K-pop album sales on track to top 100 million for first time since 2023

Seventy-nine million copies. That is how many physical K-pop albums were sold between January and September this year — 7.6 million more than in the same period last year. If the market moves another 21 million copies over the remaining three months, annual K-pop album sales will clear the 100-million mark for the first time since 2023.

"If fourth-quarter sales this year simply hold at last year's level, cumulative 2026 sales will comfortably surpass 100 million copies for the first time in three years," said Kim Jin-woo, a music data journalist at Circle Chart. Circle Chart data puts fourth-quarter sales last year at roughly 22 million copies — meaning a repeat performance would push the annual total to about 101 million.

The K-pop physical album market had been sliding for two years. Circle Chart's monthly tally of the top 400 titles showed sales hit roughly 120 million copies in 2023 — the first time the market had crossed the 100-million threshold — before falling to about 98.9 million in 2024 and declining further to roughly 93.5 million last year.

The rebound began in March, when BTS released their first full-group album in three years and nine months, Arirang. On release day alone, the album sold 3.98 million copies according to Hanteo Chart. Circle Chart data shows Arirang moved 4,224,016 copies in the first half of the year, topping the album chart for that period. BTS accounted for 22.1 percent of the entire first-quarter album market — 4,918,441 copies — on their own.

The encouraging sign, however, was that the surge did not belong to BTS alone. In April, a wave of new releases from boy groups — Tomorrow X Together, NCT Wish, &TEAM and TWS — hit the market simultaneously. Monthly sales topped 10 million copies for the first time this year, rising 154 percent from the same month a year earlier. Kim highlighted the fact that no single act dominated the market that month; instead, several groups each claimed roughly a 10 percent share.

According to analysts and music industry observers, first-half album sales grew by an average of more than 30 percent even when BTS and Blackpink are excluded from the calculation. Much of that growth was driven by boy groups only a few years into their careers, including CORTIS, NCT Wish and TWS. CORTIS recorded first-week sales of roughly 2.3 million copies for their second mini-album "Green Green," released May 4.

The number of albums released in the first half also increased. Hanteo Chart estimates roughly 350 titles were released in the first half of 2023; this year that figure reached about 410. Overseas demand has provided a solid foundation: according to Korea Customs Service, first-quarter album exports this year totaled $120 million, up 159 percent from a year earlier and a record for any single quarter.

The first half's explosive momentum did not carry fully into the third quarter, however. Cumulative first-half sales reached roughly 55 million copies, about 11 million ahead of the same period last year. By the end of September, that lead had narrowed to 7.6 million copies.

August was a bright spot, with Stray Kids (on the 7th), Enhypen (on the 21st) and NCT 127 (on the 24th) releasing new material in quick succession, pushing monthly sales above 11 million copies. September, by contrast, brought a sharp correction. Sales across the top 400 titles fell 38 percent from August and 37.8 percent from September last year, putting the monthly figure in the high 6-million-copy range. Part of the comparison difficulty stems from last September's unusually strong baseline: CORTIS' debut album opened to 436,367 first-week copies on Hanteo Chart and went on to sell more than 1.38 million copies through year-end on Circle Chart.

&TEAM dominated the September album market, placing four titles in the top 400 and capturing a 19.3 percent share for first place. Close Your Eyes and Boynextdoor rounded out the top performers. Kim said the September dip should not be read as a market reversal. "It reflects a structural characteristic unique to the K-pop industry, where physical album sales fluctuate according to artists' comeback cycles rather than signaling a broader downturn," he said. "The overall upward trend in the market remains solidly intact."

Ultimately, the fourth quarter will determine whether the 100-million milestone is reached. In 2023, sales had already hit 85.41 million copies through September, and the market crossed 100 million in October; six months that year saw sales exceed 10 million copies. This year, the question may not be answered until December. Last year's fourth-quarter baseline of roughly 22 million copies sets a demanding pace.

A packed comeback schedule through the end of the year should help. On Monday, Seventeen members Jeonghan and Joshua and Nmixx return; Babymonster follows on Oct. 23. On Oct. 26, IVE, ILLIT and RIIZE all drop new albums on the same day, setting up a three-way competition, while &Double releases their second mini-album on Oct. 27. The wave continues into next month: TWS comes back on Nov. 2, followed by RESCENE on Nov. 3. Ateez, who sparked a sensation with their summer release, return on Nov. 13, and Tomorrow X Together unveil a new album on Nov. 16. Enhypen is also preparing a new release sometime in November, a run of activity that analysts expect to give the market a significant boost.