The Australian Podcast Ranker has revealed that Australians downloaded 1.03 billion podcasts in 2023, marking a 26% increase from the previous year. The Ranker, a monthly snapshot of the top 200 podcasts listened to by Australians, includes the top 200 Australian podcasts, the biggest publishers, and the most successful podcast sales representatives.

In 2023, the five most popular podcasts in Australia were;

• Hamish & Andy,
• Casefile True Crime,
• Mamamia Out Loud,
• Shameless,
• and The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

December 2023 saw a 29% increase in monthly downloads from December 2022. Eight new publishers joined the Australian Podcast Ranker in 2023, including the ABC in November.

Australia is the largest consumer of podcasts globally, with 43% of the population listening every month. Four out of the top five podcasts of 2023 and 15 out of the top 20 most popular podcasts in December were produced locally. The average Australian listener spent 2.3 hours a week listening to podcasts in 2023 and downloaded 3.95 podcasts a week.

"The Australian Podcast Ranker has confirmed that podcast listening is a passion shared by many Australians. There were over 1 billion podcast downloads in 2023. This equates to over 2.8 million downloads every day," said Ford Ennals, CEO of Commercial Radio Australia (CRA).

"It has been an incredible year for podcasts and the Australian Podcast Ranker, with eight new publishers coming on board in 2023, including the ABC in November, which assisted with the December year-on-year increase. Underlying it all is that podcasts are now part of many Australians’ everyday lives. We are the largest consumers of podcasts globally, with 43 per cent listening every month," Ennals added.

"Australian listeners are dedicated to home grown as well as the best of international content. Four out of the top five podcasts of 2023 and 15 out of the top 20 most popular podcasts in December were produced locally," he continued.

"With 38 publishers from across Australia, the Australian Podcast Ranker, established in 2019, is the go-to place to discover what we are listening too. It’s the gold standard for advertisers to target dedicated listeners of quality podcast content," Ennals explained.

"Listener commitment to local content creates jobs across the audio industry as well as unlocking opportunities for advertisers to reach audiences that are fully engaged with podcasts they loyally listen to, engage with emotionally, and trust," Ennals concluded.

The Australian Podcast Ranker was established in 2019 and includes 38 publishers from across Australia. The top five publishers in December 2023 were ARN/iHeart, LiSTNR (SCA), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sirius XM Podcast Network, and Audioboom.