BTS's fifth studio album, ARIRANG, has become the most-streamed album of 2026 on Spotify. According to BigHit Music, it now leads the year's next-closest release by about 2 billion streams.
How many Spotify streams has BTS's Arirang reached, and how far ahead is it?
BTS's ARIRANG has passed 5 billion streams on Spotify, the most of any album released in 2026. The group's label, BigHit Music, announced the milestone on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, according to Yonhap . The runner-up is Olivia Rodrigo's third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, and ARIRANG leads it by about 2 billion streams .
Quick Answer: BTS's ARIRANG passed 5 billion Spotify streams, BigHit Music said on October 14, 2026. That is the highest total for any 2026 album and about 2 billion ahead of Olivia Rodrigo's You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, which has about 3 billion. The album was released on March 20, 2026.
The figures come from BigHit Music's statement. Spotify has not published them. Yonhap first reported the announcement, and The Korea Times, Korea JoongAng Daily and SBS carried the same numbers . Spotify's own newsroom has posted about ARIRANG only around its March launch .
ARIRANG came out on March 20, 2026, so it reached 5 billion streams in under seven months . It is BTS's first full-group album in nearly four years. The group made it after all seven members finished their mandatory military service .
The same announcement listed the latest albums by two other major pop acts. The table below shows the reported Spotify totals as of mid-October 2026.
| Album (2026 release) | Artist | Reported Spotify streams |
|---|---|---|
| ARIRANG | BTS | Over 5 billion |
| You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love | Olivia Rodrigo | About 3 billion |
| Latest studio album | Harry Styles | About 2 billion |
| Latest studio album | Bruno Mars | About 1 billion |
BigHit Music supplied the figures above, as reported on October 14, 2026. Korea JoongAng Daily gives the Rodrigo total as about 3 billion . The Harry Styles and Bruno Mars totals were reported at about 2 billion and 1 billion respectively .
Which tracks are driving it? 'Swim', 'No. 29' and the 200 million floor
No single song accounts for the total. The 5 billion streams are spread across the whole album. Lead single "SWIM" is approaching 1 billion Spotify streams but has not passed it, and every track on the album has passed 200 million . Yonhap reported the per-track figure from BigHit Music's October 14 statement, and The Korea Times and Korea JoongAng Daily carried it too.
- "SWIM": close to 1 billion streams as of October 14, 2026. Every report that day said it was near the mark, not past it .
- All 14 tracks: each above 200 million streams, according to Yonhap's report of the BigHit Music figures .
- "No. 29": also above 200 million, even though it is not a conventional song (details below).
"No. 29" is the most unusual track on the album. Yonhap describes it as nothing but the ringing of the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok, also called the Divine Bell, from the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) . Both the description and the dates come from Yonhap, and The Korea Times and Korea JoongAng Daily repeated them. Even so, the bell track has the same 200 million-plus count as the vocal tracks.
The spread across tracks was visible from the first day. BigHit Music said ARIRANG passed 110 million Spotify streams on its March 20, 2026 release day . According to SBS, the album's tracks held Nos. 1 through 14 on Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart that day, with "SWIM" at No. 1 on about 14 million plays .
Spotify made its own statement after the release, which Billboard Canada quoted:
"ARMY made 'ARIRANG' the most streamed K-Pop album in Spotify history and the most streamed album in a single day in 2026," — Spotify, in a statement posted on its social channels as of March 21, 2026 (source: Billboard Canada)
Billboard Canada also reported more than 5 million pre-saves on Spotify's Countdown Page before the release . The October milestone came less than seven months after release day.
How does Arirang's Billboard run back up the streaming numbers?
BTS's "ARIRANG" also topped the Billboard 200. The album debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 4, 2026, with 641,000 equivalent album units, according to The Korea Herald . It stayed at No. 1 for three weeks in a row. That made it the first album by a group to top the main U.S. albums chart for three straight weeks since Mumford & Sons' "Babel" in 2012 (source: The Korea Times, 2026-10) . The Spotify totals measure global listening. The Billboard run measures U.S. consumption, which combines sales and streaming.
The Korea Herald reported these figures for the album's first three weeks on the chart:
- Week 1 (chart dated April 4, 2026): debuted at No. 1 with 641,000 equivalent album units .
- Week 3 (chart dated April 18, 2026): still at No. 1 with 124,000 equivalent album units, 71,000 of them pure sales .
- Benchmark: Billboard's chart account noted that "Babel" spent five weeks in total at No. 1 across 2012 and 2013 (source: Billboard Charts on X) .
Equivalent album units are Billboard's combined measure. They count traditional album sales and also convert track sales and on-demand streams into album equivalents. The week-three figure includes 71,000 pure sales, so both purchases and streams were supporting the album in the U.S. well after release week.
The album's release history explains part of the attention. "ARIRANG" is BTS's first full-group project in nearly four years. It arrived on March 20, 2026, after all seven members had completed mandatory military service, according to Korea JoongAng Daily . The Billboard results and the Spotify milestone come from separate measurements, and none of the cited sources links one to the other. Together they show that the album led both the U.S. albums chart and global streaming totals in its first seven months.
