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Spotify launched in Pakistan in 2021. In its April 21, 2026 five-year report, the company said listenership had grown by more than 750% and streams of Pakistani artists had increased more than sevenfold. The report highlights artists including Talha Anjum, Umair, Hasan Raheem, Atif Aslam and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan—but it does not publish a numbered ranking naming one universal “most played” singer in Pakistan.
What Spotify’s five-year report says about Pakistan
Spotify’s April 21, 2026 anniversary report describes a broader shift toward music discovery and homegrown artists. The company reported these figures for Pakistan since its 2021 launch:
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- Listenership grew by more than 750%.
- Users created more than 15 million playlists.
- Listeners streamed more than 140 artists per year on average.
- Streams of Pakistani artists grew more than sevenfold.
- The number of Pakistani artists on Spotify increased nearly 75% over five years.
These are Spotify-reported aggregate figures; the anniversary report does not provide a detailed methodology for each measure. Spotify called Talha Anjum, Umair and Hasan Raheem among the newer voices shaping the scene, while also highlighting established artists Atif Aslam and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It names “Jhol,” “Pal Pal,” “Wishes,” “Bikhra” and “Maand” as defining tracks of the streaming era, rather than publishing them as a ranked top-five list. Read Spotify’s five-year Pakistan report.
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Who was Pakistan’s top Spotify artist?
There is no single all-listener answer in the available Spotify reports. The 2026 anniversary report highlights artists but does not give them numbered positions. A separate 2023 Spotify analysis provides a specific answer for a specific group: among listeners aged 16–27 in Pakistan, Talha Anjum was the top local artist, followed by Atif Aslam and Abdul Hannan. For global artists in that cohort, Arijit Singh ranked first, followed by Pritam, Taylor Swift, Shubh and AP Dhillon.
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Those rankings reflect Spotify’s stated measurement period, July 2 to August 2, 2023, and listeners aged 16–27—not every Spotify user in Pakistan or a current 2026 chart. See Spotify’s 2023 Pakistan listening analysis.
Which songs and playlists stood out?
Spotify’s five-year report identifies “Jhol,” “Pal Pal,” “Wishes,” “Bikhra” and “Maand” as songs that defined Pakistan’s streaming era. Its 2023 analysis offers more specific, age-based rankings for listeners aged 16–20 and 21–27:
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| Listener age | Most-streamed local tracks, in order |
|---|---|
| 16–20 | “Lagda Nahi,” “Bikhra,” “Iraaday” |
| 21–27 | “Iraaday,” “Bikhra,” “Lagda Nahi” |
Playlist preferences in the same 2023 analysis varied by generation. Gen Z’s most-streamed local playlists included Hot Hits Pakistan, Shaadi Hits and Desi Hits. Millennials also favored Hot Hits Pakistan and Shaadi Hits, with Pakka Hit Hai third. Spotify identified 10 p.m. to midnight as the most popular listening window for its measured 16–27 cohort. These are period-specific findings, not current rankings for every listener.
Why classic Pakistani artists are finding new listeners
Spotify’s ICON Pakistan program, launched in September 2024, aims to introduce artists from the 1950s through the 2000s to newer audiences through curated playlists, exclusive video, media partnerships and social campaigns. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was its first honoree. Spotify reported that he had more than 5.8 million monthly listeners and more than 800 million streams worldwide on the platform in 2024; his streams had risen 26% year over year, and nearly 60% of his listeners were Gen Z. Spotify named “Mere Rashke Qamar,” “Sochta Houn” and “Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai” among his top-streamed tracks.
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Spotify also reported year-over-year growth for other legacy artists in 2024: Mehdi Hassan’s streams rose 142%, Noor Jehan’s active listeners increased 66%, and Ghulam Ali’s annual streams grew 82%. Sajjad Ali and Hadiqa Kiani each recorded a 75% listener increase; Noori and Mustafa Zahid each saw a 75% increase in listener base. These figures use different measures, so they should not be read as a direct ranking of popularity.
The artists named by Spotify span different generations, genres and audiences. A rise in streams, monthly listeners or playlist presence measures a different aspect of listening; none alone establishes a definitive cross-era “most played” ranking. Spotify’s ICON Pakistan announcement describes the program and its first honoree.
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Where to listen
Spotify says its Made in Pakistan playlist brings together tracks that defined the country’s past five years on the service.
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