Latin America is Obsessed with BTS! Brazil and Mexico Surpass Korea in Streaming Numbers

BTS recently drew 150,000 fans over three days in Mexico for their world tour ‘ARIRANG,’ and this passion from Latin American fans is now showing massive results in the music streaming market.

According to music and entertainment data provider Luminate, BTS’s 5th full-length album ‘ARIRANG,’ released on March 20, recorded 739.1 million streams worldwide in its first week.

Luminate explained that this is not only the highest first-week record for any album released in 2026 but also the highest figure since Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl,’ which recorded 1.3 billion streams in October last year.

Looking at the first-week streaming numbers by country, the US took first place with 115 million. Brazil (78.6 million), Mexico (75.9 million), and South Korea (58.3 million) followed, with Japan in fifth at 48.2 million.

Setting aside the US, the world’s largest music market, Latin American countries like Brazil and Mexico have actually surpassed South Korea, the home of K-pop.

This trend is also evident in statistics from YouTube, the leading online video platform.

According to YouTube’s chart analysis, among the top 10 countries that listened to BTS’s music the most over 28 days from last month’s 6th to this month’s 3rd, four were Latin American nations: Brazil (3rd, 53.2 million views), Mexico (4th, 53.1 million views), Argentina (9th, 22.1 million views), and Peru (10th, 19.1 million views). South Korea ranked 6th (46.6 million views).

The popularity of BTS in Latin America has translated into incredible energy at their concerts.

All 150,000 seats for the Mexico City concert were sold out as soon as bookings opened, and tens of thousands of fans who couldn’t get tickets still gathered around the venue to enjoy the atmosphere. The LA Times estimated that about 35,000 people gathered outside the venue on May 9 and 10.

Additionally, when the members visited Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on the 6th, Zócalo Square in front of the National Palace was packed with about 50,000 ARMYs. BTS met with President Sheinbaum and received a commemorative plaque from the Mexican government.

BTS will continue their journey in October, holding stadium concerts in major Latin American cities, including Bogota (Colombia), Lima (Peru), Santiago (Chile), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Sao Paulo (Brazil).

Through this tour, the members will become the first Korean artists to perform at Estadio El Campín in Bogota and Estadio Único de La Plata in Buenos Aires. They will also hold the first-ever solo concert by a Korean artist at Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile.

Due to the overwhelming response from Latin America, they have already added one extra show each for Lima, Santiago, and Buenos Aires.

An official from HYBE (Bighit Music) stated, “We are paying close attention to the growth speed and scalability of the Latin market. We plan to use the Latin market as an expansion hub to connect with the Hispanic market, which makes up 19.5% of the US population, further strengthening our global business axis connecting Asia, English-speaking, and Spanish-speaking regions.”