BTS' 'Arirang' surpasses 5 billion Spotify streams, tops 2026 releases

Album milestone on Spotify

BigHit Music said on Oct. 14 that BTS' fifth studio album "Arirang" had surpassed 5 billion cumulative streams on Spotify, making it the most-streamed album released in 2026. The label said "Arirang" registered about 2 billion more streams than the runner-up release, Olivia Rodrigo's third studio album, "you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love" (Olivia Rodrigo album). Comparisons cited by the label placed the latest albums from Bruno Mars and Harry Styles at roughly 1 billion and 2 billion streams respectively over a comparable period.

Track-level performance

All 14 tracks on "Arirang" have surpassed 200 million streams each. The lead track, "SWIM," is approaching 1 billion streams. The label specifically highlighted "No. 29," a track consisting solely of the enigmatic sound of the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok of the ancient Silla Dynasty, noting that it also cleared 200 million streams.

Release context and chart history

"Arirang" was released on March 20 and accumulated more than 110 million streams on its release day, BigHit Music said. The album is the group's first full-group project in three years and nine months, reuniting all seven members after they completed mandatory military service. On the Billboard 200, "Arirang" spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1, the first group album to do so since Mumford & Sons' "Babel" in 2012, according to the label.

Confirmation authority and sources

The streaming figures were announced by BigHit Music, BTS' agency, and carried Oct. 14 by Yonhap and the Korea JoongAng Daily. The reports frame the figures as label-supplied claims of cumulative streams on Spotify; no independent Spotify ranking was cited.