YouTube passes billion user mark

More than a billion people use YouTube each month, with viewing on smartphones helping drive growth, the Google-owned online video sharing venue said Wednesday.

In a blog post, the YouTube team noted that nearly one out of every two people on the Internet visits the website, which has grown into a global hit since launching in 2005.

“If YouTube were a country, we’d be the third largest in the world after China and India,” the team said.