Where was BTS when the milestone landed? The Arirang tour in Santiago
BTS was on the Latin American leg of the BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' when BigHit Music announced the 5-billion-stream milestone. The group had played Lima, Peru, from October 7 to 10 . On October 14, local time, it opened its Santiago shows at Estadio Nacional in Chile (video: Asia Pop Central). None of the cited sources connects the tour to the stream count, so the two should be read as separate news items.
Here is what a YouTube recap by Asia Pop Central reported about the first Santiago night. The recap draws on Star News, La Tercera, ADN Radio and The Latin Times:
- Start time: The show began at about 8:05 pm local time on October 14 .
- Return to Chile: According to The Latin Times, these were BTS's first performances in Chile since March 2017 .
- Stage: The stage was built for 360-degree viewing. Star News reported that it weighs up to about 600 tons .
- Setlist surprises: The surprise songs were "Save Me" and "Run" .
Reports disagree on crowd size. Figures of about 69,000, about 60,000 and about 48,000 per night have all been cited . No official attendance number appears in the sources reviewed for this article, so the range is the most accurate summary for now (video: Asia Pop Central).
The Santiago dates nearly didn't happen. In July, Chile's National Sports Institute first refused to let the concerts use Estadio Nacional because it was worried about damage to the grass. The shows were approved on July 21, after the promoter submitted a plan to protect the grass .
The first night also came one day after Jimin's birthday on October 13. The members and the audience celebrated it together during the show . For more tour context, Spotify's newsroom posted photos of an earlier ARIRANG fan event in New York City in March (source: Spotify Newsroom, 2026-03).
How can fans attend or follow the Arirang tour, including the NAMANE Card & Transit Pass?
Use BTS's official channels: BigHit Music's announcements and the group's Weverse community. They post remaining BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' dates, venue details and ticket-sale windows first. Buy tickets only through the official sellers named in those notices. Resale listings that BigHit Music has not verified can be invalid or priced well above face value, and organisers may refuse entry with them.
To keep up with the tour and the album without travelling, these places carry first-hand updates:
- Tour schedule and ticketing: official BigHit Music and Weverse notices, checked again before each sale opens, since city dates and on-sale times differ by region.
- Album updates: Spotify's newsroom has covered ARIRANG since its release on March 20, 2026 . See the Spotify Newsroom.
- Stage reports: fan recaps of the Latin American leg, such as the Santiago coverage (video: Asia Pop Central).
Fans planning a trip to Korea around BTS activity may also want to know about the BTS ARIRANG Special Theme NAMANE Card & Transit Pass. This blog is operated by NAMANE Card. The product is a limited-edition prepaid NAMANE Card with an ARIRANG theme, paired with a public transit pass for getting around the country. It suits visitors who want one card for paying and travelling during their stay. It won't add much for someone who already has a local transit card set up. Check the official NAMANE event page for current availability, inclusions and prices. You can also follow updates through NAMANE's announcement on X.
The figure to remember is this: ARIRANG passed 5 billion Spotify streams less than seven months after release, according to BigHit Music . Its tour is still on the road, so official channels remain the reliable place to look for what comes next.
Frequently asked questions
How many Spotify streams does BTS's Arirang have?
BTS's fifth studio album, "ARIRANG," has passed 5 billion Spotify streams. BTS's label, BigHit Music, announced the figure on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, according to Yonhap . The album came out on March 20, 2026, so it reached the milestone less than seven months after release . The count comes from BigHit Music's statement. Spotify has not published it.
Has 'Swim' passed 1 billion Spotify streams?
Not yet. "SWIM" is the lead track on "ARIRANG," and reports dated October 14, 2026 say it is approaching 1 billion Spotify streams, citing BigHit Music . On release day, March 20, 2026, "SWIM" was No. 1 on Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart with about 14 million streams, according to SBS .
Which 2026 album is closest to Arirang on Spotify?
The runner-up is Olivia Rodrigo's third studio album, "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love." BigHit Music puts "ARIRANG" about 2 billion streams ahead of it, and Korea JoongAng Daily puts the Rodrigo album at about 3 billion . The latest albums from Harry Styles and Bruno Mars have about 2 billion and 1 billion streams, respectively . All of these are approximate figures from the label's statement.
What is 'No. 29' on Arirang?
"No. 29" is a track on "ARIRANG" that contains only the sound of the Sacred (Divine) Bell of King Seongdeok ringing. Yonhap identifies it as a bell from the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). Yonhap also reports that every one of the album's 14 tracks, including "No. 29," has passed 200 million Spotify streams . Only Yonhap has reported both the 200 million figure and the bell detail.
Where can fans get the BTS ARIRANG NAMANE Card & Transit Pass?
The BTS ARIRANG Special Theme NAMANE Card & Transit Pass is a limited-edition themed prepaid card paired with a public transit pass, made for fans travelling to Korea. It was sold through the NAMANE App and NAMANE kiosks. The official NAMANE event page has the current availability, inclusions and prices. This blog is operated by NAMANE Card.
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
