Released on September 29, 2025, ahead of Nigeria’s October 1 Independence Day celebrations, the list comes with few surprises as it features the familiar names leading to the global exportation of Nigerian music.
Spotify also shared the most-streamed Afrobeats songs of 2025 so far. The songs on the list will particularly raise concerns as to what informs the categorisation of a song as Afrobeats.
Most Streamed Afrobeats Stars of 2025 Globally on Spotify
Burna Boy might have vehemently refused to be described as an Afrobeats artist, but he has enough numbers to top the list of the most-streamed Afrobeats stars of 2025 globally.
Unsurprisingly, Rema is second on the list after enjoying a busy year with the release of multiple singles, even as his global smash hit ‘Calm Down’ continues to enjoy international success.
So far, 2025 has been a Wizkid year. The Afrobeats icon has been on a collaborative run this year with a series of chart singles that have combined to make him the third most-streamed Afrobeats star of 2025 globally.
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Asake makes an expected appearance on the list as the fourth most-streamed Afrobeats artist globally in 2025. His run of three single releases, collaborations with Young Jonn and Olamide, and his catalogue were sufficient to earn him a place on the list.
Grammy-nominated star Ayra Starr is the only female star on the list as she rounds off the top 5 most-streamed Afrobeats artists of 2025 globally. Her hit single ‘Hot Body’ has been one of Afrobeats’ biggest exports of the year.
READ ALSO: Can everyone just leave Ayra Starr alone? [Opinion]
Most Streamed Afrobeats Songs of 2025 Globally on Spotify
This song list is where Afrobeats fans will have some struggles coming to terms with.
The list is topped by Jamaican record producer and singer Rvssian‘s ‘Santa’ featuring Puerto Rican star Rauw Alejandro and Afrobeats star Ayra Starr.
While the song features on the Nigerian star’s sophomore album ‘The Year I Turned 21,’ it holds far more Latino Pop elements both in production and sonics than Afrobeats elements in drum and language.
This is the same case for the second song on the list, ‘Shake It To The Max’ by the Ghanaian star Moliy, which is more of Dancehall than Afrobeats.
Afrobeats got a well-deserved entry with Rema‘s global hit ‘Calm Down’ featuring Selena Gomez, which is the #3 on the list.
According to Spotify, Coldplay‘s ‘We Pray,’ featuring a global line-up of Burna Boy, Elyanna, Little Simz, and TINI, is the fourth most-streamed Afrobeats song of 2025 globally. However, the classification as Afrobeats is a shocking one, as it’s more of an electronic pop music than Afrobeats.
Cameroon-American star Libianca‘s Afro-R&B hit single ‘People’ continues to pull enough numbers globally to rank #5 on the list.
Top 5 Countries Discovering Afrobeats in 2025 on Spotify
The United States of America tops the list of countries where Afrobeats is getting new listeners in 2025. This is a testament to its growing popularity in the country where stars are filling up large Arenas and winning awards.
Brazil is second on the list in what is an exciting development that captures Afrobeats’ growing popularity in the Southern American country that shares cultural similarities with the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria.
France is the third country with the biggest pool of new Afrobeats listeners in 2024. This is surely connected with the growing collaboration between French music stars like Dadju, Tay C, and Tiakola with Afrobeats stars.
The United Kingdom ranks at #4 as it continues to play a major role in the exportation of Afrobeats, while Germany ranks at #5 as more people in the European country are discovering Afrobeats.
Nigeria ranks at #6 on the list. This reflects the growing usage of Spotify in the country as new listeners are now engaging with Afrobeats through the platform.
