Spotify Reveals All-Time Most-Streamed Artists, Albums, Songs and More: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and the Weeknd Top Lists

Marking two decades since its launch, Spotify has, for the first time ever, unveiled the most-streamed artists, songs, albums, podcasts, and audiobooks in its history. The Swedish streaming giant, which now boasts a reported 290 million paid subscribers—making it the world’s largest premium audio service by a significant margin—released top-20 lists for each category. While these rankings offer a fascinating snapshot of global listening trends, they inevitably skew toward more recent years, given Spotify’s explosive subscriber growth since 2015. It remains unclear how the platform weighs ad-supported (free) streams versus paid ones, and further data and lists are expected in the coming days. Music industry analysts, such as Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research, have noted that these charts “reflect not just popularity, but also the shifting demographics of Spotify’s user base, which has expanded rapidly in Latin America and Asia.”

In the artist rankings, Taylor Swift claims the top spot, followed by Bad Bunny, Drake, The Weeknd, and Ariana Grande. Swift’s dominance is particularly striking given her catalog’s temporary absence from Spotify in 2014 due to a dispute over streaming royalties. Bad Bunny’s second-place finish underscores the global rise of Latin music, while Drake, who held the number-one position for several years, now sits third. The list also includes genre-spanning acts like Eminem, BTS, and Juice WRLD, reflecting the platform’s diverse listener base. Among albums, Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” leads, with The Weeknd’s “Starboy” and Ed Sheeran’s “÷ (Deluxe)” rounding out the top three. Notably, Arctic Monkeys’ 2013 album “AM” appears at number nine, a testament to its enduring appeal and the band’s strong following in the UK and beyond. The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” tops the songs chart, having become a global phenomenon during the pandemic, followed by Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather.”

The podcast rankings are headlined by “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has been a cornerstone of Spotify’s exclusive podcast strategy since 2020. German-language shows like “Gemischtes Hack” and “Fest & Flauschig” also feature prominently, highlighting Spotify’s strong European user base. True-crime podcasts such as “Crime Junkie” and “My Favorite Murder” remain popular, alongside news staples like “The Daily” from The New York Times. In the audiobook category, Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses” takes the top spot, with J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” and Rebecca Yarros’s “Fourth Wing” following closely. Jennette McCurdy’s memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” ranks fourth, reflecting a growing appetite for celebrity autobiographies. Spotify, which entered the audiobook market in 2022, has seen strong engagement with fantasy and romance titles, as well as self-help classics like “The 48 Laws of Power.” The full lists, published on Spotify’s blog, offer a comprehensive look at what has captivated listeners over the past two decades.