BTS becomes first group to surpass 10 billion annual Spotify streams

BTS has made music history by becoming the first group to exceed 10 billion streams on Spotify within a single year, according to BigHit Music. This achievement marks a significant milestone, as the 10-billion threshold had previously only been reached by solo artists such as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Bad Bunny.

The surge in streaming is largely attributed to the release of their fifth studio album, ‘ARIRANG’, in March 2026. The album has accumulated over 5 billion streams, making it the most-streamed album of the year on the platform. This release follows the group's return to full activities after all seven members completed their mandatory military service.

In addition to the streaming record, ‘ARIRANG’ reached the top of the US Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks, the first time a group has achieved such a feat since Mumford & Sons in 2012. The group also recently won Artist of the Year at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.