If touring built the modern music industry, streaming rewired it. Spotify’s global reach has turned songs into long-term cultural giants, with billions of plays accumulating long after their chart runs end. The result is a ranking that blends pop superstars, viral moments, slow-burn sleepers and unexpected classics.
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” leads all-time with more than 5.1 billion streams, the first song in Spotify history to cross the 5-billion mark. Ed Sheeran continues his dominance with multiple entries, while Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Post Malone and Glass Animals highlight just how eclectic streaming success has become.
Below is a streamlined breakdown of the top 20 most-streamed songs on Spotify — just the key facts, delivered cleanly.
Top 20 Most-Streamed Songs on Spotify
(number – streams – artist – song – release date)
- 5.160B – The Weeknd – Blinding Lights – 29 Nov 2019
- 4.664B – Ed Sheeran – Shape of You – 6 Jan 2017
- 4.229B – The Weeknd & Daft Punk – Starboy – 21 Sept 2016
- 4.211B – The Neighbourhood – Sweater Weather – 3 Dec 2012
- 4.146B – Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved – 8 Nov 2018
- 4.136B – Harry Styles – As It Was – 1 Apr 2022
- 4.038B – Post Malone & Swae Lee – Sunflower – 18 Oct 2018
- 3.899B – Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla – One Dance – 5 Apr 2016
- 3.734B – The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber – Stay – 9 Jul 2021
- 3.731B – Ed Sheeran – Perfect – 3 Mar 2017
- 3.665B – Imagine Dragons – Believer – 1 Feb 2017
- 3.591B – Glass Animals – Heat Waves – 29 Jun 2020
- 3.557B – Billie Eilish & Khalid – Lovely – 19 Apr 2018
- 3.501B – The Chainsmokers & Halsey – Closer – 29 Jul 2016
- 3.472B – James Arthur – Say You Won’t Let Go – 9 Sept 2016
- 3.453B – Arctic Monkeys – I Wanna Be Yours – 9 Sept 2013
- 3.453B – Lord Huron – The Night We Met – 7 Apr 2015
- 3.439B – Coldplay – Yellow – 26 Jun 2000
- 3.427B – The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something Just Like This – 22 Feb 2017
- 3.392B – Vance Joy – Riptide – 21 May 2013