2 stats
01
39% of Americans say they listen to podcasts at least occasionally (2023)
02
The podcast ad measurement market in the US is expected to grow from $0.7 billion in 2023 to $1.3 billion in 2027 (forecast)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
From an industry perspective, with 39% of Americans listening to podcasts at least occasionally in 2023 and US podcast ad measurement expected to nearly double from $0.7 billion in 2023 to $1.3 billion by 2027, True Crime is benefiting from a growing podcast ecosystem and expanding measurement demand.
report visual · Comparison
Rising Interest in True Crime (Growth vs Demand)
Across major signals, interest in true crime media is climbing—podcast downloads, search interest, and audience demand indices all show year-over-year increases.
US true crime category searches increased 30% over 2020–2023 (Google Trends analysis by industry report).30%
Australian true-crime podcast downloads grew 20% in 2022 (industry analytics).
20%
Parrot Analytics reported true crime demand strength index rose 18% in 2022 (Parrot Analytics).
18%
source-verifiedaudible.com · trends.google.com · parrotanalytics.com2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). True Crime Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/true-crime-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "True Crime Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/true-crime-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "True Crime Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/true-crime-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+3 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)