Podcast Genres That Are Growing in 2025

Podcast growth has continued steadily, but not uniformly. Some formats and genres are growing substantially faster than others.

True crime remains dominant but is fragmenting

True crime is still the largest genre by total listenership, but the generic "narrator + case files" format is saturated. What's growing within true crime: international cases (non-US settings), cold case amateur investigation shows, and journalism-led investigative series with original reporting.

Business and personal finance

Practical financial education podcasts — particularly those addressing specific life situations (early retirement, side income, debt repayment) — are showing strong growth. Younger listeners who distrust traditional financial advice are finding podcast hosts more accessible.

Health and science

Post-pandemic, health information literacy shows continue to grow. Science communication podcasts that translate research into practical information have found consistent audiences. The key differentiator: transparency about uncertainty and nuance, rather than false confidence.

Narrative fiction and audio drama

Audio drama had a significant moment during lockdowns and has retained much of the audience. High-production narrative fiction podcasts — essentially audio novels — are growing particularly among commuters and people with long travel times.

Niche expert shows

The most consistent growth trend is deep niche expertise: beekeeping, medieval history, specific programming languages, niche sports. These shows have small but highly loyal audiences, and because the competition is low, they're findable through search in ways that general-topic shows aren't.