NewsSamantha Lee3 min read
BTS's ARIRANG passes 5 billion Spotify streams, about 2 billion clear of any other 2026 album
BigHit Music says all 14 tracks have passed 200 million plays, and lead single SWIM is closing in on a billion on its own.
Artwork: BIGHIT MUSIC
BTS's comeback album ARIRANG has passed 5 billion streams on Spotify, according to figures announced by their label BigHit Music on 14 October 2026. The label says that makes it the most-streamed album released this year on the platform, roughly 2 billion plays ahead of the next one.
That runner-up, per the label, is Olivia Rodrigo's third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, which came out in June. BigHit also points to the recent releases from Bruno Mars and Harry Styles, which have each reached somewhere between 1 and 2 billion streams.
The numbers behind it
ARIRANG arrived on 20 March 2026 and is the first BTS album since all seven members finished their mandatory South Korean military service. It drew more than 110 million Spotify streams on its first day. On release day all 14 tracks took the top 14 places on Spotify's global daily songs chart, with lead single "SWIM" at number one on about 14 million plays.
Seven months on, BigHit says every one of the 14 songs has cleared 200 million streams. That includes "No. 29", a track built entirely from the sound of the Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok, a Silla-era bell from Korea. "SWIM" itself is approaching 1 billion.
Why it matters
Streaming totals are a blunt measure, and a label's own figures are worth treating as exactly that. But the scale is hard to argue with. The album also debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, and it has powered a world tour that began in April.
It also lands in a year when new music has had a tougher time on the platform: older songs now make up a growing share of Spotify's global chart streams. A brand-new album pulling this kind of volume cuts against that trend.
One more thing the milestone will not become: a Grammy talking point. The group said in a July post on Instagram that they would not submit ARIRANG for the 2027 awards, hoping the music "can be heard and loved for what it is."
Follow BTS on ADMC for tour dates and new releases.
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