We now live in an era where we can dive into an ocean of knowledge on-the-go with just three main things in hand: a smartphone, internet access, and a pair of earphones. Podcast fever is taking the world by storm, with just about every topic imaginable being able to garner a following. As the end of 2021 approaches, leading music streaming platform Spotify has unveiled this year’s top five most-listened to podcasts worldwide. Here they are from fifth to first place.

Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, and ready by 6am. New York Time’s news podcast is a great choice if you’re stuck in traffic and need a current events update from the world’s best journalists. In conversations with Times journalists, “The Daily”, hosted by Michael Barbaro, delivers an irresistible layman’s approach to some of the most compelling and complicated stories of our time. This is how the news should be told.

Every weekday, TED Talks Daily brings you the latest talks in audio. Host and journalist Elise Hu presents thought-provoking subjects that were presented on TED Talks from around the world by leading thinkers and creators. If you’re eager to learn something new, from a range of topics including technology, psychology, and politics, tune into TED Talks Daily to ignite your curiosity.

Coming in third place, this weekly true crime podcast has remained at the top of the charts since its 2017 debut and has thus far clocked in over half a billion downloads. Host Ashley Flowers leans into the interest surrounding famous crimes you and your fellow crime junkie friends just can’t stop thinking about and discussing. With storytelling that is free of rabbit holes, the cases are easy to follow whilst retaining suspense. If you’re a crime junkie and have not tuned in yet, it’s absolutely time to do so.

Alex Cooper’s “Call her Daddy” podcast has evolved into a global movement and as such it’s really no surprise it’s one of the most listened-to podcast on the planet. Putting a modern twist on feminism, the podcast tackles relevant topics such as sexuality, freedom, stereotypes, prejudices, and personal empowerment, in a raw and often provocative manner, stripping away any barriers of judgement. The woman-led empire has featured celebrity guests such as Pete Davidson, Shameless star Emma Kenny, and model Emily Ratajkowski. 

Surprise, surprise. The most controversial podcaster takes the top spot this year. Despite its lengthy format (episodes last between two to three hours each), “The Joe Rogan Experience” was 2021 most streamed podcast, receiving millions of listens per episode and upwards of 200 million downloads monthly. Described as “an important node of the intellectual dark web”, to its credit, the podcast has hosted pop culture titans like Bernie Sanders, Elon Musk, and Miley Cyrus, as well as American neurologist Dr. Sanjay Gupta who starkly represents the opposition to Rogan’s rather vocal personal views on the coronavirus pandemic and immunology.