YouTube Shorts RPM India 2026: What Creators Actually Earn (Real Numbers)

YouTube Shorts uses a fundamentally different revenue model than long-form videos. Instead of direct ad revenue per view, YouTube pools all ad revenue generated from Shorts ads globally, then distributes a share to eligible creators based on their proportion of total Shorts views. Your share of the pool is determined by: (your Shorts views) / (total global Shorts views) × (India's share of the revenue pool). This pool-based system means your RPM depends not just on how many views you get, but on how many views every Shorts creator gets globally. As Shorts volume grows, the per-view rate gets diluted unless advertiser spend grows proportionally. For India specifically, the revenue pool allocation is lower than the US because Indian advertising CPM is lower — the same ad revenue that a US Shorts viewer generates is 6-10x what an Indian Shorts viewer generates. This structural difference means Indian Shorts creators earn ₹2-20 RPM in 2026, with most channels in the ₹3-8 range.

Unlike long-form content where niche dramatically affects RPM, Shorts niche impact is more muted due to the pooled revenue model. However, niche still matters because it influences what percentage of your views come from India vs international markets. Finance Shorts (India audience): ₹3-15 RPM. Finance Shorts often go viral internationally when covering investment concepts, potentially drawing US/UK viewers who contribute higher revenue to the pool. Tech Shorts (India): ₹4-20 RPM. Tech unboxing and review Shorts attract global audiences, pushing RPM toward the higher end. Gaming Shorts (India): ₹2-8 RPM. Almost entirely Indian audience, lowest RPM bucket. Education/Tutorial Shorts (India): ₹3-12 RPM. Educational Shorts that attract international audiences (English language) earn more. Entertainment/Comedy (India): ₹2-6 RPM. Primarily Indian audiences, lowest earnings. The critical insight: a finance Short earning ₹15 RPM with 1 million views earns ₹15,000. A long-form finance video at ₹150 RPM earning 100,000 views also earns ₹15,000. The long-form video required fewer total views to earn the same — but Shorts are far easier to go viral.

Let's compare actual earning potential for an Indian creator in 2026. Scenario: Finance creator with 500,000 monthly views. Long-form (10-15 min finance videos): 500,000 views × ₹150 RPM / 1,000 = ₹75,000/month. Shorts (same 500,000 views): 500,000 views × ₹8 RPM / 1,000 = ₹4,000/month. The earnings gap is stark: long-form earns nearly 19x more per view for the same niche. However, the realistic comparison should account for discoverability: a creator might realistically get 200,000 long-form views and 5,000,000 Shorts views in the same month. 200,000 long-form at ₹150 RPM = ₹30,000. 5,000,000 Shorts at ₹8 RPM = ₹40,000. In this scenario, Shorts edges ahead — but only because of the 25x view differential. The smart Indian creator strategy: use Shorts as a subscriber acquisition tool (they grow channels 3-5x faster) and long-form as the primary revenue engine. Each Shorts subscriber who watches a long-form video is worth ₹100-300 in long-form ad revenue over a year.

Since you can't easily change the RPM pool structure, focus on what you can control. Create Shorts that attract international viewers: English-language Shorts on universal topics (investing basics, tech tutorials, fitness) get picked up by YouTube's global recommendation system, pulling in US and EU viewers who contribute more to the revenue pool. Your actual RPM on international view Shorts can reach ₹15-25 versus ₹2-8 for domestic-only content. Use Shorts to convert to long-form watch time: every Shorts-driven subscriber who watches your 12-minute finance video generates 8-15x more revenue than another Shorts view would. Add a clear CTA in your Shorts: 'Full breakdown in my latest video — link in bio.' Drive affiliate revenue alongside Shorts: demat account referrals (Zerodha, Groww, Upstox) pay ₹200-500 per signup. A finance Short getting 500,000 views might generate 200 referral clicks and 15-30 signups at ₹300 average = ₹4,500-9,000 in affiliate income — matching or exceeding the ad revenue. Use FluxNote to batch-create multiple Shorts scripts and voiceovers quickly — posting 2-3 Shorts daily is the proven growth strategy, and AI tools make this sustainable.