According to data on K-pop popularity based on YouTube views, only **** percent of the total number of views came from South Korea, the homeland of K-pop. In terms of audience share, the country was followed by Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States. K-pop's popularity in the global music market was led by BTS, Blackpink, TWICE, Momoland, and EXO, and these five artists accounted for **** percent of all K-pop YouTube views. K-pop popularity world mapIn terms of total YouTube views, Asia and America are evenly distributed in the top 10 rankings. However, K-pop is more popular in Asia when comparing the countries by population. According to data analyzed by K-pop experts, Korea has generated the most video views compared by population, followed by Asian countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Vietnam. When analyzed by city, people in Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok were watching Korean pop music videos more than people in Seoul. Also, BTS' popularity in the Americas and Europe is high, followed by Black Pink. In Asia, Black Pink, BTS and TWICE have gained popularity. K-pop consumption around the worldAs users can easily access music content online, such as YouTube and Facebook, more and more people are enjoying Korean music content. Accordingly, the amount of money spent per month on K-pop content over the world has also doubled and stood at *** U.S. dollars per person in 2019. People in the United Arab Emirates particularly spent the highest amount of money on K-pop content, an average of **** U.S. dollars per month which is far higher than in other countries. On the other hand, in the world an average of **** hours was spent monthly watching K-pop content. People in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam spent more time enjoying the same content.

According to a survey conducted across 28 countries in 2024, respondents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) spent the largest amount of money on South Korean pop music (K-pop) per month, at around **** U.S. dollars. This was followed by Saudi Arabia at about **** dollars and the United States at **** dollars each. That year, the average amount of money spent per month on K-pop worldwide was ***** dollars.

As of January 2023, YouTube videos from the popular K-pop boyband BTS were among the most-viewed K-pop videos on YouTube. Over the past year, Japanese viewers made up the largest share of watchers with around *** million views on the band’s videos, followed by *** million views from India and *** million views from Mexico. In June 2019, BTS videos accounted for around ** percent of all K-pop videos viewed around the world on YouTube. BTS has two official YouTube channels, “Hybe Labels” from its agency BigHit Music, as well as their own “Bangtan TV”. Who is BTS? BTS is a K-pop group consisting of seven South Korean men, first formed in 2013 by what was then a small agency, Big Hit Entertainment. Now BTS and its members are widely considered the most popular K-pop artists. They regularly break their own records to set new records in album sales and YouTube viewership. Furthermore, they set a new record by becoming the first K-pop group to address the United Nations. BTS is still gaining fans around the world, and these fans formed the “ARMY”. The continuous growth of their fandom is a major driving force behind BTS’ record-setting. The group’s successes also benefited its agency, Big Hit Music. On the brink of bankruptcy just a decade ago, Big Hit returned to making a profit thanks to BTS and had the highest operating profits among the Big 4 entertainment companies in South Korea. The agency has since formed a corporation by the name of HYBE, and has acquired several more labels. Secret to BTS’ popularityBTS started to gain popularity abroad with their music, which offers something for everyone and covers diverse topics such as mental health and contemporary social issues. They also post a large amount of content on YouTube, Twitter, and other social media platforms, such as the standard “official music videos”, behind-the-scenes videos, and variety shows. Exceptional choreography also attracted and held the eyes of the band’s audience, especially drawing in teenagers for whom the lyrics in BTS’ songs struck a chord. BTS has gathered a sizeable fanbase in the Americas where traditionally K-pop had struggled to break into the mainstream. YouTube played a major role in this success. They are also popular in many other countries, with Japan, India, and Mexico contributing the most in terms of YouTube views in 2022.

In 2023, the export value of the music industry in South Korea amounted to around *** billion U.S. dollars.K-popThe main export in the South Korean music industry is K-pop. Korean pop music has been increasingly popular all around the world. In 2023, a survey conducted in 28 countries across the world found that around ** percent of respondents considered K-pop to be very popular in their country. The most popular K-pop stars worldwide were the boy group BTS. Music in South KoreaWhile K-pop is known for being successful outside of South Korea’s borders, Korean music is of course also enjoyed domestically. A 2024 survey found that ballads and K-pop were the most popular music genres in South Korea. The most popular way of listening to music in 2024 was via one's smartphone, by streaming or downloading music. While the South Korean music streaming industry was previously dominated by a handful of domestic streaming services, most notably Melon, YouTube was the most popular music streaming service in 2024.

