K-pop album sales hit record 49.53M units in H1 2026, annual 100M mark in sight

K-pop album sales reached 49.53 million units in the first half of 2026, shattering the previous half-year record of 46.17 million from H1 2023. That's a 23.4% jump—roughly 9.4 million more units than H1 2025, which logged 40.12 million.

BTS dominated with their 5th regular album ARIRANG, moving 4.71 million copies in the first half. First-week sales hit 4.16 million units. In H1 2023, only SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids had cracked the 4-million-plus tier for opening week, and they were the only two that half-year to do it.

ATEEZ landed both GOLDEN HOUR Part.4 and Part.5 into million-seller territory during the same stretch, with combined sales exceeding 3.03 million units. BLACKPINK's 3rd mini album DEADLINE, released in February 2026, opened with 1.77 million units—clearing aespa's MY WORLD (1.69 million) for the all-time first-week record among K-pop girl groups.

Lower down the chart, the momentum stayed strong. CORTIS, a 2025 debut, ranked third overall with GREENGREEN at 2.80 million units. NCT WISH, who debuted in 2024, released their first regular album Ode to Love. AD1 (알파드라이브원), a 2026 debut act, dropped their debut album EUPHORIA.

Fourteen teams hit million-seller status in first-week sales this half, up from 12 in H1 2023. The million-seller albums outside ARIRANG combined for roughly 22.6 million units. H1 2023's comparable figure across 12 albums was roughly 23.27 million.

Back in 2023, SEVENTEEN sold 16 million units for the full year and Stray Kids cleared 10 million. BTS's full-group hiatus meant a small number of mega-IPs carried the total. The 2026 picture spreads across more acts.

At the current pace, 2026 annual K-pop album sales are on track to surpass 100 million units and potentially break the all-time annual record of 103.3 million set in 2023.