On Monday, December 1, Forbes Korea released its 2025 ranking of the industry’s most powerful stars, with BLACKPINK’s Jennie taking the number one spot. The list of the Top 30 K-Idols of the Year highlights artists who defined the year in music streaming, online conversation, and fan support.
The full top five reveals a strong mix of soloists and groups: Jennie is followed by her BLACKPINK bandmate Rosé in second place, with the boy band Stray Kids in third, BTS as a group in fourth, and BTS member Taehyung (V) rounding out the top five. The ranking shows the ongoing global influence of K-pop’s biggest names, while also making room for newer acts shaping the industry’s future.
The Complete List of Forbes Korea’s Top 30 K-Idols
The annual list from Forbes Korea serves as a snapshot of influence and popularity. It evaluates idols based on measurable data from the entire year. Here is the complete ranking, from first to thirtieth place:
- BLACKPINK’s Jennie
- Rosé
- Stray Kids
- BTS
- BTS’s V (Taehyung)
- BLACKPINK (group)
- aespa
- IVE
- TWICE
- NewJeans
- G-Dragon
- BTS’s Jungkook
- BTS’s Jin
- LE SSERAFIM
- BTS’s Jimin
- BTS’s j-hope
- ENHYPEN
- ILLIT
- IU
- BABYMONSTER
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- EXO
- Hearts2Hearts
- DAY6
- TWS
- (G)I-DLE
- BLACKPINK’s Jisoo
- WOODZ
- NCT DREAM
- All Day Project
The ranking includes a total of six BTS members as individual entries, alongside the full group, highlighting their successful solo activities. Notable entries also include legendary soloist G-Dragon at number 11 and the rookie group Hearts2Hearts, a Best New Artist winner at the recent MAMA Awards, at number 23.
How Forbes Korea Chose the Top Idols
The list is not a simple popularity vote. Forbes Korea created it through a detailed research process with Circle Chart, part of the Korea Music Content Association. The study started with 70 idols who charted on the Circle Chart’s Global K-pop Chart between January and October 2025.
Artists involved in any social, legal, or ethical controversies were excluded from consideration. The final score, called the Idol Index, was calculated using three main factors. Music streaming count made up 50% of the total score. Media and social media mention volume contributed 30%, and a period of fan voting accounted for the remaining 20%.
For the voting portion, fans used the Idol Champ app between November 4 and 14 to support their favorite artists. Stray Kids received a massive 13,030 votes in this category, the highest number of any act on the list.
Major Stories and Standout Achievements
Several key stories emerge from this year’s ranking. The most notable is the performance of Stray Kids, who are listed as the highest-ranking musical group overall at number three. Their placement above the full BTS group underscores their massive global growth in 2025, driven by strong album sales and a dedicated international fanbase.
Another highlight is the continued power of BLACKPINK members as solo artists. Both Jennie and Rosé ranked higher than the full BLACKPINK group, which came in at number six. Jennie’s top position reflects a year of high-profile musical releases and significant media attention.
The list also successfully bridges generations of K-pop. It includes legendary second-generation artists like G-Dragon and EXO, current global leaders like BTS and BLACKPINK, and fast-rising fourth and fifth-generation groups such as NewJeans, IVE, and BABYMONSTER. The inclusion of rookie group Hearts2Hearts is particularly noteworthy following their recent Best New Artist win at the 2025 MAMA Awards.
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Fan Reactions and Questions About the List
The release of the list quickly sparked conversation online. On social media, fans of various artists celebrated their favorites’ rankings. However, some followers expressed surprise or confusion over certain placements and the absence of specific idols.
On forums, several fans tried to understand the exact math behind the Idol Index scores, as the published numbers for votes, media mentions, and streaming did not seem to simply add up to the final index using the stated 50/30/20 formula. One user on an online forum noted:
“I ran my own calculations based on the methodology described above, and not surprisingly, the resulting numbers don’t match up at all.”
This suggests that the data normalization process, which scales all numbers to a value between 0 and 1 before weighting, may be more complex than it appears. The final list represents the combined result of this detailed statistical analysis.
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