Why is my YouTube Shorts RPM so low?

Short answer: a low Shorts RPM is normal. Shorts are not paid per view. Each month YouTube pools ad revenue from the Shorts Feed, takes out a share for music, and splits the rest by engaged views in each country. You keep 45% of what is allocated to you. Third-party data puts typical Shorts RPM between about $0.01 and $0.33 per 1,000 views, so $0.03 is in the normal range for many audiences.

YouTube does not publish Shorts RPM. Every RPM number on this page is a third-party estimate.

How Shorts revenue is calculated

1. The pool. Each month, revenue from ads viewed between videos in the Shorts Feed is pooled. Ads on the Shorts masthead are not part of it.
2. The music share. Part of the pool pays for music. A Short with no music sends all its revenue to the Creator Pool. With 1 track, half goes to the Creator Pool. With 2 tracks, one third does.
3. Your allocation. The Creator Pool is split by each creator's share of engaged views in each country.
4. Your 45%. You keep 45% of your allocated revenue, whether or not you used music.
5. Premium. YouTube also pays 45% of the net Premium revenue allocated to you for Shorts views.

YouTube's own example uses made-up numbers: a $100,000 pool, 20% of Shorts using one track, leaves a $90,000 Creator Pool. A Short with 1% of engaged views gets $900, and the creator keeps $405. That is an illustration, not an RPM.

Why your RPM is low or keeps changing

• Where your viewers live. The pool is split country by country, and ad money differs a lot by country. This is the biggest factor in third-party data.
• Views vs engaged views. Your view count and the engaged views used for revenue are not the same. Views from unoriginal content, artificial views, and content that breaks the advertiser-friendly guidelines are not counted.
• Music in your Shorts. Your 45% does not change, but tracks shrink the part of the pool that goes to creators.
• Views before you accepted the Shorts Monetization Module. Only views after you accept it count.
• The pool changes every month. It depends on total Shorts ad revenue and total engaged views, so the same views can pay differently from month to month.

Typical Shorts RPM by country (third-party estimates)

Source: AIR Media-Tech, a third party, using 2025 data from the channels it works with (published 23 January 2026). These are averages, not official figures. Your channel can be higher or lower.

So is $0.03 normal? For a mostly non-US audience, yes. For a mostly US audience it is on the low side, and engaged views or music are worth checking.

What you can actually change

• Make original Shorts. Unedited clips and compilations of other content do not earn.
• Stay advertiser-friendly. Views on content that breaks those guidelines are not eligible.
• Think about music. Fewer tracks means more of a Short's revenue reaches the Creator Pool.
• Check the Shorts Monetization Module is accepted. Earlier views never count.
• Make content for the audience you want. You cannot pick viewers, but topic and language shape where they come from.
• Do not buy views. Artificial views are not counted.

Want a number for your own channel? Try the Shorts money calculator. Not in the Partner Program yet? Use the monetization eligibility checker.

Who can earn from Shorts

To share Shorts ad revenue you need to be in the full YouTube Partner Program: 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 qualified long-form watch hours in the last 12 months, or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. You must live in a country where the program is available and accept the Shorts Monetization Module.

YouTube has announced a change. From 1 February 2027, you will need at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to earn Shorts ad and Premium revenue for a given month.

Questions

Why is my YouTube Shorts RPM so low?

Shorts are paid from a shared monthly pool, split by engaged views per country, and you keep 45%. Viewer country, music and uncounted views all push it down.

Is $0.03 RPM normal for Shorts?

Yes, for many audiences. Third-party estimates run from about $0.008 (India) to about $0.33 (US).

How is Shorts revenue calculated?

Shorts Feed ad revenue is pooled, the music share is taken out, the Creator Pool is split by your share of engaged views in each country, and you keep 45% of your allocation.

Does using music lower my share?

Your 45% stays the same. Music lowers how much of a Short's revenue goes into the Creator Pool.

Why do my views and paid views not match?

Revenue uses engaged views. Unoriginal, artificial and not advertiser-friendly views, and views before you accepted the Shorts Monetization Module, do not count.