It had the highest viewing figures of any television programme in the UK in 2017, and was so widely watched in China that it reportedly caused internet problems.

[4] The premiere of the series took place at Bristol's Cinema de Lux on 11 October 2017, with special guest appearance by Attenborough along with the producers and wildlife experts.

[54] Zimmer collaborated with the English rock band Radiohead to record a new version of their song "Bloom" from their 2011 album The King of Limbs.

[56] In a press release, the Radiohead singer, Thom Yorke, said "Bloom" had been inspired by the original Blue Planet and so he was happy to "come full circle with the song".

The website's consensus reads: "Blue Planet II's hypnotic beauty is complemented by intense ethical musing, contrasting the micro and the macro in a humbling exploration of humanity's relationship with the ground it stands on.

"[63] In a positive review, Ed Yong of The Atlantic called Blue Planet II "the greatest nature series that the BBC has ever produced".

[64] The Guardian columnist George Monbiot criticised the series for mostly omitting the impact of the fishing industry on the oceans: "It's as if you were to make a film about climate breakdown without revealing the role of fossil fuel companies".

[69] In April 2018, in response to growing public support directly linked to Blue Planet II, the British government announced it was considering a national ban on single-use plastic products.

[70] It was also reported that Queen Elizabeth II's decision to ban plastic bottles and straws across the Royal estates was in part a response to the documentary.

[71] A 2020 study suggested that the programme triggered long-lasting increased political, media and public interest in plastic pollution in the UK, where previous efforts to do so had not been successful.

[67] Another study found that watching the single documentary did not influence participants to change their individual plastic consumption behaviour, even if they were made more aware of the issue or if it had a wider societal impact.

[74] It was reported that the number of people in China simultaneously streaming Blue Planet II (approximately 80 million) had a noticeable impact upon internet speeds within the country.

[75] The popularity of the documentary in China was cited as partly the reason British prime minister Theresa May gave Chinese president Xi Jinping a Blue Planet II box set signed by David Attenborough.

It was also symbolic of a joint plan to tackle plastic pollution and the illegal wildlife trade, announced by British officials during Xi's 2018 visit.