BTS has surpassed ten billion Spotify streams in 2026, its label BigHit Music said, according to Yonhap's October 16 report. The company described BTS as the first group to reach that total within a single year.
The distinction concerns groups, rather than all artists. Yonhap noted that solo performers including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Bad Bunny had previously achieved the milestone. The announcement also came before the end of 2026, rather than representing a final full-year total.
Arirang drives the increase
The label said streams of BTS songs had more than doubled from 4.5 billion last year, driven by the group's fifth studio album, Arirang, released in March.
The album itself has accumulated more than five billion streams since release. The report described it as Spotify's most-streamed album among releases from this year, based on the supplied figures.
The two totals have different scopes: ten billion concerns the group's songs during the year, while five billion concerns Arirang since release. They should not be added together as separate listening totals.
Full-group return
Arirang was presented as BTS's first full-group project in nearly four years, following the members' completion of military service. It exceeded 110 million streams on its March 20 release day.
Yonhap also reported three consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200, the first such run for a group album since Mumford & Sons' Babel in 2012. That chart achievement is distinct from Spotify streaming, with the report attributing the annual listening milestone to BigHit Music.