BTS's 'ARIRANG' generates 5.3 billion streams in two months, proving massive global reach

BTS has once again demonstrated its global influence, achieving impressive streaming milestones with its fifth full-length album, 'ARIRANG.'

According to U.S. music data company Luminate, BTS recorded a total of 3.8 billion streams for ARIRANG across global music streaming platforms during the album's first eight weeks following its release.

During the same period, the group's entire catalog surpassed 5.3 billion streams, driven by BTS's first full-group comeback in three years and eight months, along with the launch of its world tour.

The group's popularity was evenly distributed across the globe rather than concentrated in one region. Latin America accounted for 27% of total streams, followed by Northeast Asia (17%), North America (14%), Southeast Asia (13%), and Europe (12%).

A representative from BigHit Music said the data showed that BTS's music "was consumed evenly across major global markets rather than being concentrated in a specific region."

Both the title track and the album's B-sides performed strongly. "SWIM" became the first song released this year to surpass 500 million streams on Spotify.

Meanwhile, "Body to Body" and "Hooligan" each exceeded 200 million streams, while every track on 'ARIRANG' surpassed the 100 million-stream mark.

Physical album sales also remained strong. BTS ranked No. 1 in U.S. physical album sales, with more than 810,000 copies of the album—including CDs and vinyl LPs—sold in the country alone.

The group's fandom also showed increased loyalty. Luminate's survey found that 26% of respondents were categorized as actively engaged fans, 15% as emotionally attached fans, and 9% as superfans—each representing an increase of 2 to 5 percentage points compared to 2021.

Public interest in BTS also continued to rise. The survey found that 44% of respondents viewed the group's music favorably, while 32% identified as listeners, marking increases of 10 and 4 percentage points, respectively, from 2021.

Luminate noted that although overall K-pop listening remains relatively low among the general public, BTS continues to attract new listeners. The report found that 38% of BTS listeners identified as Hispanic or Latino.

The report also identified a segment of consumers who may not listen to BTS regularly but still recognize the group as influential trendsetters and artists. This group accounted for 19% of respondents familiar with BTS.

BigHit Music said the findings demonstrate that BTS is "maintaining the loyalty of its existing fanbase while attracting new consumers and expanding its mainstream audience."

Meanwhile, BTS will continue its 'ARIRANG' world tour with concerts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on July 6 and 7.