Pakistan is one of the leading countries in the world in YouTube video viewing, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeez ur Rehman told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecom on 3 November 2026. Presenting figures on social media usage, he said 96 million people in the country use YouTube, and 560 million videos are watched on the platform every day.
YouTube: 96 Million Users, 560 Million Videos a Day
The headline figure is the scale of daily viewing: 96 million users watching 560 million videos a day works out to nearly six videos per user per day on average. The PTA chairman presented the country as a world leader in YouTube viewing by volume, a claim made in the committee session rather than from a published PTA dataset, so it should be read as the regulator’s reported figure.
For context, YouTube has approximately 2.58 billion active users worldwide, up from 2 billion in 2019, and is available in more than 100 countries and 80 languages. India has the largest YouTube audience, with an estimated 500 million users, followed by the United States with 254 million.
TikTok and WhatsApp Figures From the Same Session
The PTA chairman said TikTok has 100 million users in the country, while 150 million people watch and upload videos on the app — the higher second figure reflects multiple accounts per user. On WhatsApp, he said the platform has 100 million users in the country, with one billion calls and 12 billion messages made every day.
Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, who also addressed the meeting, said social media and artificial intelligence have sharply increased data consumption, putting extra pressure on telecom networks.
Why These Numbers Matter for Networks
The usage figures help explain the committee’s other complaint in the same session: poor internet quality. If tens of millions of people are streaming video, making a billion WhatsApp calls a day and sending 12 billion messages, the load on towers and backhaul is enormous — especially where power outages already take towers offline for hours.
The minister also noted that no spectrum auction had been held since the government led by Nawaz Sharif, leaving the country with 4G services until the present government’s 5G spectrum auction. According to the minister, 1.8 million people now use 5G, and the service is being introduced in 24 cities — a separate story covered in detail on this site.
PTA YouTube Figures FAQs
How many people use YouTube, according to PTA?
96 million people, watching 560 million videos every day, as told to the NA committee on 3 November 2026.
How many TikTok users are there?
PTA reported 100 million TikTok users, with 150 million people watching and uploading videos on the app.
How many WhatsApp users are there?
100 million users, making one billion calls and sending 12 billion messages every day, according to PTA.
Did PTA claim the country leads the world in YouTube viewing?
Yes — the PTA chairman told the committee the country is one of the leading countries in the world in YouTube viewing. That is the regulator’s reported claim, not a figure from a published dataset.
Why did the minister mention data consumption?
Shaza Fatima Khawaja said social media and artificial intelligence have sharply increased data consumption, which adds pressure to telecom infrastructure.
Conclusion
Whatever the exact ranking, the scale is the story: 96 million YouTube users, 100 million TikTok users and 100 million WhatsApp users mean video and messaging now dominate the country’s internet traffic. That demand is exactly why the committee’s complaints about call drops and slow networks matter — the networks are being asked to carry far more than they were built for.
