Virtual influencers have moved from a niche digital experiment into a measurable part of creator culture. In March 2022, 58% of 1,044 or more U.S. adults said they followed at least one virtual influencer, while a 2024 YouTube sample of 300 virtual creators generated more than 15 billion views.
Contents
- U.S. audience adoption
- Why people follow virtual influencers
- Trust, relatability, and buying behavior
- Leading accounts and estimated earnings
- Virtual creators on YouTube
- Market size and research outlook
U.S. audience adoption
The clearest audience snapshot in the supplied research comes from a March 2022 survey of U.S. adults. Overall, 58% of 1,044 or more respondents aged 18 and older said they followed at least one virtual influencer. The result indicates substantial awareness and adoption, but it is a survey measurement from that month rather than a current estimate of all U.S. consumers. Influencer Marketing Factory, “Virtual Influencers Survey + INFOGRAPHIC”
Age differences were pronounced. Approximately 70% of U.S. respondents aged 18–44 followed at least one virtual influencer. A separate age breakdown from the same March 2022 period found that 75% of consumers aged 18–24, 67% of those aged 25–34, and 67% of those aged 35–44 followed at least one. Statista, “Consumers following virtual influencers by age U.S. 2022”
The older groups were less likely to report following virtual influencers: 51% of U.S. respondents aged 45–54 and 26% of those aged 55 and older said they followed at least one in March 2022. The two age summaries use different reported groupings, so they should be read as related measurements rather than combined into a single calculation. Influencer Marketing Factory, “Virtual Influencers Survey + INFOGRAPHIC”
Non-followers described several barriers. In March 2022, 24.1% said they did not know virtual influencers existed, 24.5% preferred human influencers to computer-generated influencers, and 51.4% said they were not interested in virtual influencers. These responses suggest that non-adoption reflected both limited awareness and a preference or lack of interest—not one uniform objection. Influencer Marketing Factory, “Virtual Influencers Survey + INFOGRAPHIC”
Why people follow virtual influencers
Content was the leading reported reason for following virtual influencers among U.S. followers in March 2022, selected by 26.6%. Storytelling followed at 18.6%. Inspiration and music each accounted for 15.5%, while avatar aesthetics accounted for 12.1% and interaction for 11.8%. The pattern puts the avatar’s visual design inside a broader content experience: aesthetics mattered, but content and narrative were more frequently named motivations.
| Reported reason | Share of U.S. followers, March 2022 |
|---|---|
| Content | 26.6% |
| Storytelling | 18.6% |
| Inspiration | 15.5% |
| Music | 15.5% |
| Avatar aesthetics | 12.1% |
| Interaction | 11.8% |
Source: Influencer Marketing Factory, “Virtual Influencers Survey + INFOGRAPHIC”. The categories are reported survey responses; they are not a ranking of revenue or audience size.
Followers used several platforms. YouTube was reported by 28.7% of U.S. virtual-influencer followers, narrowly ahead of Instagram at 28.4%. TikTok accounted for 20.5%, Facebook for 14.6%, Twitter for 4.6%, Spotify for 2.0%, and other platforms for 1.2% in March 2022. These figures describe where surveyed followers followed virtual influencers, not the share of total views or the number of accounts on each service.
The platform distribution helps explain why virtual influencer design is not only a still-image concern. YouTube and Instagram were nearly level in the survey, while TikTok also represented a substantial share. A character may therefore need a recognizable visual identity that remains legible across short video, long video, social posts, and music-related content.
Trust, relatability, and buying behavior
Surveyed followers gave mixed but measurable ratings to virtual influencers. U.S. followers aged 35–44 rated trust in products advertised by virtual influencers at 6.5 out of 10 in March 2022, and rated virtual-influencer relatability at 6.2 out of 10. Among followers aged 25–34, trust was rated 5.8 out of 10 and relatability 5.7 out of 10. Among those aged 18–24, trust was 5.2 out of 10 and relatability 5.6 out of 10. Influencer Marketing Factory, “Virtual Influencers Survey + INFOGRAPHIC”
| U.S. follower age | Trust in advertised products | Relatability |
|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 5.2/10 | 5.6/10 |
| 25–34 | 5.8/10 | 5.7/10 |
| 35–44 | 6.5/10 | 6.2/10 |
Source: Influencer Marketing Factory, “Virtual Influencers Survey + INFOGRAPHIC”, March 2022. These are reported age-group ratings, not an overall average.
Purchase behavior was also present: 35% of U.S. survey respondents said they had bought a product or service promoted by a virtual influencer by March 2022. The statement does not specify a purchase value, product category, or repeat-purchase rate, so it supports a reach-and-behavior observation rather than a sales forecast.
