How Much YouTube Pays Per 1000 Views in India (2026 Data)

Before diving into numbers, let's clarify two key metrics:

CPM (Cost Per Mille): What advertisers pay per 1000 ad impressions. This is the advertiser's cost, not your earnings. CPM in India ranges from ₹20 to ₹400+ depending on the niche.

RPM (Revenue Per Mille): What YOU actually earn per 1000 views after YouTube's cut. This is always lower than CPM because:
- YouTube takes 45% of Shorts revenue and 45% of long-form ad revenue
- Not every view generates an ad impression
- Some viewers use ad blockers

For Indian creators:
- Long-form RPM: ₹15 to ₹300+ per 1000 views
- Shorts RPM: ₹5 to ₹40 per 1000 views

The massive difference between Shorts and long-form RPM is why many creators use Shorts for growth but rely on long-form for income.

Here's a breakdown of typical RPM rates for Indian YouTube channels by niche:

| Niche | Long-form RPM (₹/1000 views) | Shorts RPM (₹/1000 views) |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Finance & Investing | ₹150 – ₹350 | ₹25 – ₹45 |
| Insurance & Credit Cards | ₹200 – ₹400 | ₹30 – ₹50 |
| Technology & Gadgets | ₹80 – ₹200 | ₹15 – ₹35 |
| Education & Tutorials | ₹60 – ₹180 | ₹12 – ₹30 |
| Business & Entrepreneurship | ₹70 – ₹200 | ₹15 – ₹30 |
| Health & Fitness | ₹40 – ₹120 | ₹10 – ₹25 |
| Cooking & Recipes | ₹30 – ₹80 | ₹8 – ₹18 |
| Motivation & Self-Help | ₹35 – ₹100 | ₹10 – ₹22 |
| Entertainment & Comedy | ₹15 – ₹50 | ₹5 – ₹12 |
| Gaming | ₹20 – ₹60 | ₹5 – ₹15 |
| Movie Reviews | ₹20 – ₹55 | ₹5 – ₹12 |
| Music & Dance | ₹10 – ₹40 | ₹3 – ₹10 |

Key takeaway: Finance and insurance niches pay 10-20x more than entertainment per view. But entertainment gets significantly more views. Choose based on your expertise and content sustainability.

Indian CPMs are significantly lower than Western markets. Here's why:

Advertiser spending power:
- US advertisers pay $10-50 CPM for competitive niches
- Indian advertisers typically pay ₹20-400 CPM (roughly $0.25-5)
- The Indian digital ad market is growing 25% annually but still behind Western markets

Audience purchasing power:
- Advertisers pay based on how much their audience spends
- Higher purchasing power = higher CPMs = higher creator RPM
- This is why a US finance viewer is worth 10x more than an Indian entertainment viewer

How to increase your effective RPM:
1. Create English content — English-speaking Indian viewers attract higher CPMs than Hindi/regional language content
2. Target NRI audiences — Indians living in US, UK, Canada generate Western CPMs
3. Choose high-intent niches — Finance, insurance, education where advertisers compete aggressively
4. Build an email list — Monetize your audience directly instead of relying only on YouTube ads

Here's a realistic earnings calculator based on Indian RPM data:

Scenario 1: Entertainment Channel
- 500K views/month on Shorts
- RPM: ₹8/1000 views
- Monthly Shorts income: ₹4,000
- Plus 200K long-form views at ₹30 RPM: ₹6,000
- Total: ₹10,000/month

Scenario 2: Education Channel
- 300K views/month on Shorts
- RPM: ₹20/1000 views
- Monthly Shorts income: ₹6,000
- Plus 150K long-form views at ₹100 RPM: ₹15,000
- Total: ₹21,000/month

Scenario 3: Finance Channel
- 200K views/month on Shorts
- RPM: ₹35/1000 views
- Monthly Shorts income: ₹7,000
- Plus 100K long-form views at ₹250 RPM: ₹25,000
- Total: ₹32,000/month

Notice how the finance channel earns 3x more with fewer views. Niche selection is the biggest factor in YouTube earnings. Use FluxNote to quickly produce content in high-RPM niches and test which topics perform best before going all-in.