Welcome to our big breakdown of all the numbers for 2021 on Netflix. We’ll be taking a look at some headline figures regarding the Netflix library in multiple regions. We’ll also take a look at how Netflix’s library now compares to competitors too and see what type of content did best on Netflix’s top 10s too.
With thanks to NewonNetflix.info, NewonDisney.info, Flixable.com, Flixpatrol.com, and The Netflix Movie Project for assistance with this article.
We’ll have more coverage on 2021’s stats throughout the course of January 2022 including full breakdowns of every new Netflix Original added and some library breakdowns by genre.
What portion of Netflix’s Library are now Originals?
This ultimately depends on where you live but Netflix US notably hit over 40% in August 2021. As of December 2021, that percentage has now hit 43.89%.
Based on the current trajectory, we’re predicting that Netflix should hit 50% Netflix Originals come August 2022. We do expect that number to level out eventually, however. If the trajectory does stay the same, we should be at 75% by December 2024 and 100% by May 2027.
Netflix Originals aren’t always global releases and Netflix libraries elsewhere rely far more on licensed titles but it’s still largely following the same trend as the US.
- Netflix UK – 37.79%
- Netflix Australia – 41.89%
- Netflix Canada – 40.42%
How does Netflix libraries compare in numbers?
Let’s now stack up the Netflix libraries in four major regions to see how they compare.
Compared to last year (see below chart), every one of the four regions saw a net gain in titles in 2021.
Netflix Original Movies Released in 2021
Thanks to research from Christopher Meir (most commonly known as The Netflix Film Project), we can see that Netflix Original movies (released in the US) grew in 2021 but was mostly because of the new movie releases from the rest of the world and that US movies actually declined.
| Original Film Releases by Language | |
| English | 102 |
| Spanish | 28 |
| French | 20 |
| Hindi | 12 |
| Japanese | 11 |
| Italian | 11 |
| Others | 73 |
How does the Netflix library compare with competitors?
Please note that these library figures are correct as of January 1st, 2022. It’s also worth noting that other sources may be wildly different depending on how they count titles. While this guide is as accurate as we’ve been able to make it, there may be a margin of error.
We’ve also been able to nab a few more US libraries data this year so let’s dive in. Amazon Prime has a massive asterisk on it because its library in reality is a lot larger thanks to smaller clips inflating their overall number. This number attempts to distill all the comparable titles to the likes of Netflix.
Streaming library titles for 2021
Compared with last year’s library figures, we can see Hulu had a net loss of over 500 titles this year. HBO Max’s library gained the most with the library close to 2,000 titles larger.
2020 Streaming Library Numbers
Netflix Top 10 Insights
Thanks to FlixPatrol, we can continue to track down the top 10s and what titles are performing well. While Netflix has come up with its own format for its own top 10s, we still like FlixPatrol’s methodology at showing which shows and movies were sticky in the top 10s.
Here are the top 10 movies and TV shows globally on Netflix in 2021:
Top 10 Movies That Performed the Best in Netflix Top 10s in 2021
- Red Notice
- We Can Be Heroes
- Army of the Dead
- Wish Dragon
- Army of Thieves
- The Mitchells vs. The Machines
- Fatherhood
- The Unforgivable
- The Guilty
- Yes Day
Top 10 Shows That Performed the Best in Netflix Top 10s in 2021
- Squid Game
- Money Heist
- Lupin
- Sex/Life
- Bridgerton
- New Amsterdam
- Lucifer
- Who Killed Sara?
- Yo soy Betty la fea
- Maid
Thanks to preference charts from Flixpatrol, we can see what genres perform well on the service too.
These are the top-performing genres in Q4 2021
- Drama 21.3%
- Action 18.6%
- Comedy 16.1%
- Animated 8.9%
- Other 8.8%
- Superhero 7.6%
- Fantasy 6.6%
- Sci-fi 4.3%
If we look at where popular content originates from, data suggests that worldwide audiences still largely enjoys content out of North America the most but with its share dropping YOY.
If we compare Q4 2021 vs Q4 2020, we can see Asian content had a huge boost in popularity around the globe with North American content and European content dropping the most.
| Region of Origin | Q4 2021 | Q4 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 60.20% | 64.90% |
| Asia | 16.60% | 10.30% |
| Europe | 13.20% | 18.30% |
| Latin America | 5.50% | 4.30% |
| Other | 3.30% | 0.80% |
| Africa | 0.60% | 1.10% |
| Oceania | 0.50% | 0.20% |
Those are just the tip of the statistic iceberg. We’ll have more coverage throughout the year on all things Netflix numbers!