The available ratings show that trust and relatability were not identical measures. Among 18–24-year-old followers, relatability was 5.6 out of 10 while trust in advertised products was 5.2. Among 35–44-year-olds, the corresponding ratings were 6.2 and 6.5. That distinction matters for avatar design and brand work: being recognizable or relatable does not automatically establish confidence in a promoted product.
Leading accounts and estimated earnings
A 2023 table reported Instagram follower counts, engagement rates, and estimated per-post earnings for selected virtual influencer accounts. The table is a reported snapshot and cites Thai PBS material from 2021, so these figures should not be treated as current account metrics or independently verified estimates. “18-4.indd”
| Account | Instagram followers | Engagement rate | Estimated earnings per post |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lu do Magalu | 5,000,000 | 0.08% | $10,128–$16,880 |
| Lil Miquela | 3,000,000 | 1.85% | $6,056–$10,093 |
| Knox Frost | 800,000 | 1.02% | $2,386–$3,977 |
| Thalasya Pov | 495,000 | 0.95% | $1,474–$2,457 |
| Imma | 331,000 | 1.61% | $987–$1,646 |
| Bermuda | 203,000 | 7.29% | $881–$1,468 |
| Shudu | 215,000 | 3.12% | $645–$1,074 |
The reported table shows why follower count alone is an incomplete comparison. Lu do Magalu had the largest listed audience at 5 million, but the reported engagement rate was 0.08%. Bermuda had 203,000 followers and a reported 7.29% engagement rate. Estimated earnings also varied by account and should be read as ranges from the historical table, not guaranteed campaign prices.
The same 2023 table listed Ailynn with 31,200 Instagram followers and Bangkoknaughtyboo with 4,000. Their inclusion illustrates the range of account scale represented in the snapshot, from millions of followers to a few thousand. Because the table is historical and source-attributed, it is most useful for understanding the market’s variety rather than for evaluating present-day performance.
Virtual creators on YouTube
YouTube data provides a broader view of virtual creator activity. A 2024 sample of 300 virtual creators generated more than 15 billion views across videos, livestreams, and Shorts. The same sample generated 1 billion views from the United States. YouTube Culture & Trends, “The rise of virtual creators: a new frontier on YouTube”
Another YouTube report found that videos related to VTubers averaged 50 billion views annually over the three years preceding the 2025 report. In a May 2024 survey, 57% of U.S. online people aged 14–44 said they had watched a VTuber or virtual influencer in the previous 12 months. The survey period and age range are different from the March 2022 U.S. adult survey, so the percentages should not be compared as a time-series measure. YouTube Culture & Trends Report, “The virtual evolution of the creator”
Virtual creators also appeared in livestream viewing. In June 2024, one-third of the channels with the most live watch time related to Grand Theft Auto V were VTubers. This is a specific game-related ranking observation, not a claim about all YouTube livestream categories. Together, the view and livestream figures show that virtual creators can participate in both edited content and real-time community formats.
Market size and research outlook
Grand View Research forecasts the global virtual-influencer market to reach $45.88 billion by 2030, with a 40.8% compound annual growth rate from 2025 through 2030. These are forecasts, not realized market totals. Grand View Research also reports that human avatars held more than 68% of global virtual-influencer market revenue in 2024 and that North America held more than 42% of revenue in 2024. Grand View Research, “Virtual Influencer Market Size To Reach $45.88 Billion By 2030”
The same market outlook should be distinguished from an older industry summary. The Influencer Marketing Factory survey page’s cited summary described the virtual-influencer market as approximately $4.6 billion in 2018 and projected growth above 26% CAGR from 2019 through 2025. It also reported that virtual influencers had almost three times more engagement than real influencers, citing HypeAuditor. These legacy figures are retained as source-attributed historical claims; they were not independently verified for this article. Influencer Marketing Factory, “Virtual Influencers Survey + INFOGRAPHIC”
Research evidence is also expanding. A 2026 meta-analysis synthesized 210 experiments from 110 papers on virtual influencer marketing, evaluated 643 effect sizes, and included a practitioner survey of 204 marketing and communication professionals. The scale of that review is evidence about the volume and structure of research, not a single estimate of audience size or campaign performance. “Virtual influencer marketing: A meta-analytic review”
Finally, the Influencer Marketing Factory page’s cited industry summary stated that Instagram had verified 35 virtual influencers by the time of its survey-page reporting. The same source context places that observation alongside the 2022 survey, while the older market and engagement claims refer to earlier periods. Keeping those dates and source labels attached is essential: virtual influencer statistics span surveys, historical account snapshots, platform samples, market forecasts, and research reviews that measure different things.