K-Pop Accounts for 7.7% of Global Tour Market in 2025... Highest Success Ever

2025 was a year that witnessed the peak performance of K-pop tours. According to Billboard’s year-end box score chart, K-pop achieved its best results ever in the global tour market. This year, K-pop accounted for 7.7% of the top 100 highest-grossing tours worldwide, a figure that significantly exceeds 5.1% in 2023 and 4% in 2019. The most notable aspect is that eight K-pop groups made it into the global tour TOP100, double the number from the previous year. In particular, compared to 2019 when BTS was the only Korean artist to rank third on the overall chart, this shows how much broader K-pop’s reach has become without relying on a single super-sized artist. Tour revenue also increased substantially. While ITZY ranked 10th lowest in last year’s TOP10 with $6 million in earnings, aespa, which was in the lower half of this year’s TOP10, generated $18 million (approximately 25 billion won). In fact, multiple boy groups earned over $100 million, demonstrating the economic scale of K-pop tours. The solo tours of BTS members also delivered outstanding results. j-hope earned $79.9 million (approximately 111.8 billion won) from his “Hope on the Stage Tour” in Asia and North America, placing him 8th in the TOP10. Meanwhile, Jin generated $46.1 million (approximately 64.5 billion won) from his “#RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR,” securing him a 4th-place finish in the TOP10. Despite these being their first solo headlining tours, both members secured significant positions in the global tour market. On the other hand, G-Dragon earned $27.1 million (approximately 37.9 billion won) from just 9 performances of his “Übermensch World Tour,” ranking 2nd in the TOP10. Stray Kids also reached the upper ranks of the TOP10 with their “Dominate World Tour.” SEVENTEEN generated $142.4 million (approximately 199.3 billion won) from their “Right Here World Tour,” while ATEEZ earned $70 million (approximately 98 billion won) from their “ATEEZ 2025 WORLD TOUR [IN YOUR FANTASY]”. ENHYPEN’s “WALK THE LINE World Tour” brought in $76.1 million (approximately 106.5 billion won), TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s “ACT : TOMORROW” generated $64.3 million (approximately 90 billion won), and LE SSERAFIM’s “Easy Crazy Hot Tour” earned $34.1 million (approximately 47.7 billion won). All major idol groups generated tour revenues in the billions of won range, confirming the scale of K-pop’s global fanbase. Although the K-pop year-end tour rankings are still dominated by idol groups, solo artists are also making a significant impact. Beyond BTS members, G-Dragon, a legend of the first generation of K-pop, delivered strong tour results, proving K-pop’s enduring appeal across generations. These achievements indicate that K-pop has now evolved from merely a music genre to a key pillar of the global entertainment market.