K-pop record exports hit all-time quarterly high in Q1 2026, up 159% year-over-year

K-pop record exports crossed $120 million USD (approx. ₩185.136 billion) in Q1 2026, the highest quarterly total on record. That's a 159% jump from Q1 2025, which itself was part of a breakthrough year: 2025 saw annual exports hit $301.7 million USD (approx. ₩465.372 billion), the first time the genre cleared the $300 million annual threshold.

Streaming data tells the same story. K-pop streams on Spotify grew more than 470 times over the 10 years from 2014. In 2023 alone, U.S. K-pop streaming climbed 20%-plus year-over-year.

As the genre's reach expands across multiple markets at once, the way it gets measured is changing too. Melon launched its Global-K Chart in early June, pulling together platform usage data from South Korea, China, and Japan. The chart doesn't just count streams and downloads—it factors in fan-binding activity and likes, treating fandom engagement across borders as part of the performance picture.

The third week of June offers a snapshot. RIIZE, riding their second mini album Ⅱ (투), climbed from 21st in the first week of June to 2nd. BOYNEXTDOOR, off their first full-length album HOME (홈), moved from 9th to 6th over the same span. Two rookie-adjacent acts in the top six of a tri-market chart—the old domestic rankings never surfaced data like this.

The Q1 export record and the Global-K Chart's launch say the same thing: K-pop's audience stopped being primarily domestic years ago. The industry is finally catching up.