Korean Language Rises as One of Top Three Languages in U.S. Music Market

The global popularity of K-pop has transformed the linguistic landscape of the U.S. music market. Luminate, a music and entertainment data analysis company, announced on June 23 that Korean accounted for 1.1% of the U.S. streaming music market in the first quarter of 2026. This rank places it third, behind English (86%) and Spanish (9.5%).

The growth rate of Korean’s share has been steep. While its share was only around 0.7% in both 2023 and 2024, it increased to 1.1% by 2025 and remained at that level through the first quarter of 2026. Luminate explained that “Korean streaming maintained a solid 1.1% share in the first quarter of 2026, driven by the K-pop phenomenon led by BTS.”

BTS held the ‘BTS Comeback Live: Arirang’ concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul’s Jongno District on March 21.