And the top global artist of 2025 was…yeah, her. Again.
The IFPI–the International Federation of the Phonograph Industry–is the global trade group representing the recorded music industry on a global level. It also keep track of which artists are doing well where.
Each year, they look back on the last 12 months, crunch the numbers–sales, streaming, digital downloads, everything–and determine the Biggest Artist in the World. And for 2025, that artist was, yes, Taylor Swift. For the fourth year in a row and for the sixth time overall. Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Drake, and any K-pop act were again left in her dust.
Here is the Top 20. Note that the lone rock act in the Top 20 was Linkin Park at 16, which is up from 19 in 2024.
1. Taylor Swift
2. Stray Kids
3. Drake
4. The Weeknd
5. Bad Bunny
6. Kendrick Lamar
7. Morgan Wallen
8. Sabrina Carpenter
9. Billie Eilish
10. Lady Gaga (Back for the first time since 2020)
11. Ariana Grande
12. Tyler, The Creator (New entry)
13. Mrs. Green Apple (New entry)
14. Seventeen
15. Eminem
16. Linkin Park
17. Zach Bryan
18. Ed Sheeran (A re-entry; last time he was on the list was 2023)
19. SZA (Like Sheeran, she’s back for the first itme since 2023)
20. Justin Bieber (He hasn’t been here since 2021)
