How does YouTube choose trending videos?

YouTube builds the list from a combination of how fast views are growing, how new the video is, and how it performs relative to that channel's other uploads. That is why trending is not a most-viewed list — it measures the rise rather than the total.

How often does the trending list change?

It updates a few times a day rather than continuously. That is why results here are cached for several hours without going stale.

Can I get my video onto trending?

There is no reliable route, because the list depends on a surge of views in a short window that is largely outside a creator's control. It is far more useful to study the list's patterns — lengths, title styles, rising categories — than to chase a place on it.

Channel Analytics

YouTube Trending Videos by Country

Pick a country and category to see the current trending list, with the numbers behind each video.

Country Category

What this is

A trending list ranks the videos rising fastest in a country, assembled by YouTube from how quickly views are growing, how new a video is, and how it performs against that channel's other uploads. It is not simply the most-viewed videos — an old popular video never appears there. What makes it useful to a creator is not the videos themselves but the pattern: what lengths, title styles and categories are getting attention in a particular market.

How it works

Trending lists differ by country, often substantially. Reading Indonesia's list against another country's is a quick way to tell whether a format is rising globally or only in one market — which decides whether it is worth borrowing.

Results are cached for several hours. The trending list itself only changes a few times a day, so caching does not make the data stale, and it keeps the daily quota available for everyone.

Watch the engagement rate rather than the view count alone. A trending video with enormous views but low engagement is usually being carried by placement, while high engagement means viewers actually cared — and the second is the one whose pattern is worth studying.

How to use it

Pick a country The lists differ considerably between markets.
Narrow to a category Useful when your niche is specific.
Export to CSV To compare across days or countries in a spreadsheet.

Common questions

How does YouTube choose trending videos?: YouTube builds the list from a combination of how fast views are growing, how new the video is, and how it performs relative to that channel's other uploads. That is why trending is not a most-viewed list — it measures the rise rather than the total.
How often does the trending list change?: It updates a few times a day rather than continuously. That is why results here are cached for several hours without going stale.
Can I get my video onto trending?: There is no reliable route, because the list depends on a surge of views in a short window that is largely outside a creator's control. It is far more useful to study the list's patterns — lengths, title styles, rising categories — than to chase a place on it.

Notes

Results are cached for several hours to protect the service quota.
The trending list measures rise rather than total views.