Who and what did you watch on YouTube in 2017? Here’s this year’s top trending videos in the Middle East and North Africa!

When this time of the year rolls in, we take a look at the videos that took the region by storm over the past 11 months, which gives us the year’s list of the most trending videos. The results often paint a clear picture of the kind of content that caught our attention so successfully that we had to share it, and share it, and share it! Like last year, all of 2017’s most trending non-music videos are by the region’s YouTube creators. Mohamed Moshaya, one of the first Arab creators dedicated entirely to family content, topped the list with a video of a compilation of his adventures with this three kids.

The results are also reflective of the diversity of YouTube’s audience in the Middle East. This year’s most trending music videos start with Khamsa Adwaa (Five Lights) a Saudi band made up of young girls. The list also includes Moroccan pop sensation Saad Lamjarad, as well as the hit single Talat Daqat (Three Beats) by Egypt’s Abu featuring iconic film star Yousra.

YouTube has always been a platform where people come to laugh, learn, and to watch their favorite creators. Our part of the world is no exception as the region’s watchtime, second only to the United States, grew by 60% last year, and by 90% on mobile. We are proud of how far the Arab creator community has come, having tripled in size in the last three years. These channels grew not just in number of subscribers, but also in quality and variety, as content uploaded grew by 80% when compared to last year.

Saudi currently constitutes one third of total watch time on YouTube in the Arab world with 65% annual growth in watch time on mobile devices, of which the top content viewed are entertainment, music and education. As for content creation, 25 % of video uploads in the Arab world are from Saudi Arabia and 15% of total watchtime of local Saudi content is from outside of Saudi Arabia. This female creator society has proven its impact on YouTube, as watchtime of female-led channels in the kingdom grew by 75% in 2016. Moreover, the fastest growing female YouTube creators in the Arab world come from Saudi Arabia.

We’ve watched a lot of videos this year, so without further ado, here’s our top trending videos of 2017:

1. Top Comedy Sketch Compilations by Mmoshaya
2. "The iPad Generation” Episode by Swar Shuaib
3. Ramadan Comedy Sketch by Shady Srour
4. Lie Detector Test Challenge with Danyah Shafei by D7oomy 
5. Wedding Night Comedy Sketch by Nour Stars
6. Make Your Own Snow-Filled Pool Experience by The Saudi Reporters
7. Germany Travel Adventure by Laila Mourad
8. Fitness and Nutrition Tips by SuperMama
9. Beauty Review Segment Featuring a 24 Carat Gold Mask by Esswara
10. Automotive Adventure by Ali Alhamoudi

And here are the top trending music videos of 2017:

1. Five Lights - HUSH
2. Saad Lamjared - LET GO
3. Nasr Al Bahhar - Ma Rad Ilay
4. Aymane Serhani  - Nebghi Djini Bsurvet
5. Cairokee & Tarek El Sheikh - Al Keif
6. Asma Lamnawar - Indo El Zein
7. Abu & Yousra - Talat Daqat
8. Dyler - Samooly
9. Elissa - Aks Eli Shayfinha
10. Tamer Hosny Team - Allah Shahid