Ytterbium-doped phosphate glasses have been prepared and studied their spectroscopic properties through absorption, emission and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral studies and time-resolved luminescence decay curves. The absorption cross-section has been found to vary with the variation of Yb₂O₃ concentration. The results of the FTIR spectra show that the OH⁻ content is increasing with increase of the Yb₂O₃ concentration in these glasses. The decay curves of the ²F_5/2 level of Yb³⁺ ions exhibit a single exponential nature for all the concentrations. The lifetimes of the ²F_5/2 level of Yb³⁺ ions decreases from 1.04 to 0.27ms when the Yb₂O₃ concentration is increased from 0.1 to 6.0 mol%. The quenching of lifetimes has been found to vary directly with the inter-ionic distance between the Yb3+ ions. The  concentration quenching of the lifetime has been analyzed using different energy transfer processes and no evidence of cooperative luminescence of Yb³⁺ ions has been found in these glasses, which reveals that the present glasses are useful for photonic device  applications. The laser performance properties have also been evaluated for these glasses and compared with those of other reported Yb³⁺-doped glass systems.