Taylor Swift scored the biggest-selling album of 2025, while KPop stars dominated the year’s biggest songs, new industry figures show.
Swift’s 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl was the most popular album of the year globally, topping the annual chart published by industry body the IFPI.
Meanwhile, Blackpink singer Rosé scored the year’s biggest worldwide hit, with her Bruno Mars collaboration APT notching up more than two billion streams.
It is the first time a song featuring non-English lyrics has topped the annual global singles chart.
The year’s second biggest hit of 2025 was Golden, performed by Huntr/x, the animated girl group from Netflix smash KPop Demon Hunters.
Scroll down to see the top 20 singles and albums charts.
The huge success of APT also marks the first time the IFPI chart has been topped by an artist from outside North America or Europe.
Although sung mostly in English, APT opens with some spoken Korean, which translates as: “Chaeyoung’s favourite random game. Random game. Game start.”
The song’s chorus, then repeats the word “아파트” – which is pronounced “apateu”, meaning “apartment” in English.
Victoria Oakley, CEO of the IFPI said it was a “landmark moment”. The industry body has been publishing the annual lists since 2007.
Mars also featured on another song in the top five, with his Lady Gaga collaboration Die With A Smile coming in fourth place.
US singer Alex Warren’s track Ordinary was the third-biggest single of the year, while Benson Boone’s Beautiful Things rounded out the top five. Boone’s song took the number one spot in 2024.
The chart is dominated by songs released in earlier years – eight of the top 10 biggest-selling singles were released before 2025.
For the second consecutive year, no British artists featured in the end-of-year global top 10.
However, singer Lola Young took 11th place with her breakthrough single Messy, which notched up more than one billion streams.
Another song from KPop Demon Hunters, Soda Pop by Huntr/x’s rival boyband Saja Boys, also features in the top 20.
Earlier this week, the IFPI said Taylor Swift was the biggest artist overall globally in 2025.
She appears once in the top singles of the year, with The Fate of Ophelia, the lead single from her album The Life of a Showgirl, in 19th place.
The US pop star appears at both ends of the albums chart, with 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department ranking as the 20th most popular album of the year.
Oakley said Swift’s success in the chart “once again is a clear reflection of the strength of her connection with fans around the world”.
Swift’s more recent album The Life of a Showgirl is joined in the top five albums by stars such as Morgan Wallen, Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter.
KPop also performed well in the album rankings, with records from Stray Kids and Seventeen in the top 20, as well as the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack placing third overall.
The top 20 most popular singles of 2025
- Rosé and Bruno Mars – APT
- Huntr/X – Golden
- Alex Warren – Ordinary
- Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – Die With A Smile
- Benson Boone – Beautiful Things
- Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather
- Teddy Swims – Lose Control
- Kendrick Lamar and SZA – Luther
- Gracie Abrams – That’s So True
- Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
- Lola Young – Messy
- Bad Bunny – DtMF
- Saja Boys – Soda Pop
- Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
- Chappell Roan – Pink Pony Club
- Sombr – Back to Friends
- The Weeknd – Timeless
- Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)
- Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia
- Ravyn Lenae – Love Me Not
- Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl
- Morgan Wallen – I’m The Problem
- KPop Demon Hunters – KPop Demon Hunters
- Bad Bunny – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
- Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
- Stray Kids – Karma
- SZA – SOS
- Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft
- Lady Gaga – Mayhem
- Mrs. GREEN APPLE – 10
- Kendrick Lamar – GNX
- Seventeen – Happy Burstday
- Tate McRae – So Close To What
- The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow
- Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
- Enhypen – Desire: Unleash
- Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
- Gracie Abrams – The Secret of Us
- Rosé – Rosie
- Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
