- Korean acts held seven of the top 10 positions on the IFPI's 2025 Global Album Sales Chart, led by Stray Kids' "Karma" with 3.49 million units.
- Rosé became the first K-pop artist to top the IFPI Global Singles Chart with "APT." alongside Bruno Mars.
- Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl" held the No. 1 album position with 6.05 million units.
Korean pop acts accounted for seven of the top 10 positions on the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's Global Album Sales Chart for 2025, the industry body said Friday, a concentration that suggests the genre's commercial weight has moved well past the breakout phase.
Stray Kids' "Karma" finished second on the chart with 3.49 million units sold, followed by Seventeen's "Happy Burstday" at No. 3 with 2.63 million and Enhypen's "Desire: Unleash" at No. 4 with 2.13 million. Taylor Swift held the top position with "The Life of a Showgirl" at 6.05 million units. Swift was also named the IFPI's biggest-selling global artist for the fourth consecutive year and sixth time overall, with Stray Kids reaching their highest-ever ranking at No. 2 on the separate Global Artist Chart.
Japan's Snow Man (1.67 million) and China's Hua Chen Yu (1.49 million) took the fifth and eighth positions respectively, while the remaining Korean entries rounded out the top 10: Tomorrow X Together's "The Star Chapter: Together" at No. 6 with 1.62 million, Zerobaseone's "Never Say Never" at No. 7 with 1.52 million, IVE's "IVE Empathy" at No. 9 with 1.49 million and G-Dragon's "Übermensch" at No. 10 with 1.37 million. G-Dragon, who recently confirmed BIGBANG's 2026 reunion, is the only solo artist among the Korean entries in the top 10.
Stray Kids, Seventeen lead K-pop's sweep of IFPI global album chart
Korean acts filled more slots outside the top 10 as well. NCT Wish's "Color" ranked 11th with 1.36 million units, &Team's "Back to Life" placed 13th at 1.30 million, Riize's "Odyssey" came in at 15th with 1.17 million, Aespa's "Rich Man" was 16th at 1.13 million and Boynextdoor's "No Genre" finished 18th with 1.12 million. Zerobaseone placed a second album, "Blue Paradise," at No. 12 with 1.33 million, while NCT Wish also doubled up with "poppop" at No. 17 and IVE added "IVE Secret" at No. 20.
Of the 20 albums on the IFPI Global Album Sales Chart, non-Western artists held every position except No. 1, pointing to the strength of physical markets in South Korea, Japan and China.
The IFPI's separate Global Album Chart, which blends sales with streaming, told a similar story. The soundtrack from Netflix's animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" — whose cultural ripple effects have extended to a $1.5 billion surge in South Korean noodle exports — placed third on that chart. Stray Kids ranked sixth, Seventeen 12th, Enhypen 16th and Rosé's solo album "rosie" came in at 19th.
Rosé and Bruno Mars make IFPI singles chart history with APT.
Western artists still control most of the IFPI Global Singles Chart, but Rosé carved out an exception. The Blackpink member, alongside Bruno Mars, topped the singles ranking with "APT.", making her the first K-pop artist to reach No. 1 on that chart, the IFPI confirmed on Feb. 19. The track is also the first chart-topper to feature non-English lyrics, according to the federation. She also placed within the top 20 of the Global Album Chart.
How K-pop's physical album strategy is reshaping global music sales
The breadth of the 2025 results points to a structural change in how global album sales are distributed. Korean labels have built a model that pairs collectible physical editions — often sold in multiple versions with photocards and other inclusions — with strong streaming numbers. That formula put more Korean acts in the IFPI top 10 than any other non-English-language market has managed in the chart's history.
Whether the concentration holds in future years will depend on whether Korean labels can sustain the pace of new group launches and whether Western labels adopt similar physical-edition strategies. The genre's rapid international growth has also brought friction — a recent DAY6 concert dispute in Malaysia exposed tensions around race and local regulations that come with operating across dozens of markets. For now, the 2025 IFPI data makes one thing clear: the commercial center of the album market has more than one address.
