A group portrait of BTS members RM, Jungkook, Jin, V, Jimin, Suga, and j-hope standing in a row. They are dressed in a monochromatic "dark-tech" aesthetic, incorporating leather jackets, buckled straps, safety-pin textures, and chunky silver chains. RM and j-hope are wearing black sunglasses, and Jin is seen making a peace sign.

BTS’ Arirang occupies the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 after spending three weeks at the summit.

BTS Arirang Billboard 200 Reign Ends? Album Drops to No. 3

BTS' post-military era was met with tremendous hype but is now experiencing a slight decline, including that of sales.

21 APR 2026, 08:01 AM

BTS Arirang Billboard 200 ranking dips to No. 3 after peaking for three weeks.
The recent BTS Arirang album chart performance shows that it recorded 78,000 units of sales in its most recent tracking period, signaling a 37% decrease.
Despite special and anthology releases like BE and Proof, BTS’ Arirang marks the group’s first full-group studio album in six years since Map of the Soul: 7.

Post its historic three-week residency at the peak of the American music scene, BTS’ latest studio venture, Arirang, has finally ceded its throne. As per a Billboard 200 chart preview released Sunday, the K-pop giant’s fifth full-length album dipped down to No. 3, leaving out the top spots to country songs led by Ella Langley’s Dandelion and Morgan Wallen’s 2025 release, I’m the Problem. Notably, the album's lead track Swim also ranked at No. 5 on the Billboard charts for the week of April 18, 2026, after being at the top for several days.

BTS Billboard 200 Ranking Drops, Sees 37% Sales Decline

The shift arrives as Arirang BTS album sales logged 78,000 equivalent album units sold during the latest tracking week. This indicates a 37% decline in activity from its earlier frame. The Billboard 200 chart identifies America's most popular albums via a composite index of physical and digital sales, digital track downloads, and streaming volume.

The 14-track project, led by the title track Swim, holds significant emotional value as the band's first collective studio release in nearly six years since Map of the Soul: 7 (Feb 2020). Although there were releases like BE (2020) and Proof (2022), they were either a special deluxe studio release or an anthology album; not conventional studio LPs like MOTS or Arirang. Notably, after MOTS, the group released a Japanese special titled as Map of the Soul: 7 ~The Journey~.

BTS Billboard Legacy & Chart Impact

BTS’ new album also effectively ended a four-year hiatus caused by the members’ mandatory military service, showcasing a successful return, while also redefining the skyline for international acts on the U.S. charts. The group had charted multiple songs on several Billboard charts, including the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 (Albums).

Top Billboard Hot 100 Peaks by BTS:

Dynamite (No. 1, 3 weeks, 2020)
Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) - Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo x BTS (No. 1, 2020)
Life Goes On (No. 1, 2020)
Butter (No. 1, 10 weeks, 2021)
Permission to Dance (No. 1, 2021)
My Universe - Coldplay x BTS (No. 1, 2021)
Swim (No. 1, 2026, now at No. 5)

Top Billboard 200 Peaks (Albums) of BTS:

Map of the Soul: 7 (No. 1, 2020)
Be (No. 1, 2020)
Map of the Soul: Persona (No. 1, 2019)
Love Yourself: Answer (No. 1, 2018)
Love Yourself: Tear (No. 1, 2018)
Proof (No. 1, 2022)
Arirang (No. 1, 2026, now at No. 3)

As the band sets out on its Arirang world tour, it is left to be seen whether their stage performances will help them to recapture the top spots while remaining competitive with their Western peers.

Diya Mukherjee

Author

Diya Mukherjee is a Content Writer at Outlook Respawn with a postgraduate background in media. She has a passion for writing content and is enthusiastic about exploring cultures, literature, global affairs, and pop culture.