According to a 2024 survey conducted across 28 countries, over ** percent of respondents stated that the genre K-pop was “very popular” in their country. The popularity was at the point where K-pop was known to the general public and related products were being sold. The survey found that the popularity of K-pop reaches far beyond South Korean borders. K-pop industryK-pop is a genre of South Korean popular music. Although the term includes music of a variety of stylistic origins, it is often associated with so-called K-pop idols. Idols are usually young individuals, who are known for being good-looking, fashionable, highly trained in singing and dancing, as well as having an almost perfect image. They often make their debut in boy or girl groups, who promote their songs with music videos that feature intense choreographies. The most successful groups are often signed under South Koreas biggest agencies, were they undertake strict training before they make their debut. The K-pop entertainment company with the highest sales revenue in 2024 was HYBE, who manage multiple successful idols and labels, including global stars BTS. K-pop is constantly growingWhile the majority in Western countries have not heard about K-pop before PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ in 2012, Korean pop idols started to become famous in Asian countries in 2003. Singer BoA and boy group TVXQ became the first K-pop idols to successfully break into the Japanese market. With the support of the South Korean government, who saw the industries economic potential, the so-called Korean wave (hallyu) started to spread even further, and K-pop gained a global audience. Girl group BLACKPINK was the first K-pop band to headline the famous U.S. music festival Coachella in 2019. With BTS currently on hiatus due to military obligations, and album sales exploding, SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids have pulled ahead to become the biggest active boy groups in South Korea currently.

According to data on the popularity of K-pop based on YouTube views, South Koreans made up the largest audience on YouTube for K-pop videos, followed closely by Indonesians. People from both countries saw K-pop videos more than *** billion times over a one-year period respectively. Thailand viewers came in third with around *** billion views.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in February 2025, the most popular TV program at the time was Netflix's "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call", with 5.1 percent of respondents stating it was their favorite to watch. The talent show "Mr. Trot" came in second with 4.9 percent. What’s popular on Korean TV? Korean dramas, often abbreviated to K-dramas, are among the most popular programs watched in South Korea. K-dramas have also seen global acclaim, with hits such as “Squid Game” being watched by audiences around the globe. Variety shows constitute another major genre in the television industry, proving especially popular among older generations. Drawing from the success of K-dramas and K-pop, these shows often feature prominent faces of the Korean entertainment industry in various formats from comedy to quiz shows. How do South Koreans watch TV? Despite television being increasingly accessible on smartphones and other devices via over-the-top (OTT) services, South Koreans still commonly enjoy their favorite shows via television sets. Taking advantage of the strong internet infrastructure in the country, however, viewers make increasing use of digital opportunities. With almost the entire country being online, a substantial share of South Koreans had some sort of pay TV subscription.

As of August 2023, the popular K-pop girl group BLACKPINK garnered around *** million views from Indonesian fans. This was followed by *** million views from India and *** million views from Thailand. BLACKPINK is among the most popular K-pop acts both domestically and internationally.

BLACKPINK in your area

BLACKPINK is a South Korean girl group consisting of four members under YG Entertainment, and they have been active since August 2016. After their debut, the girls continued to gain many fans. Their popularity is reflected in their album sales, with the group recording around *** million album sales in 2022. On social media, each of the members also received a lot of interest, as all four members’ personal Instagram accounts had more than fifty million followers.

The sea of K-pop groups

Apart from BLACKPINK, other female artists such as IVE and Red Velvet also had a large share of album sales. Male K-pop artists with dominant sales shares included BTS, Stray Kids, and SEVENTEEN. In the past few years, the genre has gained more popularity overseas as well. The leading K-pop artists on the social media platform TikTok were BTS, BLACKPINK, and other artists such as TXT and TWICE, highlighting the continuous global interest in these groups.

According to a survey on the global popularity of South Korean cultural content in 2024, South Korean beauty products were most popular among Vietnamese respondents, with over **** percent of respondents from there answering it was widely popular. Over ** percent of respondents in other countries such as the Taiwan and Malaysia also stated that K-beauty is very popular in their countries.

