K-Pop Consumption Remains in Top 3 in South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia; United States Rises to 4th Place

K-POP RADAR, a comprehensive dashboard for K-pop artists operated by the music startup SpaceAudity, has released its “2025 K-Pop World Map.”

K-POP RADAR analyzed global K-pop trends for the entire year by compiling view counts of related videos on YouTube Artists Charts from January 1 to December 31, 2025. According to the country-specific K-pop consumption analysis, South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia retained positions 1 through 3, identical to the previous year.

The United States rose one place to occupy 4th place, while India dropped to 5th. South Korea, as the birthplace of K-pop, demonstrated continued growth with an even higher share compared to 2024. The United States accounted for 6.25% of global K-pop consumption, representing a nearly 1 percentage point increase, which shows that localization strategies and global collaborations are yielding tangible results.

Japan, however, remained in 2nd place but saw its share decline from 8.44% to 7.41%, along with a decrease in total view counts, indicating that the market has entered a mature stage.

Taiwan entered the top 10 by rising two consecutive years to reach 9th place, while the United Kingdom surged to 17th position, moving out of the top 20. The simultaneous entry of Western countries such as France, Germany, and Canada demonstrates that K-pop consumption is expanding into a more globally diversified phase.

In South Korea’s domestic K-pop market in 2025, dynamic trends emerged as established powerhouses and legendary artists made comeback appearances. DAY6 moved up from 2nd to 1st place, while aespa and IU ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the U.S. market, Stray Kids maintained 1st place with a 8.63% share, whereas in the UK, Rosé took the top spot with an overwhelming 11.63% share.