BTS Returns to Global Dominance as ‘ARIRANG’ Secures Third Consecutive Week at No. 1

BTS has made history with their fifth full-length album, "ARIRANG," claiming the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the third consecutive week. This achievement marks the first time a K-pop act has maintained a three-week streak at the summit, surpassing releases from Morgan Wallen and Ye.

Key Facts

• "ARIRANG" debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 on April 4 and remained there through the week dated April 18, 2026.
• The album earned 124,000 equivalent album units for the week ending April 9, consisting of 71,000 pure sales, 50,000 SEA units, and 3,000 TEA units.
• BTS is the first group to lead the chart for three consecutive weeks since Mumford & Sons' "Babel" in 2012-2013.
• This is the first album to spend its first three weeks at number one since Taylor Swift’s "The Life of a Showgirl" in October 2025.
• During its debut week, the album recorded 532,000 pure sales, the highest weekly sales for a group in a decade.
• "ARIRANG" is the group's first full project in nearly four years following their military service hiatus, featuring 14 tracks including the lead single "SWIM."
• The album outperformed Morgan Wallen’s "I’m The Problem" (No. 2) and Ye’s "BULLY" (No. 3) to retain the ranking.

Key Terms

• Billboard 200: The primary U.S. multi-metric album chart ranking popularity based on unit consumption.
• Equivalent Album Units: A measurement combining physical and digital sales with streaming equivalent albums (SEA) and track equivalent albums (TEA).
• SEA (Streaming Equivalent Albums): A metric where a specified number of streams equal one album sale.
• TEA (Track Equivalent Albums): A metric where the digital purchase of a specified number of individual tracks equals one album sale.

Key Quote

"ARIRANG is the first K-pop album to spend three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on that chart." — Nate News