As of August 2023, popular K-pop girl group TWICE garnered around *** million views from Japanese fans. This was followed by *** million views from South Korea and *** million views from the Philippines. TWICE is among the most popular K-pop acts both domestically and internationally. With ***** Japanese members, TWICE has had many successful releases and promotions in Japan.

According to a survey on the global popularity of South Korean cultural content in 2024, Korean fashion was the most popular among Malaysian respondents as around ** percent of the respondents stated that Korean fashion was very popular in their country. More than ** percent of respondents from ******out of the 26 surveyed countries and territories described Korean fashion as popular in their region.

According to a 2024 survey conducted across 28 countries worldwide, around ** percent of respondents stated that they used YouTube or YouTube Music for accessing South Korean pop music (K-pop) content. Apart from YouTube, Spotify was the most popular way to access K-pop internationally.

In a 2024 survey conducted across 28 countries worldwide, around **** percent of respondents stated that a factor working in favor of K-pop was that the music itself was good. Other commonly named factors included the outstanding performances and the personal charm of the singers themselves.K-popDuring the past decade, Korean pop music has become popular in countries all around the world. In a survey about the popularity of K-pop in their home country, almost half of all respondents reported that it was very popular to the point that not only enthusiasts but also ordinary people knew of it. K-pop mainly revolves around boy and girl groups, which consist of multi-talented singers and dancer. The industry is known for being extremely competitive, and having a dedicated fanbase. HallyuAt first glance it might seem that the success has come out of nowhere, but the South Korean government has strategically sold cultural content first in Asia and then in the rest of the world. "Hallyu", the so-called "Korean wave", has had an immense positive effect on the South Korean economy. For example, a report estimates that the three concerts held by the boy group BTS in Seoul in 2019 have a total direct and indirect impact of around *** billion South Korean won. As of 2024, BTS were still the most popular K-pop artist worldwide.

According to data on the popularity of K-pop based on YouTube views, Blackpink was the most popular K-pop group in Asia, with around ** percent of YouTube views and followed by BTS. Unlike in the Americas and Europe, Psy was not among the top five most popular K-pop artists in Asians countries.

A survey held in the United States in September 2019 revealed that **** percent of K-pop music fans in the country most enjoyed K-pop within the dance genre, making this the most popular. K-pop which is more aligned with indie or rock was the least popular, followed by electronic K-pop and ballads.

According to a survey conducted by the Korean Tourism Organization in 2019, around **** percent of female respondents from *** countries stated that they like the Korean K-Pop boy band Bangtan Boys (BTS) the most. It is estimated that BTS generates around ************* won as economic value to South Korea per year.

According to a survey conducted by the Korean Tourism Organization in 2019, around **** percent of respondents from *** countries stated that they like the Korean K-Pop boy band Bangtan Boys (BTS) the most. It is estimated that BTS generates around ************* won as economic value to South Korea per year.

According to a survey on the global popularity of South Korean beauty products in 2019, around **** percent of respondents in Indonesia stated that K-beauty is very popular in their country. The same survey revealed that K-beauty was most popular in Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

According to a survey conducted across 28 countries in 2024, respondents stated that they spent an average of ***** U.S. dollars on South Korean pop music (K-pop) content per month, an increase from about *** dollars the previous year. K-Pop consumption Consumers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) showed the highest monthly spending on K-pop, at around **** dollars per month in 2024. The same survey showed that the majority of K-Pop fans used YouTube for accessing K-Pop online, while Spotify was the second most popular online service for K-pop content. Due to the vast amount of content related to K-Pop, such as music videos, behind the scene videos, variety content and more, K-pop fans usually spend a lot of time watching said content. The average time spent engaging with K-pop, was highest among Filipino fans, followed by Thai and Indonesian consumers. Fan culture and collecting K-pop content, especially CDs, usually has unique packaging which makes it attractive for consumers to buy and collect. An album usually includes a photobook and a lot of freebies such as photocards or stickers. Since the albums often include only one photocard out of many, fans often buy more copies to collect one of each member of the group. In some cases, idol groups release several versions of the same album with different photo concepts, so that avid collectors spend even more on K-pop. One example is the top-selling physical album of 2024, "SPILL THE FEELS" by SEVENTEEN, for which seven versions were available.

According to a survey on the global popularity of South Korean beauty products in 2019, around **** percent of respondents in Japan stated that Korean beauty products were very popular in their country. The same survey revealed that K-beauty was most popular in Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.