What the World Streamed Most in 2022

What the World Streamed Most in 2022 was the year when we started to get used to viewing the world upside down if 2020 was the year that turned it on its head. People all throughout the world began to embrace the unknown when “normal” was abandoned, championing all the qualities that make each of us distinctive in the process.

This concept—the countless bizarre and delightful ways to listen to What the World Streamed Most in 2022  and live in a world that never ceases to surprise us—is celebrated in Spotify’s 2021 Wrapped. The best artists, albums, songs, podcasts, and more that shaped how more than 381 million people worldwide found audio during a year that changed “unprecedented” into, well, precedented, are being revealed today.

As always, Wrapped encourages us to consider the significant impact that music has had on our listeners’ lives as well as how our favorite artists have shaped the environment in which we live.

The top artists, songs, and albums globally

The What the World Streamed Most in 2022 artist in the world on Spotify is Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny for the second consecutive year. Furthermore, despite not releasing a new album this year, he has gotten over 9.1 billion streams. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift quickly follows him with her single Red (Taylor’s Version), which provided both longtime and new admirers a cause to revisit the artist’s early ground-breaking work.

BTS completes the top three for 2021. Due to the success of their single “Butter,” the renowned K-pop trio enjoyed a banner year. The fourth and fifth slots, respectively, go to Canadian hip-hop singers Justin Bieber and Drake, whose 2021 album Justice includes collaborations with musicians from all across the world.

The song with the most streaming worldwide in 2021 is “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo, which received over 1.1 billion. The artist’s debut studio album was announced by Lil Nas X’s viral hit “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” which moves up to second position.

With his Justin Bieber-featuring song “STAY,” The Kid LAROI breaks into the top three for the first time. Olivia Rodrigo is included in the fourth position once more, this time with “good 4 u,” which was also named the 2021 Spotify Song of the Summer. “Levitating (feat. DaBaby)” by Dua Lipa is now the seventh most streamed song overall.

In terms of the top albums worldwide in 2021, Olivia Rodrigo is once again victorious—it is obvious that her debut album SOUR included some sweetness. Second place goes to Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa, followed by Justice by Justin Bieber, = by Ed Sheeran, and Planet Her by Doja Cat in that order.

The top podcasts globally

The Joe Rogan Experience is still the top podcast on Spotify worldwide after its first full year as a Spotify exclusive. Call Her Daddy by the courageous Alex Cooper, which also became a Spotify exclusive in 2021, comes next. With Crime Junkie, TED Talks Daily, and The Daily rounding out the list, true crime and news remain two of the most popular genres in the channel.

Notable trends

The most popular songs, artists, albums, and podcasts weren’t the only things we discovered when we looked into Spotify trends in 2021. We discovered the moments that brought listeners together as well as those that stood out for being particularly special.

People’s listening in What the World Streamed Most in 2022  was influenced by nostalgia as fans rediscover their old favorites and new generations take them up. There are some songs and albums that just sound like home, let’s face it (in a good way).

The year’s many social media trends were also visible on Spotify. These featured musical genres that, to put it mildly, hadn’t been honored in decades as well as occasions for relaxation (and cuteness) that prompted playlists to fit.

Don’t forget to check out your own What the World Streamed Most in 2022 Wrapped personal experience on the Spotify app to hear the audio version of your year’s events in addition to the most popular music and podcasts in the globe. Find out more about the features of your customized Wrapped hub in the Spotify app.

Here are the complete lists of the top songs, What the World Streamed Most in 2022 , albums, and podcasts from 2021.

Most Streamed Artists Globally

Poor Bunny
BTS Taylor Swift

Drake

Bieber, Justin

Most Streamed Artists in the U.S. 

Drake
Swift, Taylor
WRLD Juice

Yeezy West

Poor Bunny

Most Streamed Albums Globally

Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR
Dua Lipa’s song Future Nostalgia
Justin Bieber’s justice

[from Ed Sheeran]

Doja Cat’s Planet Her

What are some of the considerations that go into the Wrapped visual identity each year? 

There might be several alternative solutions, in my opinion. The fact that we change how we describe the history of music and aural culture every year is, in my opinion, the most significant. In order to synchronize our ideas and speech patterns with the year that has passed, we genuinely want to reflect on the year that has passed.

As you can see, the subject varies a little bit from year to year. On the design front, it’s crucial for us to make sure that any design we produce captures the spirit of how we conceptualize the year.

Additionally, we genuinely aim to develop an entirely new and original articulation of our brand each year outside of that. Spotify is that. We continuously experiment, try new ideas, and look for methods to advance the brand.

Therefore, based on the aesthetic direction, you can very immediately tell what year you’re talking about when you start going back in time on Twitter, Instagram, and all these other sites where you can post.