Taylor Swift continues to dominate the music streaming landscape, solidifying her position as the most-streamed artist on Spotify. As of December 2025, she amassed an impressive 28.21 billion streams globally, surpassing the 20 billion stream milestone for only the second time in Spotify’s history. This data, released in early December 2025, highlights a significant lead over her competitors and underscores her enduring popularity.
Spotify’s Top Artists: A Year-by-Year Look
Spotify has been publishing yearly lists of its most-streamed artists since 2013. The platform’s data reveals a shifting landscape, with certain artists consistently appearing at the top. Bad Bunny has proven particularly successful, topping the list a record four times (2020-2022 and 2025) and is the only artist to achieve this feat in three consecutive years. Drake has also been a frequent leader, topping the charts in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Notably, Taylor Swift is the only female artist to have topped the list, achieving this in 2023 and 2024.
Looking back at previous years, the top spot has been held by a diverse range of artists. In 2013, Macklemore &. Ryan Lewis led the charts, followed by Avicii and Daft Punk. Ed Sheeran took the crown in 2014 with 860 million streams. The following year, 2015, saw Drake surge to the top with 1.8 billion streams. Drake continued his success in 2016, achieving 4.7 billion streams. Ed Sheeran reclaimed the top position in 2017 with 6.3 billion streams, and again in 2018 Drake led with 8.2 billion streams. Post Malone was the top artist in 2019, garnering 6.5 billion streams. Bad Bunny’s initial run of dominance began in 2020 with 8.3 billion streams, continuing in 2021 with 9.1 billion and reaching a peak of 18.5 billion streams in 2022. Taylor Swift’s first appearance at the top was in 2023 with 26.6 billion streams, and she followed that up with 28.21 billion streams in 2024.
The 2024 Top Three
The 2024 rankings, as of December 3, 2025, show a clear top three: Taylor Swift at 28.21 billion streams, followed by The Weeknd and Drake. Bad Bunny secured the fourth position, maintaining a strong presence despite not reaching the top spot. Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande experienced significant growth, climbing from outside the top 15 in 2023 to positions five and six in 2024, both surpassing 10 billion streams.
Beyond the Top: Growth and Trends
Spotify’s 2024 data also reveals broader trends within the music industry. The platform noted the success of pop artists like Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, and Sabrina Carpenter, as well as the crossover appeal of country music with artists like Beyoncé, Shaboozey, Lana Del Rey, and Post Malone. Indie acts such as Clairo, Mk.gee, and The Marías also saw both critical acclaim and increased streaming numbers. Collaborative efforts between artists, including Billie Eilish and Charli xcx, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, and Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus, generated significant cultural impact. Notably, female artists demonstrated strong performance, holding eight of the top spots on the albums list.
The song “Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga was the most frequently shared track from Spotify to social media platforms in 2024, followed by “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish, “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone, “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims, and “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan.
Spotify Wrapped and Cultural Impact
Spotify’s annual “Wrapped” campaign, released in December 2024, has become a significant cultural event, driving engagement and highlighting the year’s top artists, songs, and trends. The platform reported that more than half a billion people have listened to podcasts on Spotify since 2019, and the growth of video podcasts continues to be substantial. This indicates a diversifying consumption pattern, with fans increasingly engaging with content in various formats.
The increasing number of artists reaching the 5 billion stream mark – 37 in 2024, up from 28 in 2023 – demonstrates the growing competitiveness of the streaming landscape and the increasing difficulty of achieving significant streaming numbers. This also suggests a continued expansion of the overall music streaming market.
