Pictures via Netflix
If you’ve ever booked a vacation to Paris after binge-watching Emily in Paris, dusted off an old Kate Bush track because of Stranger Things, or decided you wanted to learn Korean just to watch without subtitles, you’ve been a part of what the streamer officially calls “The Netflix Effect.”
Exactly 10 years ago, it expanded from 60 countries to over 190 in a single day. To celebrate a decade of truly global streaming, Netflix has just released a massive, 112-page report (and a new stylish website) detailing its economic, cultural, and social impact around the world as headlined by a blog post written by co-CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos.
As you’d expect from the world’s biggest streaming service, the numbers are absolutely staggering. Here is a breakdown of just some of the biggest and most interesting stats Netflix released for The Netflix Effect.
Economic Impact and Big Stats
Netflix isn’t just making TV; it’s practically its own global economy at this point. The report sheds light on exactly how much the streamer has poured into the entertainment industry over the last ten years:
- $135+ Billion: The amount Netflix has invested in films and series (both original and licensed) over the past decade.
- $325+ Billion: The gross value added to the global economy by Netflix over the last ten years.
- 425,000+ Jobs: The number of direct jobs created on Netflix productions for actors, writers, directors, and crew.
- 700,000+ Extras: The additional number of day workers and background actors employed globally.
- 4,500 Cities & Towns: The streamer has filmed in over 4.5k locations across more than 50 countries, utilizing over 2,000 different production companies.
- Big Awards Presence: Netflix boasts 1.7K nominations across the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Golden Globes and BAFTAs in the last 10 years and 350+ wins.
Show-Specific Blockbuster Stats
We all know shows like Stranger Things and Bridgerton are huge, but Netflix broke down exactly how these flagship properties impact local economies and culture.
- Stranger Things: Over its historic five-season run, the show has contributed $1.4 billion to the U.S. GDP. It created over 8,000 production jobs, including over 200 stunt performers for the final season alone. Let’s not forget the music: Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” saw an 8,700% increase in Spotify streams following Season 4.
- The Lincoln Lawyer: The hit legal drama has injected over $425 million into the Californian economy across four seasons. It employed over 4,300 cast and crew members, shooting across 359 days at 50+ Los Angeles locations.
- KPop Demon Hunters: This animated hit isn’t just an Academy Award and Grammy winner—it’s officially Netflix’s most-watched original film of all time, passing 500 million views. It caused a massive cultural wave, resulting in a 25% spike in flight bookings to South Korea and a 22% bump in U.S. users studying Korean on Duolingo.
- Bridgerton: The first three seasons added over £275 million to the UK economy. It also gave the city of Bath a £5 million economic boost from themed tours and hotel stays.
- Squid Game: Season 3 racked up a massive 60 million views in its first three days alone, hitting #1 in 93 countries.
- Love is Blind: Welcome to the “Love Capital of Europe.” A tiny city outside of Stockholm, Sweden called Strängnäs transforms into a bustling hub 40 weeks out of the year to film seven different European versions of the reality dating hit.
Picture Credit: Netflix
Licensing is Still King
While original series dominate the cultural zeitgeist, Netflix dropped a very telling stat about its library: 75% of the titles on Netflix are licensed from other creative partners.
Over the past decade, Netflix has licensed content from more than 3,000 companies. The report highlights the “Netflix Bump” that these licensed titles get when they land on the platform. The biggest example? Suits, which has generated a 400+ million views on Netflix since 2023, twelve years after it first aired.
The Cultural & Travel Ripple Effect (Set-Jetting)
Netflix shows dictate what we wear, what we listen to, and where we spend our vacation days. According to the report, viewers are 2.4x more likely to say a country is their top travel destination after seeing it featured on Netflix.
- Emily in Paris: 38% of tourists visiting France mentioned the Lily Collins comedy as one of their main motivations for visiting.
- Wednesday: After Season 1 dropped, Expedia saw a 150% increase in travel searches for Romania. (Season 2 would later relocate to Ireland).
- The Crown: The regal drama drove a 53% increase in global flight searches for Aberdeen following the Season 4 depictions of Balmoral Castle.
- The Queen’s Gambit Effect: Remember when everyone suddenly wanted to play chess? Netflix confirms that sales of chess sets went up 87% in the U.S. following the limited series, and chess book sales spiked by over 600%.
Tearing Down the Language Barrier
Perhaps the most impressive stat is how global our viewing habits have become. A decade ago, non-English language series and films represented less than a tenth of total viewing on Netflix. Today, it’s more than a third (33%).
By 2025, a massive 70% of viewing on Netflix came from members watching a title from a country other than their own. To support this, Netflix films and series are now dubbed in 36 languages and subtitled in 33.
What’s your favorite stat from the Netflix Effect report? Has a Netflix show ever convinced you to travel somewhere new or pick up a new hobby? Let us know in the comments below!
