BTS Passes 10 Billion Spotify Streams in 2026, a First for a Group

A streaming record reached before the year ends

BTS surpassed 10 billion Spotify streams for 2026 by October 16, becoming the first group to reach that total in a single calendar year, according to its agency, Big Hit Music. The milestone comes after the seven members reunited following military service and released their fifth studio album, ARIRANG, on March 20.

The group's annual total has already climbed from approximately 4.5 billion streams in 2025 to more than 10 billion in 2026, an increase the agency put at 122%. BTS reached the mark with more than two months remaining in the year.

Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Bad Bunny are among the solo artists who have previously reached 10 billion annual streams. Big Hit Music said BTS was the first group to join them, adding a new record to a year shaped by its return to recording and touring together.

ARIRANG has been central to that growth. The album passed 5 billion Spotify streams by October 14 and ranked as the platform's most streamed album among releases from 2026. Its cumulative total was roughly half the size of the group's annual tally, showing how much the March release contributed to the milestone.

A stream is a recorded play, rather than a count of individual listeners. A person can listen to a song repeatedly, and each qualifying play contributes to its total. BTS's 10 billion figure therefore describes the volume of listening across its music during the year, while the album's 5 billion figure measures listening to ARIRANG since its release.

How much has listening grown?

BTS's rise from approximately 4.5 billion streams in 2025 to more than 10 billion in 2026 amounts to at least 5.5 billion additional plays. The increase alone is larger than the group's entire total for the previous year.

The reported 122% growth means listening more than doubled. A 100% increase would have taken 4.5 billion streams to 9 billion; the additional growth carried BTS beyond the 10 billion threshold.

The comparison also puts a partial year against a completed one. The 2026 total runs through October 16, while the approximately 4.5 billion figure covers 2025. BTS had therefore exceeded the previous annual total well before the current year was finished.

ARIRANG gave the reunion a major release

ARIRANG was BTS's first project involving the full group in nearly four years. All seven members had completed their mandatory military service before reuniting, making the album the focus of their return to working together.

The fifth studio album brought 14 tracks to Spotify on March 20. It exceeded 110 million album streams on its release day, establishing a large opening audience before its cumulative total grew beyond 5 billion in October.

Spotify listening across BTS's music also jumped around the release. The group's daily total rose from approximately 23 million before ARIRANG arrived to 130 million on March 20. Those figures describe listening across the group, while the figure above 110 million applies to the album itself.

Using the reported daily totals, BTS's listening on release day was about 5.7 times its level immediately before the album arrived. The increase was approximately 107 million streams in a single day, providing a measure of how sharply attention rose around the reunion release.

All 14 songs filled the global chart's top places

Every ARIRANG track occupied a position in the top 14 of Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart on release day. The result extended across the whole album, including the instrumental track No. 29.

The Daily Top Songs Global chart ranks tracks by listening on Spotify around the world for a particular day. Taking positions one through 14 meant that BTS held every place in that leading group of songs at the same time.

SWIM recorded approximately 14 million streams on its first day. That was reported as the highest daily streaming total for a song released in 2026 at that point in the year.

The album's performance combined a large audience for SWIM with listening across the other 13 tracks. Its October total adds a longer view to the release day figures: ARIRANG continued accumulating plays over nearly seven months, becoming the most streamed Spotify album among the year's new releases.

A three week run at the top in the United States

ARIRANG also spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the main United States albums chart. It became the first album by a group to achieve that run since Mumford & Sons' Babel in 2012.

The comparison spans about 14 years between the two releases. For BTS, the three weeks at the top added a sustained American chart result to the album's global Spotify performance.

Billboard's album chart measures album consumption in the United States, combining album sales with listening measures, including streaming. Spotify's figures here count plays on that particular platform. Together, the results show ARIRANG's performance through two different measures: worldwide Spotify listening and its position in the American album market.

BTS's return therefore produced more than a large opening day. By October, the group had a three week American chart run, more than 5 billion streams for the new album and an annual Spotify total exceeding 10 billion.

Japan awards add to the October milestones

BTS was named Artist of the Year at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards Japan on October 14, two days before Big Hit Music announced the annual Spotify milestone.

The music video for SWIM had already been named the winner of Best Group Video/International in September. The two awards recognised the group and one of the central songs from its reunion album.

The Japanese awards announce winners ahead of their main ceremony. The 2026 event is scheduled for October 29 at Tokyo Dome, placing the ceremony later in the month than the announcement of BTS's Artist of the Year award.

MTV Video Music Awards Japan began in 2002 as the Japanese edition of MTV's video awards. For BTS, the October recognition comes during a period when its release, streaming totals and international performances are all drawing attention.

The tour moves from South America toward Asia

BTS's ARIRANG world tour began on April 9 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. By the October streaming announcement, its itinerary had taken the group through Japan, North America, Europe and South America.

The group was in Santiago, Chile, for three concerts running through October 17. Three shows each in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, were scheduled to follow before the tour returned to Asia.

The final Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo concerts were also scheduled for cinema broadcasts worldwide on October 24 and October 30, respectively. The screenings give fans another way to watch those performances beyond attending the stadium shows.

The announced itinerary through the end of the year includes Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Further stops include Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines, followed by additional performances in Japan and the Middle East. Dates for every later stop were not specified in the announcement.

The tour and cinema screenings extend the album's release into different settings. Fans can hear the recordings on Spotify, attend concerts where dates are available, or watch selected performances in cinemas as BTS continues its international schedule.

The dates behind the record

BTS's 2026 milestones stretch from the March album release to October's streaming announcement, awards and concerts. The sequence shows how the group reached its annual total over several months.

• March 20: ARIRANG was released, exceeded 110 million album streams that day and placed all 14 tracks in Spotify's global daily chart's top 14 positions.
• April 9: The ARIRANG world tour opened in Goyang, South Korea.
• September: SWIM won Best Group Video/International at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.
• October 14: ARIRANG had passed 5 billion Spotify streams, and BTS was named Artist of the Year at the Japanese awards.
• October 16: Big Hit Music announced that BTS had exceeded 10 billion Spotify streams for 2026.
• October 24: The final Buenos Aires concert is scheduled for cinema broadcasts worldwide.
• October 29: The MTV Video Music Awards Japan ceremony is scheduled at Tokyo Dome.
• October 30: The final Sao Paulo concert is scheduled for cinema broadcasts worldwide.

Key Points

• BTS exceeded 10 billion Spotify streams in 2026 by October 16, a first for a group according to Big Hit Music.
• The agency reported growth of 122% from approximately 4.5 billion streams in 2025.
• ARIRANG passed 5 billion streams and led Spotify albums released in 2026.
• All 14 album tracks occupied the global daily chart's top 14 positions on release day.
• The album spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
• BTS's October schedule includes South American concerts, cinema broadcasts and a Japanese awards ceremony.