K-pop Accounts for 70% of IFPI’s 2025 Album Sales; Stray Kids Rank Second

IFPI’s 2025 global album sales chart revealed an overwhelming dominance by K-pop. Seven out of the top 10 albums were released by K-pop groups, demonstrating that K-pop’s commercial influence extends far beyond mere genre popularity to secure a central position in the global music market.

Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” topped the chart. With 6.05 million units sold, Swift maintained her absolute dominance in the global music market and set a record by being named IFPI’s top-selling global artist for the fourth consecutive year and sixth time overall.

K-pop groups also performed exceptionally well. Stray Kids ranked second with 3.49 million units sold from their album “Karma,” while SEVENTEEN placed third with 2.63 million units sold from “Happy Burstday.” ENHYPEN followed in fourth place with 2.13 million units sold from “Desire: Unleash.” Notably, Stray Kids also reached second place on a separate global artist chart, proving their strong overall global standing beyond just album sales.

K-pop’s strength continued in the 5th to 10th positions. Snow Man from Japan occupied fifth place with 1.67 million units sold, followed by Tomorrow X Together’s “The Star Chapter: Together” at sixth place with 1.62 million units sold. ZEROBASEONE’s “Never Say Never” ranked seventh with 1.52 million units sold, while Chinese artist Hua Chen Yu came in eighth with 1.49 million units sold. IVE’s “IVE Empathy” occupied ninth place with 1.49 million units sold, and G-Dragon’s “Übermensch” finished tenth with 1.37 million units sold.

Multiple groups made multiple entries on the chart. ZEROBASEONE had another album, “Blue Paradise,” included, and IVE also listed “IVE Secret,” highlighting the large scale of their fanbases in the upper ranks. This indicates that it is not just a few popular albums driving sales, but rather a strong fan base and purchasing power across the entire K-pop industry.

K-pop also achieved notable results on the single chart. Rosé of BLACKPINK’s collaboration with Bruno Mars, titled “APT.,” topped IFPI’s global single chart. This marked the first time a K-pop solo artist reached the top of this chart, representing a historic achievement.

K-pop’s influence was evident even on IFPI’s separate global album chart, which takes both sales and streaming into account. The OST for Netflix’s popular animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” ranked third on this chart, showing that K-pop plays a central role in the global entertainment ecosystem beyond being merely a music genre.