The year 2023 has proven to be a spectacular period for the K-pop industry, marked by chart-topping hits and record sales. The global influence of K-pop continues to reach new heights, with an ever-expanding fanbase that shows no signs of slowing down.
This increase in popularity isn't just noticeable; it's measurable. Album sales are a key indicator of success in K-pop, and 2023 has seen some record-breaking figures.
As the year draws to a close, a netizen has gathered data from Circle Chart to rank K-pop groups based on their total album sales in 2023. This ranking offers a clear view of the industry's achievements and underscores these groups' significant impact this year.
The chart combines the total sales for each group, including the members' solo, unit, and group sales. According to the released chart, here are the top 30 groups:
1st place: Seventeen - 16,673,735 copies (2015 debut, 3rd generation)
2nd place: Stray Kids - 10,602,703 copies (2018 debut, 4th generation)
3rd place: BTS - 9,053,852 copies (2013 debut, 3rd generation)
4th place: TXT - 6,492,514 copies (2019 debut, 4th generation)
5th place: NCT Dream - 4,861,149 copies (2016 debut, 3rd generation)
6th place: NCT 127 - 4,376,166 copies (2016 debut, 3rd generation)
7th place: NewJeans - 4,347,518 copies (2022 debut, 4th generation)
8th place: ENHYPEN - 3,859,632 copies (2020 debut, 4th generation)
9th place: ZEROBASEONE - 3,851,210 copies (2023 debut, 4th generation)
10th place: IVE - 3,738,326 copies (2021 debut, 4th generation)
11th place: aespa - 3,440,758 copies (2020 debut, 4th generation)
12th place: ATEEZ - 3,248,195 copies (2018 debut, 4th generation)
13th place: TWICE - 2,550,115 copies (2015 debut, 3rd generation)
14th place: EXO - 2,361,471 copies (2012 debut, 3rd generation)
15th place: BLACKPINK - 2,360,528 copies (2016 debut, 3rd generation)
16th place: TREASURE - 1,983,770 copies (2020 debut, 4th generation)
17th place: LE SSERAFIM - 1,961,210 copies (2022 debut, 4th generation)
18th place: NMIXX - 1,873,871 copies (2022 debut, 4th generation)
19th place: (G)I-DLE - 1,626,457 copies (2018 debut, 4th generation)
20th place: The Boyz - 1,470,078 copies (2017 debut, 4th generation)
21st place: ITZY - 1,357,398 copies (2019 debut, 4th generation)
22nd place: SHINee - 1,069,877 copies (2008 debut, 2nd generation)
23rd place: RIIZE - 1,049,989 copies (2023 debut, 4th generation)
24th place: STAYC - 788,758 copies (2020 debut, 4th generation)
25th place: MONSTA X - 748,302 copies (2015 debut, 3rd generation)
26th place: BOYNEXTDOOR - 725,173 copies (2023 debut, 4th generation)
27th place: Red Velvet - 676,067 copies (2014 debut, 3rd generation)
28th place: CRAVITY - 632,250 copies (2020 debut, 4th generation)
29th place: WayV - 555,188 copies (2019 debut, 4th generation)
30th place: Xikers - 390,981 copies (2023 debut, 4th generation)
Korean netizens commented, "NewJeans is a girl group and it's amazing how many albums they sold," "The teams that debuted a long time ago that are still ranking in the top 30 is amazing," "Wow SHINee is impressive," "I'm proud of TREASURE, they only released one album this year. YG let's work better," "EXO, wow," "BLACKPINK sold a lot this year too," "ZEROBASEONE being in the top 10 is crazy," "BTS is one of the top with just solo releases," "WOW, Seventeen sold over 16 million albums this year," "Oh wow, RIIZE," and "Let's go for a long time Seventeen."