K-POP Global Market in 2025: South Korea Ranks First in Consumption and Fourth in Global Streaming as Fifth-Generation Girl Groups Rise

In the 2025 K-POP global market, South Korea held the top position in terms of consumption volume and ranked fourth in global streaming figures. According to data released by music data analysis company Luminate and its exclusive Korean partner Creator Network, the United States topped global streaming rankings for streams of artists outside one’s home country, followed by the United Kingdom in second place and Canada in third place, with South Korea coming in fourth.

K-Pop Radar, a K-pop artist dashboard operated by music startup SpaceAudity, published its analysis of YouTube artist chart views from January to December 2025 under the title “2025 K-Pop World Map.” In the country-wise consumption analysis, South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia maintained their positions as first through third respectively compared to the previous year, though changes in regional market shares indicated new trends in the industry.

**Strengthening of the South Korean Market and Global Diversification** South Korea demonstrated renewed growth with an even higher market share compared to 2024. The domestic K-Pop market in 2025 saw the return of established powerhouses and legendary artists. DAY6 rose from second place to first, while aespa and IU ranked second and third respectively. G-Dragon led in terms of growth rate with approximately 200 million additional views, placing him fifth overall, and BIGBANG also reached fourth place overall.

The United States climbed one rank to fourth place, with its market share rising to 6.25%, an increase of about 1 percentage point. This reflects the tangible results of localization strategies and global collaborations. In the U.S. market, Stray Kids maintained first place with a 8.63% market share, while KATSEYE ranked third overall after achieving approximately 206 million additional views and leading in growth rate.

Japan continued to hold second place but saw its market share drop from 8.44% to 7.41%, along with a decline in total view counts, suggesting the market has entered a mature phase. Meanwhile, Taiwan entered the top 10 by rising in rank for two consecutive years to reach ninth place, and the United Kingdom surged to 17th place, moving out of the bottom 20. The simultaneous entry of Western countries such as France, Germany, and Canada indicates that K-Pop consumption is expanding into a phase of global diversification.

**Changes in the Global Artist Top 20** In the 2025 Global Artist Top 20, BLACKPINK regained the top spot, while Rosé and BTS ranked second and third respectively. Notably, Rosé (second place), Jennie (sixth place), and Lisa (eleventh place) all saw significant rank improvements, demonstrating the individual global influence of BLACKPINK’s members.

A notable emerging group is KATSEYE. Having risen 49 places compared to the previous year, it settled at ninth place. Its strong performance on major festivals such as Lollapalooza Chicago and Summer Sonic is believed to have directly contributed to its growth in global popularity.

G-Dragon’s comeback had a significant impact not only on his personal metrics but also on the rankings of his group BIGBANG. BIGBANG rose 10 places to 10th place, while G-Dragon climbed 11 places to 20th place. The fact that most of their view counts originated from South Korea shows that a strong domestic fanbase and public trust are key driving forces. Solo artist UZ also ranked 11th overall and second in growth rate, with approximately 160 million additional views, while Jennie ranked 12th overall and third in growth rate.

**Rise of Fifth-Generation Girl Groups and High Barriers for Boy Groups** When viewed by generation, there is a significant difference in the growth patterns of girl groups and boy groups. While major girl groups that debuted before 2023 generally showed a slowdown in growth, fifth-generation girl groups such as BABYMONSTER, KATSEYE, ILLIT, Miya, and IZNA, which debuted after 2024, are expanding their market share thanks to rapid growth.

The barriers for boy groups to enter the market are extremely high. Among the Global Artist Top 20 in 2025, the youngest group is ENHYPEN, which debuted in 2020. It is analyzed that it is difficult for new boy groups to break into the rankings, and they continue to grow in a closed manner centered around strong core fanbases.

Among the top 20 new artists who debuted after 2023, BABYMONSTER led with approximately 2.5 billion views, followed by KATSEYE and ILLIT. In the top 10 debut artists of 2025, Hearts2Hearts ranked first with approximately 310 million views, followed by All Day Project and CORTIS. Groups such as KickFlip, KIKI, Ahop, and Close Your Eyes formed a closely packed ranking with view counts around 100 million each, showing a trend where smaller agencies and groups with diverse concepts coexist and compete rather than being dominated by large groups.