Spotify has become one of the clearest ways to measure the global reach of African music. African artists are no longer competing only for listeners in their home countries. Their catalogues are being streamed across Europe, North America, the Middle East and other African markets.
The latest numbers show just how much that international audience has changed the streaming hierarchy.
Wizkid and Burna Boy now lead the field by a significant margin, while Rema, Tems and Tyla have built billions of streams from a much younger generation of global listeners.
Here are the African artists with the most Spotify streams in 2026 based on the latest available catalogue data.
Methodology
This ranking uses total Spotify catalogue streams across an artist's credited tracks, including both songs where the artist is the lead and songs where the artist appears as a featured performer.
The figures are based on the latest available Kworb Spotify catalogue data checked in October 2026. Spotify does not provide a continuously updated public leaderboard showing lifetime streams for every artist, so the totals should be understood as current third-party tracking figures rather than numbers officially published by Spotify.
Featured appearances can make a major difference. This is particularly important for artists such as Wizkid and Burna Boy, whose international collaborations account for billions of streams.
1. Wizkid
Total Spotify streams: about 11.64 billion
Wizkid currently leads this ranking with approximately 11.64 billion Spotify streams across his catalogue and credited appearances.
A major part of that figure comes from his enormous international collaboration history. "One Dance" with Drake remains his biggest Spotify-associated track, with more than 4.5 billion streams in current tracking data.
His own catalogue is also substantial. Made in Lagos, Made in Lagos: Deluxe Edition, Morayo and his other projects continue generating millions of streams.
Wizkid's total includes approximately 8.22 billion streams from tracks where he appears as a featured artist, demonstrating how important his collaborations have been to his Spotify footprint.
2. Burna Boy
Total Spotify streams: about 11.02 billion
Burna Boy follows closely with approximately 11.02 billion Spotify streams across his credited catalogue.
Unlike some artists whose totals are heavily concentrated in collaborations, Burna Boy has built a particularly large lead-artist catalogue. Current tracking gives him more than 6.28 billion streams from lead credits.
His biggest catalogue records include "Last Last," "On the Low," "Ye" and "For My Hand," while his international collaborations continue adding substantial numbers.
His 2026 momentum was also boosted by "Dai Dai," his collaboration with Shakira for the 2026 World Cup, which passed 138 million Spotify streams during the tournament period according to Spotify.
3. Rema
Total Spotify streams: about 6.74 billion
Rema is the highest-ranked younger-generation African artist on the list, with approximately 6.74 billion Spotify streams.
His biggest streaming record remains "Calm Down" with Selena Gomez. The song has reached almost 2 billion Spotify streams, making it one of the most successful African-led songs in Spotify history.
Rema's catalogue has continued expanding beyond that single global hit, with songs including "Soundgasm," "Charm," "Dumebi" and newer releases contributing to his total.
Spotify itself confirmed that "Calm Down" became the first Nigerian artist-led Afrobeats song to reach one billion streams on the platform.
4. Tems
Total Spotify streams: about 6.26 billion
Tems has approximately 6.26 billion Spotify streams across her current catalogue and credits.
Her total is particularly notable because a significant portion comes from collaborations. "Wait For U" with Future and Drake alone has generated more than 1.42 billion streams in current tracking data.
Her solo catalogue has also continued growing, with "Me & U," "Free Mind," "Higher" and "Love Me JeJe" among her major streaming records.
Tems' Spotify footprint demonstrates how featured appearances can introduce African artists to audiences far beyond their home markets.
5. Tyla
Total Spotify streams: about 4.87 billion
South African star Tyla has already accumulated approximately 4.87 billion Spotify streams, despite having a considerably shorter discography than many artists above her.
"Water" remains the centrepiece of her streaming success, with more than 1.48 billion Spotify streams in current tracking.
Her catalogue has expanded considerably through releases including "PUSH 2 START," "CHANEL," "Truth or Dare" and "Jump," giving her one of the strongest streaming trajectories among African artists who emerged internationally in the 2020s.
6. Asake
Total Spotify streams: about 4.46 billion
Asake has accumulated approximately 4.46 billion Spotify streams.
His rise has been remarkably fast. The Nigerian singer's catalogue includes major records such as "Lonely At The Top," "Terminator," "Joha," "Organise" and "Sungba."
Current tracking records more than 3.19 billion streams from lead credits, showing that his streaming success is driven primarily by his own releases rather than featured appearances.
7. Ayra Starr
Total Spotify streams: about 4.06 billion
Ayra Starr has crossed approximately 4 billion Spotify streams, reaching about 4.06 billion in current catalogue tracking.
Her streaming total has been helped by both solo hits and collaborations. "Rush" has accumulated more than 585 million streams, while her appearance on "Santa" has generated more than 944 million.
Her rise from a breakout Nigerian pop artist to one of Africa's biggest streaming names has happened within only a few years.
8. Davido
Total Spotify streams: about 3.84 billion
Davido currently has approximately 3.84 billion Spotify streams across his credited catalogue.
His major Spotify records include "Unavailable," "KANTE," "Fall," "FEEL" and "Funds."
Unlike Wizkid and Burna Boy, Davido's total is spread across a particularly large number of credited tracks. Current data lists 269 tracks associated with his Spotify catalogue, including lead and featured appearances.
9. Omah Lay
Total Spotify streams: about 3.75 billion
Omah Lay has reached approximately 3.75 billion Spotify streams.
His biggest records include "soso," which has passed 430 million streams, alongside "understand," "HOLY GHOST," "reason" and his collaborations with other major artists.
His Spotify performance has been built around a relatively compact catalogue compared with older Afrobeats stars, making the scale of his total particularly notable.
10. CKay
Total Spotify streams: about 3.07 billion
CKay completes the top ten with approximately 3.07 billion Spotify streams.
His ranking is largely powered by one of the biggest African streaming phenomena of the past decade: "love nwantiti."
The original version has passed 1.07 billion Spotify streams, while the DJ Yo! and AX'EL remix has generated another 739 million. Other versions of the song have also accumulated hundreds of millions of plays.
Together, the different versions helped make CKay one of the first African artists to build a multibillion-stream Spotify catalogue around a single global breakout record.
The Gap Between Africa's Streaming Leaders Is Getting Wider
The 2026 figures show a clear separation at the top.
Wizkid and Burna Boy have both crossed 11 billion total Spotify streams, putting them several billion streams ahead of the next group. Rema and Tems have passed 6 billion, while Tyla, Asake, Ayra Starr, Davido, Omah Lay and CKay have all moved beyond 3 billion.
The wider trend is even more significant. Spotify reported in 2026 that more than half of all streams globally came from outside an artist's home country. The platform also said Afrobeats experienced a 349-fold increase in streams between 2014 and 2025.
That international audience is a major reason African artists now occupy such a prominent position in global streaming.
