BBC grows global audience to over half a billion
July 8, 2026



The BBC reports that it has grown its global audience to reach over half a billion people every week for the first time since contemporary records began.

Across BBC News, the BBC World Service and content distributed by BBC Studios, the BBC saw its international audience grow to 502 million people – up 11 per cent year-on-year.


BBC News increased its audience reach by nearly 50 million to 467 million (up 12 per cent year-on-year). The BBC World Service delivered over 70 per cent of the BBC’s international audience reach, attracting 355 million people weekly (up 14 per cent year-on-year).

This growth has been largely attributed to the division’s digital transformation which, combined with a run of significant news stories, delivered strong audience figures. As such, the BBC World Service has seen its digital audience increase by over 40 per cent during the same period.

Jonathan Munro, Interim CEO, BBC News and Current Affairs, commented: “I’d like to thank BBC teams across the world for delivering outstanding journalism just when the world needs it most. We have seen growth from all corners of the globe as people come to our journalism in record-breaking numbers for the breadth and depth of BBC reporting. We have consistently delivered distinctive and impartial coverage and, importantly, retained our position as the most trusted news provider in the UK and around the world.”

As the war in Ukraine continues, BBC News Ukrainian has seen its reach more than triple. The service reaches more than one in five adults throughout Ukraine on average, the result of huge growth across its social accounts. While the US-Israel war with Iran and protests in Iran have seen audiences continue to rely on BBC News Persian with the service reaching nearly 25 million people. BBC News Persian is the largest Persian-language media outlet outside Iran.

BBC News Brasil and BBC News Mundo both grew their audiences significantly – up 58 per cent and 40 per cent respectively – with the increases mainly attributed to TikTok and Instagram.

Fiona Crack, Interim Global Director, BBC News, added: “The digital transformation of our global services means millions more people now benefit from the insightful, impactful journalism that our courageous and innovative teams continue to deliver.”

Reflecting changing audience habits, the BBC World Service has increased its focus on sites and social accounts. In 2025, this included launching BBC News Polska for Polish-speakers and creating new TikTok accounts across its language services.

The BBC’s news output in English across World Service English, BBC.com and the BBC News channel grew its audience to 208 million people weekly (up 5 per cent year-on-year).

Demonstrating its reach amongst audiences in times of crisis and need, 76 per cent of BBC World Service reach lies in countries with low levels of press freedom.

BBC News’ biggest international market is India where audiences grew to 74 million on average each week, followed by the US, Nigeria, Iran and Tanzania.