The top 5 best-selling female K-pop groups in 2021

Who are the best-selling K-pop girl groups so far?
Who are the best-selling K-pop girl groups so far?

The importance of digital fame in today's world is especially true to the industry of K-pop. Some acts, however, show their power by dominating the physical sales of their music releases.

This article will be delving into the top five K-pop girl groups that have overtaken others in terms of physical album sales. The data has been derived from Koreansalestwt. A list of the best-selling K-pop male groups can be found here.

Disclaimer: This data set only includes album sales made in South Korea and Japan.


Which K-pop act is the best-selling K-pop girl group so far?

5) IZ*ONE

Despite IZ*ONE's temporary presence in the industry, they've left an everlasting mark of their own. The project girl group disbanded earlier this year after debuting in 2018.

In 2020, IZ*ONE was the best-selling female artist, with over 1.29 million sales from three albums. Their album "Oneiric Diary" singlehandedly sold around 439k copies.


4) SES

SES is a historic K-pop group that debuted all the way back in 1997. They are a first-generation K-pop girl group consisting of 3 members.

SES debuted under SM Entertainment, the same label as H.O.T., who are their peers. They disbanded in 2002. During their time together, the group left a huge mark on the industry. SES' debut album "I'm Your Girl" sold over 650k copies, and their best-selling album "Love" has sold well over 760k.


3) KARA

Despite having disbanded back in 2016, KARA is still one of the best-selling girl groups in the K-pop industry.

The group started with four members and after several member changes maintained its four-member group status. KARA made waves in both South Korea and Japan during their time, selling over 400k copies of their releases in a single year in Japan.


2) Girls' Generation

The 2nd generation girl group sits at number two on this list. Girls' Generation, also known as SNSD, debuted in 2007 with their single "Into the New World" under SM Entertainment.

Owing to the time period in which they debuted, they are considered a member of the 2nd-generation of idols that entered the industry. They are the first K-pop girl group to sell more than one million copies of their albums in Japan.


1) TWICE

TWICE has made it to number one on this list, reportedly selling almost 10 million copies of their albums so far.

The K-pop girl group consists of 9 members, who were picked through a survival-reality show conducted by their label JYP Entertainment. They debuted on October 20, 2015, with their lead single "Like Ooh-Ahh". In 2019, Gaon Chart stated that TWICE was the best-selling girl group of the decade.